Ian Poulters Six Driving Lessons

Europe’s top man on how to rip it off the tee, time after time…

1. Solid address
Make sure you are lined up parallel to the target line. That means your feet, knees, hips and shoulders should all be parallel. I like a nice, stable, fairly wide stance. As a guide, I like my feet to be just wider than my shoulder width. Finally, I like the ball to be just inside my left heel.

2. Hinge and turn
The crucial move for me is to let the club hinge and turn early on the inside. If I have a fault it is moving the club outside the line on the way back, so this thought actually gets me to move the club straight up the line. In this way, Icanpre-setthe club early on the backswing.

3. On line at the top
At the top of the takeaway I am trying to get the club as close to the down-the-line position as possible.

4. Drive with legs and upper body
From there I am driving with my legs and upper body. I am trying to release the club early on the way down. And yet, it’s vital to create a wide arc if you want to maximise your power. I need to release the club early into the impact position and keep the arc wide.

5. On the up at impact
Try and hit the ball slightly on the up. When you do this, you will take some of the back-spin off your ball. By hitting it on the up you are maximising your launch angle. Your ball will take off higher than rt would otherwise, and there will be less back-spin on it. Your rainbow effect is maximised.

6. Balanced finish
It’s important to just let your finish happen naturally and all you need to make sure is that you are in a balanced position at the end.