Everyone wants to smash their drive a country mile. Golfers of all ages and sizes obsess on getting more distance, and out driving their foursome. But as the great sarcastic adage goes: “The woods are full of long drivers”..

I know I’m not telling you something you don’t already know, but it bears repeating that distance without accuracy is nearly worthless. Of course unless you are the errant Tiger Woods, (is his last name a twist of fate?), or another long driving golf pro who can fly the golf ball over the trees…

So how can you, the average golfer gain more distance and improve on your accuracy?

– First and foremost, get yourself in shape. Exercise with weights and stretch and perform yoga to increase your flexibility. The more limber and the more strong and fit you become, the more yardage you will add to your drives.

– Next, check your Grip. For accuracy, weaken it slightly, which means for right handers turning both hands a wee bit counterclockwise. The thumbs of both fingers almost running straight down the golf shaft. Your hands won’t roll as much through impact, which often causes amateurs to hit the golf ball with a glancing blow, imparting unwanted spin, which in turn causes a or pulled hook. For distance, strengthen your grip a little bit, by turning your right hand under the shaft in a clockwise direction, and your left hand clockwise as well.

– Widen your stance to where your heels are directly under your shoulders. This gives you a more stable base to hit against… And you will not tend to sway off of the golf ball, so accuracy, returning the club head to the back of the golf ball for solid contact, is more likely to be enhanced.

– Position the golf ball to the front of your stance, off of the left heel, and tee it up high, especially if you are using a 460 cc headed driver. Think swing to the sky, at impact.

– BackSwing: While keeping your base stable,(lower body), in a one piece motion sweep the club head up and back keeping your swing arc wide with a rather stiff left arm. If your lower body remains stable and doesn’t sway off of the swing plane, then your backswing will be more compact, and without traveling added, unwanted distances, you will more likely be able to return the club head squarely to the ball for a more powerful and accurate shot.

– Downswing: Do not rush the movement down. Let the club head swing you towards the golf ball. Let it gather speed and reach its maximum acceleration at the bottom of your swing, (where it matters), not at the top where most of its power would be dissipated. And the key,(for most amateurs), is to keep the lower body in sync not laterally sliding to the left ahead of the upper body, your hands and the club head too far stuck behind you.

My Best Tip for hitting it long and straight: Concentrate on the downswing on not letting the left shoulder open up too soon. We are in such a hurry to see the results of the punishing hit that we are about to put on the golf ball that we get way ahead of ourselves, our left shoulder pulling us off of our desired swing plane, our head starting to look up along the target line.

If you are really serious about improving your distance and accuracy big time, I highly recommend you getting your hands on some sort of swing plane training device.

Be the ball. Concentrate. Imagine that white orb sailing onto the green and rolling leisurely into the cup. That is all fine and dandy unless your golf swing lands your tee shot on the adjoining green. Is it time to head back to the driving range and hit another bucket of balls or can your swing be adjusted at home? Using targeted resistance band exercises, you can practice your swing anywhere and perfect it for the next time you head out to the golf course.

Resistance bands are strips of latex or rubber that are used both for therapeutic activities and strength training exercises. They have brand names like Thera-band and Bodylastics. You can purchase accessories for your bands such as handles and door hangers and they come in varying levels of tension from two pounds up to two hundred pounds. For practicing your golf swing, you will want to choose a lighter resistance band.

Of course resistance bands live up to their name because they provide resistance for your body to overcome. Overcoming the resistance helps build muscle. In the case of your golf swing, the action, resistance and repetition helps train your muscles to perform. Your resistance band exercises can be designed to replicate your desired golf swing, but we believe that an upper and lower body workout with resistance bands will enhance your performance on the golf course and add endurance and flexibility to your everyday routine.

Resistance band exercises are unique in that they allow you to determine the amount of tension to be applied. By standing with your feet a certain distance apart, you can change the tension on your squats. By standing further away from the door when your resistance band is attached, you can add more resistance to your chest presses or lateral flys. And by placing the band forward or backward in your stance, you can adjust the pattern of your golf swing.

Don’t do this alone. We recommend asking your golf pro, athletic trainer or perhaps a physical or occupational therapist to help you decide on the resistance band exercises that will help you add the greatest enjoyment to your golf game.