How to practice your driving in golf: the complete method to improve

Why driving deserves specific training

The driver is a unique shot in the bag: it's the longest club, often the fastest in terms of head speed, and for many golfers, the most stressful. A bad drive immediately penalizes the hole, while a playable drive—even if not very long—significantly simplifies the next shot and helps to score better.

This is precisely why driving practice deserves dedicated sessions, separate from general practice on the driving range:

• clear and repeatable routines,
• a single technical objective per session,
• and above all a constant orientation towards the golf course rather than simply accumulating balls.

Without this specificity, you risk developing good sensations on the practice range that never really transfer to a game situation.

Key principles for effective driving practice

Before we delve into the specific routines, remember these few simple principles. They are what make the difference between "hitting balls" aimlessly and truly progressing with each session.

• Always start with a gradual warm-up, even a short one.
• Work one objective per session : centering, alignment or tempo, never all three at the same time.
• Swing at 70-80 % of your maximum power to maintain control of the club.
• Aim for a specific area, an "imaginary fairway", rather than pure distance.
• Always finish with a simulation of your starting routine.

Routine #1: Beginner (20 minutes) — Building Confidence

The goal of this first routine is simple: to get the ball into play without stress. It's perfect if you're new to golf or if the driver puts you under pressure at the start.

Warm-up (5 minutes)

• Empty swings, slow tempo.
• Rapid shoulder and hip mobility.
• Five shots with a mid-iron to get into the rhythm.

Controlled driving (10 minutes)

• Ten balls with the driver at 60-70 % power.
• The same target with each shot, without variation.
• A finish held for two to three seconds after each shot.

Starting simulation (5 minutes)

One ball corresponds to one tee shot. Go through your full routine before each swing: look at the target, practice swing, breathe, then execute.

Routine #2: Regularity and Dispersion (Intermediate Level)

This routine aims to reduce the left/right gap and to play more often from the fairway. It is particularly effective if you have a dominant trajectory—slice or hook—that you are looking to stabilize.

The fairway corridor exercise consists of visualizing a realistic fairway, neither too wide nor too narrow, and then always aiming for the same area, counting only balls that are actually playable.

Play two sets of ten balls, pausing between each set to analyze three elements: the dominant trajectory, your balance at the end of the swing, and the quality of contact. If your balls consistently start on the same side, check your alignment first before making any significant changes to your swing—this is often the easiest issue to correct.

Routine #3: Correcting a mistake without changing everything

The most common mistake in training is trying to correct several flaws at once. To progress faster when practicing driving, it's better to isolate a single point and work on it thoroughly until it becomes second nature.

A simple and effective method

1. Identify a single specific error (ball too far back, open alignment, grip too tight…).
2. Perform five empty swings while keeping only this intention in mind.
3. Hit five balls while maintaining this single point of concentration.
4. Return to a natural swing and observe the resulting trajectory.

This method avoids the mental overload that often blocks progress in practice.

Routine #4: Controlled distance, without losing control

The goal here is to find your "useful" speed: the one that produces distance while keeping you in contention. The classic pitfall is to try for a distance record on the driving range, only to see your accuracy plummet as soon as you return to the course.

Progressive exercise

• Five drives at 60 % of power.
• Five drives at 70 % of power.
• Five drives at 80 % of power.

Next, compare the trajectory, centering, and your final balance on each set. You'll often find that your best actual distance comes from a smoother swing, not a more aggressive one.

Routine #5: Practice "as if on the course"«

It's the routine that best transfers your progress to real-game situations. It teaches you to make decisions, to fully commit to your choices, and then to reproduce your routine under pressure similar to that of the course.

• Change targets with each ball hit.
• Vary the clubs used: driver, fairway wood, hybrid.
• Perform your full routine before each shot, without shortcuts.
• Imagine a real hole: danger on the right, bunker on the left, safety zone in the center.

Incorporating this routine at the end of your session, at least once a week, significantly accelerates the transfer of your progress from the practice range to the course.

Where to practice driving in good conditions

The quality of your practice area also plays a role in your progress. For effective driving practice, a sufficiently long and covered driving range allows you to work in all weather conditions, without disrupting your consistency due to the weather. A multi-level driving range also offers different sight angles, which more closely resembles situations encountered on a real course than a simple line-up of tees facing a net.

Visit 230-meter covered driving range of the Belvédère Golf Course, You can perform all five routines described above in good conditions, regardless of the season. The ProShop team, consisting of Patrice, Alicia, and Adrien, can also advise you on the equipment best suited to your swing before a driving session.

The mental aspect: training your routine, not just your swing

Good training also prepares the mind, not just the technical skill. On the driving range, make it a habit to breathe before each drive, to accept an imperfect shot without judging it, and then to fully commit to your decision.

This mental discipline reduces hesitation once you're on the course—hesitation that is often responsible for either "soft" or, conversely, overly forced swings at the start. Practicing driving with this mental aspect in mind truly transforms the quality of your drives in competitions or friendly rounds.

How many balls should you hit with the driver per session?

Quality always trumps quantity when practicing driving. Here are some simple guidelines based on your skill level:

• Beginner: 20 to 30 drives per session.
• Intermediate: 30 to 40 drives per session.

How to measure your driving progress

Don't judge the quality of your training sessions solely by the distance covered. The most reliable indicators for evaluating your progress are:

• your percentage of balls actually in play,
• the observed right/left dispersion,
• the quality of contact, in other words the centering on the clubface,
• your level of confidence felt at the time of departure.

Following these four indicators session after session gives you a much more accurate picture of your actual progress than the single distance figure displayed on a radar.

Keeping a simple notebook, even on your phone, to note these benchmarks after each session will allow you to clearly see the evolution of your driving over several weeks, and to adjust the routine to prioritize during your next session at the practice range.

Mistakes to avoid when practicing driving

Certain habits can hinder progress, even for golfers who regularly practice. Identifying them allows you to quickly correct a stagnant training session.

• Always aim for the same maximum distance rather than a specific zone: this maintains a forced swing rather than a repeatable swing.
• Change correction for each ball : without a stable intention over at least five to ten strikes, no sensation can truly take hold.
• Ignoring the warm-up : swinging at full speed from the first ball increases the risk of injury and distorts the initial sensations of the session.
• Never simulate the route Remaining solely in "rehearsal" mode without a complete routine severely limits the transfer to actual play.

Repeating just one of these routines each week, while keeping in mind these mistakes to avoid, is usually enough to permanently transform the quality of your starts over the months.