A sophomore at Elon University in North Carolina, John Steers is majoring in strategic communications. When not studying, John Steers enjoys playing golf. Often touted as a sport you can begin in youth and continue into old age, golf can take a lifetime of learning to play well. However, there are a few basic tips that should help beginners perfect their drive and start each hole on a high note.

1. By John Steers

2.  A sophomore at Elon University in North Carolina,
John Steers is majoring in strategic
communications. When not studying, John Steers
enjoys playing golf.
 Often touted as a sport you can begin in youth
and continue into old age, golf can take a lifetime
of learning to play well. However, there are a few
basic tips that should help beginners perfect
their drive and start each hole on a high note. To
begin, the player must clear his or her head.

3.  Tension and pressure plague golfers on every
shot, but perhaps none more so than the drive.
Nerves will cause the golfer to shorten and
accelerate the backswing, an error from which it
is hard to recover and that will likely end in a
powerless, misdirected drive. Instead, drivers
should practice making a slow, rhythmic swing
and rotating the lead shoulder behind the ball.
Coupling this technique with breathing rituals
will help make the rhythm more accessible
during pressure drives. While the lead shoulder
rotates, the golfer’s back should face down the
fairway in the direction the ball will be traveling.

4.  Finally, on the follow-through, golfers must
remember to continue turning their bodies
even after contact has been made. The
follow-through is equally as important at the
setup, and oddly enough, players who do not
rotate fully after contact will hook many of
their shots. Though it might go against
natural instinct, turning harder into the swing
and follow-through will prevent the ball from
hooking or slicing away.