"How do I hit the ball farther?" This is the question most people want to answer when they go hunting for golf driving tips. The fact is, it is more important to get consistency and accuracy rather than great distance. This is one reason that Tiger Woods stated for changing his swing. His results seem to bear out this assertion. His new swing gives him more consistent results and lets him win more tournaments, whereas his old swing gave more distance but less control, making for more variable tournament positions.

Even as amateurs and weekend golfers, we too, should learn this lesson. Our first step should be to develop a consistent swing with each of our clubs, rather than aiming for greater distance. Once we can hit the ball the same distance, to the same location every time, then we can increase the power of our swing to get more distance.

The first step is to learn when to use which clubs. In general, to hit long distances, you need to use the woods. To hit mid-ranges with greater accuracy, you use the irons. For shot distance, you use the putter. To get out of trouble and hazards, you use the wedges. As a beginner, you should keep things simple. Try to use irons with the same length shaft. This is called the 1-Iron or single-length system. With this simplification, you only need to learn 1 swing for all your irons, compared to 10 different swings for the usual case. You may want to avoid the hybrid clubs at first. These clubs are more versatile, but are still a relatively new concept and have not been standardized yet. This makes them difficult to fit into your game.

The next step is to identify the principles which are common to all great swings. Here is a list of the most commonly accepted elements:

• Proper stance (for you) - The proper stance gives you good balance and a stable position to swing your club. The difficulty comes in because it also needs to take into account the length of your club and the position of the ball. Remember that the correct stance for your golfing buddy who out-scores you could be too stiff for you. Or it could be too unstable for you. You need to develop your own stance.
• Flexibility - Your body needs to be flexible. You can't hit the ball properly if your muscles are all tensed up. There is a good reason why even professional heavyweight boxers are still smaller sized than weight-lifters and bodybuilders. They sacrifice some of that muscle for more flexibility, which gives them more power when they punch. The same principle holds true for golfers, when you swing your club to hit the ball.
• Correct swing mechanics - You need to learn how to swing the club correctly, keeping in mind that the swing for a wood is different than the swing for an iron, etc. A training technique you can borrow from some Chinese martial arts is to start slow and relaxed. Once you get the correct movement, you gradually add more speed and power to your swing. Do remember to also practice your follow-through.