In The European Tour’s longest drive competition, rising star Alvaro Quiros is currently the biggest hitter of them all.
According to the Genworth Financial Statistics the young Spaniard, who won last week’s Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy by three shots, propels his drives 312.2 yards on average.
And during the final day of his triumph at Doha Golf Club, he raised that average to a staggering 319.5 yards.
The secret of his success, according to Quiros, is in the timing. He said: “Obviously my body shape helps me drive the ball a long way, because I’m more than 190cm tall and weigh around 85kgs, so I can generate quite a lot of power. But it’s not all about power – you have to get your balance, the transfer of your weight, and also your timing right. If you can co-ordinate all those things, you’ll have a much better chance of hitting the ball further. And it’s important to keep your head very still and focus on the ball.
“You should also find a driver which you feel comfortable with. I’ve been using a Callaway driver for about a year, and it feels good in my hand, which gives me confidence when I’m standing on the tee. I think the furthest I’ve ever hit the ball with it was during a practice round at the Portugal Masters last year. I hit this drive about 400m – but it didn’t really count because it was downhill and with the wind behind, so the ball bounced a very long way!”
No amateur golfer could possibly hope to match Quiros’ prodigious length off the tee, but where they can improve is by using brain over brawn.
Quiros said: “I think where most amateur golfers go wrong is that they try to hit the ball too hard, which affects their balance and control. It’s no use hitting the ball 300 yards if it goes in completely the wrong direction! So just start out with a nice easy swing, and let the club do the work for you. Then when you’re hitting the ball consistently well, you can maybe try to increase the speed of the swing and the follow-through.”
