I’ve long employed a simple trick to hit the ball further and straighter: I put the logo (in my case, “Titleist”) on the back inside quadrant of the ball when teeing up. Then, my sole swing thought is “hit the logo with the clubface.”
Obviously, hitting the logo with the clubface would result in a massive hook or a blocked shot 45° right of your target line, but the simple reality is that nobody is that limber. Trying to hit the inside of the ball forces the club to come from just inside the target line – a powerful position that adds accuracy and distance and counters the weak over-the-top move of a lot of amateurs. It can also help to encourage a longer wrist cock, creating more “lag” and thus more powerful shots.
In the fairway, where you’re not able to position the ball, focus on a dimple or a spot in the same quadrant. You won’t actually hit the inside back quadrant of the ball, but trying to may help your scores more than you could imagine.
Great tip. After getting back into the game a few years ago this was the one swing thought that has had the greatest impact on my game. It has almost completely eliminated my previous tendancy towards the dreadedc out-to-in swing path. I’m no longer slicing the ball, but rather have an nice controlled draw with both my driver and iron.