Gary Player Reveals Pro Driving Secret to Amateur Golfers

Lead: Golf legend Gary Player today shared the crucial technique every top player uses to hit longer, straighter drives during a video clinic for amateur golfers online.

Nut Graf: The nine-time major champion distilled decades of elite experience into a simple drill aimed at boosting power and accuracy, underscoring the relevance of fundamentals even in modern, technology-driven coaching.

Key Insight: “Squash the Bug”

• Player demonstrated how pressing down the left heel at the start of the downswing engages the lower body for maximum power.
• He emphasized keeping the arms driving downward while the torso rotates, preventing arm-rotation losses and ensuring a clean strike.

Practical Drill for Amateurs

• Place an object (or imaginary “bug”) under the inside of the left heel at address.
• On the downswing, concentrate on squeezing the heel into the ground (“squashing the bug”) to anchor the lower body.
• Allow the torso to rotate fully while keeping the arms moving straight down, creating a powerful, in-to-out swing path.

Why It Matters

Maintaining this feel helps amateurs replicate the most efficient sequence of movement used by modern long-hitters, such as Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson, who combine body rotation with a strong, downward arm action.

What’s Next

Player encouraged weekend golfers to integrate the drill into practice sessions, noting that mastering the simple heel-press will yield immediate gains in both distance and fairway-finding percentage.