I think a lot of it has got to do with genetics. When you’re younger, developing certain muscles and twitch fibres are a huge part of it.

I was lucky that I played a lot of sports when I was younger, and one of them was cricket. I was a fast bowler so that training of speed constantly and always wanting to get faster and faster was a big factor.

When it comes to golf, there are a few pretty simple things to bombing it.

If you’re going to hit driver, you need your spine angle behind the ball. You don’t want to be getting on top of it and hitting down on the ball because the moment you hit down and then you create too much spin, the ball floats up in the air.

So, you want to minimize your spin and maximize your launch. The one way to do that is in your set-up. Just set up slightly behind the ball with your spine angle tilted up and then it’s all about width and timing.

Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. That’s my mantra and that’s what I use.

I try and keep it as slow in transition as I can, and get all the speed at the bottom. Almost feel like the speed is after the ball. That helps me make it look a little more effortless and still maximize it.

A normal drive shape for me would be a ten-yard fade, especially if I’m trying to hit the fairway. I like to see it going left to right. To hit that, I’d set up a little open, aim it a little to the left and then swing down my feet line.

Then if I’m trying to get it out a little further, I tee it up a little bit more. The ball would go a little bit further back so I neutralize and try and get a straighter flight. Then widen my stance and wait for it at the top. Like I say, slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

Really feel like getting all that speed after the ball. If I can do that, then then I pretty much maximize my ball speed.

On average, I probably carry my drive 322 yards at sea level and then my ball speeds are between 182 and 186mph. It kind of varies on the day depending on my body and club speed which is between 122 to 125 or 126mph.

I have now got a Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke nine-degree driver set on neutral standard because I like to move it around a little bit, kind of hit it down, hit it up. So I don’t like to have a one-dimensional driver. Then I’ve been with this Fujikura Ventus TR Black 60 – X shaft for a while now and I’ve always used Tour velvet grips since I was a kid.

I think a lot of my swing is muscle memory. It’s years and years of hitting golf balls. There’s definitely still a thought process beforehand in making sure I’ve got the right wind for it or the right hold for it for example. But it’s probably my biggest strength, when I’m driving it well, it certainly gives me a massive advantage.

With the rest of the Stingers GC guys, they don’t like having long drive contests against me. So let’s just leave it at that. Haha! But Charl (Schwartzel) would probably be the closest, when he’s healthy and swinging it great he gets it out there.

Team Stinger GC watching on at LIV Golf Tulsa – LIV Golf

But we love it. The four of us have become really close in the last year, a year and a half. There’s a lot of banter and there’s a lot of making fun out of each other and the caddies and the whole Stingers team you know, the whole vibe is great.

It’s been life-changing for me and my family. You know, I get to see my kids a lot more. I’ve obviously financially done really well, which is great. But I’m still playing against some of the great players in the world, multiple Major Champions, recent Major winners and I still feel like I can hold my own, so that’s great. Then to be able to go back at the end of last year to South Africa on the DP World Tour and prove that I can still win by winning twice, it was the right move for me. So I definitely wouldn’t change it for the world.

Images: LIV Golf