Golf is a game about playing the best shots you can each time you step up to the ball. It all starts on the tee box with the drive. Unfortunately not all of us have the ability to hit the ball 300 yards every time we get up there. Chances are though you know someone who is one of these lucky few and you play with them from time to time. If you’re looking to take back the power from these monster drivers you’re going to want to follow the tips in this article.

The first thing you need to remember when you’re playing against a long hitter is that distance on a drive only matters so much. If you can drive the ball 300 yards but you can’t put it in at 3 feet you’re not going to be playing very good golf. If you can’t beat the long driver off the tee box you’ll need to beat them within 100 feet of the cup. Your chipping and putting game need to be spot on.

The next thing you can do to increase your chances of beating the long hitter is to hit the ball straighter off the tee box. If you drive the ball 250 yards but it’s a slice or a hook you’re going to be losing vital distance. A straight line gives more distance and better position than a curved one. Make sure that you’re hitting the fairway every time you tee off. This will get into their head and cause them to have to hit the ball more accurate instead of longer.

Golf is very much a mental sport. Don’t let the long hitter’s distance get to you. Ignore how far they’re hitting and focus on how accurate your shots can be. If you look up the stats on the PGA tour you’ll see that the person with the longest drive average wins fewer tournaments than the person with the most hit fairways. If you play golf at 150 yards at a time you’re more likely to make par each time and even par is good for amateurs.

Each of these tips will help you to not only beat that long hitter but they will also help you to improve your golf game as a whole. Focusing less on the distance you’re hitting and more on swinging the club well will give you more success every time. The match may start off on the tee box but it’s always finished, and often won, on the putting surface.