updated 9:02 p.m. ET Feb. 25, 2008

If you watch me drive the ball, it doesn't look like I'm swinging very hard, yet my clubhead speed has been measured at more than 100 miles per hour. This is what I call "effortless power." It's not how hard you swing the driver, it's how efficiently you do it. Provided the clubhead is accelerating at top speed through impact and the clubface is square to your intended target line, you should be able to hit the ball a good distance.

Granted, strength is a factor. In 2000, I started working with Kai Fusser, a trainer in Orlando, and over the space of three years my driving distance increased from 243.8 yards to 269.7. But without good fundamentals, tempo and technique, strength is useless. Here are five keys to help you get the most distance.

1. Take an athletic stance, bending from your hip joints and keeping your back straight to allow your body to turn freely around your spine. Your arms and shoulders should be relaxed and your weight distributed evenly over the middle of your feet — not on your heels or toes. Be careful not to tilt forward too much, which will cause you to lift your arms rather than turn your shoulders on the backswing. Your shoulders should be directly over your toes at address.

2. Turn your shoulders so that your back faces the target at the top of your swing. You should have the feeling that your left shoulder is over your right foot while your lower body is stable. This creates resistance between your upper and lower body, which produces a tight, springlike coil for your swing. Your body will unwind naturally toward the target, transferring speed and energy to the clubhead as it approaches impact. Try to keep your right shoulder low during the early part of the backswing; this will prevent your right hip from lifting and swaying and will provide resistance for your upper body to turn around.

3. Freeze it! Hold your back to the target for as long as you can at the start of the downswing. This encourages you to initiate the downswing with your lower body, not your arms and shoulders, so you can swing the club on a shallower, more powerful inside path. It also helps you hold your wrist angles longer, generating more clubhead speed. If you start down with your upper body first, your weight will thrust out over your toes, throwing the club on a steep, out-to-in, slice-producing path.

4. Let your head turn to follow the flight of the ball after impact. If you keep it down, you'll have a difficult time shifting your weight forward and hitting through the shot. All of your swing's energy should be directed at the target.

5. Swing at a speed that allows you to maintain your balance. For me, it's a six on a scale of one to 10. Any faster and I'm likely to sacrifice control. Once you've found your tempo, hit a few drives on the practice range, noting the speed of your swing and how far the ball travels. Hold your finish to a count of five to make sure that you're in balance. That's how to find the perfect speed for your drive.

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