Words to describe a perfect drive

Here are our top 10 ways to describe a perfect drive

Darren Clarke 'kills it' on the 1st tee at the K Club in 2006
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Despite all the talk about the short game, the perfect drive is what we all really aspire to, isn't it? But how to describe it? Here are a few ideas...

There’s probably no better feeling in golf than a perfect drive – that moment when the ball comes right out of the middle of the clubface, speeding off like a bullet before returning to earth slap bang in the centre of the fairway almost 300 yards away. So perhaps it’s no great surprise that we golfers have devised a whole lexicon of phrases to describe that wonder feeling…

Killed it

This is how Darren Clarke described his emotion-charged 320-yarder on the 1st tee at the K Club in the 2006 Ryder Cup en route to an opening birdie on his return to the game following the death of his wife, Heather.

Ripped it

John Daly, who famously “grips it and rips it”, bagged two Majors, 17 other wins worldwide… and a bit of reputation adopting this gung-ho philosophy.

John Daly doing what he does best - "gripping it and ripping it"

John Daly doing what he does best - "gripping it and ripping it"

Nailed it

A satisfyingly descriptive term bringing to mind a hammer striking the perfect blow.

Flushed it

Dictionary definitions of “flush” include “so as to be even, in one plane” hence its overwhelming desirability in a golf swing.

Boomed it

This phrase could have been created for Freddie Couples, whose mighty hitting earned him the nickname “Boom-Boom”, which Lynx in turn then used as a name for one of its drivers.

Freddie Couples nickname spawned this Lynx driver in the 1990s

Freddie Couples nickname spawned this Lynx driver in the 1990s

Creamed it

This is apparently what Jack Nicklaus said to playing partner Sandy Lyle after a perfect back nine drive en route to his epic 1986 Masters victory.

Middled it

Finding the dead centre of the clubface invariably yields exceptional results, at least in terms of distance.

Right out of the screws

A blast from the past, courtesy of the screws that attached the faceplate to the body on old persimmon woods. Younger readers, accustomed only to supersized titanium heads, may not know what we are talking about here!

The faceplate on persimmon woods was attached by screws

The faceplate on persimmon woods was attached by screws

Striped it

A slightly more niche and less common term, probably derived from the stripe that is a “stroke from a whip, rod or cane”.

Crushed it

Photos of a golf clubhead and ball at the precise moment of impact reveal just how fitting a phrase this really is.

Jeremy Ellwood
Contributing Editor

Jeremy Ellwood has worked in the golf industry since 1993 and for Golf Monthly since 2002 when he started out as equipment editor. He is now a freelance journalist writing mainly for Golf Monthly. He is an expert on the Rules of Golf having qualified through an R&A course to become a golf referee. He is a senior panelist for Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland Course Rankings and has played all of the Top 100 plus 91 of the Next 100, making him well-qualified when it comes to assessing and comparing our premier golf courses. He has now played 1,000 golf courses worldwide in 35 countries, from the humblest of nine-holers in the Scottish Highlands to the very grandest of international golf resorts. He reached the 1,000 mark on his 60th birthday in October 2023 on Vale do Lobo's Ocean course. Put him on a links course anywhere and he will be blissfully content.

Jezz can be contacted via Twitter - @JezzEllwoodGolf


Jeremy is currently playing...

Driver: Ping G425 LST 10.5˚ (draw setting), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 55 S shaft

3 wood: Ping G425 Max 15˚ (set to flat +1), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 65 S shaft

Hybrid: Ping G425 17˚, Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Orange 80 S shaft

Irons 3-PW: Ping i525, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 50˚ and 54˚, 12˚ bounce, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Putter: Ping Fetch 2021 model, 33in shaft (set flat 2)

Ball: Varies but mostly now TaylorMade Tour Response