Hit Longer Drives!

Have you ever wondered why you sometimes hit the ball from tee perfectly, and the next time you fluff it?

If we assume that all other factors are under control - things like the set-up, stance, how you actually hit the ball etc - then there is only one way to hit the ball further.

Your club has to move faster - you swing speed has to increase!

The speed of the club has to be increased, especially as it hits the ball.

In other words, to hit the ball further the problem narrows down to "how to get a higher club swing speed"?

Of course it it is an advantage to be strong, but it is not the most important capability:

It doesn't help to simply "whack" the ball if you don't hit it square, or duff it, or do something else wrong with all that power.

On any golf course you can witness how apparently less powerful golfers are able to "out drive" seemingly much stronger players.

The important difference in many cases is the torque a good player has between his/her hips and shoulders.

Torque can be described as the "twisting force" your body stores when your upper body, shoulders and arms twist to the right (if your right handed, that is), while the hips and lower body basically stays still.

That energy is then released when you begin your downswing, putting that energy into your arms, hands and finally the club.

Try this simple yet powerful tip to get a stronger golf swing:

Practise keeping your hips still when you start your back swing, the feeling should be that your shoulders and arms will eventually 'pull" the hips into a turn.

It's even easier to feel this if you sit in a chair when twisting. Your legs and hips are forced to stay in place in the chair, so you can feel how your body develops that twisting torque.

A good chair to sit in is one with low arm rests, so - you can feel your legs and hips being "clamped" in place, so you can only twist your upper body.

Also remember that when you start the downswing your arms and shoulders have to move faster than the hips and legs, simply because they have further to go.

Very important note : Check that your hips rotate, not slide!

You want to rotate your shoulders and arms and your hips, like a giant spring, and then uncoil that spring in your downswing.

Try not to let your hip slide outside your right foot, since you then will have to slide to your left to hit the ball. That takes away an awful lot of your ball striking power, since a sliding motion is far less powerful than an uncoiling and unwinding motion


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The author, Gustaf Eriksson, is a lapsed golfer starting again with this
wonderful and frustrating game! This time I've learnt lots more,
how to get a consistent, powerful golfswing, most of
which I've put on my website:
http://www.better-golf-rounds.com