Lesson 25 we feature top tips.
Home of the 2010 Ryder Cup. will be great.
By popular demand we are, featuring tips on how to achieve more distance.
When you see the top players on TV driving 300 yards plus every time, and they are making it look easy, you wonder why your drives only go 200 yards.
Well there are key differences; first they have equipment which has been designed to match their swing, From the degree of their driver, the type of shaft, the grip, every detail is tested and they have the world best swing coaches, and are born with natural rhythm, they have the coordination required to keep every thing smooth and synchronised. Timing, tempo, balance.
They have a swing coach, with state of the art equipment to monitor arc, plane, and speed of their swing. With 3D videos that record their swing from every conceivable angle
They are playing with golf balls that are designed for maximum distance.
And they are natural golfers born with hand and eye coordination, balance and timing.
The young guns are super fit athletes, one would think that was a major factor for those drives 300 yards plus, how-ever it can never be explained why older guys and smaller guys who look out of shape still hit the ball a long way.
It must be down to the right muscles working in perfect sync?
You can use this drill to build up power and technique develop power and club head speed
Take a basket ball outside and take up your normal stance aiming at an imaginary target, but instead of holding a golf club place you hands either side of the basket ball.
Although your hands grip the club differently the arms should hang down in the same way as when you hold the basket ball.
On the back-swing the elbows should stay the same distance apart as they are at address. This keeps the swing connected and forces the arms to rotate the correct amount to find the perfect swing plane.
At impact releasing and throwing the ball forward is not as easy as it may seem. It requires the same timing as releasing the golf club into the back of the ball.
Use this exercise and the added weight of the ball to build up your core strength for more power and club head speed.
Although this exercise is relatively easy to carry out it involves many individual parts of the swing and will train better swing mechanics. With the weight of the ball it will also build up your golfing muscles for more power and club head speed.
Quote from a member: “Long drives are the key to attacking golf? “
**Please do not introduce these tips directly into your game, take them to the range find out if they work for you.
We do not recommend attacking golf aggression in some sports can prove an advantage. To stay in control and in the zone is far more important; however we do agree there will be time when you need to play attacking golf- to WIN
We have 15 coaches in our team they have all had an input into : What they do to get that extra 30- 50 yards on their drive when they need a birdie or even a eagle. (When you really go for it there is always a risk of the ball flying out of bounds, however if it does work and you land 330 yards on target that feels great)
However we also when to the best: Eric Jones the Long Drive Champion of the World.
Free Distance Course by: Eric Jones the World Long Drive Champion
Eric has put together a 5-part training course focused on distance. It’s based on the same key swing concepts found in The 5 Keys to Distance, and uses a few of the same drills.
Try these drills FREE and you will hit the ball longer and more consistently if you are a average golfer with the full video training course you will drive up much longer and on target) When you add 50 yards + to your drives and more distance on all your long shots from the fairway, it will transform you complete game. You lower your handicap and start winning your club competitions and how good will it feel when you win the longest drive. With a world long drive champion prepared to share his secrets with you it will be a distinct possibility not just a dream.
Down-loaded your Free hand book of Golf? If not then please submit the form at the bottom of this page. You will then be a privileged member of the Pro-golf club and in your welcome message will receive two special links – one to Down Load your FREE Hand Book of Golf, plus the link that gives you access to something quite incredible the 5 keys to Distance : From the Long Drive Champion of the World
Tiger at his best, note the complete follow through, that is a full turn and using his body lie a coiled spring.
1 Start with more weight on the right side
When you plan to go all out with the driver, spread your feet even wider than normal. That gives you a firmer base to ensure you do not compromise your balance. A wider stance also helps you place most of your weight on your right side. One of the keys to distance is keeping the upper body to the right of the ball on the downswing, and a wider stance will help you do that.
Creating speed means getting the club-head moving faster–it does not mean swinging harder. Take the club back as far away from you as possible without swaying or losing your knee flex or weight distribution. If you can do that and match your arms with your body, you can swing as hard as you want. Creating width is fine, however DO Not CAST the club out, or you will have an out to in swing and that imparts spin on the ball resulting in a slice.
2
(Club head speed) Tour Professionals average 155mph
Feel that you are swinging slower, tests on the launch monitor clearly indicate that when Pro golfers shorten their back swing relax and do not let the swing get too long, just relax that is when they are driving at their best, and achieve more distance with out risking wild shots
3
Take it away low and smooth in line with the target.
The first thing you need to hit it farther is to turn the ball over–that is play a, draw it (inset). You also need to maintain a good rhythm, particularly the first foot or two away from the ball (left).Slow take away keep it low and in line as you are moving your club away from the ball, that sets the timing for the rest of your swing, and then your transition from backswing to downswing is going to be good. Even taking in to account you are going to take a good, hard swing, you have set the stage to maintain your tempo, timing, rhythm and balance.
From questions received and the information submitted from the coaches, these are the comments most heard: On driving ranges, tee boxes and fairways world wide. “I am coming over the top.” “I’m lifting my head” or “I’m swinging too fast.”
It seems strange to know exactly what you are doing wrong yet seem powerless to correct it? You can correct these problems, check the following.
Why are you coming over the top with your downswing?
You are taking your club away too flat or under the swing plane,
Keeping the majority of your weight on the left (forward) leg at the top of the back-swing
creating a narrow swing arc leaving the club-face open at the top
Flat Takeaway: Taking the club away too flat is the most common of the back-swing flaws. This problem has a knock on effect. The more a player is aware that he or she is over the top, the more he or she is likely to take the club away to the inside.
Learning to take the club back correctly on-plane begins with learning the proper set-up posture. DO NOT bend forward from the neck and shoulders you must bend from the hips.
When most players set up, you must hold the club out in front of you and bend from the hips, until your club is directly behind your ball. If you fail to tilt from the hips, your natural takeaway plane will be to the inside or too flat.
The proper posture begins by tilting from the hips while keeping the shoulders back and the chin up. This posture is the one that best allows you to take the club back properly, with the club-head lining up with the hands at the waist-high position and the shaft hinging skyward in line with the left forearm. These moves set the club on-plane and in front of the body and in perfect position to come back down on-plane or even slightly to the inside.
Another common fault: That results in an inside takeaway, is rotating the arms faster than the upper body. When this happens, the your arms get trapped behind the body, and the only way to get them back in front and strike the ball squarely is to come over the top. Your forearm rotation must match your shoulder rotation. When these two rotations are linked, the arms will remain in front of the body, effectively leaving room to bring the club down on-plane.
Reverse Pivot
Rates as the next most common problem that leads to an over-the-top. Transfer of weight, your weight must transfer from left to right as your upper body rotates. For example if your 75% of your weight is still on the left leg when you are reaching the top of your back swing, you will make a jerky transfer of weight onto your right leg just as you start your down swing. If you moving weight to your back leg to late E.G> At the beginning of your down-swing, you will lean back and the club will be centrifugally thrown out and over the top. Your weight must transfer from left to right during your back swing, and transfer from left to right on your down-swing, (YOU NEED =Perfect balance and transfer of weight)
What causes a reverse pivot? Lower-body sway, this is when the lower body slides away from the target on the back-swing, the upper body falls toward the target. The cure to ending the reverse weight shift is to learn to resist with the lower body and coil with the upper body. The lower body should be the foundation for the upper body during the back-swing. We stress the importance of maintaining pressure on the inside of your right leg by slightly forward-pressing your right knee toward the target as you take the club back. By doing this you will keep your hips from sliding and it also allows your right leg to accept the rearward transition of weight.
Narrow Arc;
The third most common reason for coming over the top is narrowing the swing arc.
This is when the club is to close to your head at the top of your back swing, not allowing sufficient room; you must leave room, for your down swing to return on the correct –plane. The typical reaction to this lack of swing room will be to throw the club out and over.
To prevent a narrow arc check the position of your right arm throughout the backswing. A player with a narrow swing arc tends to fold the right arm too early or keep it unnaturally pinned to the right side all the way to the top. This pulls the club in too close to the body. You will then feel the need to free the club by throwing it way over the top and away from the body.
As you take the club to the top, focus on pressing your right palm against your left thumb (for right-handed golfers). Which creates pressure and effectively pushes the butt of the club farther away from the head while also straightening the left arm and leverage the golf club. If you can maintain that pressure to the completion of the backswing, you will create all the room you’ll need to naturally pull the club down on-plane.
Open Face
The fourth most common reason why a player comes over the top is an open clubface. When the clubface is left open at the top of the backswing, the natural reaction is to swing to the left (over the top) to get the clubface square at impact.
An open club-face at the top can often be traced back to a weak grip at address. “Weak,” as it is used here, refers to the actual strength of your grip, not the positioning of your hands on the handle. If you grip the club with your palms, you have a weak grip, and the club will tend to fan open in the takeaway. Check our previous lessons we show you the correct grip. We show how the club runs more through the fingers. The left thumb pad sits more on top of the grip, while the lifeline of the right palm sits on top of the left thumb. This grip will allow you to set the shaft on-plane in the takeaway, set your wrists properly and keep the club-face from turning to open. We appreciate that to understand all these instructions (In text can prove difficult)
We are planning to go visual with all the lessons and they will be in videos and on DVD in the next three months.
We have in previous lessons stressed the need for a solid base a good stance.
These are tips: Sent in by members:
A firm grip with the last three fingers of the left hand. where no slipping takes place, firms up the left arm at the top of the back-swing, which leads to constant perfect width during the swing.
Tee the ball up high when hitting into a wind. The latest drivers always have the sweet spot high up on the face. If you tee the ball too low when hitting into the wind the ball will come off the bottom of the sweet spot with far too much backspin and will limit distance.
Most golfers start down too quickly from the top and swing to the rhythm ‘one- two’. Change to (Tee it high let it fly) to give yourself time at the top. Jack Nicklaus always maintained he played his best golf when he started the down swing slowly and smoothly
Practice Back Swing Exercise
Take up your address position ready to hit an imaginary ball, and then before you swing, bend down and put a ball directly behind the club head rather than in front where the ball should be.
Take up your stance again, make sure you know where you are aiming, then swing back to the top of the back swing. As you do so the ball will be sent rolling away.
To understand whether you are taking the club back on a good path, all you have to do is watch where the ball has rolled.
On a good swing the ball will have been rolled away slightly behind you, reflecting a swing path that sweeps back on the inside. If however, the ball rolls either straight back or worse, away from you, you know you have taken the club back too straight or outside the line.
If you can do this on a few practice swings it gives a very strong feeling of what to do when you hit a shot. Sweep the ball away behind you for the best results.
It is impossible to cheat this exercise, so you can practice this drill confident it will only improve your back swing.
All too often golfers leave the range having worked hard to improve but have actually got worse. These two drills are guaranteed to make you swing better and improve your golf shots. Carry out these golf exercises to improve the path of your back swing and your body balance.
Practice Body Balance Drill:
Good balance in the golf swing is essential. If you sway, or your head moves back and forward you never play a good shot.
Follow this simple drill to guarantee stability and good balance.
Take up your stance over a ball, then instead of making a swing, put your feet together, and actually get them to touch. Now make a gentle half swing and try to hit your ball forward 50 yards .At first you may well over balance and miss the ball completely, but very shortly you will be able to make a full swing, hit the ball out of the middle of the club and keep your balance to the finish.
Another reason for losing distance is hitting behind the ball;
To stop hitting behind the ball a you must transfer weight onto the left foot by the time impact occurs. This weight shift moves the arc of the swing forward sufficiently to guarantee hitting down onto the ball.
The first thing a you should do when investigating why you are hitting shots fat is to ensure that your weight ends up on the left foot in the finish position.
Hit a series of shots and after each one see if it is possible to pick the right foot off the ground as you watch the ball fly to the target.
If you can lift the right foot off the ground, without falling over, it means your weight has been transferred correctly and you should be hitting down directly onto the ball.
If you are still hitting the ground behind the ball try setting up with the ball a little further back in your stance.
Short game:
We have all experienced hitting a fat shot to the green. Sometimes the ball just comes up short, but when hitting over water that is going to cost you shots
You then have to play the shot again and suddenly the mind starts to wonder if the hole will ever be completed.
Once you are standing over the shot with negative thoughts you are in trouble hitting either a fat shot or a thinned shot over the green.
If you are transferring weight on the left foot but still hitting the ball fat you must firm up your hand action through impact to stop flicking at the ball.
Start your set up with 70% of your weight on your left foot , trust the loft on the club hit down just a little before the ball, your divot should be under the ball.
The loft on your club will send the ball floating to the green.
We understand that most of the lessons are long and take time to read and from feed back, maybe to much to take on board in one lesson.
We were doing out best to work within the six months ( 26 lessons) so maybe we have tried to included to much detail.
So may we respectfully suggest that you read the lessons, then decided in which order of priority: E.G. Which tips /; instruction will benefit your game the most.
If you do need clarification then please do not hesitate to contact your coach.
We mentioned earlier that we will cover the full course (visual) with video and DVD as soon as we have time.
Please follow us on twitter we will post tips and news, if you can please re-tweet to your friends and followers. We do provide a unique free service, with no obligation. They can down the Hand Book of Golf – and 26 free lessons, plus have their own golf coach.
Just an idea, you can print your pdf version of Hand book of Golf and put in in a filo fax folder for easy reference
