I am about to spoil some of the things you may believe about getting more distance with your driver. And then I am going to tell you how you can quite easily get more distance using your existing driver.

So many golfers think that by going out and spending $800 on the latest driver, all their problems will be solved and that miraculously they will be able to hit the ball the proverbial mile — and straight to boot!

It’s a fascinating fact that with the huge advancement in golf technology the past 50 years, the average club member’s handicap has not improved by as much as even a half a stroke. These are facts borne out by statistics, not some BS that I am making up to get you to give up the game of golf.

You see golf equipment manufacturers have to make a living, and they do so by preying on us — you and me. Telling us that this or that latest driver or golf ball is the key that will unlock the power within and send our shots sailing straight as an arrow for never before achieved distances and control. Bollocks.

If we were to wake some of the old timers (Sam Snead and his mates) up and hand them the equipment we have today, they would most certainly be impressed, and after a short period of adjustment would no doubt be playing better than they used to. But these are exceptions to the rule. These are professional golf players not weekend hackers (no offense meant) or even low handicap club golfers who play twice a week.

Let’s reverse the technique and give our current crop of top professionals (Tiger, Phil, Ernie, Jim and those boys) the same equipment that the old timers used. Again after a short period of adjustment, they would all be able to play a pretty mean game with all that old stuff. Maybe they wouldn’t be able to hit it as far as they do with the new technology, but they would still play good golf.

And that my friend brings me around to telling you how to get more distance with your driver.

If you are like me, you probably don’t spend much time doing golf-related exercises nor much time practicing. Instead you go out on the course and, with a limited warm up routine, hope to hit the ball long and straight from the first tee. That’s all OK, but don’t try to hit it far. Just look at some of the long hitters on tour as an example (Tiger excluded because he lashes the ball and is quite simply almost a freak!). Men like Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Adam Scott and the like. They hit the ball phenomenal distances with what appears to be no effort. And they could do it with the very driver you want to replace with that new $800 job the pro shop is trying to sell you.

So what is their secret? Well there is none. It really is all about getting everything correct before during and after impact. That means your grip, your alignment, your takeaway, your weight transfer, your follow through and everything else associated with the swing. If you got all that right why would you need new equipment?

What you need my friend is to understand that clubhead speed is generated not by the clubhead shape, color or brand name, but by you. You are the driving force behind the ball and the clubhead speed is all about tempo — utilizing your big muscles to maximum efficiency to generate maximum clubhead speed through impact. And that is what makes a drive (or any shot) go further. It’s that simple.

I bet you have had a drive where the ball hurtled off your club face further than any other drive you’ve ever hit and all without much effort, and you just don’t know what you did right. Well, that is the secret — that is the key. Effortless execution producing maximum clubhead speed.

If you really want to get more distance with your driver, you need to put a bit of effort into training and stretching your golf muscles, which are distinctly different to, say, your bench pressing muscles. And also put a bit of time into practicing to get your tempo just right. There is no point buying a new club and then standing on the tee repeating your old problems, lashing at the ball with your arms. It just won’t work, and buying a new driver every day will not solve the problem.

Get more distance off the tee with your driver and enjoy the game more. Learn to swing through the ball with maximum clubhead speed and see how far you really can drive a golf ball.

Lawrence Bredenkamp is a qualified EGTF golf coach and takes great pleasure in helping people improve their game. Visit his site, Play The Lie, for more information on how to improve your golf swing and lower your scores.

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Recently I wrote an article touching upon the myth that “more length equals more distance” for golf drivers. Most golfers are also under the impression that to gain those few extra precious yards off the tee, they need a driver that has less loft.

This is almost always the wrong answer for the everyday golfer — and there are several reasons why.

First, most golfers don’t swing fast enough to use lower lofted drivers. To illustrate, a golfer who swings the driver 100mph generally gets maximum carry distance with a 10 degree driver. Yet, I see countless golfers who swing much slower using drivers with 7 to 8 degrees of loft.

Secondly, loft alone is not the answer to attaining maximum carry distance with the driver. In fact, loft is one of about five factors that have to be taken into account when determining the correct driver for your game. Other factors include length, ball speed, clubhead speed, angle-of-attack, and launch angle.

All these factors are products of each golfer’s unique swing. A golfer’s strength and swing ability determine their clubhead speed. Clubhead speed determines ball speed. There is an ideal launch angle range for a given ball speed that will result in maximum carry distance. Finally, angle-of-attack also influences a golfer’s launch angle when s/he hits the ball.

Finding the right combination of these factors is a little more detailed then choosing more or less loft for a driver. Knowing how these factors work together to produce carry distance for a particular golfer goes beyond common knowledge. This is why it is critical to be properly fitted by a competent, experienced clubmaker.

Lastly, a golfer must know their angle-of-attack measurement in order to find the right loft for their swing. Angle-of-attack (AOA) is generally categorized as being 1) Upward, 2) Level, or 3) Downward.

If a golfer hits the golf ball at a point in their swing when the clubhead is still travelling down towards the ground, s/he has a downward AOA. If s/he hits the ball at the point where the clubhead levels out at the very bottom of the swing arc, s/he has a level AOA. If s/he hits the ball after the clubhead levels out and begins travelling upwards, s/he has an upward AOA.

A golfer’s AOA will determine which loft will launch the ball within his or her optimal launch angle range for maximum carry distance. To ignore angle-of-attack when determining a golfer’s optimal loft is very inaccurate — and there’s a good chance the golfer is leaving some distance on the table.

How is angle-of-attack determined? Again, this is where the value of a competent clubmaker comes to fruition. The only way to accurately measure a golfer’s AOA is to use a test driver on a launch monitor. Serious clubmakers have made the investment in this rather expensive piece of technology. However, to accurately measure and record the critical swing data needed to properly fit drivers, it is an essential tool.

As you can see, randomly choosing more or less loft is not the answer for gaining distance off the tee.

Deron Frederickson is owner of Frederickson Custom Clubs and a Professional Clubmakers Society (PCS) Certified “Class A” clubmaker with 10 years experience. He is also a USGTF Associate Teaching Professional with 3 years teaching experience.

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By Jack Moorehouse

How can I generate more distance off the tee? Recreational players, it seems, are always looking for golf tips on how to generate more distance off the tee. While proper technique is the true secret to generating distance off the tee, other isolated factors also affect distance. Taking advantage of these factors, as I urge players who take my golf lessons, is an easy way to get more distance without swinging harder or faster.

Loft is one of those isolated factors. Unfortunately, some players who take my golf lessons or read my golf tips don’t truly understand the significance of loft. Some players also have a psychological barrier against loft, which is natural given what happens on the course when you hit a tee shot.

Conventional Wisdom versus Reality

Reality in golf is always what it seems. Conventional wisdom suggests that higher-lofted drivers produce shots that fly high and stop dead when they land. Lower-lofted drivers produce shots that fly low but run more when they land, generating more distance off the tee. That theory makes sense, or so it would seem.

The key to maximizing power at any swing speed, however, is launching the ball on the proper trajectory with the right amount of spin to take advantage of the golf ball’s aerodynamic properties. That launch angle is generally 10 to 15 degrees of loft (slower swingers can get more distance with a higher loft angle). Ideal spin varies, but it’s about 2,000 to 3,000 revolutions per minute, again a little higher with slower swing speeds.

Loft, it would seem, is a key factor when hitting a driver. In fact, adding loft is the single most important thing I’ve found in my years of providing golf instruction that helps people hit their drivers better. For some golfers adding loft to their drivers — without making any other adjustments — generates an average of at least 10 yards to their drives. For others, it generates even more.

Determining the Right Loft

So how do you determine what loft is right for you? Pick a driver that gives you as high a trajectory as you can get without sacrificing accuracy. When you feel you’re uncomfortably high, take the loft one step down to see if you still are consistently long most of the time. When in doubt, take more loft rather than less.

Once you’ve determined the right loft, try the following tips for generating more distance of the tee. They’ll help you hit the ball farther without changing your swing speed or adding more muscle power.

1. Widen stance at address for greater stability
2. Shift more weight on right side (for a right-hander)
3. Turn our your left foot slightly
4. Take a full 90-degree turn.
5. Hover club head above ground
6. Hit hard with right hand through impact
7. Sense right forearm crossing over left
8. Finish high with your swing

Some of these tips focus on changes in your address position. Hovering the club head above the ground is a technique both Greg Norman and Jack Nicklaus use. It takes a little practice to learn how to do it, but it produces dividends when executed correctly. And finishing correctly is a must on every swing. When combined with the right loft, these tips will add more distance to your drives.

Two Drills for Generating More Distance

Two proven drills for increasing driving distance are the lead hand drill and the weighted-club drill. I often suggest them to players who take my golf lessons or in written golf tips in my newsletter.

1. The lead hand drill strengthens the “pulling” muscles of your left arm. (Right forearm for left-handers.) With this drill, practice hitting a golf ball with just your left hand. Start with a pitching wedge. Try it without a ball first. Swing easily. When you’re ready, tee the ball up and swing away. Take about 25 swings. When you can hit the ball off the tee consistently, drop down to an 8 iron. Repeat the process.
   
2. The weighted-club drill stretches the back muscles, leading to a fuller turn. Use a heavyweight practice club, a practice “donut,” or a weighted cover for your club. Take about 50 practice swings a day. Swing easily and smoothly. After a month or two, you will find the arc of your swing is larger than before, without losing control of the swing.

Adding more loft to your driver won’t make you a Jack Nicklaus or Greg Norman overnight; but it will improve your game without involving hours and hours of practice. More importantly, adding loft will help you hit the kinds of drives that can help lower your golf handicap.

Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book How to Break 80 and Shoot Like the Pros. He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicaps immediately.

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By Mike Pedersen

All other factors being equal, it is an undisputable law of physics that the faster the club head is moving at the point of impact, the more energy will be transferred to the golf ball, and the farther the ball will travel. The higher the golf swing speed, the greater the distance. Newton’s Three Laws of Motion all support this.

All things are Not Always Equal

Of course, all things are not always equal, and if technique is sacrificed for speed, this equation may not necessarily work. If the loft is too high, too much energy will be expended attaining height rather than distance. The theoretical optimum height with no wind interference is 45 degrees, and anything greater or less than this will reduce the distance the ball travels.

Wind interference, however, changes this. Hence, in high winds a low trajectory ball of 20 degrees may travel much farther than one struck at maximum speed and theoretical optimum loft. Golf swing speed is still important however, since the faster swing will still send the ball farther if loft is equal.

Other factors affecting distance are the ball design (number and type of dimples, ball weight, etc.), the hardness of the ball which determines how much of the swing energy is absorbed through compression of the ball, the position and angle of the club face, exactly where on the ball contact is made (relative to the so-called sweet spot) and many others.

Golf Swing Speed Alone is Not the Answer to Length

It is not, therefore, sufficient to improve your golf swing speed alone. You must also work on your golf swing mechanics, your stance and address, backswing, downswing and follow through. When training to improve any aspect of your golf game, not only your golf swing speed, it must be understood that best results will be obtained by working on your game as a whole, and not just one specific aspect of it.

Golf Ball Design Plays its Part

Many good golfers can push the ball a good way down the fairway without seeming to hit the ball fast. In such cases, distance is achieved through technique, and good swing mechanics, choice of ball, etc. Beginners generally like hard golf balls, molded from a single lump of resin, since they can be hit a long way due to their relative hardness. Professionals, on the other hand, prefer a soft cover on their ball which allows more spin and hence more control, at the expense of distance. Why worry about distance if they are already whacking the ball 300 yards down the fairway?

Golf swing speed training should be part of an overall improvement program on your golf swing mechanics in general, and then you will achieve the best possible results from the improvement in your golf swing speed.

Mike Pedersen is one of the top golf fitness experts in the country, author of the Ultimate Golf Fitness Guide, and founder of several cutting-edge online golf fitness sites.

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By Eric Tomas 

Chicks dig the long ball, that’s a fact! If you’re like me, you’re having trouble with drives that are not long and are often shanked into someone’s backyard! These simple techniques might seem very basic, but often go overlooked. Let’s discuss some factors that go into a good, straight, LOOOONG drive…

Weight Shift — Your swing starts with a basic shifting of weight. You have to imagine there is a line running directly up from the ball on the tee. Try to shift your front shoulder behind that imaginary line in your backswing, without shifting your hips. In other words, use your upper torso only. Now you’re in a good position to begin your downswing. Again, imagine that line and as you follow through, shift your upper torso and back shoulder through the line. If this is executed correctly, in addition to a good weight shift, you will also have a good turn through the ball!

Square Clubface — It amazes me how often this easy correction remains a problem for some golfers. If your clubface is not in the direction you need it to be on your downswing, you will never hit a straight ball. Your arms and wrists have a tendency to shift or ‘roll’ in your backswing. Have someone watch and make sure that your clubface is square at the top of your backswing. If it isn’t, you will have to straighten it during the downswing, creating numerous timing problems. You don’t want this to happen. Having that square face before you start to come though the ball can make all the difference in the world.

Stabilize — Your front foot/knee has a lot to do with your drive power, believe it or not. The reason is because it keeps your hips from turning too much. If you have your front leg stabilized on the ground during your follow through, your hips won’t be able to turn or open too much, thus preventing an undesirable shot. Just concentrate on not collapsing that front knee, and you should produce more torque needed for that extra yardage!

Shoulder Turn — One of the keys to a long accurate shot is maximizing your shoulder turn, and minimizing your hip turn. Many novice golfers don’t realize how important this is. One way to accomplish this is to concentrate on your left leg now and make sure that it doesn’t slide to the right during your backswing. Your rear leg/knee needs to remain firm and flexed throughout the entire motion.

Hands — Hand release is the final point I’d like to stress. To check this, take a short backswing. When your club and hands are about waist high, look as though you are shaking hands with your thumb pointing up in the air. As you swing down into the follow through, make sure your hands are doing the same thing that they did on the backswing. Make certain that your thumb is still up. This technique ensures that you use your hands properly and that the release is true.

Golf is a very challenging game. But with proper technique and attention to detail, everyone can improve their games if they are willing to take the time to correct those ‘easy-to-fix’ mistakes!

Want to take your co-worker’s money in those ‘friendly’ rounds of golf? Ready to impress your buddies when you outdrive them by 30 yards? Check out Eric Tomas’ blog post on a way you can not only get distance on your drives, but also cut down that handicap!

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GD: A “power” tip, no doubt about it. I’ve seen this tip in many different guises and descriptions, but they all pretty much describe the same move or technique. So obviously, it works.

But be patient with this article. This writer will force you to wade through a lot of warnings and noise and ”you must do this” and “you must do that” blah blah blahs first before he finally gets around to the move.

Phffft. Be patient. He’ll get there. Not that how he describes the move is any better than how others elsewhere have. But what the hey, maybe his way is what’ll finally make it go click in your head, hmmm?

Here goes…

Article by Paul Macleod

My friends know me as a fairly long hitter.

I swing hard to get maximum clubhead speed.

Because I swing hard, it is sometimes difficult to stay in sequence.

That means that at impact, it’s not exactly perfect. Or better said, it was yet another mishit.

A mishit means that I just lost a ton of distance. Every time I do this I promise myself I will pay closer attention to my pace and swing sequence so that I can get closer to the sweet spot of the clubhead. Not to mention allow me to do the one thing that I know I must do in order to get the maximum out of the club I’m using.

If I’m hitting driver, there is really only one thing I want to accomplish: Keep it in the fairway. Oh, and of course, hit it a mile. So it’s really two things.

Does one beget the other? Or are the two absolutely not compatible?

We should understand that when a PGA/LPGA player hits the ball off the tee with the driver, s/he isn’t swinging easy. Most of them swing just under “as hard as they can.” I know it looks easy, but it is absolutely not.

Look at Ernie Els. He swing’s so smooth it’s like a hot knife through butter. Silky Smooth. The Big Easy. Yet he is one of the longest hitters on the tour. MMMM!

Makes no sense, does it?

So what’s the gig? How do they do it?

Well the answer is not quite as easy as I may have inferred. But the actual move itself is easy. It’s what you do just before getting to the actual move that may create some issues.

I am going to tell you where the power source is. But first a couple of warnings so that you will understand the source.

You must have done many things correct before the moment of power. Good grip, good setup!

You must have established the two angles and kept them intact through and into the backswing. Your first move on your downswing must not be over the top. It should be a slight bump to the left and dropping of the right elbow to the right side.

And, as you do this, remember to keep your head and your shoulders back. This will help keep you on plane. The club should be on plane and on the correct inside path toward the ball. This will happen if you have made the correct first move.

I am about to tell you the move. But first listen up ! This will be impossible to do if you do not have a very good grip. If you have a weak grip, I strongly suggest that you make it neutral at the very least. But better if your left hand were more on the top of the grip of the club and your right hand matches the left. So that they work together.

There is no way — and not enough words in our language — for me to express how important a good grip is to you and your golf swing. A lot of people have told me to get over it. But I have never seen a good player with a bad grip. If your left hand is on the club in a weak position, there is no way you can create the correct angles that are so important. It just cannot be done.

No angles, no leverage. No leverage, no power.

So, if you have a poor grip and if you insist on keeping a poor grip for whatever reason, then rest assured that anything you may learn here will not work for you.

OK, sorry I scolded you.

Are you ready for the power move?

As I mentioned earlier, before this will work, you must perform everything that comes beforehand in your golf swing as well as you can.

Now go to a door in your home… are you there? Grab the door knob with your left hand and turn it to the left. Visualize: You grab the knob and you see the back of your left hand; you turn it to the left and the back of your left hand moves left; you continue to turn and the back of your left hand turns down or under. Do this four or five times and watch the action of your left hand.

Now as you swing the club towards impact, turn your left hand exactly the same way. So that it turns down and under. Do it fast.

Practice this with little mini swings. Make sure your path is good, from the inside. Just take small swings and turn the left hand down and under at impact. Minimize your movement. No swaying and all that stuff. And make sure you finish the swing, letting the arms get fully through the impact position. Don’t “cut it off.”

Just little swings to get used to the feeling.

When you do this right, there will be an effortless release of power that will shock you. No need to jump all over it. Just practice it for a while.

It is the one thing that you can do right now to get a tremendous power increase.

Now get a grip.

Paul Macleod publishes the ebooksbestbuy.com site.

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Normal backswing, long looping ones, even the short backswingers… cocked wrists, all of them, from the top of the backswing to just about right before their arms bottom out on the downswing, at which point their wrists release and rapidly whip their clubs through the ball. Swoosh!

Some of them cock their wrists early in the backswing, while most just let it happen naturally, without forcing the issue consciously. The latter approach works better for me, since I find cocking early tenses me and my arms up a tad, and I actually lose distance because of it.

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With all the talk about distance from “flexibility” nowadays, I can’t help but feel that good old strength is getting majorly underrated. After all, even if I could rotate my shoulders 180 degrees, without enough muscle to bring everything back and through the ball fast enough, I’d be lucky to get that dimpled orb plonking past the front tee.

So, I found this information online from one of the strongest-looking (scariest) golfer dudes out there: Greg Norman. (Forget the Professional Long Drivers like Jason Zuback… too scary.)

His table of “Basic Strength Training Exercises for Overall Muscle Conditioning” is invaluable. But before you begin, best read the whole thing to be on the safe side; it shouldn’t take too long. [GO]

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