Thursday, January 17, 2013


Get your hands wet for longer Drives

 Since hitting a golf ball revolves around geometry and physics, (those laws don’t change) you can bet that a good tip will always be a good tip.

    All golfers want to hit the ball longer, and to hit the ball longer you must have club head speed.  Now we have all heard things like club head lag, and late hit, but what is that?  Well it is very similar to using a hammer to drive a nail, but explaining to a golfer what it looks like and feels like is difficult.   I picked up the following tip from Martin Hall at a PGA Teaching and Coaching Summit in Port St. Lucie over ten years ago, and will be forever grateful for his words.  I have used this visualization to help my students for over a decade.

Imagine you are standing in a swimming pool addressing a golf ball and the water level is at the top of your wrists.   As you reach the top of your backswing and start down, remember this:  All great players get their hands back in the water before their club head gets back in the water.  If you don’t do this then you are casting the club, and loosing valuable club head speed.  Rehearse getting your hands wet before your club head gets wet and you will be launching longer drives soon.

    We have all heard four letter words on the golf course before, and most of you would argue that they do nothing to improve your game.  Well today I would like to submit to you, (2) four-letter words that will prove to be the secret to your dream-round.

   We have all had the basic instruction from our golfing friends, “keep your head down”,  “keep your left arm straight”, and the ever popular, “just swing easy, and you will hit it a mile”.  Please tell your friends to keep the tips coming , because they eventually lead to a frustration level that lands golfers on my doorstep and ensures I stay in business for ages!  And don’t forget the new shiny training aid that will most certainly have your laundry hanging on it a month from now.  So, what now?

 The two words?  Listen up!  Path and Face.  Whaaa?  The way a golf ball flies boils down to the geometry of how your club strikes the ball.  What is the path your club at it approaches the ball??  What is the position of the clubface at it impacts the ball?  Is it open relative to the path, closed, or square?  Until you know the answers to these questions, it is impossible to improve.  You see, whenever you make any change in your grip, set-up , or swing, it should be in order to change either the path of your club or the position of your clubface at impact!