3 Keys For Hitting Longer Drives

Hitting longer drives is something most golfers want. I think it's important to make solid contact and have good swing fundamentals which will lead to maximizing your distance off the tee.  Here are a few tips and suggestions on how to focus on the things that will increase your distance with your tee shots and with all your clubs. 

#1)  Make sure you are creating a good coil with your shoulder turn in the backswing. You want to make a full backswing if you have enough flexibility.  It's important to delay the hip turn in the first part of the backswing so you can wind up correctly. This also creates good sequence. In a perfect backswing, the shoulders will turn about 90 degrees and the hips will turn about half that distance or 45 degrees.  Because of this 2 to 1 ratio, it's important to start the shoulder turn before the hip turn.  I like to keep the lower body quiet the first half of the backswing until the shoulders have turned halfway.  Then from there everything can turn together to the top of the swing. Creating resistance and coil in the backswing will help you load up and have much more power to unleash as you swing down in the downswing and through impact.

#2) Maintain good balance and tempo in your swing. Having good tempo is important and it's also important to accelerate correctly through impact. Make sure your swing speed gradually builds so the fastest part of the swing is through impact.  This will help increase your distance. If you swing too fast in the backswing or get too quick in the transition or the start of the downswing, it will be hard to keep up that speed and you'll end up decelerating at least to some degree through impact. Remember to keep the swing smooth and once your club gets down to halfway in the downswing, then feel like you give it a little extra speed. Don't swing too fast that you lose balance because this can affect your contact.  Staying balanced and swinging with good tempo will help you hit with better contact which will give you more distance.

#3) Maintain good angles with your posture. The taller you stand through impact, the less leverage your create and the more you are getting power from your arms and hands instead of the bigger muscles of your body.  Feel like you are squatting down a little in the setup and have a good knee flex and bend from the hips.  Then in your swing, try to maintain your angles and stay level until halfway into your follow through. This will help you create more leverage and you'll get the power from your bigger muscles like your legs and your torso.

Hope these tips help you hit it longer off the tee.  For a more thorough explanation of these swing fundamentals, I recommend taking lessons with me. Call 630-781-5622 or email me at Golfgrl83@gmail.com to schedule your lessons.


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