Dustin Johnson Revealed One Tip To Improve Your Ball Striking

LIV Golf Las Vegas Champion Dustin Johnson with the trophy and hitting a tee shot

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Throughout his career, Dustin Johnson has been considered one of the best ball strikers in world golf, and his recent success in LIV Golf events suggests that is certainly still the case.

He ranked in the top-10 for driving distance and greens in regulation at Las Vegas Country Club, demonstrating once again his ability to crush it with the driver and utilise laser-precise irons on approach to the green.

Dustin Johnson's Ball Striking Tip: Knee Flex

In an attempt to make a long backswing and store up as much power as possible, you can over-rotate and strengthen your right knee. The result is a reverse pivot, which places the majority of weight on your left side at the top of the swing. This mistake also causes the club to swing back longer than you need, making it extremely difficult to square the clubface at impact.

LIV Golf Las Vegas Winner Dustin Johnson hitting a tee shot

You need to shorten your swing and correct your weight shift in order to create more power with your driver. To do so, work on maintaining a slight knee bend in your right knee all the way from address to the top of your swing.

As you take your club to the top, let your body weight shift to your right heel so you feel athletic and loaded with energy. You’ll find that your swing feels a little shorter than normal, but this is a good thing. In reality, all you’re doing is getting rid of an artificially long backswing that was actually sapping the power from your swing.

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In July 2023, Neil became just the 9th editor in Golf Monthly's 112-year history. Originally working with the best coaches in the UK to produce instruction content, he went on to become a feature writer interviewing many of the biggest names in the game including Tiger Woods, Seve Ballesteros, Rory McIlroy and Arnold Palmer.

A 5-handicap golfer, Neil is a club member who takes a keen interest in the health of the game at grassroots level. You’ll often now find him writing about club-related issues such as WHS, membership retention and how best to bridge the gap between the range and the course.