Peter Uihlein produced one the best seasons of his career in 2024, claiming two titles on the Asian Tour in impressive fashion, including the International Series Qatar in early December.
On top of his professional accolades, the LIV Golf professional also had a spectacular amateur career, winning the 2010 US Amateur and ascending to No.1 in the amateur world rankings.
With his extensive experience in the game, and his ability to hammer the golf ball off the tee, we asked Peter Uihlein to share his top tips to help you supercharge your long game...
Peter Uihlein had a stellar amateur golf career which included winning the 2010 US Amateur and rising to be the No.1 ranked amateur in the world. Uihlein also has a number of proffesional wins on his resume, including two Asian Tour wins in 2024.
Peter Uihlein's Power Tips
Different players generate power from different places. Some guys, like Rory McIlroy, use their hips to create the speed through impact and other players have fast arm speed with quick hands. For me, power comes from my base.
As Pete Cowen or Mike Walker would say, I use the ground force. It’s about setting a solid base from where I can get after the shot without losing control or balance. So from the tee I have a wider stance with the ball forward so I can hit it on the upswing.
I maybe have a little more weight on my right side at address as well – let’s say 60/40, just to help that feeling of launching the ball on the upswing. For me, power in the swing comes from using my lower body well and taking advantage of the pressure from the ground.
Rhythm pointers
Davis Love III once said, 'instead of swinging the club at 100% speed, he’d rather swing it 70% and hit it solid'. He felt that he would hit it just as far because the contact was that much more solid.
Obviously, if you hit the ball from the heel or toe, it’s not going to go as far as the shot struck right out of the middle. With your driver in hand you need to get the relationship between balance, speed and rhythm just right. If these are all synced up, you’ll hit the ball far.
Have a 'go-to' shot
You will notice a lot of top players have a ‘go-to’ shot off the tee. When they get to a tight hole or they are under pressure, they will hit the shot they feel most comfortable with. Usually, the point of that shot is to take one side of the golf course out of play – so they either hit a draw they know won’t go right or a fade that won’t go left.
I would say that’s the big difference between the pros and amateurs: the pros have a shot they know they can hit and they have the confidence to do it. Mine is a pressure fade. I tee the ball down a little bit and hit a ‘squeeze fade’ that takes out the left side of the course. I like this play because I can commit to the shot.
Trying to steer the ball down the fairway is the last thing you want to do when you are under pressure – you want to be able to make an aggressive swing.
Having a 'go-to' shot that you feel comfortable with is an absolute game-changer for amateur golfers...
Transition
When we talk about the transition, what we are really referring to is rhythm. The speed of the change in direction from backswing to downswing is where you get your rhythm and timing from.
If you look at the swing of Hideki Matsuyama, he has a pause at the top of the backswing. There are other players, who are great drivers of the ball, who are really quick from the top of the backswing. Whatever your approach, the main thing is that you need to be consistent.
One thing I would say is that if you get too quick, jumping at the ball from the top, you can lose the synchronisation in your downswing and this will affect your timing and accuracy.
Uihlein won two International Series titles in 2024, including most recently in Qatar
Common Amateur Mistake And How To Fix It
The most obvious mistake I see among amateurs would probably be over-swinging and trying to hit the ball too far. Like Davis Love said, my advice would be to swing at 70% of your normal speed. Keep it smooth but hit it solid and you’ll hit it just as far. This will certainly work, especially if you get the right flight and launch.
Balancing power with control is the recipe for better tee shots...
FAQ
How can I gain extra yards with my driver?
Peter Uihlein says: To find a few extra yards, if I’m trying to attack a long par-5 in two, I almost want to feel as if I’m taking the club away a little slower than usual. The feeling I’m looking for is like a slow coil to the top.
The golf swing is a bit like a rubber band: you pull it really tight and then let it go. So I try to turn everything a little bit more but I slow it down a bit to help me create that extra energy in the downswing. Then from the top, you unwind and see where it goes!
