How To Get More Distance In Golf – Power Tips

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How To Get More Distance In Golf – Power  Tips

If you want to hit the ball further, you’ve got to increase your swing speed. And in order to do that, you’ve got to use your body better to create lag. In the video and article below, PGA pro Gareth Lewis shares two excellent drills that will help you generate more power to hit longer and straighter drives this year.

For a lucky few, power comes naturally. Without thinking about it or lashing at the ball, some golfers are capable of hitting it prodigious distances. Unfortunately for most, this isn't the case. Instead, you need to work on your techniques to make them as efficient as possible - that's why you might find these power tips useful!

Get your back to the target

The first drill I’m going to show you is one to maximise the length of your driver backswing and your turn. It’s all very well getting long, but you want to get long with a nice full shoulder and hip turn. 

Take your driver address position and aim to get to the top of your swing with your back facing the target. If you watch Gareth in the video above, you’ll notice his head also moves behind the ball. Don’t worry if this happens to you too. Some great players like Dustin Johnson move their heads well off the centre line going back. Just focus on turning and getting your back to the target - even look away completely when swinging if you have to.

If you’re still struggling with this amount of shoulder turn, don’t be afraid to let your front heel come off the ground. Again, it’s something many of the world’s best players do, and for good reason. With the heel raised at the top, it gives you a brilliant trigger you can use to start the downswing. 

Stamp your heel into the ground to engage the lower body and rotate your hips for power as the first move in your downswing sequence. Then everything else can rotate in the proper order to create the optimal driver launch angle.

Split-grip drill

In the second of my driver drills for golf, I want you to really engage your core. Rather than relying on the hands and arms when hitting the driver, it’s more efficient to use the bigger muscles. However, to use the core you have to engage the hips. Here’s a drill for you. 

Take your set-up and then split your grip by moving your lower hand down the shaft to a point below the bottom of the grip. Swing to the top and the feeling from there is to pull with your lead hand and push with your trail hand. As you work this move towards impact, you’ll be forced to clear your hips and put pressure on the ball. 

If you try to push with your trail hand only, your lower body won’t move and the club will work over the top - a common move among those who want to stop cutting across the ball. So feel like you pull with the lead hand and push with the trail hand to clear those hips and get into an efficient impact position - think of a hockey slap shot.

Once you’ve done that on your favoured side, repeat the drill swinging the other way to ensure you work both sides of your body equally so your hips can turn just as well in both directions.