Hitting Your Full Potential

By Kim Jeong-kyoo

Korea Times Golf Columnist

The hardest thing to make recreational golfers understand is the truth that they need to relax and swing smoothly to hit the ball far and straight. To hit your full potential it's essential to maintain smoothness and rhythm, and to this end, you need to use only 70 to 75 percent of your potential power.

Ernie Els, one of the longest hitters never swings more than 80 percent of his full power on any shot he hits. That is the secret that enables him to hit it a long way with a swing that looks so easy and effortless.

Recreational golfers ask frequently if swing for driver is different from the one for an iron. The swing you use for a putt, for an iron and driver are all the same. The only difference is that swings for an iron and driver are just bigger and wider than the one you use for a putt.

Also crucial to hitting a long distance is to avoid using brute strength. All you have to do to hit the ball to your full potential is just add wrist cock and body turn to your putting stroke.

The sheer purpose of your backswing is to hit the ball as far and straight as you can and toward this end, it's essential to take the club away from the ball in the correct way.

The most common swing fault committed during the takeaway by the average golfers is to allow their arms and body to get out of synchronization.

They take the club away from the ball with their hands and arms only without sufficient body turn. For a powerful swing your arm swing needs to be in synchronization with your body turn.

Allowing your hands to get too far away from your body during the takeaway causes the club to work inside, forcing it to be laid off. When the club gets laid off or rather points left of the target at the top of the backswing, you need to compensate it with your hands and arms during the downswing, which is not easy to repeat on a consistent basis. Compensating action leads to discordant movements, causing inconsistency. It also thwarts a smooth, powerful swing.

A good way to learn a synchronized backswing is to pass a range basket to your friend standing behind you. Hold a range basket full of golf balls in an address position and then turn back to pass it to him with both hands. You will make a nice backswing without a conscious effort, turning your left shoulder behind the ball with your arms firmly pressed against the sides of your chest.

After passing the basket to your friend several times, grab a club and mimic the motion you've just made. You will make a harmonious backswing.

This drill prevents reverse pivot as you will stop dipping down your left shoulder or swaying forward during the backswing. You will start to swing down on a shallower path, hitting the ball more solidly.

Another fault recreational golfers tend to commit, trying to hit a long way, is to tense up. Tension restricts you from cocking your wrists and turning your body fully.

What has to be done first to eliminate tension is to avoid clenching the club. Focus on keeping your arms and hands loose and soft at address.

Also, to release fully strengthen your grip a fraction by turning your left hand to the right. Then widen your stance and move your right foot back away from the ball-target line. That helps you turn freely, creating a bigger, more stable platform. You will turn fully behind the ball without losing balance.

Through the ball try to cover the ball with the toe of the club by rotating your right forearm over the left as if you were hitting a forehand smash with topspin playing tennis.

Most important, avoid cutting down and across the ball. Focus on swinging from low to high, particularly when you swing the driver. A shallower angle of attack is the key to solid, powerful shot off the tee.