IT'S GOOD FOR YOUR GAME
Give yourself
room for speed
If you lack distance with your driver, your problem may be a lack of width in your swing arc. You need a wide swing arc to give yourself room to build up clubhead speed ― the prime factor behind distance.
The wide swing demonstrated in the photos below starts with full extension of the club, including a good stretch of the left arm at both address and during the takeaway. Here’s how it breaks down:
At address, the player’s spine angle is set at a 90-degree angle to the club shaft to allow her left arm to hang straight. As you can see by looking down the target line in the left-hand photo, her right arm is only slightly bent, just enough to accommodate for the fact that both her right hand and shoulder are set lower than her left shoulder. This is a beautiful picture of full extension at address.
The second photo shows her perfect extension at the end of the takeaway. These are the five essentials of full extension she has achieved:
1. Hands are waist high;
2. Left arm and wrist are still straight;
3. Right arm is still only slightly bent;
4. Right elbow has moved away from her right side;
5. Club is parallel to the ground since it hasn’t been elevated by any wrist cock.
To achieve full extension, our model, Heidi, initiated her backswing with her left arm until it pulled on her shoulders and then her chest. At no time did she allow for any slack in her takeaway. By swinging the left arm to create maximum stretch, she has kept the tension on her muscles constant. Remember this key phrase: “Slack in the takeaway breeds slap at impact.” The more stretch, the wider the swing arc will be, and this translates into more clubhead speed and power. This is especially important for a petite woman such as Heidi, who stands only about 5 feet 2 inches tall, but is able to generate enough clubhead speed to drive the ball 240 yards.