4 Keys to add extra distance to your tee shots
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By Kim Jeong-kyoo
To hit your ball longer, you need to swing on balance and make solid contact. Granted, you need to build a sound swing first that works for you and repeats even under pressure. You’ll hit your ball longer when you focus on your balance than when you launch an all-out attack with brute force. Several other tips here will help you add extra distance to your shots off the tee.
1. Purge your tee shots of backspin
To hit your tee shots longer, you need to purge your shots of backspin and create the ideal launch angle. Toward this end, you’d better tee your ball higher than normal. That way you will hit your ball with an upward blow. Importantly, you will easily create an ideal launch angle. The average angle of attack of LPGA players with the driver is around plus-2 or plus-3 degrees. PGA Tour players attack the ball with the clubhead traveling level or even at an angle of minus-1 degree.
To hit your tee shot with an upward strike, don’t rest your driver on the ground at address. With your club hovering, you are more likely to hit your ball slightly above the middle of your clubface. To add distance to your tee shots, you need to hit your ball slightly above the center of your clubface. Hitting your driver one or two grooves below the center of your clubface, you’ll put too much spin on your ball. To avoid putting too much backspin on your ball, you need to purge your swing of any downward action. To reduce spin and increase distance, you need to adopt the uppercut swing of a boxer.
Stay behind your ball as you hit your ball. Do not wobble your head ahead of your ball on the downswing. That will damage your launch angle and increase backspin. Stay down as you swing your club through your shot. To swing your club upward, you need to stay behind your ball. Importantly, keeping your body behind your ball, you will stop swinging your club across your ball.
2. Pull the butt end of your club toward your left thigh
To increase your clubhead lag, pull your grip end toward your left thigh as you turn your shoulders and hips. Before you perform this move, you must first swing your club down to the inside as you begin your downswing.
Pulling your grip toward your left thigh rotates your left forearm and prevents an early release. That prevents you from flipping your hands through the shot. You will release your club naturally just before impact, hitting your ball with a powerful blow.
3. Get your right shoulder below your left armpit
At address, your spine tilts to the right away from the target. That gets your right shoulder resting lower than your left. This helps you start your backswing smoothly, allowing your club to work inside the target line. At impact, you need to let your spine and shoulder tilt more.
Get your right shoulder below your left armpit through your shot. This adds loft, allowing you to hit high shots. You will also put less-spin on your ball. The secret to power is hitting your ball high with added loft and reduced backspin.
4. Focus on the proper weight shift
Good footwork puts you in position to deliver your club for solid contact. For good footwork, you need to let your weight transfer during your swing.
At address, keep your weight evenly balanced on the balls of your feet. You need to avoid placing it on your heels or toes. Swinging back, you need to shift roughly 65 percent of your weight onto the inside arch area of your right foot.
Starting your downswing, you need to shift about 65 percent of your weight to the base of your left big toe. Before you change direction into the downswing, you’d better feel your weight shifting into your left side. When your left arm reaches horizontal, you need to feel at least 70 percent of your weight on your left foot. That’ll help you swing down on plane and hit your ball solidly.
At finish, more than 90 percent of your weight needs to be on your left foot. That way you will enjoy solid ball-turf contact instead of incurring poor ball-striking. If you don’t shift your weight in a similar way, swinging an iron, your distance and accuracy will suffer.
Incidentally, tour players set up with 55 percent of their weight on the left when they are using a 6-iron. A study reveals they shift 80 percent of their weight to the right at the top. They keep 80 percent on their left foot when they hit. They place their entire weight to the left at finish.
You need to let your weight shift in the direction your club is moving. If you bend over more at address, however, you need to stop trying to transfer your weight during the swing. You need to keep your head still on the backswing, or rather, stop trying to turn behind your ball. You must swing your club around your body.
Also, you need to avoid trying to pull your club down with your left arm. Similarly, don’t slide your hips toward the target to shift your weight to the left. Instead, you need to turn your body hard and hit your ball with your right hand. The key to hitting solid shots is keeping your weight centered over your ball on the backswing and through your shot.
Put differently, you must keep your upper body and hips between your feet throughout your swing. You need to keep your upper body remaining centered as your weight shifts. If your upper body slides outside your feet, you will lose your stability and balance, plus power. You must play your golf ‘inside your feet’. In other words, don’t try to shift your weight. Instead, try to swing your arms and club around your body. Your weight will stay inside your feet.
Where you set your weight at address is crucial to keeping your balance and posture throughout your swing. Your weight should be on the balls of your feet.
Avoid starting your swing with your weight too far forward on your toes. That damages the critical angles of your spine, legs, hips, shoulders and head. This spells a domino effect, causing fat shots.
Similarly, setting your weight on your heels, you will have thin shots thrust on you.
To set your weight properly at address, shuffle your feet around to find a balanced position before you start your swing. Don’t begin your swing before you’ve set your weight properly on the balls of your feet.