Improve your launch angle to increase distance to maximum

By Kim Jeong-kyoo

If you want to hit longer tee shots, you need a faster swing speed and more solid contact on the sweet spot. The faster you swing your club, the farther you’ll hit your drives. However, increasing your swing speed is not easy. You have a speed barrier that is hard to break.

A great way to add distance to shots off the tee is to improve your launch angle. You can gain extra distance by creating an ideal launch angle. Improving your angle of attack, you can hit the ball longer without increasing your swing speed.

Put differently, to maximize your distance off the tee, you need to hit the ball on the upswing. Banging your driver with an upward blow helps increase the launch angle. This helps you enjoy more carry. You'll also create less backspin, making the ball roll more.

Simply by hitting upwards on your ball, you’ll pick up 10 to 20 yards off the tee. Finding your ball flying at a low trajectory, make sure you catch the ball on the upswing. You'll hit longer drives with less spin, without exerting yourself to increase your swing speed.

A recent study says you need to swing the driver upward through your shot roughly five degrees. This creates an ideal launch angle, ensuring you hit the ball far.

To hit the ball with an upward strike, you need to tweak your address posture. Addressing the ball, you need to put yourself in a position to hit up on your ball. Fine-tuning your address posture, you don’t need to exert extra effort to hit the ball with an upward blow. That happens naturally.

Take a slightly closed stance. The gap between your feet needs to be wider than your shoulder width. Place roughly 60 percent of your weight on your right foot. This helps you hit your ball on the upswing.

Keep your right shoulder lower than your left shoulder. Widening your stance will help you achieve this. Tilt your spine sideways to your right side, away from your target. You need to lean back, with your hands forward in front of your left thigh. Make sure you don’t put your hands even with your trouser zipper unless you set up in a bent posture.

Play your ball off the tip of your left shoulder or off your left big toe. Playing your ball opposite your left armpit, you’re likely to hit down on an out-to-in swing path.

Also, tee your ball higher. This encourages you to hit the ball from slightly inside to outside the target line.

Importantly, avoid setting your driver behind your ball so the center of the driver face is sitting directly behind the ball. This can cause you to hit tee shots on the heel-side of your driver face. Move backward several inches from the ball so the toe-side of your driver is sitting behind the ball. That way you will hit the ball in the middle of the club. An off-center contact robs you of distance and accuracy.

If you don’t feel comfortable setting the toe-side behind your ball at address, simply keep your clubhead in the air. Holding your driver off the turf, you don’t need an adjustment. Letting your club hover, you’ll enjoy a smooth takeaway, better feel for the clubhead and a consistent swing plane.

To make your upward blow effective, you need to set the club shaft at 45 degrees at address. This will happen naturally if you stand over the ball comfortably. However, just make sure your driver shaft is resting at a 45-degree angle as you address the ball. Studies show the ideal angle of approach of your driver to the ball is 45 to 47 degrees.

Then, all you have to do to send the ball far is re-create the 45-degree angle when you hit the ball. Having your shaft angle higher than 45 to 47 degrees, you’ll hit the ball a shorter distance. A higher shaft angle will excessively increase backspin and launch angle. You may hit your ball straight, but you will rarely hit the ball as far as you want.

Also, to increase your distance to the full, you need to hit the ball high on the clubface. You need to avoid hitting your drives one or two grooves below the center of the clubface. Hitting the ball low on the clubface, you’ll create too much backspin. You’ll let your ball start low and climb at the end of its flight. This fault robs you of maximum distance off the tee. To hit longer, more penetrating tee shots, you need to take backspin off your tee shots. Again, to this end, you need to hit your tee shots with an upward blow.

Finally, to create an ideal launch angle consistently, you need to make sure you keep your head steady during your swing. More importantly, you need to fire your right side as you hit your ball rather than swing up with your hands.

You can better leave your head still by keeping the lump at the nape of your neck steady. To fire your right side fully, make sure you drive your right knee toward your intended target through your ball. Or, turn your right hip socket toward your target through your shot.