Perform Better Golf Blog

I’ve been watching the series on the Golf Channel Tee It Up With Tiger. Tiger and Anthony Kim talk about golf swing technique and how they approach the game. It was kind of fun to see Tiger so casual and how Anthony Kim doesn’t put too much thought into his game, but has so much talent.

Tiger was very humble and impressed with Anthony’s golf swing. Hitting all kinds of golf shots “on call” from Tiger was pretty impressive. Here’s a guy who chokes up on every club he swings, and still hits it a TON.

Tiger was mentioning how pure Anthony hits his irons and even driver. When you can make solid contact with the ball into a square clubface, the ball will go a long ways. Goes to show you it’s not always how fast you swing the club, but how solidly you hit the ball.

The game of golf, and the golf swing are evolving. The modern golf swing has become the ideal for most amateur golfers. With tour players like, Adam Scott, Aaron Baddeley, and now the emerging star Anthony Kim, you’ve got a level of golf that is nearly untouchable for 85% of the tour players. Even Tiger Woods has a run for his money.

Can any golfer emulate the modern swing? I’m not sure it’s possible, unless the golfer improves both golf specific flexibility and strength with golf swing exercises that allow them to make full shoulder turns with no tension.

For the senior golfer, the modern golf swing may not be attainable. The key to good golf as you get older is “swinging within yourself”. You’ve got two choices as the years go on. Accept your physical decline and make compensations in your swing, or buck the curve and start fixing the machine and watch your game go to a new level.

Anthony Kim had a phenomenal year in 2008 and I look for him to do even better in ‘09.

Look at Anthony’s impact position! Most amateur golfers could not get their bodies to do that. Have their hips this open at impact. The core strength and flexibility to do this, is way above average, and can ONLY happen with golf-specific training.

Talking about these young golfers does not mean that there is no hope as you get older. It just means you need to adjust your golf improvement approach to enjoy your golf for years to come. The best way is to create a program that slows the aging process, and helps you maintain (or improve) a level of golf specific fitness that enables you to make more of a modern golf swing.

A couple of days ago, I did an article on long hitter JB Holmes golf swing. What we found out is there is no perfect swing or one answer on how to increase driving distance, but with that being said, there are a couple of key things you can definitely work on to achieve longer drives.

Solid Ball Contact

You have got to hit the ball with a square clubface no matter what. It does not matter how hard or how fast you swing if you hit the ball with an open or closed clubface. So you could really plead a case that solid contact is near the top of the list for increased distance.

Inside Swing Path

Coming from the inside on your downswing will create a “top-spin” draw ball flight, so when it hits the ground it will release and roll an extra 10-30 yards depending on the fairway cut and dryness.

Golfers lose so much distance because they swing from outside-to-in, creating sidespin that goes against the air, and exactly loses distance, compared to a inside-to-out, draw swing.

Staying Behind The Ball At Impact

This is one I have to work on DAILY! But someone who did it better than most is Ben Hogan. Look at how he stays behind the ball at impact.

It is so critical to feel like you’re behind the ball at impact. Most of us get ahead of it and end up throwing the club at the ball, instead of driving through it and getting a full extension like the pro’s get. Staying behind it is the ONLY way to achieve that full extension and maximum power through impact.

Now…on to the BIGGIES!!

Increase Golf Swing Speed

Given you’ve been able to accomplish everything in this article, the next VERY important aspect of increasing driving distance is absolutely increasing golf swing speed.

One of the easiest ways to increase your swing speed is to swing a weighted golf club. Swing this weighted club at a higher, yet controlled rate of speed, and your golf club will feel like a feather next time you go out and play.

Get A Bigger Backswing

To hit longer drives, you need a maximum turn to the top of your backswing. Most senior golfers have lost their physical ability to make this full shoulder turn. The ONLY way to get it back, is to work on your flexibility and strength in your core area.

I’ve put together in instantly downloadable report with 5 simple golf swing training drills you can do that will quickly get you a bigger backswing and longer drives.

Click here to learn more!

Golfers want to know the “magic bullet” for a better golf swing. What if I told you the most important thing in golf swing theory was some simple tip that any golfer could apply and see results? I hate to tease you like that, but I can’t do that!

Nobody can! Doesn’t matter if you pay $30 for a lesson, or $500. You have physical issues that are different than the golfer standing next to you. What will work for him may not work for you.

The root cause of your swing faults can be linked to a physical limitation or just bad swing mechanics, due to a lack of understanding of the proper golf swing sequence. Learning the golf swing fundamentals is the first step in understanding the correct golf swing.

Grip, stance, ball position and posture could easily be considered the most important thing in your golf swing, as if they are wrong, you will have no chance at creating a repeatable and sound golf swing.

Once you get the fundamentals down, you should break your golf swing into parts, and completely learn these movements before you move onto the next part (phase).

One-Piece Takeaway

The initial move in your golf swing is your golf swing takeaway. Take the club back in one piece with the hands, arms, shoulders and club handle move together the first 2-3 feet. This will promote a repeatable golf swing with no additional moving parts, like a wrist break or lift of the clubhead too early.

9:00 O’clock Position

When your club gets parallel to the ground on your backswing, it must be also parallel to your target line, and the toe nearly facing towards the sky, but not quite. With the checkpoint, you are on plane and on your way to a solid golf swing.

Top Of Backswing

There are many different ways golfers get to the top, and based on your current physical restrictions, you’ll either get in the ideal position or something hopefully close to it. This position is a 90 degree shoulder turn, with a 45 degree hip turn; the club is again parallel to your target line; your right elbow is pointing down, not out; right knee has same flex in it as it did at address.

Golf Swing Transition

This could be considered a very important key to a good golf swing that you can repeat for 18 holes. Your golf swing transition should start from the ground up. Your weight moves from your back leg to the front. This is not a lateral slide, but there is a definite shift towards the target. The upper body is held back at this point for a split second.

9:00 O’clock Position

We’re back to the 9:00 O’clock position like in the backswing. And we should be in almost the identical spot. Club parallel to your target line; toe of the club facing nearly skyward; right knee kicking inward toward the golf ball; your weight is now 50/50 at this point.

Golf Impact Position

Some of the top pro’s when asked what the most important thing in the golf swing is will say IMPACT. That answer makes a lot of sense, because this is the ONLY time your club contacts the ball, and the result is what your golf ball will do.

Your golf impact position should be as similar to the pro’s as possible. Shoulders back to square (or slightly open); hips rotated open quite a bit; hands ahead of the ball (unless it’s your golf driver); descending blow into back of ball; weight is 80% on your left leg; clubface is square.

Golf Swing Follow-Through

Just past your impact is the 3:00 o’clock position in your follow through. In this position, it should mirror your 9:00 o’clock one. Your club shaft is parallel to your target line; the toe of the club is up; your hands have turned over because you’ve released your club through impact; your hips, chest and shoulders are now facing the target; and your weight is now 90% on your left side now.

Balanced Finish

If you’ve done everything right, you’ll be balanced and completely on your left leg. Everything is facing the target. Your arms are relaxed with your golf club resting over your left shoulder. You’ve just hit a great golf shot!

So given all of this, you make the decision as to what the most important thing in your golf swing is.

I just got done watching The Golf Channel’s Playing Lessons With The Pro’s. They had JB Holmes on it, so since I’m a big believer in the advantages of power in your golf swing, I watched it (Tivo of course).

Look at his address position above. A really strong grip with his left hand turned over the top of the club quite a bit. Also, notice his ball position. Off his left foot instead of the heel. This could be the camera angle, but I’ll bet it’s pretty accurate.

What I see immediately in his swing (this is with a golf driver) is the minimal wrist cock at the top of his golf swing. So many teaching pro’s advocate a full wrist cock for maximum power, but he’s proving them wrong isn’t he.

But…what he does do is a FULL shoulder turn with a restricted hip turn creating maximum torque in his core area. This is the engine to his golf swing, and creates a tremendous amount of golf swing speed.

Notice on the way down, JB has a tremendous rotation of his lower body. His teaching pro on the show mentioned this is his power in his golf swing. The aggressive move of his lower body starting his downswing. He mentioned on the show, he feels like he pull’s down from the top. No wrist release (casting) of the club.

Please take note, it is not a slide of his lower body, but a rotation. He quickly follows his hips with his core, chest and shoulders aggressively turning through impact.

One thing he mentioned that I thought was interesting, was his “hands getting ahead of the ball” even with a driver. I had never heard of that before. He says it gives him that whipping effect very late in the swing maximizing his clubhead speed through the ball and not before it. He also, said it delofts his clubs making the ball fly lower and run after ground contact.

I find it interesting to see all the different golf swings on tour and how any of us can find a tour player to emulate with our particular body structure.

If you are not a full wrist cock kind of golfer, JB Holmes might be a swing you’ll want to try.

The full golf swing is something that should be a major focus for any golfer at any level. If you can’t make a repetitive swing that holds up for 18 holes, you’re in for a long round that ends up in frustration and unhappiness.

My personal golf instructor has agreed to provide some valuable golf swing tips right from his Golf Swing System that I’ve personally used to add 15 yards on my drives, and lower my score by 5 strokes, and I was a single digit already.

There are so many components to a good swing, that many golfers get overwhelmed and frustrated, never to improve. This golf swing system I’m talking about is simple, effective, easy-to-implement, and better yet…I’ve used it personally with awesome results.

I spent the past 10 years looking for a golf professional who could help me with my game. Thousands of dollars later, I finally found MY PRO! Not only has Bobby helped my golf swing immensely, he REALLY cares about me. I have NEVER met a golf instructor with SO much passion and care.

Have you ever been obsessed with getting a divot in golf swing? I used to struggle to get a divot even with my sand wedge until I finally realized you “hit down on it” to not only get a divot, but to make the ball spin and hold on the green.

Golf Divot

Creating a divot means you are hitting the ball first, then the ground. A divot before the ball is called a “fat shot”, which is something you want to try to avoid at all cost. A fat shot loses a tremendous amount of distance.

On the other hand, hitting the ball then taking a divot in your golf swing is something the professionals do on every golf swing they take. In order to do this, your hands have to be ahead of your clubhead at impact, which creates a descending blow on the ball. The most common problem is golfers try to lift the ball in the air and the clubhead gets ahead of your hands causing thin or bladed shots.

Your ball position can also play a role in where you contact it at the bottom of your golf swing. If it’s too far back, it’s hard to have room to rotate after impact. If it’s too far foward, you end up sliding laterally to get to the ball and hit it.

The ideal divot is about the size of a dollar bill and is only a half inch deep. Deeper divots mean you are coming down too steep onto the ball.

The moment of truth in golf - impact position! It really doesn’t matter what you do unless you get back to impact with a square clubface. I was watching the Natalie Gulbis show on The Golf Channel, and some guy asked her what the most important thing in the golf swing was, and that is exactly what she said. “Square impact!”

If you look at Tiger Woods impact below, you’ll see that his hands are ahead of the clubhead and he is compressing the golf ball. I got this off YouTube so it’s not a really good picture, but you can see what I’m talking about.

Impact position is different with your driver as you need to sweep the club into the ball, not hit down on it with your hands ahead like with this iron shot above. But with most, if not all your irons, and even hybrid clubs, you should have your hands ahead at impact.

Head

Your head should not slide laterally towards the target during the downswing. Tiger’s head actually is further back at impact than when it was at address. This takes a tremendous amount of core strength  and flexibility, and most golfers (especially senior golfers) don’t work on their core, and could not achieve this position with the head.

Shoulders

Here’s a secret golf tip Ernie El’s gives about the shoulders in the golf swing. At the start of your downswing, get the left shoulder moving away from your chin as soon as possible. Look at how far Tigers chin is from his left shoulder at impact. A flaw I currently have is not clearing my hips, and getting “jammed up” at impact, and you’ll see my chin is still quite close to my left shoulder. I am working on getting those shoulders to clear through at impact.

Hips

Your hips are definitely starting to clear at impact. The are aggressively rotating to the left to get out of the way for the club to freely swing at optimum speed through impact and beyone. I have a swing fault where my hips don’t clear as much as they should, and I fight and grind through impact. I am working on golf swing drills as we speak to correct this.

Knees

You can see how Tigers right knee has really “kicked in” towards the golf ball, and his left knee is starting to straighten (but not lock). You know you’ve rotated your hips if that right knee is more kicked in that when it was at address. Your knees will show you a lot if you ever get on video.

Feet

The feet believe-it-or-not play a key role at impact. The weight in the feet has changed from address to impact, and the right foot is really starting to “kick in” resulting in the right knee kicking in as mention above. The downswing should start from the ground up, and the first move is with the right foot pushing off. Now don’t think this is a lateral push, but more of a rotational one. The left foot has more weight on it at impact.

I truly believe impact is EVERYTHING in golf, and if you don’t get it right, you’ll be one heck-of-a frustrated golfer for a long time.

Golfers want more distance. You have to increase your golf swing speed to get it! Line up a 100 of them and 95% of them will raise their hand when asked if they want to improve distance. Why is distance such a yearning for golfers? I thought the ball has to go in the hole to shoot lower scores?

There’s no denying that more distance (in the fairway) is a HUGE advantage. Being able to hit shorter clubs into the greens will increase your accuracy and give you more chances at birdie. Being the LONGEST hitter in your foursome will play mind games with your playing partners.

There are many advantages of hitting it longer, so how do you get those extra yards?

You have to increase your golf swing (and clubhead) speed to improve your distance. The faster (but in control) your swing is, the more compression you impart on the golf ball, making it go further. But…let me add that it’s not swinging harder that increases clubhead speed. It’s several things combined that will increase your swing speed.

Making a full turn (90+ degree shoulder turn with only 45 degrees of hip turn). Starting the downswing with your lower body first, allowing you to retain all that stored energy in your core for a powerful blow on the ball. Being able to aggressively rotate through the ball with a square clubface. Having your highest amount of swing speed through and after the ball and not before like most golfers.

All the above requires one CRITICAL component to be able to pull it off. Do you want to know what that is? You may not want to hear it! You have to be in better shape physically to do any of the above. If you do not have the required core strength and flexibility you will not be able to perform the above moves in your golf swing.

It’s a FACT!

A lower level of both strength and flexibility will continue to hold you back from achieving optimal driving distance.

That is the sole reason I put together my Effortless Golf Swing Training System. To help you quickly achieve higher swing speeds with no additional effort. That’s the KEY to longer drives. Not swinging harder, but letting your newfound strength and flexibility do their job effortlessly.

If you’re not willing to put a little time in on your body (BIG mistake), you can quickly pick up some swing speed with a weighted golf club.