Golf Tips

Your Go To Drive

2011-08-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

Tee Shot Video Golf Tips

By Steve Flesch, PGA Tour

How to hit your best tee shot.

Tee Heights

2011-08-26T06:22:00.000-07:00

Tee Shot Video Golf Tips

By Richard S. Johnson, PGA Tour

Find the right tee height for your swing.

Drive it Longer and Straighter

2011-08-25T06:54:00.000-07:00

Tee Shot Video Golf Tips

One of the Tour’s best drivers, Jason Gore, will have you hitting fairways after only four swings.

Draw It With Your Driver

2011-08-24T07:15:00.000-07:00

Tee Shot Video Golf Tips

PGA Tour player Pat Perez demonstrates a drill that?ll get you drawing your drives.

By Pat Perez, PGA Tour

PGA Tour player Pat Perez demonstrates a drill that’ll get you drawing your drives.

The Perfect Pitch

2011-08-22T05:26:00.000-07:00

Tee Shot Video Golf Tips

Keep your left wrist flat to pitch it right.

By Chad Rogers, PGA

Keep your left wrist flat to pitch it right.

Loose Muscles = Fast Muscles

2011-08-21T06:53:00.000-07:00

Tee Shot Video Golf Tips

2008 Texas Shootout Winner Mitch McDowell shows you how to bomb it.

Don't Rush Your Downswing!

2011-08-20T02:33:00.000-07:00

Tee Shot Video Golf Tips

2007 World Long Drive Champ Mike Dobbyn on how to nut it.

By Mike Dobbyn

2007 World Long Drive Champ Mike Dobbyn on how to nut it.

The Long, Wide Takeaway

2011-08-19T07:20:00.000-07:00

Tee Shot Video Golf Tips

Hit it a mile with the help of two-time LDA champ, Brooks Baldwin.

By Brooks Baldwin

Hit it a mile with the help of two-time LDA champ, Brooks Baldwin.

Warm up for Power

2011-08-18T18:02:00.000-07:00

Tee Shot Video Golf Tips

Sean "The Beast" Fister uses a heavy club to hit it big. So should you!

By Sean Fister

Sean "The Beast" Fister uses a heavy club to hit it big. So should you!

Drop Your Hands to Hit it Big

2011-08-18T05:24:00.000-07:00

Tee Shot Video Golf Tips

Long Drive Competitor Landon Colling shows you two ways to knock the cover off the golf ball.

By Landon Colling.

Long Drive Competitor Landon Colling shows you two ways to knock the cover off the golf ball.

Leg Drive for Distance

2011-08-17T07:24:00.000-07:00

Tee Shot Video Golf Tips

Power your lower body for big drives!

By Doug Hammer, PGA

Power your lower body for big drives!.

Load Up For Power

2011-08-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

Tee Shot Video Golf Tips (Load Up For Power)

Aussie Long Driver Brent Kearney teaches you how to load up into your front leg for bigger drives.

Tee Shot Video Golf Tips (Stop The Pop-Up)

2011-08-16T05:41:00.000-07:00

Stop The Pop-Up

Are you tired of hitting pop-up drives? Frank O'Connell, PGA explains how to make a quick fix and start hitting better tee shots.

By Frank O'Connell, PGA

Are you tired of hitting pop-up drives? Frank O'Connell, PGA explains how to make a quick fix and start hitting better tee shots.

Tee Shot Video Golf Tips(Split Grip drill)

2011-08-15T17:12:00.000-07:00

Split Grip drill

Derek Nannen, PGA explains a quick drill you can do to combat a slice

By Derek Nannen, PGA

Derek Nannen, PGA explains a quick drill you can do to combat a slice.

Set The Grip For More Power

2011-08-15T05:55:00.000-07:00

Looking for a way to make sure you grip the driver properly?

Looking for a way to make sure you grip the driver properly? Try this technique by Zach Allen, PGA.

Turn The Hands

2011-08-14T15:25:00.000-07:00

A quick way to fix your curving shots is to adjust your grip. Frank O'Connell, PGA explains.

Stay Wide For More Power

2011-08-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

How can wider = farther? Check out this simple drill from Zach Allen, PGA

How can wider = farther? Check out this simple drill from Zach Allen, PGA, and learn how you can easily add width and distance to your tee shots.

Tee Shot Video Golf Tips(Eddie Lee At The 18th)

2011-08-13T16:34:00.000-07:00

Eddie Lee At The 18th

Eddie Lee, PGA, on the 18th hole of the Emerald Course at Wailea Golf Club

Tee Shot Video Golf Tips

2011-08-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

Long drive champs know all there is about how to crush the ball. Watch the experts and improve your golf drive in no time.

More Driving Power: The X-Factor Explained

How to chose not just one wedge

2011-08-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

Today's Tip

2011-08-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

Mix And Match

Fine-tune four key swing elements to eliminate slices and hooks

By T. J. Tomasi, Ph.D.; Photography by Warren Keating

Every golfer has suffered through it—getting worse while attempting to get better, ultimately tinkering unnecessarily and sending an “A” game directly to “F.” While it’s important to discover ways to fine-tune your swing, it’s critical that you do so with an eye toward keeping the key elements of your motion intact. Uninformed tinkering invariably unbalances your swing’s “matchups,” and it’s a big reason why most recreational players can never truly rid their games of slices and hooks.

This article will provide you with a way to construct a better overall swing and then keep it free from swing viruses. The key to this method is becoming aware of your swing matchups—the blueprint that will allow you to assess the advisability of each swing change under consideration. To build a sound swing and then keep it healthy and devoid of errors, you should know how to construct your own personalized matchup string.

The Law Of The Strings states that the golf swing is comprised of several elements that, when joined, form a string. The Law also states that if you change one of the partners in the string, you must change the others to prevent your swing from becoming unbalanced. The key elements of your string are clubface position, ball position, front foot flare, hip action and release pattern. The most dominant element of the string is clubface position at the top of the backswing. As such, an open-face player has one kind of string, the square-face player another and the closed-face player still another.

3 Strings

1 Open-Face Player. The open-face player has the following matching elements: an open clubface, forward ball position, a de-flared front foot, a good deal of lateral hip action and a handsy release keyed by an extended right arm at impact.

2 Square-Face Player. The square-face player requires a medium ball position, a flared front foot, modest lateral hip action and a blended arms/hands/body release pattern with a slight bend in the back elbow at impact.

3 Closed-Face Player. The shut-face player begins the string with a closed clubface, a back ball location, a front foot that’s flared-plus, minimal lateral hip action and a body release featuring a moderately bent trail elbow at impact.

Clubface Position
The position of the clubface at impact is what controls shot direction, but since it’s difficult to see clubface position at the point of impact, clubface position at the top of the swing is used to classify players. In the absence of any downswing compensations, a closed face at the top will produce a draw while an open face will create a fade. If the face is too closed, you get a hook; too open, a slice.

An open face at the top has the toe of the club pointing toward the ground. The toe of a closed clubface points toward the sky. To determine your face position, use a video camera or, better still, consult your teaching pro.

Ball Position
The range of ball position for any club is from the middle of the stance to the tip of the front shoulder. Basically, the farther forward the ball position, the more to the left the ball will initially start. This explains why an open-face player needs to play the ball forward, so the ball will start left of target, then fade back. A closed-face player needs the ball back toward the midline of the stance in order to allow for the draw.

Mismatching ball position and clubface position is seriously dangerous business. A fader of the ball will face a long day of high slices to the right if he or she plays the ball too far back in the stance. A square-face player with this same ball position will hit mostly pushes. Conversely, a draw player (closed face) will hit low hooks with the ball played too far forward while the square-face player, who’s otherwise perfectly matched up, will pull the shot.

Foot Flair
Turning out your front foot (flaring) delays the formation of the left wall that triggers the release, a good match for an overly shut face where delay is beneficial. Deflaring your front foot makes the release occur sooner and is helpful to the open-face player whose fade has turned to a slice. Foot flare ranges from deflared (foot perpendicular to target line) to max flared (45 degrees to target line).

Foot flare/clubface mismatches are common. The most damaging of these are matching a deflared foot and a closed-face position (severe hooks), an overly flared foot and open-clubface position (push slices), and a square-face position with extremeness in foot flair either way (pulls and pushes).

Hip Action
The more your hips move laterally before they turn, the more time the clubface has to rotate through impact. Thus, a lot of lateral hip action provides an open clubface the time it needs to square up. To prevent overclosing of the shut clubface, the matchup is hips that rotate early with minimal lateral motion.

Common hip action/clubface mismatches are overly active hips paired with a closed clubface (fore left!) and minimal lateral hip action with an open face (fore right!).

Release Pattern
The angles of power created during the backswing must be released at impact in sync with the rest of the elements in your matchup string, most notably your clubface position. An open clubface requires a more hands/arms release where the right elbow straightens to “push” the face square. A shut face demands a body release where the hands/arms are very quiet and the right elbow bend is retained to “hold off” the rotation of the clubhead. Mismatch these in any combination and you’ll produce the opposite trajectory and ballflight you’d expect from your typical motion.

What these matchups add up to is a simple credo I teach all of my students: If you want to change your swing, you must change your string. In other words, you can’t simply alter the individual components of your motion—it’s an all-or-none endeavor.

The best way to get matched up is to choose your string, then experiment with each element of that string to find the exact ball position, foot flare, hip action, etc., that fits your body type, strength and flexibility. If you’re committed to improving, experimenting with different foot flares and ball positions can be a lot of fun. String elements are powerful, and slight changes in each can create very different ballflight patterns. Strategically charting the results from changing different string elements will put you more in touch with your game and greatly increase your knowledge and command of the physical dynamics of the swing.

PGA professional T.J. Tomasi is the Director of Instruction at Lyman Orchards Golf Club in Middlefield, Conn.

Todays Tip

2011-08-09T16:48:00.000-07:00

Slice No More!

Destroy the banana ball in 4 easy steps

By Glenn Deck, PGA, with Mike Chwasky, Photography by Warren Keating

Beating the slice once and for all is a goal that can be accomplished by almost any golfer, provided the right approach is taken. In my four-step system, there are no quick fixes—just sound instruction that focuses on key slice-causing elements and methods for eliminating them from the golf swing. In step one, you’ll learn to analyze your divots and figure out if your slice is the result of a bad path or a faulty clubface angle, or both. Step two will tell you how to determine what type of downswing you have and what powers it. In step three, the question of proper grip and how to match it to your downswing type is addressed, and in step four, you’ll learn to match your position at the top with the right transitional move toward the ball and impact.

One of the few constants in the game of golf is that recreational players tend to struggle with the slice, particularly off the tee. Of course, more accomplished players lose the ball to the right from time to time, but not to the point where they can’t enjoy the game due to the sheer frustration of continually slicing the ball off the course. In addition to causing an overall lack of accuracy, hitting shots with a significant amount of left-to-right spin also robs distance, an effect that no golfer enjoys.

If you’re a player who currently struggles with this common problem, it’s time to put an end to it for good. To accomplish this seemingly difficult task, begin by asking yourself these questions: What type of slice do I hit? Is my swing path faulty, or is it my clubface angle at address, or both? Is my swing rotary- or lever-driven? Does my grip, address position, position at the top and transition match my swing type? All of these questions are addressed in my four-step process to beating the slice, and if you follow them in order, you’ll be well on your way to ridding yourself of the banana ball forever. Plus, you’ll understand what elements cause your particular slice and how to repair your swing when things start to go bad.

Step 1: Determine Your Divot
Open Clubface With Incorrect Path Slice
This creates divots that move extremely left of the target line and shots that slice out of control. The correct fix is to develop a swing path that’s less out-to-in and to learn to square the clubface at impact. The incorrect fix is to try to swing even more left or to hit with a closed clubface. This type of slice is the ugliest of them all, and fixing it is definitely a challenge. However, developing a swing path that’s less severe will make squaring the clubface easier.

Incorrect Swing Path Slice
This creates divots that move somewhat left of the target and shots that start to the left and then curve back across the target line. The correct fix is to improve the swing path by moving it more down the line and less over the top. The incorrect fix is to experiment with different clubface positions in an attempt to compensate for the faulty path. The sad truth about this type of slice is that it’s the result of a faulty swing path that travels from outside to in and across the ball. Fixing this problem will take some time and effort.

Open Clubface Slice
This type of slice creates relatively straight divots and shots that start along the target line and drift to the right. The correct fix is to square the clubface at impact. The incorrect fix is to swing farther left in an attempt to keep the ball on line. The good news about this type of slice is that it’s simply the result of a faulty clubface position, which can be relatively easy to fix. If this is your type of slice, you can take solace in the fact that your swing path is relatively sound, as illustrated by the direction of the divot, which is actually a bit to the right.

To beat your slice, you first need to determine if it’s your downswing path or your clubface angle at impact that’s faulty, or both. This can be determined by analyzing your divots and ballflight characteristics. To begin, find a grass practice range and lay a club or piece of colored string along your target line. Once you’re fully warmed up, place a ball on the inside of the club or piece of string and execute a normal, full shot. If you don’t make solid contact the first time, simply move down the shaft or string and hit another ball from that spot. The key is to hit a shot that represents your “normal” ballflight and to create a clearly recognizable divot in the process. Continue to hit several shots until you feel you’ve made at least a couple of clear divots that have resulted from what you’d consider your typical shots.

Once you’ve done this, take a look at the shape and direction of your divots and consider your normal shot shape. If your divot runs fairly parallel to the target line, and your shots tend to start toward the target and then drift to the right, you most likely have a correct swing path but an open clubface at impact. This is the easiest slice to fix because all it requires is a correction of the clubface position as it passes through the hitting zone.

If your divot runs on a right-to-left diagonal from the target line and your shots tend to start left of your target and slice well to the right, you most likely have a swing path that travels too far from out to in, but a clubface position at impact that’s fairly square. To fix this type of slice, you’ll have to correct your swing path by learning to swing more along the target line, or even a bit from the inside.

Finally, if your divots move significantly from right to left and are fairly deep, and your shots move dramatically to the right of the target, you probably have both a faulty swing path and an open clubface position at impact. Fixing this type of slice is the most difficult because it requires the most work. However, by understanding exactly what it is that’s causing your slice, you’ll be significantly closer to straightening it out than you were before you started the process.

Step 2: Rotary Or Level
After you’ve determined the actual cause of your slice (faulty path, faulty clubface angle at impact, or both), you need to figure out what type of downswing you have. Basically, every downswing is driven by a dominant force that’s either a pulling (rotary) or pushing (lever) motion.

A rotary-driven swing is one in which trunk and hip rotation is the primary force that moves the club. This type of swing has the player turning his or her body counterclockwise (for a right-handed player), with the club being dragged around through impact. Ben Hogan, David Duval and Lee Trevino are examples of players with rotary-type downswings.

In contrast, a lever-driven swing is one in which the right hand and forearm are the primary force in the downswing, along with some hip rotation. In this type of swing, the shoulder and chest rotation are delayed as the right hand and forearm power the club down into impact. Retief Goosen and Craig Stadler are examples of lever swingers. It’s important to note that both models start the downswing with a transition move called slotting, which is followed by varying degrees of hip rotation. To successfully fix your slice, it’s critical that you match the method of your fix to your downswing type, so take some time to properly determine if you’re a rotary- or lever-type swinger.

Rotary Swing
A rotary-driven swing is one in which you’re trying to turn left (for a righty) as fast as you can to create clubhead speed. The trunk and chest rotation pulls the club in the downswing along with hip rotation. The key point to look for in the rotary swing is that your hips and trunk have both rotated open to the target line at impact and that your right arm is bent to keep the club on the correct downswing path. Try freezing your impact position or putting yourself on video to see if this is your move. In the accompanying photos, notice how the yellow shaft in my belt loop is facing well left of the target line, while the one on my shoulders is less so, indicating that my hips have led the motion. This is the true mark of a rotary swinger.

Lever Swing
A lever-driven swing is one in which the shoulder rotation is delayed in the downswing as the arms drop and the right hand and forearm are the primary movers of the club through impact. The key point to look for in the lever swing is that at impact, your shoulders are parallel to the target line and your right arm is straightening as the right wrist remains bent. Notice in the photos how the yellow shaft in my belt loop is pointing significantly less to the left than it does in the rotary swing. This indicates the swing relies less on rotation and more on lever action.

Step 3: Match Your Grip
To ensure you have a square clubface angle at impact, it’s critical to find a grip that matches your downswing type on a consistent basis.

If you’re a rotary swinger, you require a stronger grip than a lever swinger because your shoulders are open at impact. A stronger grip counters the open impact position by keeping the right hand and elbow bent and tucked in toward the body, which in turn lowers the right shoulder and keeps the clubhead on the correct path. All of these things add up to a square clubface and an open body at impact.

If you’re a lever-type swinger, your grip will be more conventional or even a bit weak. Be aware that if you’re a lever swinger, a grip that’s strong will produce a closed clubface at impact. To make sure you have a grip that works with your swing type, concentrate on developing a setup position that’s correct. Also, use your impact position to check your grip—when your wrists unhinge at impact, the clubface should be square.

Rotary Swinger Setup
The left wrist should be slightly cupped, with both hands creating a stronger than average grip.

Rotary Swinger impact
The shoulders and hips should be open with the left wrist flat, the left arm against the left part of the chest, the right elbow bent, and the shaft and left arm forming a straight line. Also, the spine and golf club should form a right angle to ensure the proper plane.

Rotate Strong
A lot of golf instructors stress the importance of developing a relatively neutral grip, but in reality, a neutral grip isn’t the best thing for all types of swings. In fact, a neutral grip with a rotary-type swing will produce a lot of shots that are left out to the right of the target. If you’re a rotary swinger, be certain that you can see at least three knuckles on your left hand, and that your right hand is rotated slightly under the grip.

Neutral Levers
For players who power their swing through lever action, a strong grip will produce a closed clubface angle at impact and shots that hook to the left of the target. Instead, concentrate on developing a neutral grip in which no more than two knuckles on the left hand are visible at address. Place the right hand on top of the shaft so that the right wrist is flat—this should produce a square clubface at impact.

Lever Swinger Setup
You should have a more traditional setup and a more neutral grip to match a shoulder position that’s square at impact.

Lever Swinger Impact
The shoulders should be square, the hips open and the right wrist bent, with the left shoulder working slightly upward. The right arm should be straightening through the ball while the shaft and left arm form a straight line. The true key to getting solid results from the lever-type swing is to be as neutral as possible through impact, especially with the hands and clubface. If you’re a lever-type swinger, make sure you invest ample time to get your address position and grip correct.

Step 4: Find The Slot
Many Tour pros don’t have the perfect backswing, yet they all slot the club in the transition in a way that gets the club on the correct path before they start accelerating down toward impact. In order to beat your slice, it’s critical that you get the club properly slotted the way the pros do, and it’s equally important to match your transition to your swing type. Here are the key components for rotary and lever swing types, both at the top of the backswing and in the transition.

Rotary Swinger At The Top
The spine and shoulder tilt should be the same as they were at setup, with the left arm across the shoulder with no lifting whatsoever. The left wrist should be flat and the clubface slightly closed to match the open shoulder position at impact. The right arm and elbow must stay tucked in front of the right portion of the shirt seam. Notice how the rotary swinger’s position at the top (right) is somewhat flatter than the lever swinger’s (below), and that the left wrist is flat or slightly bowed. For the rotary swinger, these elements are a must.

Rotary Swinger In The Slot
The left leg should shift so the hip becomes a brace to pivot around while the left shoulder also shifts left. The left arm shouldn’t pull left but rather should give both arms enough time to drop the club into the slot. The right shoulder needs to stay tall until both arms drop the club into the slot while the right arm and wrist stay bent as the left wrist stays flat with the clubface still slightly closed. If you’re a rotary swinger, the most important things to concentrate on when making the transition into the slot are letting the arms be relatively passive so they can swing freely and maintaining a slightly closed clubface position.

Slice Buster
The driver is the most difficult club in the bag to hit straight due to its ultra-long length (the current standard is about 45 inches, up from about 43 inches in the pre-titanium days) and extremely low loft (most drivers range from 8.5 to 11 degrees). These two elements lead to a club that produces a lot of speed due to the light weight and long length and that’s hard to square at impact consistently. As a result, golfers who struggle with slicing struggle even more with the driver and are often forced to hit shorter-length, higher-lofted 3-woods just to get the ball in play. To remedy the situation, Cleveland Golf offers the Launcher Ti460 Offset driver, a product that combines the distance benefits of modern, oversized titanium designs with the slice-busting benefit of offset. Visit www.clevelandgolf.com.

Lever Swinger At The Top
Spine tilt is the same as at setup but shoulder tilt is at a right angle to the spine. The left arm should be across the shoulder or up higher, while the left wrist is flat or slightly cupped. The clubface is square at the top, and the right hand and wrist are bent to maintain width and keep the club on path.

Lever Swinger In The Slot
The weight should shift into the left leg so that the lower leg becomes the brace point while the right hip stays back with the belt buckle still pointing behind the ball. The left shoulder should shift left with no pulling of the left arm, keeping the back to the target and giving the arms time to drop the club into the slot. The right wrist needs to stay bent in order to set the club on the correct path into the downswing and product power at impact.

PGA professional and Senior Instruction Editor Glenn Deck is regarded as one of the top-100 teachers in the U.S. He’s director of instruction at Pelican Hill Golf Academy at Pelican Hill Golf Club & Resort in Newport Coast, Calif.Visitwww.pelicanhill.com.

Instruction about Driving

2011-08-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

Drive Time

Hitting longer and straighter drives can be easy as long as you have the right fundamentals

By Rick Sessinghaus, PGA, Photos By Ryan Noll

Connect With The Ground!

Most golf instructors agree that the best way to become a better golfer is to start from the ground up. It's not something most golfers think about, but in reality, the ground is critical to helping create more power. To illustrate, think of a car. What makes it go? Here's a hint. It's not the engine or the tires. It's the ground. If you take a car off the ground, the wheels have nothing to push against as they rotate forward.

Same goes for the golf swing. If we don't have stable footing on the ground, any chance at hitting a shot with power and control is vanquished. You need the ground to press against as you whip the club through impact.

To get a better feeling for the ground beneath your feet, do what I'm doing here. Hop off the ground and come to a squat. Do this repeatedly until you start to feel your body pushing into the ground and your legs and trunk flex as you land back on the ground. This sensation will help you get connected with the ground and get ready to make a powerful swing.

Fancy Footwork

Seriously, we make a point in virtually every issue of Golf Tips and in our Golf Instruction Annual to reinforce the importance of wearing good golf shoes. Why? First, you need traction to leverage your body effectively against the turf. According to some of our instructors, many of their students ignore the importance of good footwear, and their feet move, slip and slide all over the place during the golf swing. When this happens, power leaks like a sieve, and so does any chance at hitting consistent, repeatable golf shots. So find a pair of golf shoes that have ample traction, and look for models with dual-pod soles. Dual-pod soles have two halves: the toe section and the heel section. By separating the two, weight can be transferred from heel to toe more effectively during the golf swing.

And finally, don't neglect comfort. You want a comfortable pair of golf shoes, but that doesn't always mean you need the softest, thickest layers of cushioning. In some cases, lower-profile, firmer soles with ample arch support are more comfortable than soft, mushy shoes with less stability. Shop around and see what works best for you. And don't dismiss the newer, spikeless golf-shoe trends. They too have great traction, stability and comfort.

Lower Body: Stable Going Back
Let's start at the beginning, okay? Too often I see some of my short-hitting students swing with an inefficient backswing. They tend to do one of two things incorrectly. First, they sway off the ball, as illustrated by the small photo to the lower left. This not only makes hitting consistent shots more difficult, but also offers a false sense of power, since the body doesn't really coil very much. On the other hand, some golfers have tried to adopt a popular trend that some Tour players are doing, which is to rotate back and place most of their weight on their forward (left) side. And while this can be effective for a Tour player, many amateurs exaggerate it and, as a result, prime themselves to make the dreaded reverse pivot on the forward swing.

Instead, the correct backswing is to rev up power by coiling the body back and over the right leg. There's no need to sway or artifically shift the weight to the right. With a strong coil of the upper and lower body, this will happen automatically.

And as for rotation, consider this ratio: For every degree you can turn your shoulders back, make sure your hips go half as far, and nothing more. This will create the torque you need to make a more powerful swing.

You Know Your knees
By keeping your knees separated on the backswing, you can really get a feel for what it means to make a backswing by coiling the upper body against the lower body, and the lower body against the ground. This also helps prevent you from swaying too much. To practice, I like to use a simple playground ball, and place it just inside my knees. As I swing back, I can really feel what it's like to rotate my waist and upper body. On the downswing, I let the ball drop (as you can see here). By doing so, I can fully rotate through the shot and into the finish position.
Give this a try, and if you don't have a playground ball, try a basketball, pillow or seat cushion. They work just as well.

Lower Body: Stable Going Through
Some of the more common power leaks on the downswing come from an overactive upper body, meaning the arms outrace the lower body, and your body weight stays stuck over your right leg. Or, you slide the lower body too much, causing a very steep downswing into the ball (left photos."

The correct way to transition into the downswing is to make sure you rotate, not slide or hang back! This means leading with a slight shift and a lower-body rotation toward the target as the hands drop down. As you can see here (see photos below), the stick on my left side shows I've made my way to my forward side by rotating, not sliding. I also haven't hung back on my right leg. This is how you stack your impact position for real power.

UPPER Body: Hold Your Triangle
If you watch some of the longest hitters on Tour, you'll see many of them swing with their arms in front of their sternum. When they do so, they create a triangle, as you can see here in the photos.

So what? It may seem simple, but check and see if you're maintaining a triangle. Check your setup, midway through your backswing and the top of your swing. If you can make a triangle, it means you're making a big, full turn with your body. If not, you might be faking a big backswing by simply laying your left arm across your chest and not rotating much at all.

DRILL! Sync It Together
A great way to practice holding your triangle is to take the playground ball again, put it between your elbows and rehearse your backswing. This helps you get a better feeling for a circular, body-driven swing, not a handsy, arms- driven up-and-down golf swing.

Manage Your Trunk
Like most golfers, you want to make as big a backswing as you can to maximize your power. And let's say you managed to not slide or sway your lower body. That's great, but you have to do the same for the upper! Try not to drift the upper body too far away from the golf ball. Doing this not only robs power, but also makes hitting consistent shots a lot more difficult. Instead, try to keep your head stable just behind the ball as you swing.

Also, it's not uncommon to see golfers try to lift the club up by lifting their entire body upward. As you may have guessed, this is a big mistake. Keep your spine angle, meaning the upper-body lean toward the ball, intact as you take the club back and as you swing through. Any lifting or pulling upward will only make it more difficult to hit longer, straighter tee shots.

DRILL! Don't Drop The Ball
Unless your name is Davis Love III, a flying right elbow is going to rob you of rotary power. To help stay more connected, use that playground ball between your elbows. Make a backswing, and don't let it fall. You'll see what I mean with just one try.

EXTEND Effectively
When you hear someone say you need to "extend more effectively," what do you think that means? Truth is, telling someone to extend their arms better is a little misleading. Reason being, no matter how hard you try, if you're not rotating the body through the downswing, you'll never have any luck at making a full extension of the arms!

Check out the two photos to the right. The key to my ability to extend my arms through the hit (which adds a lot more power than the dreaded chicken wing, lower right) is my body rotation. Just before impact, look at how open my hips are. And through impact, my hips and upper body are nearly facing the target. This makes extending the arms through the shot a breeze. My left leg is also rock solid, making it easier for my upper body to rotate.

Give it a try yourself and work on extending your arms more effectively. Only, don't focus so much on your arms; pay more attention to how effectively you rotate through the hit. You'll hit better shots!

Driver Training

When it comes to becoming a better driver of the golf ball, it never hurts to take a few extra steps and get your body into better shape. Our favorite training aids to help golfers build strength, better balance and flexibility include heavy-weighted clubs and resistance bands. But if you can't get your hands on those, grab a couple clubs and make a few swings holding two or three clubs at a time. Heavy-weighted clubs not only build strength, but also do wonders for loosening up tight muscles and help you get in a relaxed state before you swing. Once you get loose, grab your driver, flip it upside down (grip it on the shaft by the clubhead) and swing it. It will feel incredibly light, but don't let that throw you off. Swing it so it makes a "swoosh" sound above where a ball would be. This also will help loosen you up, and it's a great way to work on your tempo and keep that clubhead accelerating through your swing.

DRILLS TO CONNECT: Trunk And Arms
Need a quick drill to get the upper body to rotate more effectively? Simple. Grab your towel and make some three-quarter swings from your knees. You'll immediately get a better sense of what it feels like to turn your upper body. Also, it's a great way to work on your tempo and timing. Once you get a feel, go ahead and hit a few.

Lower Body Upper Body
Use the force! Exercise bands such as this one are a great way to build power and strength. But make sure you use them correctly. Here, I'm using a power band affixed below my left foot. (Hop onto golfgym.com to get one.) As I swing back, I can feel added resistance in my trunk and legs. There's no doubt a few minutes a day of this exercise will add more strength and power to your tee shots.

Today's 2nd Video Tip

2011-08-07T07:01:00.001-07:00

Today's Video Tip

2011-08-07T06:57:00.000-07:00