I worry about people who are constantly searching for more distance. They pick up the latest magazine or go to google.com and start hunting for “keys to more distance.” And there’s no shortage of answers…
One tip says “pause at the top and hit the hell out of it.” But wait a minute… Stewart Appleby advises us not to pause; just pull the club down, stay coordinated, hit it flush and you’ll be “sneaky long.”
Sure, no problem.
One article says it’s in the hips. Another says it’s in the hands. Keep you heel on the ground. Let your heel come up. Stack and tilt. Bomb and gouge! Forget About It.
The results of all the reading and experimentation are predictable… not only does the player not get much more distance, he also loses his sense of direction. A normally straight hitter starts missing fairways and stops having a lot of birdie opportunities. Pretty soon, he gets tired of that and goes back to his short but straight method that worked pretty well.
This is particularly common for older players who are fighting the effects of aging. Even the guys who are in great shape at the age of 65 start losing a little distance, and it it hurts.
My coach & colleague, Andy Heinly, says the most important thing is to identify the biggest power leaks.
“There are dozens of subtle little things that can rob you of power,” Heinly said. “Maybe you’re not quite as limber as you once were, so you’re not turning as far. Or maybe you’re casting the club, and not holding the angle as long. Maybe you’re not hitting it in the middle of the clubface consistently. Most people can’t fix the problem because they don’t know what’s really causing it. It’s almost impossible to self-diagnose that.”
One of the most common problems is also the easiest to fix: A lot of men are still playing with a driver shaft that’s way too stiff.
“A lot of times you can pick up ten or 15 yards just by putting the ego aside and going with a softer shaft.You won’t have to change your swing at all,” Heinly said.
As far as the hips are concerned, look at it this way: The hips aren’t connected to the club, your hands are. If your hands and arms are lagging behind you can spin your hips a million miles an hour and still have very little clubhead speed.
Besides, if the secret to more distance is in the hips, our wives would be hitting it 20 yards past us every time.
Tags: Golf swing, keys to more distance, longer drives, more distance, stack and tilt, Stewart Appleby
