You can hit it longer with these three simple changes (and it doesn’t include buying the biggest, longest driver you can find that is taller than you are, or swinging out of your shoes with such fury your playing partners head for cover): First, your grip pressure. Lighten your grip pressure at set up and through out the entire swing. Most golfers know that at set up you don’t want to be grinding your teeth and choking your grip but when the swing starts they forget to maintain this light, secure grip pressure. Second, be aware of where your head is through the entire swing. I’m talking on many planes…not just if it moves back and forth in reference to the ball, but also up and down. Your head should stay relatively still in both lateral and vertical planes. Finally, knee position. When you set up, the knees should be slightly bent with the kneecaps pointing forward naturally. In your back swing, that back knee should remain slightly bent AND the kneecap should still be pointing forward. This is a power position. In the back swing you’re turning into that back leg and that back leg must remain bent and the knee in the same position as set up. You’re in essence winding up and that leg is acting as the fix point. It creates power and torque. It’s like when you hold one end of a rubber band fixed and twist the other end; you create a build up of power. A lot of golfers straighten that knee or turn the knee out in the back swing, thus causing them to lose power.

With these few fundamentals incorporated in your swing, you will surely see more distance out of your shots. The key here is to remember to do it! Light, secure grip pressure and awareness of your head positions through out the entire swing and keeping that back leg and kneecap fixed in the back swing allows you to wind up and unleash more power in your shots.

Cindy Wulf,
Pro Golfer