Do you want to hit straighter and longer golf drives? Know the dos and don’ts and enhance your game.
One way to hit straighter and longer golf drives is to stop swaying in your backswing as this inhibits your ability to rotate and load your right glute correctly. Swaying also leads to timing issues, as you have to get back to the ball from the place you’ve moved to.
A great visualisation is to turn your hips like you are stood in a barrel to stop unwanted lateral movement. Also feel as though you’re weight is loading into your right thigh and heel in the backswing.
Many amateur golfers suffer from a reverse pelvic tilt that causes their legs to collapse and their upper body to lean towards the target as they reach the top of the backswing. The result is an ugly reverse pivot that causes slices and weak strikes.
The correct hip rotation creates space between the right hip’s start position and where it ends up at the top of your backswing. Pause at the top and you should feel like your weight is over the inside of the right heel. Get this part right and then you can powerfully shift your weight back towards the target through impact.
Too many amateurs bump their hips too far towards the target. We all know that a good weight shift towards the target through impact is key, but crucially you still need to harness your power from the ground.
A stable lower body is key here. As you start the downswing you should feel your weight moving down into your left toe – this is a very powerful move you’ll see top players like Jordan Spieth make. To facilitate this, let your left knee rotate out a fraction as you start down. You should almost feel like you are squatting a little into your left side as you transition into the downswing. This is crucial to more power and accuracy.
As we have already stressed, good footwork is essential for power, accuracy and longer golf drives. At address, your weight should be on the balls of your feet – so not too far forward where your calf muscles are tense and not sat back on your heels.
A fade or slice will take precious yards off your drives, so fixing any bad moves, like an over-the-top swing, is highly recommended.
While many golfers look at their arm movements when addressing an out-to-in slice swing, more often than not the problems start from the ground.
(Source: Golf Monthly)