Leone’s Lessons: One of the most frequent questions asked on the
practice tee is,
”
How do I get more distance?
”
First, we need to understand where the power comes from in the
swing. Power is created from several factors, like the turning of
the shoulders, plus creating width in the hands and arms on the
backswing and the resistance in the lower body.
One of the most frequent questions asked on the practice tee is, “How do I get more distance?”
First, we need to understand where the power comes from in the swing. Power is created from several factors, like the turning of the shoulders, plus creating width in the hands and arms on the backswing and the resistance in the lower body.
Another factor is proper sequencing on the downswing, beginning with a slight lateral move with the left ankle, knee and thigh toward the target. This allows the body to unwind from the ground up, creating lag with the club head. Lag is where most of the power is stored just before impact.
If you look at a tour player from face on, you will see a 90-degree angle between the left arm and the shaft on the downswing just before impact. The longer you retain that angle, the more power is stored.
How do you know if you’re creating lag? Here’s a simple drill. Take a club and turn it upside down holding the shaft just above the club head. Make a couple of swings and listen for the “swoosh.” If you hear the swoosh before the bottom of the swing, you’ve unhinged the wrists too early, resulting in loss of power.
The cause of this stems from starting the downswing by unwinding the shoulders from the top instead of initiating the downswing with the lower body. If you start the downswing with the correct sequencing, you will hear the swoosh in front of the ball. This gives you feedback that you’re creating lag.
After a few swings, turn the club over and see if you can feel the club head lagging. If so, your swing will create more power, more solid contact and more distance.
