A little while ago I posted a drill called the Cart Lag Creator Drill, where the concept was to force yourself to lag the club properly by sticking a golf cart in the way of your downswing. This way, only a swing employing proper lag would avoid the cart entirely and allow you to make contact with the ball.

This drill helps players who keep their right elbow too close to their body at the top of their backswing. This fault causes your swing to lose width (a key factor in creating power) and your muscles to tense up.

Place a headcover in the armpit of your trailing arm as shown in the image (sort of). The headcover will lock your right arm in place during the first part of your backswing helping you to maintain the ideal ‘triangle at address’. Start swinging back, letting the right elbow slowly move away, but not so much that it starts to ‘fly’. If you make the right move at the top of your backswing, the headcover should fall out. If it doesn’t, you’ve tensed up and your swing width has been drastically reduced, much like your power. Remember that the headcover should fall out at the top of your backswing, any earlier and your arms are separating from your body too soon.

Today we’ve got two great drills to increase your flexibility and power by increasing your shoulder turn. The first drill is a simple way to improve your flexibility. As described in the video, place shaft perpendicular to your target line right inside your trailing heel; next, hold a club across your chest in your address position, then swing back so the shafts line up.

 

The second drill is a little more position and power focused. Setup two shafts as shown, one in-line with the ball, and the other your trailing shoulder. Have a friend watch you from head on; as you swing back to the top, your trailing shoulder should be in-line with back shaft. This move will force you to properly coil your upper body, creating torque, adding to your power – and ultimately lead to faster swing speeds and more distance.

Give it a try!

 

Everyone wants to hit the long ball – and the truth is, everyone can; with the right technique of course. I’ve posted plenty of drills on the #1 distance creator – lag, but that’s not what this post is about today. This post is about three simple additions anyone can make to their golf swing to get more yards. These tips are very simple, and when done correctly will produce higher swing speeds and more distance.

Hanging back on your hind-leg through impact side is a common swing fault for amateur golfers. This position is indicative of a classic reverse weight shift. This position is also called the “reverse C” finish. If you’re falling backwards after a shot, or notice your body weight on your hind leg after a shot (which is much more common than you may think), you suffer from this swing fault. A common ball flight and trajectory with this fault is a slice that lacks power and distance. How does it happen?

Distance off the tee can give you a huge advantage over your competitors, being able to hit wedges into par fours, rather than 5 irons, and hitting par 5’s two can drastically reduce your score (assuming you can putt, of course). Sadly, golfers tend lean towards the self-destructive swing techniques when trying to gain those extra yards.  Use these distance tips below, and you may just find yourself a little farther down the fairway.

 

If you imagine your wrists, arms and hands in a race to impact, who should win? The clubhead? Your arms? Your wrists? The answer is – your wrists. The clubhead should trail your wrists coming into impact, because your wrists should still be releasing from their cocked position. This can only happen properly if you created lag on the downswing. This last minute snap at impact leads to more power.

Many amateurs don’t seem to understand this concept. They make an arms-only over-the-top swing into the ball, and struggle to hit their drives over 200 yards. The wrists are so influential in the golf swing because they help set the club at the top of the backswing in the proper position which, during the downswing, will lead to a proper 'lag' position. Lag is the secret move in golf for more distance.

 

The key to gaining distance and to begin creating a more effortless, repeatable swing is to understand and incorporating lag into your golf swing. Creating lag, which is done by retaining your wrist release on the downswing is what separates high and low handicappers. On the downswing, when your arms reach 9:00, the club should be pointing to the sky – when looking front on your lead arm and club should make an “L”. Casting, the opposite of creating lag, is the number one reason why players lack distance. In the same position described above, you’d see more of a “”.

 

So now what’s the best way to delay your wrist release on the downswing? Practice! First of all, you need to loosen up on the downswing, most people tend to tighten up, your wrists must be able to move and rotate during the swing. Second, practicing drills like this one will help you understand how the movement is supposed to feel. Set up with a cart as shown in this picture and video. When you perform your backswing, the cart should make slight contact with your club. On the downswing, if you perform the incorrect move (casting) you should make contact with the cart. If you retain your wrist release even slightly, you will swing through to finish missing the cart entirely.

I found that nicking the cart on the backswing disrupted my swing a fair bit. If this happens to you as well, try this modification. Instead of starting your swing as usual, cock your wrists up first from your address position – the club should be pointed at the sky right in front of your chest. Next, fully turn your shoulders – this should bring you into your normal “at the top” position. Swing down normally, and remember to retain your wrist cock.

Give it a try!

If your arms collapse at the top of your swing, you’re stealing your ability to create power and hit the ball further. This common fault is most commonly seen with beginners, especially women and seniors. At the top of your backswing, when you reach the top, the club should be held out as far as possible from your shoulders – your left arms should be extended straight, and your right arm should be in an “L” position - as shown in the picture to the right. In this position if you can imagine a box resting on your arms – you can be sure you’re creating width.

 

Another great drill to create width is the split grip drill – as the video above describes, if you split your grip apart into a hockey-like grip – your forced to created width. Why is width so important? Consider your swing like a whip, the longer the whip – the faster the whip can snap. The golf swing works the same way. The further you get the club away from your body as you swing, the faster you will be able to swing it.

This is why you see professionals starting their swings with a wide takeaway and full extension throughout their swings. This is one major contributor to their “effortless power.

Once you get the hang of this drill – try to re-create this swing technique with you hands together; your swing will feel smoother, and more powerful almost immediately.