The world of golf has shifted its focus to distance over accuracy. With the arrival of Tiger Woods, distance is king at the demise of some other skills. I fully understand this shift and embrace younger players learning how to hit the ball farther, then focusing on other skills such as accuracy. As young players, this approach is solid and should benefit their play in the long run. However, I am not convinced that the distance above all is the proper approach for all players. In my case, my distance (no matter how hard I try to increase) is capped at about 250 yards off the tee. I can poke a drive out a bit farther from time to time, but more often than not that is my final distance. So, where does that leave me if I want to lower my golf scores?
Continue readingcreating greater distance
Figuring Out Your Proper Foot Position In Golf
Our stance is what connects our body to the ground. Seems like a no-brainer statement and on some level it is. However, how wide we place our feet will determine if we are maximizing our body position in relation to properly making contact with the ball. Our feet position will vary depending on body type and only you can decide what works for you. If you are on your journey to figure out where exactly to place your feet, then read on because I have some knowledge for you!
Continue readingStop Hitting Behind The Golf Ball
If you are hitting the ground first on your golf shot, well it is time to stop it! By hitting the ball first, we create solid contact, greater distances, and more accuracy on every shot. The challenge is understanding ways to fix this swing fault by using simple drills that are easy to replicate and understand. Many times the drills used are a rehash of previously mentioned fixes, but that is a good thing because the topics are important.
Continue readingMy New Golf Stance Is Working
A month ago I mentioned that I was going to change my stance a bit in order to hit my ball a farther with the same control. I figured (after reading and watching a great deal information) that my stance was a too wide with my irons and too square with my driver. So, I decided to make the effort to change my stance slightly to see what happens. Well, I am happy to report that it is working out very well and I feel more confident than before…..with a few minor challenges.
Continue readingCreating Lag and Adding Distance in Golf
I am currently focusing on increasing lag in my swing to add extra distance to my golf shots. This particular skill is something that I really need to improve upon because as I get older, a controlled swing with more lag will keep me hitting the ball longer and straighter. However, as I delved into this topic, I found that the term ‘lag’ is deceiving and could easily confuse the new player. I determined that fact because I was a bit confused and so I thought it needed to be cleared up.
After looking around I found this definition of ‘lag’ that I understand and best describes what it means to me:
Effectively, lag is shorthand for the angle between the club, wrists and arms. It’s formed by having the correct order of the arms, wrists and club head as the club come around into impact. Often we can become obsessed with trying to generate all of our power from the turning, spinning and torqueing of the body, but if you don’t have your arms and club in the correct order to hit it’s all completely pointless.
https://golf.com/news/create-lag-golf-swing-tip/
So basically, I am trying to create a 90° angle or box according to Ernie Els in order to create the power generating lag in my golf swing. Interestingly, The Big Easy has a smooth controlled swing that produces tremendous power on contact. Here take a look:
Now that I fully understand what lag means, I need a few drills that I can do to create more lag in my golf swing. On a side note, being a 3 handicap does not mean that my swing is permanently grooved; what it means is that I am consistent, but still have many areas of improvement; Lag is one of mine.
I wanted to find a few drills that I could do at home and in my DIY driving net. Simple, repeatable, and effective are three things I look for in any golf drill and I found this video from the Golf Channel:
The interesting aspect of looking to create lag is that it shifts my focus of my golf swing from increasing shoulder turn (which is an important part of any golf swing) to improving my swing mechanics. This change, along with the others I want to make during the off season, will keep me busy until opening day. The trick moving forward is to develop a training plan that will help accomplish my lofty goals.
Do you ever work on lag in your golf swing?
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 