Canadian Brooke Henderson hits her tee shot on the 12th hole during second round of the CP Women's Open in Aurora, Ont., on Friday, Aug. 23, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
In part one of our two-part series on distance, we explored the idea of increasing your power by changing your mindset.
The key takeaway being the fact you don’t gain distance by hitting the ball harder, you gain distance by swinging the club faster. Speed comes from relaxed muscles, and relaxed muscles always move faster than tense ones.
Although relaxation is a critical part of the process here, I am certainly not about to suggest the solution relies on relaxation alone. Let’s take a look at a few additional factors worth highlighting.
Studies have shown that balance alone can increase your clubhead speed by as much as five per cent, so spend some time working on your balance. The Internet is loaded with balance exercises for both life and golf, so find one or two you can incorporate into your life and daily warm-up routines. Balance will tie in again later on my final point as well.
Strength is certainly an important factor; however, flexibility is all too often overlooked in the fitness side of the puzzle. If your body is unable to cover the full range of motion required to swing the club correctly, then improving your strength will only show moderate gains at best. Consider adding things like stretching, yoga and pilates to your fitness regime.
Swinging the club with your body rather than your arms is imperative. Power is developed by the core and then, in turn, conducted out through the arms. Your arms are not a primary power source so be sure you let your torso do the heavy lifting here so to speak. Work on the rotary motion of your shoulders to employ the real muscles in the equation.
Having your equipment assessed to ensure you have the right tools for the job is important. In order to take full advantage of the power your swing generates, you want your equipment to reflect your personal swing characteristics and needs. Often players have clubs which are far too heavy, have inappropriate lofts, incorrect shaft flexes and shaft lengths. Have your equipment needs assessed so your club can work for you rather than against you.
Improving the quality of your contact is imperative. Your clubface works much like a trampoline, in that the closer you contact it to the middle, the more bounce-back power you will receive. Beyond simply improving your technique, you can improve the quality of your contact by improving both your balance and utilizing a shorter shaft in your driver.
There are many ways to add power to your game; however, employing multiple avenues will only stand to multiply the effectiveness. Take a holistic view on power generation if you wish to see measurable gains.
Clubhouse chatter
The World Under-17 Hockey Challenge will take place in our city this fall and excitement for the upcoming international event is beginning to surface at local golf courses. As a show of support, local clubs are taking turns utilizing a special set of course flags, which showcase the flags of the participating countries. They are very unique and have been dominating clubhouse conversations this week. Keep your eyes peeled for them to make a stop at your home club.
Trevor Moore is a PGA of Canada professional and a TPI Certified Golf Fitness Instructor with the Titleist Performance Institute. Based in Medicine Hat, he runs his Advantage Golf Academy Services out of Cottonwood Coulee Golf Course and privately consults, coaches and mentors many athletes and sports organizations. For comments or questions, you can reach him via his website trevormoore.ca or follow him on social media @trevormooreinc.
