Everyone wants to add distance to their shots.
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Golf instruction is always changing, but the best advice is timeless. In GOLF.com's new series, Timeless Tips, we highlight the greatest pieces of advice from teachers and players in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today we're looking back at our November 1979 issue where we shared tips on how to hit the ball longer. For unlimited access to GOLF Magazine's digital archive, join Inside GOLF today; you'll enjoy $140 worth for just $39.99 per year.
The current era of golf is all about power. If you can't bomb it on good roads, you don't have much of a chance to compete at the highest levels. This lust for power is nothing new, however. As long as the game has been around, golfers have been looking for ways to hit the ball for a long time.
Our November 1979 issue GOLF Magazine it proves so. On the cover of that issue, we promised seven easy ways to hit the ball hard. And in today's edition of timeless tips, we're re-sharing those tips from legendary instructor Phil Ritson. Check them out below.
7 easy ways to hit the ball harder
My students often ask me what is the secret of strength? Honestly I have to answer: There is not one secret. Every golfer will be pumping the ball long and straight if at all. But I've thought a lot about power and over the years I've discovered seven big keys that make the difference between being strong or not. Many golfers get these keys wrong, thus preventing any consistent powerful shots.
The keys are simple, because golf is difficult enough without overcomplicating it. But don't let their simplicity fool you into thinking that all you have to do the next time you go to the course is think about them and you'll soon be a long ball hitter. No, these keys will grow into new and correct habits only if you give them the necessary practice.
Approach one key at a time. An effective way to incorporate each of them into your golf routine is to take more “swings,” that is, swings without the ball. Do three or four of these, focusing on the key you want to find. After a dry swing, hit the ball, and you have that one thought in mind. Repeat the process until the key becomes a habit.
1. Keep your left hand straight
An important factor in power is the angle you put your left hand at address. I call this angle the ''vertical'' position. To receive it, extend the fingers of your left hand parallel to your left arm. Make a fist, and the back of the left wrist makes a slight angle with the arm. This “upright” position is a powerful way to hold the club.
I teach all students to hold the stick so that the thumb of the left hand is at 12 o'clock. With a so-called “hard” grip (hands turned more to the right in the grip), they either swing back into a completely closed position (left wrist and clubface facing the sky) and have no physical strength. to hit the ball from there, or in their attempt to blow the wrists the left wrist falls under the shaft. They swing too much and lose control of the club. With a “'straight'' left wrist, they can't overextend the wrists because the left thumb supports the club well up the swing.
The left hand should remain “straight” from address to follow through.
2. Turn both shoulders
The biggest sin of many golfers is not completing the backswing. Then the descent is rapid, and they lose strength. The most common reasons for an incomplete backswing are: 1. Turning back with only the hands and arms and leaving the shoulders to turn, and 2. Overemphasizing the left shoulder in the shoulder turn.
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Two other problems arise from this overemphasis on the left shoulder. First, too many golfers think “left shoulder down,” which leads to right leg alignment. Weight is transferred back to the left foot with a reverse weight shift. Second, because the right arm places and retracts in the right turn, the right shoulder flexes easily. The right shoulder stops and prevents full ventilation.
These problems are solved by turning both shoulders. Plus, your swing will stay in perfect shape. You will have the feeling of swinging up and down at the same time – what I call the “pendulum feeling” – a key factor in using power smoothly.
3. Step on the ball
The third key to power is moving the weight inside the right heel during the backswing. To get a feel for this, practice using a ball placed under the little toe of the right foot. This will cause you to shift your weight back to the heel. And because the ball is placed on the outside of the foot, it will prevent the weight from moving outside the right foot, causing flexion. The weight shift changes its position inside the heel. the main feeling is to land on the right side as the hips and shoulders rotate and the club moves up into the position. The right knee will bend slightly more than at address as you wrap the body around. As an important benefit, this ball exercise encourages you to put weight on the balls and heels of your feet and discourages you from hitting your toes.
4. Handle the tray
One of the key checkpoints for a powerful swing is the “waiter tray” position of the right arm at the top of the swing. The proper downswing for the right arm is to go under the arm, much like throwing a ball underhand and it's much easier to get the lower arm to move on the downswing if you've allowed the right arm to curl into a “pot tray” position. retreat. This position is the right one where you can move up and down without having to do any compensatory action.
It is possible, of course, to make a correct descent from the “flying right elbow” position – Miller Barber proves that in all the events he sleeps. Keep in mind, though, that Barber worked for years to make this unusual feat work. (Unusual in the sense that it's good for him, but not for the average player who has very little time to fine-tune his game.)
5. Separate the knees
One of the best power factors in golf is the “splitting” of the legs. When you start to descend, the left knee moves along the line of the feet, shifting the weight from the outside of the left foot, from the little toe to the heel. You're holding your right heel down – a useful image here is to think of “nailing” your right heel down. Finally, of course, both knees will move to the side, but secondly, you should be in a “tower” position created by the combined movement of the left knee independent of the right. There is almost a feeling of “sitting on the sidelines.”
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The lateral knee motion does two things: First, it helps you do a proper “underarm” backstroke, where you hit under and down the line. All great players work “under”' Second, because the left knee starts the “low knee” movement slowly before the upper body has finished closing, it creates greater power. Once the weight is firmly on the left foot, you can clear the left hips as quickly as you like, in fact, the faster you clear the hips, you create more pull on the left side and arm, and more clubhead. the speed you will produce.
Important: Keep your left knee “soft” or bent over the ball. This will prevent your head and upper body from running past or over the ball before impact.
6. Hitch
If you ever hear someone tell you to rotate your hands or wrists, grab your bag, turn and run as fast as you can! Every time you throw you have to consciously rotate your hands or wrists. This is especially true for emissions.
If you try to turn your hands or wrists for impact, you will lose control of the ball. How much and when do you wrap them? Timing is very critical and the clubface stays square on the line in a very short amount of time, and maybe not at all.
Actually, the clubface should never “'roll'' open or close, but in the swing, the clubhead works | from there toe to the top of the center — to the top of the extension due to the rotation of the body through the shot and the release of the wrists.
To make a proper release, pretend to be a passenger riding a thumb. You should feel your left arm turn to the back of the left hand and remain, as usual, in the “straight” position. You accelerate by using a gun.
7. Place your right ear on the pillow
Perhaps the biggest nightmare in golf comes when you hit the ball badly. People immediately say, “You've got your head up,” when I think the opposite is true. If you make an effort to keep your head down, you can lose freedom not only on the follow but also on the whole descent. You will get less clubhead speed and less distance.
Once the ball has been hit and the shoulders and arms have passed the ball's original position, you must allow the head to rotate to free track. In other words, the rotation of the neck will follow the rotation of the shoulders.
Allow the head to rise in the right direction, starting from the bottom. As you swing, place your right ear on an imaginary pillow. This will give you the right head rotation and promote unhindered passing of the ball with great power.
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