Hitting the ball farther

Would you like to hit the ball farther? For most golfers the answer is yes.

There are too many reasons for the golfer not getting the distance they would like to list here. The fact is most golfers can get more distance without sacrificing consistency by adopting a few sound fundamentals.

A common mistake that causes a loss of power in the swing is the idea that the head should not move and body should keep still. For the sake of brevity, disregard the advice of keep your head still and don't sway. They both have a hit of truth to them but the advice is simply wrong.

To hit the ball farther let your head respond to the movement of the body in the same manner that a pitcher would throw the ball or a tennis player would hit a serve. An excellent swing thought for more distance is to allow the shoulders to rotate both ways in the swing.

On the back swing let the shoulders turn over the back leg and see that the left shoulder is behind the ball. On the forward swing let the shoulders rotate and see that the right shoulder finishes the swing over the left foot.

A word of caution; If you are not a straight hitter do not try this unsupervised! A golfer who hits the ball off line needs to work on accuracy first.

Terry Gingell is the PGA Director of Instruction at Eagle Valley Golf Club and can be reached at 887-7174.