How to hit a golf ball further

First of all, to increase club head speed, you have to understand how energy is created in the swing.  Creating energy in a swing is much like a bike, you turn the pedal with your foot, the chain then passes that movement (energy) down the chain into the wheel, which produces speed.  The faster you push the pedal, the faster you go.  In the swing, that energy starts in the ground (in the feet), but to most, this energy is first seen in the left hip in the downswing.  This then creates a chain effect as energy is passed up into the stomach; then into the shoulders, shoulders to arms, arms to hands, and then at the last moment into the club head at impact.   The faster the hip, the faster the club head!

The only thing that can stop energy passing through your body is tension.  Your body is a CONDUCTOR of that ENERGY, not a CONTROLLER.

These words are a great way to understand, and picture energy transfer.  A CONDUCTOR would let electricity pass though it, and a CONTROLLER blocks the electricity.  If each part of your body is tension free, energy will pass through your body and reach the club head at impact.

Have you ever seen Tiger before he tries and hits a big one??  He takes his grip and hits his driver into the ground, shaking all the tension out of his hands, arms and body.

For me, the downswing, and creating the chain effect, is the most important factor in increasing speed, but the backswing has some part, too. You can store some energy up in the backswing by turning your shoulders more than your hips.  The bigger the difference between the hips and shoulders, the bigger the energy store-up.  This energy that has been stored up is then increased with the left hip starting the downswing; the chain will transfer this energy into the club head.

So the keys to improving your distance are:

1)    Increase the stretch between hips and shoulders on the backswing.  The faster you turn your shoulders on the backswing, the more stretch you will get.

2)    Start the downswing with the left hip.  The faster your move your hips on the downswing, the more energy (speed) will get transfered into the club head.

3)    Keep tension out of your body, hands and arms ,so that your body acts like a CONDUCTOR of energy, not a CONTROLLER.

It comes down to this key thought:

• Increase the speed of your shoulders in the backswing
• Increase the speed of your hips in the downswing
• Keep the tension out of your hands and arms.