I’m often asked a very popular question by my clientele, by subscribers of Golf Tips Magazine, by golfers who are visiting during a 3-day golf schools in Florida, or when I’m out casually. The question? “John, how can I add distance to my driver?” I like to boil down the answer to this question into three categories. 3 ways to add distance to your driver. And if you spend just an adequate amount of time within each category, you will lengthen every club in your bag.
3 Ways to Add Distance to Your Driver/Category #1 – Speed
Increasing club head speed is the most popular and accepted of the 3 ways to add distance to your driver. But it’s not all about pure speed. It’s about your fitness level and your ability to maintain the increased speed you’re generating.
In most cases, golfers are better off going to a fitness center, hiring a personal trainer, and getting your body more pliable, sturdier, and more flexible. The more fit your body is, the less tense and tight you grab onto the club. And the less tense and tight you are, the more ability you must create speed where it’s necessary. At impact! And adding distance to your driver in this way is the best way to sustain speed. Doing what is needed away from the golf course is best.
Adding Distance with Speed is a Separate Way of Training
You can also create speed by using numerous different products. I love Super SpeedSticks and refer the product to my clientele. I also love the Stack System. There’s a lot of different swing aids and speed systems available that can help you create more speed. In a pure and unadulterated way.
When you’re training for speed, that is that is the only focus. You should not care where the ball goes. Training for increased speed while hitting golf balls is about speed, not accuracy. If the ball is coming down in another zip code, but you’re increasing your swing speed, your accomplishing the mission. As one of the best golf instructors in Orlando, I have the tools needed for you to experience an unadulterated speed training session. And understand the benefits of such a training session.
3 Ways to Add Distance to Your Driver/Category #2 – Set Up
You can add distance to your driver while at the golf course is to improve your set up. An overall better setup to all clubs allows you to swing more freely. And more consistently. The best golf instructors in Orlando, for that matter anywhere, are going to emphasize set up to you. Even though you’re thinking something different.
3 Common Set Up Positions that Can Add Distance to Your Driver
Are you aim correctly? If your aim is to the right, you may come over the top and create a little more club head speed. But you’ll also be increasing the angle of attack, sacrificing accuracy and hitting big fades or slices. And if you close the face too soon and smother it, the ball is going left and low.
Can you balance and maintain posture? If your posture is poor, there’s no way you can increase distance to any club.
Is your top hand in a weak position? If so, there’s no way you can delay impact until the very last second and allow the club to be square at impact.
An inconsistent set up will always lead to inconsistency of distance. You need to work on set up positions constantly. To add distance to your driver as well as create better ball striking. Which leads to Category #3
3 Ways to Add Distance to Your Driver/Category #3 – Better Ball Striking, Better Ball Speed
A consistent strike in the center of the club face will always generate maximum distance. Why? Because now we’re discussing an element of physics that can significantly increase the distance you hit your driver. As well as never have a ceiling of improvement.
A real simple way of finding out is you’re striking the middle of the golf club is to spray foot powder on the club face. Strike a ball. And then look for the ball mark on the club face. If the ball mark is off center, you’re leaving ball speed on the table. And it’s time to start working on 1 item in your swing, the one which can create the best return on your investment of time and effort, to get the ball closer to center.
Don’t be Surprised
Most golfer are highly surprised with the increase of distance when they work on only one element of their swing. I mentioned angle of attack earlier. It gets steep when the club is moving outside to inside in the down swing. What if you were to work on minimizing, not fixing, but minimizing the amount of outside to inside swing path? Chances are the driver approaches the ball at a shallower path, and potentially on the way up. We know the driver moving upwards, not downwards, at impact produces impact conditions that can increase ball speed.
No Ceiling to Ball Speed
Unlike swing speed, ball speed increases have no limit. Why? Because ball speed is determined by more parameters than just swing speed. And, your body will max out swing speed at some point.
We mentioned angle of attack. What about effective loft? Spin? Swing path? The list of parameters that can increase ball speed is more than these mentioned. And with every little nuance of variation to one parameter comes an equal and opposite variance to another.
Work small to large, slow to fast when attempting to create more ball speed. After all, you’re working on accuracy. A great way to start his out is with the 9-to 3 drill. Using the driver and every club in your bag, insure you hit the middle of the club face by executing this drill to permanency.
Conclusion
Remember the 3 categories. The 3 ways you can add distance to your driver. And all golf clubs you swing. Remember that club speed is best achieved away from the golf course within a fitness program. That how you set up effects how much swing speed you can maintain. And ball speed, not club speed, by striking the middle of the club face is king.
Whether you’re coming to see me during one our 3-day golf schools in Florida, or for a private coaching session, you must realize one thing. The balance between building and maintaining speed relies on all 3 categories. If you’re missing one category, the other 2 must make up for it, sacrificing your ability to maximize your potential distances.