Adding Distance Off the Tee

Adding distance off the tee shot is a common goal for most golfers.

The main way to do this is by increasing your club speed. Clubhead speed can be increased most effectively by more body rotation during your back-swing.

Since control is easily lost doing this, you need to practice this technique to assure longer drives that stay in the fairway.

Here are some tips from golfer Nick Price, from Golf Digest Magazine:

1. Shoulder turn keys both power, accuracy

Useful, powerful swings with your driver, fairway woods and long irons start with a full shoulder turn. A full turn means your left shoulder is pointing behind the ball at the top of your backswing.

If you can make that kind of turn while stabilizing your lower body and maintaining the flex in your knees, you will have coiled your upper body on the backswing, setting the stage for a powerful downswing.
 
Moreover, you won't have to attempt to generate more power on the downswing by forcing the clubhead back down to the ball. That excessive action actually saps power from your swing and can throw the clubface open or rotate it closed.

To groove the right sensation, try this drill: Without a club, make a mock backswing with your left shoulder and arm, grasping your left elbow with your right hand, pulling your left arm until your shoulder turns to point behind the ball. Try to match that sensation with a golf club in your hands.

2. Hips, hands and clubhead have to move at different speeds

The tape measures above show the relationship between how far the hips (four inches), hands (six feet) and clubhead (18 feet) travel in the downswing.

So you can see that if you over-rotate the hips, then your hands and the clubhead (which have farther to travel) won't catch up, and the clubhead won't be accelerating at impact. Now, that doesn't mean you make your hands and arms move faster. Just slow the hips down and let the hands and arms drop naturally.

3. 'Raise some dust' at impact

The only way to beat the dust out of a dirty carpet is to get the total force of the body, hands and arms behind the hit. If the hands release too early (inset), you'll hit the carpet but there won't be a good "thwack!" at impact and it won't raise any dust.

Think of the golf swing the same way. The hands, shaft and clubhead should reach the ball in line to deliver power to the ball.