HOW TO HIT IT FAR

PERCEPTION : To hit the ball far, hold as tight as you can and hit from the top.

Beginners always complain about lack of distance and the fact that the harder they try to hit it, the shorter it flies. The distance the ball flies depends on one thing only; clubhead speed.

If you want more control, as you would with a chip, reduce the flexibility of the wrists and keep the entire action "firmer". If you need more clubhead speed you have to relax the wrists and allow the clubhead to swing through faster.

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Instinct, however, gets us to do things the opposite way. Every single beginner holds the club with a vice-like grip in the right hand and proceeds to hit as hard as possible and usually way too early in the downswing. The result is that, by the time the club head gets to the ball, the hands and wrists are absolutely rigid and hence, no clubhead speed.

There should be an angle of ninety degrees between your left arm and the club at the top of the backswing. That angle needs to be maintained for as long as possible during the downswing so that, at the last moment, you have something to "release", and swing the clubhead through. The bigger that angle the more you will have to release, it’s as simple as that.

Your maximum clubhead speed can only be attained through sufficient flexibility in the wrists and good timing. Holding tight and hitting from the top of the backswing will not speed up the clubhead in the hitting area.