| How is Your Golf Technical Quotient? Do You Know | | | | takes much of the fun out of the game if you |
| How to Increase Your Distance? | | | | continually face that sort of situation. Tom Watson |
| Many golfers marvel over the distance the | | | | has been quoted as saying a good course should |
| professional golfers achieve through what appears to | | | | require no more than 5 or 6 mandatory shots in the |
| be relatively effortless motion. It is instructive to | | | | course of a round and he is obviously talking about |
| consider how the professionals achieve such results | | | | the challenge for the better player. It is silly to |
| and also to discuss how they manage to maintain | | | | provide heroic challenges for high handicap players. |
| control at the same time. Once we outline some of | | | | Do You Play From the Fairways? |
| the basic fundamentals we can look at ways to | | | | The topic is distance, but how many fairways do you |
| improve our approach to this element of the game. | | | | hit during an average round? All things being equal, |
| Knowing what the pros know provides insight into | | | | you obviously want to be in the fairway the majority |
| how to improve your approach to this important | | | | of the time. There is probably no greater error than |
| aspect of the game. | | | | hitting from a static position, with a perfect lie (the |
| Do You Know Your Distances? | | | | ball is teed up), into trouble. We do it all the time, but |
| We should discuss a few key elements up front to | | | | that is one area that can really help improve your |
| set the proper framework or foundation to have a | | | | scoring. So back to distance issues, do you know |
| discussion about distance. One of the items | | | | how far you hit your driver? How far do you carry |
| separating most of us golfers from professionals is | | | | the ball and what type of roll do you get? Do you |
| the fundamental knowledge of the elements of their | | | | know your swing speed? A lot of the |
| golf swing, including tendencies, attributes of ball flight | | | | aforementioned issues or problems with distance can |
| and trajectory, spin, and most importantly distance. | | | | be resolved by increasing your knowledge of your |
| This article is about the latter and suffice it to say | | | | swing. |
| that good golfers know to a fairly precise amount | | | | With the knowledge of how fast you swing, you can |
| how far they hit each club and under what conditions. | | | | put together a tailored exercise program. Focus on |
| Greg Norman has probably made the most direct | | | | the right parts of the body can go a long way to |
| comments about distance and distance control, | | | | improving your speed by building up the appropriate |
| stating that he wanted to know the precise yardage | | | | muscles and flexibility. You can also obtain a weighted |
| to the foot, if necessary, insinuating that the | | | | club and commit to swinging it every day to work on |
| difference was in effect, "dial able". I like the story | | | | those golf muscles. I like the new training clubs that |
| attributed to Ben Hogan who rarely asked his caddy | | | | are made to hit the ball. Switching from the weighted |
| for distances until relatively late in his career when his | | | | club to your own driver is a surefire way to help you |
| eyesight was failing. His caddy reportedly said it was | | | | improve your swing speed. Don't forget the |
| 157 or 158 to the pin and Hogan famously snapped | | | | importance of solid contact, but as Tom Watson |
| "make up your mind". The former seems a bit | | | | recommends, "get reckless" with your driver. If you |
| exaggerated and the latter is a great "Hoganism", but | | | | are working on swing speed, work on balance or |
| all to say that pros know not just the total distance | | | | work on consistency but don't limit speed training |
| the ball travels, but the carry and roll or ground | | | | (initially). Once you get a sense of the improvement, |
| characteristics of each club. | | | | you can work to modulate your speed. |
| They know how fast they swing the club and have | | | | I'm Convinced, but How Do I Find My Speed? |
| also likely optimized or fine tuned their equipment in | | | | If you go to your local franchised golf center, every |
| terms of shaft and club head combination: club head | | | | one of them has hitting mats, sample drivers and all |
| or swing weight; loft, lies and proper grip size. Also, | | | | the accoutrements necessary to sell you on the clubs |
| the proper ball for their swing characteristics or | | | | you hit. And usually they will have electronic swing |
| tendencies, including launch angle, trajectory, spin and | | | | speed gauges. They will likely supply the ball you |
| ground action. This alone (e.g., the aforementioned | | | | normally use if you press a bit but you can always |
| aspects) markedly separates even the best amateur | | | | bring your own (it helps if you look like a buyer). Hit |
| golfers from the professional. When you see the | | | | some wedges or 8 irons to warm up and when you |
| average distance professionals hit the golf ball, you | | | | feel like you can make a decent pass at the ball, hit |
| are looking at players who are in generally in fair to | | | | about 5 drivers using what feels like 85-95% of your |
| excellent physical condition who likely have the near | | | | power. If you have trouble judging how much effort |
| ideal combination of equipment, including club and ball, | | | | you are putting into it, gauge it by when you lose |
| for their physique and swing. The attributes of the | | | | your balance. If you lose your balance when you |
| physical aspect are known and the equipment is fine | | | | swing (all things being equal) you either have swing |
| tuned to optimize the resultant performance, much | | | | faults that need work or you swung too hard. I like |
| like tuning a race car, including engine, tires, fuel | | | | to swing gradually faster until I can feel the loss of |
| mixture, etc. differently to suit the type of track. So | | | | contact and then I back it off a "skosh". |
| you may play the same type of golf club as the pro, | | | | The clubs at the stores are typically much lighter than |
| but the knowledge of the average amateur to their | | | | my own and I usually lose solid contact at around |
| equipment is night and day different in comparison to | | | | ~97% or so of what I feel is my max (and for |
| the level of the average pro. That aspect alone can | | | | those saying how do you tell, my 85% or normal |
| make a huge difference in attempting to make sense | | | | swing is 109-112. I'm over 116 with swings above |
| of apple to apple comparisons. | | | | 90-95% and I lose balance shortly thereafter). An |
| Technical Quotient and Jargon Phase of the Article. | | | | important element to find in practice is when the risk |
| For instance, if the professional golfers average 108 | | | | reward calculus turns for you. If the absolute 100% |
| Miles Per Hour (MPH) and you do also, it would not be | | | | maximum you can swing the club is 105 MPH, you |
| unusual to find that you don't carry the ball 270 yards | | | | need to know when you start to lose solid contact |
| with 16 yards of ground run for an overall 286 yard | | | | as you near your maximum. It is easy to talk about |
| average (these numbers are exemplars for the | | | | swinging at 80% of power, but with a maximum |
| purpose of the discussion). The pro likely achieves | | | | swing effort that hits the ball 250 yards, then you |
| that average through 85 to 95% effort and near | | | | are talking about driving the ball only 200 yards |
| 100% solid contact, hitting 55-70% of fairways, | | | | (again, all things being equal). If you start to lose solid |
| whereas the amateur is swinging near 100% at | | | | contact at some notional figure like 92%, as if you |
| something well under 100% solid contact hitting | | | | can increment or dial in your effort somehow, then |
| 45-50% of fairways on a good day. We are talking | | | | you would be well served to consider your maximum |
| about averages, so the pro has a little "zing" left in | | | | as a function of some figure slightly short of where |
| their bag for those occasions where they want to let | | | | you have little to no chance of achieving solid |
| the shaft out, whereas the amateur is already at | | | | contact. The point of diminishing returns is really your |
| maximum effort. Would you rather have solid contact | | | | maximum swing speed; it is not the way most |
| with less speed or greater speed with less solid | | | | golfers calculate their efforts. |
| contact? I hope you picked up on that as a | | | | Summary. |
| "Hobson's choice", as the idea is to reach the ideal | | | | The distance you hit the ball is a function of how |
| balance between the elements. All things being equal, | | | | solid the contact is and your swing speed. You can |
| solid contact is better but there is no substitute for | | | | improve your swing speed by working on the |
| speed! If your swing speed is hypothetically maxed | | | | appropriate muscles, either through an exercise |
| out at 90MPH, even assuming you can achieve 100% | | | | program, by swinging a weighted club that you can |
| solid contact at that speed, you are simply going to | | | | actually use to hit balls, or a combination of the two. |
| have to adjust your play by judiciously picking out | | | | You need to find out how fast you swing the club |
| the appropriate tee for your game. | | | | with the driver and then come up with a realistic |
| What does that mean? Well the tips are designed for | | | | series of goals to improve your speed over time. An |
| the lower index or handicap players, obviously, but | | | | equally important item to work on is hitting fairways |
| the setup of the course is generally structured | | | | off the tee. No amount of distance is going to help |
| through distance around ability levels. For example, if | | | | you hit more fairways; that is best achieved by |
| you carry the ball 220 yards you might find from the | | | | learning more about your swing and learning how |
| tips that you cannot make the required carry on | | | | much effort you can put into a shot before you lose |
| some holes. While that does place a premium on the | | | | solid contact. |
| challenge of the sport, that is not the type of | | | | Good Golfing! |
| challenge the sport is intended to emphasize, in fact it | | | | |