If you want to increase clubhead speed, it’s essential that you extend your lead arm during the backswing. This helps max out width and puts your swing on a bigger arc. A wider swing means more room to ramp up your clubhead speed through the impact zone. But that’s not all it takes if you want to start hitting bombs. You also need to extend your trail arm on the downswing. I’ve got a great, free-flowing drill to help you do just that.
Turn your driver upside down and grab it with your trail hand in your normal posture. Make a full and free takeaway, turning as far as possible without compromising your posture. It’s all right if the shaft goes well past parallel, and no doubt you’ll feel a stretch through your chest. Now, swing down. You’ll immediately feel how incredibly powerful and active your trail arm becomes to help you generate clubhead speed. (If you swing the club hard enough, the shaft will create a pleasant whoosh sound through the hitting zone. That’s real speed!)
By repeating this simple drill, you’ll train not only your trail arm, but your whole trail side to load up on the backswing and fire through on the downswing to generate added power for longer drives.
Joe Plecker is director of instruction at The Landings Club in Savannah, Ga. (@joepleckerPGA).
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