Whether you’re a beginner, a mid-handicapper, or a pro, all golfers want to hit it farther.
But wanting and doing are two very different things, and it takes having proper knowledge in order to bomb it off the tee — which is why I recently made a visit to hangout with The Bombers Club.
How The Bombers Club can help you gain driver speed and distance
The Bombers Club, featuring World Long Drive champion Kyle Berkshire, Bobby Ray, and Bobby Bradley, often host superstar guests to create fun and engaging content — all to help average players improve their golf games!
After spending time with the group, I was amazed at how much speed and power they’re able to generate. So I wanted to share the 10 things that I learned about hitting the ball farther after observing their incredible skills.
1. Technique matters
While it may seem obvious, technique matters when seeking more distance — so having a good grip and setup are imperative. By dialing in your setup, you’ll be much more likely to generate the speed you seek and make solid contact at the same time.
2. Take lessons
So how can you improve your swing technique? By taking golf lessons! There are plenty of teachers out there who specialize in technique that’s specific to power. For example, Berkshire takes technique lessons from GOLF Top 100 Teacher Bernie Najar, and he and several of the other Bombers work with The One Stop Power Shop to further hone their skills.
3. Use a wide stance
One of the first things I noticed about the Bombers Club team was how wide each of them stood while swinging the driver. So why do this? It helps promote more lateral motion in the golf swing, which can provide more speed and power. And since the ball’s on a tee, the bottom of the swing doesn’t need to be as exact as it would be when using an iron or wedge.
4. Tilt your shoulders
There are three things that lead to longer drives: Making solid contact, having a good setup, and understanding how to generate speed. In order to achieve each of these, you must have great golf posture. This means you’re bent forward from the hips and your ball position is forward — which will lead to the correct shoulder tilt, where the lead shoulder is higher and the trail shoulder is lower. This helps you hit it squarely on the upswing, maximizing smash.
5. Things turn
Generating power requires more moving parts. So with longer hitters, you’ll see large amounts of rotation both back and through — which, in effect, can create torque and power. If you lack the flexibility to fully rotate, I suggest allowing your hips to turn back more on your backswing. This will help create more depth, power, and a better downswing path.
6. Feet move
Having moving parts can help create more speed and power, which is a common theme with long hitters. You may often notice long ball hitters jumping on their forward swing, helping them get more power from using the ground. I’m not suggesting this for everyone, but feeling the ground pressure can certainly help you hit it farther.
7. Long and (sometimes) wrong
The longer you hit the ball, the wider your miss may become. Many of these long ball hitters often send a drive into a neighboring fairway, yet they’re unfazed with the result since they know it often comes with swinging harder. To be willing to hit the ball farther, you need to open your mind to larger misses — which goes back to having great technique while looking for more speed and distance.
8. Strength helps
Being in good physical shape and being strong certainly helps with distance. The stronger you are, the lower the percentage of effort you will need to create speed.
9. Training aids can help build speed
It’s unrealistic to think that every golfer can crush their drives like the guys in The Bombers Club. And while they don’t use speed training aids, the average golfer would be smart to invest in a couple options to increase their power. I’m a big fan of TheStack Training System, which automatically creates a training system for me — and has helped me increase my distance.
10. Be intentional with your swing (and don’t focus on the result)
Many golfers, myself included, often focus on the result before even hitting a shot. But when you’re trying to develop the necessary skills to hit it farther, you need to focus on the process more than the outcome — since generating speed and distance isn’t going to happen overnight. When Kyle Berkshire does speed training with golfers, he often talks about being intentional, reminding them to just swing and not care. Sometimes, you just have to be willing to let it go.
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