Welcome to Golfer-to-Golfer, where we try to learn from all different kinds of avid players out there, in hopes that the rest of us can take away something that might improve our own games.
Everyone could benefit from a few extra yards off the tee. No matter if you’re the biggest bomber at your club, or the shortest hitter in your foursome, extra distance is always a good thing. The closer you are to the hole, the easier the approach shot will be.
Finding that extra distance can be a difficult proposition. There are thousands of tips and tricks out there for achieving your goal of extra distance, but sometimes it gets hard to see the forest through the trees. Being detail-oriented is good, but in the golf swing, simplicity is king.
However, there is a single position in the golf swing that all bombers get to around impact. And if you can incorporate it into your own swing, you can squeeze a few extra yards out, too.
“In order for you to hit the ball farther,” says GOLF Top 100 Teacher Michael Breed, “I don’t want you to think about using the ground. I want you to think about using your dominant hand — your dominant arm.”
Breed explains that when players have a straight arm at impact, they hit the ball noticeably shorter than their peers. Why is that? Because they aren’t putting their bodies in the most dynamic position to hit the ball with power.
“When the trail arm is bent, they destroy the ball,” he says. “I have worked with a lot of people on this. It doesn’t matter your age. It doesn’t matter your flexibility. It doesn’t matter anything. All you have to do is make sure when you come into the ball that your trail arm is bent.”
Now, it’s not quite as simple as saying a trail arm bent will automatically make you hit it farther. But when your trail arm is bent at impact, it forces the rest of your body to get into positions that produce power in the swing.
“As a result, you’re gonna have more side bend, which is gonna throw the ball up into the air,” Breed says. “You’re also gonna be pushing back with your legs, so you’ll use the ground without thinking about the ground. And you’re not gonna come out of the shot and early extend. All by thinking about this one thing.”
Once you get that trail arm into a bent position, the other power elements of your swing will engage, giving you more distance off the tee. Focus on that small element of the swing, and watch as your driving distance soars.
