Getting in the best position down the fairway is a real advantage and scoring opportunity. We all want more distance with the driver off the tee. We asked 25 leading teachers for their best advice for getting extra length off the tee.
LONG DRIVING ADVICE FROM THE WOMEN’S GOLF INSTRUCTORS
Want to drive the ball further off the tee? Think SPEED and CENTER!
Clubhead speed, that is … with smooth acceleration through the impact zone and a good order of movement. Think: “Step and throw” with “supple quickness, not rigid slowness”!
The “other” factor? Centeredness of Contact … the strongest energy transfer point in the middle of the clubface is the “difference maker” for increased distance.
So there you go! Swing easy fast and hit it in the center … BOOM!
Deb Vangellow is an LPGA Master Professional and immediate past President of the LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals membership and teaches at the Riverbend Country Club in Houston, Texas. Deb can be reached online at www.debvangellowgolf.com, and on Facebook and Twitter.
As our LPGA Director of Instruction Deb Vangellow leads the WomensGolf.com team of expert LPGA and PGA qualified instructors.
To get more distance, try hitting the ball straighter instead of harder. Concentrate on hitting the ball in the sweet spot of the clubface. If you have ever hit the sweet spot, you know that these shots fly farther than the shots you hit off-center in the heel or the toe. For every quarter of an inch, you hit the ball outside the sweet spot, you lose up to 10 yards of distance.
So for maximum power, improve your swing technique to consistently hit the ball in the center of the clubface.
Karen Palacios-Jansen is an LPGA Class A Teaching Professional and a Certified Personal Trainer. Karen specializes in golf fitness and is the creator of Cardiogolf. Follow Karen online on Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.
Hit the ball in the middle of the club face.
Swing faster – every mph faster you swing, the ball can go 2.5 more yards!
Hit up on the ball – play the ball more forward in your stance
Set up with the proper tilt and weight distribution!
Nancy Quarcelino is an LPGA T&CP Hall of Fame Instructor and Head Professional at Gaylord Springs Golf Links in Nashville, TN. Visit the Nancy Quarcelino School of Golf and follow Nancy on Facebook and Twitter.
Double check how high you tee the ball. Maximum distance requires centeredness of contact. A ball teed too low will go higher due to spin, and a ball teed too high will also lose distance. Ensure that half of the ball is higher than the crown of the club and you will gain more distance off the driver!
Alison Curdt is Director of Instruction at Wood Ranch Golf Club and a licensed clinical sport psychotherapist. Contact Alison Curdt at her website alisoncurdtgolf.com and follow her online on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.
More Club Head Speed = More Distance
Flip your driver upside down. Hold it on the shaft just below the head. Hover the grip off the ground. Swing it back and make loud SWOOSHES with the shaft as you swing through. Be sure to hover above the ground. The louder the SWOOSH, the more SPEED, the more DISTANCE!
Cindy Miller is a former LPGA Tour Player, a current member of The Legends Tour, and was was the LPGA National Teacher of the Year in 2010. Follow Cindy at cindymillergolf.com and on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
To hit longer drives, try to launch the ball higher with less spin. The best way to do that is to swing through impact with your shoulders angled upward, your front shoulder higher. This helps you strike the ball on a slightly upward motion maximizing carry and reducing spin.
Carlos Brown is head teaching professional at Waterview Golf Club and Director of Instruction at the Carlos Brown Golf Academy. Follow Carlos Brown online on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Your drive will go the maximum distance when struck on the clubface sweet spot. To learn where on your clubface the shots are coming from do this: Spray the club face with Dr. Scholls Foot Powder. The ball will leave a mark on the powdered clubface from each shot. Make small adjustments to bring the strike centered for sweet spot strikes and you will realize your maximum distances.
Cathy Schmidt is the Director of Instruction for Manatee Golf Course and Buffalo Creek Golf Course and owns The Golf Boot Camp, a 3-day golf school. Follow Cathy online at The Golf Boot Camp, Facebook, and Twitter.
One key to longer tee shots is more clubhead speed. Soft, Louder, LOUDEST is a perfect drill. Use an alignment rod or driver held on the club shaft under the head. Full swing it Softly then Louder and finally Loudest. That sound is speed… Get Loudest!
Nicole Weller is a U.S. Kids Master Kids Teacher and Head Teaching Professional at The Landings Club in Savannah, Georgia. Follow Nicole online at www.nicoleweller.com and on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.
The driver is a specialty club. It’s the only club in the bag where we tee it up. Why? To promote a launch. Many players set-up with a 7-iron set-up and struggle with distance. Instead, launch it with a focus on ball position (off your lead heel), sternum position (in line with the back of the driver’s head), and then focus on your tempo.
Max out your speed just after the ball for max launch and max distance!
Christina Ricci is an LPGA Class A Instructor and hosts national More Pars Camps at top resorts across the US. Christina is online at ChristinaRicciGolf.com and her popular YouTube video channel, as well as Facebook and Twitter.
With relaxed grip pressure, take the club face back quite straight for the first foot or two towards 6:00. Turn your back and load the majority of weight onto the resisting rear knee and inside of foot. Then swing out to 1:00, (right field) for an inside attack.
Pete Kelbel is PGA Head Professional at Walloon Lake Country Club and coaches the boys and girl’s (winners of the 2017 State Championship) golf teams at Harbor Springs High School. Follow Pete online on Twitter and Instagram.
Rhythm and balance are two key words to hitting longer drives. You need to stay in control of your body. You must find a rhythm that will allow you to repeatedly produce solid contact. If you are struggling to maintain good balance throughout the shot, you are swinging too fast.
Michelle Holmes is Director of Instruction at the Michelle Holmes School of Golf and a Top 50 U.S. Kids Instructor in 2015 and 2016. Follow Michelle online at michelleholmesgolf.com, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
First, understand the differences in setup and technique used to hit a driver compared to hitting irons from the grass. Then relax your grip pressure. Remove tension from the body. Take time to make a slower, more patient backswing and load properly. Allow speed to generate through and past the ball.
Jane Schafer is a Class A PGA Teaching Professional and Certified U.S. Kids Golf Coach based at the Las Vegas Golf Course. Follow Jane online on Facebook and Instagram.
Many of my students looking to improve driving distance struggle to utilize their lower body effectively as well as properly release the clubhead through impact. By shifting your weight properly and releasing the clubhead you will utilize more of your body’s power and increase your overall distance.
Julie Wells is a former Symetra Tour player and is PGA Director of Instruction at Julie Wells Golf teaching out of Cedar Creek Country Club in Kemp, Texas. Follow Julie at JulieWellsGolf.com on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
To hit the ball farther you need more clubhead speed:
Try this drill: Swing the club chest high holding it by the club head end with the grip out. Swing the club as fast as you can swing forward and see how loud of a “swoosh” sound you can make. When doing this become aware of how you are creating this speed. Are your arms or wrists in a different position? Are you rotating your body differently? Check it out you will be surprised at you what you come up with!
Elena King is an LPGA Class A Teaching Professional and the founder of ExperienceGolf. Elena King teaches in Aurora, Colorado at CommonGround Golf Course. Follow Elena online at experiencegolf.biz and on Facebook and Twitter.
To drive the ball further start with set-up and balance. Tee up so that half of the ball is above the top of the driver. Position the ball just inside your lead foot. Center your head between your feet not over the ball. Swing at a pace that you can hold your finish until the ball lands.
Kathy Hart Wood is a Top 50 LPGA Teacher and Furman University graduate. Kathy currently teaches at Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club in Bedminster, NJ. and can be followed online at KathyHartWood.com, Facebook, and Instagram.
Elina Nummenpaa of Finland | Photo: Tristan Jones for the Ladies European tour
If someone hits high weak fades to the right pretty much every time they tee off, they can immediately get more distance by rotating their hands at the ball instead of trying to make the club go straight. A straight clubface at impact from an inside path will not have any power at the ball.
Kathy Nyman is an LPGA Class A Teaching Professional and U.S. Kids Certified Instructor at Deercreek Country Club in Jacksonville, Florida. Follow Kathy online at RainGirlGolf.com and on Facebook and Twitter.
Using the ground for power and having a fundamentally sound golf swing aside, hitting it far is a plus especially when you use your entire body to do so. It’s not just about swinging your arms quick as much as being able to complete a full swing. Completing your backswing and then swinging down and finishing through in a balanced position will do wonders for your distance off the tee.
Marvin Sangüesa is a PGA Professional Golf Coach at the Joey D Golf Sports Training Center. Follow Marvin on his Youtube channel where he posts regular instructional videos, and on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.
Driving the golf ball father is first about proper posture where you bow from your hips, and grip in the fingers, and then about setting up differently for the driver, which has a different set of rules – Ball position forward (forward instep) and back shoulder down and shoulders tilted.
Add speed and hold your finish.
Kellie Stenzel is a PGA Master Professional and Class A LPGA Teaching Professional and runs the Kellie Stenzel Golf Academy at the Boca Raton Resort and Club in Florida. Follow Kellie online on Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube.
Two things that are most important for power:
1. Shoulder turn: Make sure your lead shoulder gets all the way underneath your chin on the backswing, a good full body turns both back and then through on the downswing as well.
2. Left arm straight: If you are collapsing your leading arm through impact you are halving your power. Practice half swings to feel the left arm staying straight throughout the backswing and just beyond impact.
Anne Rollo was an All American college player at San Jose State and winner of 22 professional tournaments. Anne now teaches at the Muirfield Golf Club in Sydney, Australia and can be followed on fixmygolfswing.com.au, and on Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube.
Eliminate power leak areas, get the big muscles firing. Use the legs and core to drive the weight shift, feeling the pressure into the ground and relax the grip and arms to generate more club speed.
Tee it high and let it fly!
Lizzy Freemantle graduated from the University of Louisville to become PGA Professional at Oxmoor Country Club and is currently coaching in the UK. Follow Lizzy at freemantlegolf.com and on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Want Distance? Give Your Drives a Little TLC!
TILT – Tilt upper body 1 inch away from the target to max distance with a 5-degree rise angle.
LEGS – Start the downswing with your legs/lower body and create clubhead lag.
COIL – 90-degree shoulder turn on the backswing = maximum power.
Maria Palozola is a Top 50 LPGA Teacher and a Lead Instructor for the Golf Channel Academy. Maria instructs online at mygolfinstructor.com and in person at stlouisgolflessons.com and mariapalozola.com. Follow Maria online on Twitter and Facebook.
Want 10 more yards off the tee? Put a little more “power” in your at ready position. To create a little more speed through the bottom of the swing which will translate into more yards …. relax the arms, keeping the hands and fingers secure on the grip maintaining control of the clubhead ….. then tee it high and swing to the sky!
Susan Vail teaches at The Learning Center at Abacoa Golf Club and is the founder of Pink Peg Golf. For more information on Susan and Pink Peg Golf go to www.gopinkpeg.com and follow @pinkpeggolf on Twitter.
This may seem simple, but to drive the ball longer be sure that you’re hitting the center of the face. There are several other variables that will improve distance like clubhead speed, the angle of approach (hitting up on the ball), but least invasive way to see a difference is centeredness of contact. Buy an aerosol can of powder at the drug store and check to see where your hits are. You’ll be amazed at how much you gain with such a seemingly minor tweak.
Trillium Rose is Director of Instruction at Woodmont Country Club. Follow Trillium online at TrilliumRose.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Getting fit into the correct driver that produces optimal data will help you achieve maximum distance. The 3 most important figures you will pay attention to are launch angle, spin and swing speed. Your local fitter will find the best combination of driver head and shaft that fits YOUR swing.
Cathy Kim is the Director of Player Development at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas. She is TPI Certified and a U.S. Kids Golf Top 50 Teacher. Follow Cathy at cathykimgolf.com and on Instagram and Twitter.
To hit a long drive make sure to rotate your hips. Most golfers try to swing faster with their arms, instead of making sure your hips start the downswing and they don’t stop rotating until the end of the swing. The dance move the “Twist” is what the hips do in the swing. Keep Dancing!
Jamie Engelkemier is a U.S. Kids Certified coach and a Class-A LPGA instructor at The Ranch at Laguna Beach. Follow Jamie Engelkemier online on Facebook.
Feature Photo: Julia Engstrom 2018 Canberra Classic – Royal Canberra Golf Club – Ladies European Tour and Australian Ladies Professional Golf Tour | Photo by Tristan Jones
