Improve your Golf: Tips on adding distance

by Paul Ring, Essex’s premier Golf coach

There cannot be a golfer on the planet who would not like to add distance to their shots.

And, when you consider that at the 18th hole during the Wales Open at Celtic Manor Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts hit his drive a European Tour record 447 yards, the scope for amateur golfers is limitless.

There is one fairly straightforward way to get more distance with all clubs which involves ‘hinging the wrists’ early in the swing.

This goes directly against what most club golfers hear, that they should swing the club back with a one piece takeaway.

Many golfers introduce this one piece takeaway from advice from friends, YouTube clips or even some professional coaching. However, to maximise a golfer’s distance, hinging the wrists early in the swing is key. Doing this while keeping the left arm (right arm for left handed golfers) fully extended is integral to the shot .

The far more modern ‘wrist hinging, technique involves cocking the wrists at the start of the takeaway from the ball.

And if done properly when the left arm is fully extended, by the time it reaches parallel to the ground, the shaft should be at a 90 degree angle pointing vertically up.

The best way to imagine that is to think that the shaft is full of water and you want to pour out that water as quickly as possible from the butt end of the club.

However, before the ‘wrist hinging’ method can be employed, there is one important step to make at the very start of the swing. Most amateurs grip their clubs with the palms of their hands wrapped around the handle.

To get the extra length from ‘wrist hinging’ the pros grip their clubs almost entirely with their fingers. It’s a very different feeling but can be highly effective. Once the grip and the hinge become natural, the extra length will be produced providing the downswing has a smooth acceleration from the top intothe back of the ball with a full follow through.

It is interesting to note that while the Tour pros now hit the ball extraordinary lengths, there has also been one other change that has helped them.

In the old days when they used the softer Balatas the flight of their balls from the tee would start off low and then climb at the end thus causing loss of potential distance.

Tour professionals have changed. Most of them insist on having a 10.5 degree driver or more as they are looking for the highest launch angle with minimal back spin, thus creating a rainbow flight.

On days where there is a breeze or even a high wind blowing behind the ball, tee it high and let fly!

*This article was originally published in The Golf Paper on 15 April 2015

Tagged Golf Tips, Improve your Golf