September 2009
Generating club head speed
Use your whole body to increase the speed of your club head
To hit long, straight shots it is imperative to be properly warmed up beforehand. Whether you are just practicing or going out to play 18 holes, take five to ten minutes to warm up your muscles. Warm muscles lead to increased flexibility and mobility, which in turn leads to increased distance and accuracy.
The biggest misconception in golf is that distance comes from swinging your arms faster. In fact, according to PGA Tour player Stephen Ames, power is generated from the ground up. Your legs are key in generating club head speed, thus it is important to warm them up.
—photo courtesy Lisa Longball
Figure 1: Stand up straight with your shoulders back holding a club parallel to the ground, at chest height and close to your body.
—photo courtesy Lisa Longball
Figure 2: Bend your knees into a squat position keeping your chest up, try to get your quadriceps parallel to the ground and simultaneously push the club away from your body. This movement will actively stretch your calves, and quadriceps along with warming up your shoulders.
—photo courtesy Lisa Longball
Figure 3: The shoulders and surrounding muscles are also the keys to getting into the proper positions to make a power move and a good turn. Take a club behind your back and grip the club with your right hand on top, palm facing toward your body and your left hand on the bottom—palm facing away. Pull up towards the sky with your top (right) hand only. This will stretch your deltoid (front of the shoulder) and your triceps.
—photo courtesy Lisa Longball
Figure 4: Hold for two to five seconds, then pull your bottom (left) hand down towards the ground. This movement will stretch your rotator cuff, lats and triceps. Hold the position for two to five seconds and repeat the up and down motion 10 - 15 times. Switch arms and repeat by gripping the top of the club with your left hand, palm facing in and the right hand on the bottom, palm facing out.
—photo courtesy Lisa Longball
Figure 5: Finally, put your right arm straight out in front of you and pull it with the back of your left hand towards your chest. Ensure that your right hand thumb is facing down. Hold for two to five seconds, then using your shoulder muscles, swing your right arm away from your body rotating your thumb up towards the sky. Focus on keeping the arm straight and standing up tall. Repeat this motion 10 - 15 times, then switch arms.
Flexibility is extremely important to achieve a full range of motion maximizing your distance. Practice these stretches the next time you are on the range and hopefully you will add key yards to your game. Hit it hard!
Lisa is the six-time Canadian Long Drive Champion for women, a golf entertainer and a motivational speaker. Lisa can be reached through her website at www.lisalongball.com