Distance help!!!

[AJay2000]

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Sounds like you could be hitting the ball on you upswing. Are you hitting down onto the ball?

Also most of the power in a golf swing comes from your legs. Think Fred Couples.

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your supposed to hit the drive on the upswing.

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Also, most of your power does NOT come from your legs. Your lower body is used as a foundation. Power comes from the clubhead speed generated by shoulder turn, an on plane swing, and center-face contact at impact combined with a properly in plane swing.

The legs are just there so you don't fall over. If you lose you balance, the club won't be on the proper plane, and you'll either make an off-center hit on the club face which will cause a hook or slice, but in your case will probably cause too much backspin or sidespin.

You should get your swing on video and get seen by a local pro. Work on the rhythm of your golf swing, working on the SWINGING of your club, while not trying to HIT the ball.

- Jay

[Sluss]

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Also, most of your power does NOT come from your legs. Your lower body is used as a foundation. Power comes from the clubhead speed generated by shoulder turn, an on plane swing, and center-face contact at impact combined with a properly in plane swing.


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I think we are saying the same thing just with you either having taken a lesson or taken a class that maybe has some sort of physics explaination I can't grasp.

A good shoulder turn on plane swing should be fluid and smooth. Where the explosion happens is through the weight shift between your back to front leg through your hips.

Balance is important. You should be able to swing a club with your feet together. Your effort up top should not be more than your effort below the navel.

Of course I am saying this in relation to all clubs, not just a driver.

[Le French Donk]

Handicap 6 here myself, and Im far way far from being well built, allthough Im tall (186 cm, 6 foot 2??) I maybe lack some body mass.

Having said that i hit in average:

Driver: 280 yards (330 if i really whack it with no control)
5 iron: 190
7 iron: 160
PW: 130

As some posted earlier legs and hips are not where the power lies, they work as a solid foundation for that tension you're trying to build up and then release.

What my trainer has told me is that the abs are supposed to work alot (right side for a right handed player), while avoiding your hips to dance the tango (a reccurent problem i had creating sweet hooks...)
Then its all a mather of synchronising all muscles, in the downswing first your abs and shoulders start putting the body in the motion, then the arms, and at the very final moment, the hands that you've been keeping bent (or broken like i say) come like a whip giving that extra power.

Without too many muscles the club head gets up to 125-135 mph for my driver

Having said all of that, I am currently swinging at 80% of what i used to, gladly loosing 20-30% distance for accuracy.
Eagles on par 5's are fun, but not triple bogeys on par 4 because you hooked your drive out....yet again

[TobDog]

Ok, I didnt read the entire thread, so if some is repeated, forgive please...

The drive 7 degrees going high, you are hitting down on it, you need to launch your driver, you are not hitting it off the ground, think of throwing a football as far as you can, it launches at like 30-45 degrees to get max airtime, right? You wont launch your driver anywhere near that, but 10-15 is good, and it may seem real high, but thats what you want.

Power, when we teach beginners(not saying you are) we start with grip(read Ben Hogans, 5 lessons) then we teach setup, il skip the boring stuff, but looking face on, you should look like a "Y", make a half backswing, you should look like an "L" thru impact and you look like a reverse "L", many people dont get this concept before they start whaccking away.

tobdog

[eamato]

The golf swing is rotational which most people don't understand. The lowest point of a swing is even with the left shoulder if you are right handed. This being said check you set up the biggest errors for most golfers are grip, balance, and set-up.

If you feel comfortable with these aspects of your game then it is your swing plane or how you take the club away and how you come through the ball. Most common mistake over the top or inside out which another poster mentioned.

get a series of lessons that video tape your swing or use technology to show you have improved over time


good luck

[diddle]

Power comes from the abs, biceps, pecs, and calves.

[ClubChamp04]

I don't know what planet you guys are on, power certainly comes from the hips and legs. Take a look at Charles howell the 3rd and how fast he snaps his hips through the ball. He is a small guy but probably hits them further than anyone pound for pound.

[Butcho22]

low and slow....grip it and rip it....it's all in the hips, etc. lol

post a video and we'll see what's what.

[Butcho22]

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Power comes from the abs, biceps, pecs, and calves.

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lololollolool

[dzh90]

Power doesn't come from a specific place. The swing is a total body effort, and you can only swing as fast as your weakest link allows.

The speed of the hip rotation is the limiting factor for most people. Many people swing hands first rather than hips first, which is a big mistake.

Think of building power like winding a rubber band balsa wood airplane.

An inside-out/rotational swing generates the most power.

Abs don't supply power in the swing. They act to stabilize the body while the hips, legs, and back give the swing its real power.