A subtle shift of the foot here, and simple reposition of the tee height there… as we know all too well here at Evolve Golf, it’s the little things that add up to big improvement. Here are a few of our favorite tips that we’ve cultivated over the years.
Toe Up.
It sounds like it goes against convention, or even intuition… but addressing the ball with your driver toe angled up a bit is a good way to ensure that you are allowing for your wrists to “break.” Allowing your wrists to break helps increase the velocity of the driver at the right time, and keep you swing fluid and easy. Keeping your arms stiff, and a straight line down to the club head only reduces your velocity.
If you’re looking for a more scientific explanation, there’s a little thing called “Centripetal Force” that many manufacturers compensate for. This is the pulling down of the club head in the downswing that tends to “droop” the shaft enough to even out the club head. Try not to think about it too much.
Proper Tee Height.
There are so many things to consider when talking about tee height. Many players like to tee that ball up high, and let ‘er rip. But the truth is, every driver is as unique as every swing. Knowing the proper height of your driver’s sweet spot is important, and being able to consistently tee the ball up to your driver’s sweet spot every time only provides a cocktail for good drives. Check out Evolve Golf’s Sweet Spot System to find the best tee height for your driver.
Body Position.
Again, it seems a bit uncomfortable, and anti-intuitive… But your body position is hugely important. Most instructors will position the ball to the inside of your forward foot, and have you slightly angle your hips, sine and shoulders back, just a bit, so that the club is square, level, and on it’s way up just slightly on impact.
Build Your Speed.
Professional instructors like Derek Hooper have seen a lot of bad swings in their day. One of the biggest issues is the over aggressive swing. Golfers try to take get a burst of power from the start of their swing, causing a lot of movement, and a lot of inaccuracy. To fix this, Derek suggest thinking about building your swing with your large muscles. Let your lower body lead the motion, with the upper body following and pulling the club down, building speed along the way so that by the time it get’s to the ball, the club is traveling at maximum speed without as much movement. The results should be some of your greatest distance.
Trust Your Stuff.
Look in your bag. See all that equipment? What did it cost… $1500? $2000? That’s a lot of science you paid for. A lot of technology. So trust it. So often we look at our clubs and think we need to help it, angle it a bit to get the ball up a bit. Swing a little harder to get the distance. But these clubs come from manufacturers and technologists whose entire job is to make you play better. So go ahead… trust it. Smooth out your swing, believe in the equipment, and watch your game improve.