You drive the ball straight, but your distance is anemic.
Below are some tips to get your ball to be sneaky long. It feels real good to be the one in your foursome that seems to always hit an extra 10-25 yards. I strongly suggest to get a digital analysis of your swing at your local golf store, and try a couple drivers. This way, the new driver will be taylored to your specific swing speed and accuracy. Ramiro Rivas, current driving distance: 280-300 yards! |
Use your Head for Extra Yards.
Keeping it still just cheats you of distance
By Brady Riggs
GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher
Published: May 01, 2007
The Problem
The Solution
Move your left ear toward the ground during your backswing.
Why it works
When you try—as you've probably been told a thousand times—to keep your head still during your full swing, you restrict your ability to make a full turn and your distance potential drops. Swiveling your head, on the other hand, allows you to make a bigger shoulder turn, and that's a quick way to hit longer tee shots. Watch Tiger Woods when he swings. As he takes the club back, he moves his chin from left to right so that his left ear is closer to the ground at the top. Jack Nicklaus did the same thing, although he swiveled his head before he began his backswing. The key to this move is to keep it natural—don't jerk your head to the right in the backswing, just allow it to be carried along by the rest of your turning body.
When you try—as you've probably been told a thousand times—to keep your head still during your full swing, you restrict your ability to make a full turn and your distance potential drops. Swiveling your head, on the other hand, allows you to make a bigger shoulder turn, and that's a quick way to hit longer tee shots. Watch Tiger Woods when he swings. As he takes the club back, he moves his chin from left to right so that his left ear is closer to the ground at the top. Jack Nicklaus did the same thing, although he swiveled his head before he began his backswing. The key to this move is to keep it natural—don't jerk your head to the right in the backswing, just allow it to be carried along by the rest of your turning body.
Powered up!
Swing like Tiger Woods.... or at least try.
Allowing your head to swivel with your body turn actually increases rotation and coil.
How can Tiger Woods, at 6-foot-1 and 158 lbs., consistently drive the ball 300 yards, making him one of the strongest drivers in the Masters field? The answer is, with precise technique and proper conditioning, Woods is one of the best at focusing - and conserving - the energy in his swing.
1. At the back of his swing, Woods utilizes his flexibilty to reach far back, extending his range of 
motion while keeping his rotating torso directly over his right leg.
2. As he begins his swing, Woods builds up club head velocity by turning his torso quickly and pressing his right leg forward. Throughout his swing, Woods wastes little energy by maintaining his position above the ball.
motion while keeping his rotating torso directly over his right leg.2. As he begins his swing, Woods builds up club head velocity by turning his torso quickly and pressing his right leg forward. Throughout his swing, Woods wastes little energy by maintaining his position above the ball.
3. Woods drives through the ball, using his hips, shoulders and wrists to concentrate his force and create a very high initial ball speed. Within 2 feet off the tee the ball is traveling at around 180 miles per hour - 20 mph faster than the average tour pro.
4. Woods allows the club head's momentum to extend his follow-through far around his back, completing a long and smooth clubhead rotation.
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Velocity of a Tiger Woods Drive, Energy Lost During Impact and Force to Drive Golf Ball
Kim3 suggests that Tiger Woods swings his golf clubs so that the club head has a speed of 130 mph, which is ~ 58.1 m/s
Using equation 5 and the values that a typical club head has a mass of 200g, ball has a mass of 46g, and elasticity of a ball is 0.70.
5) vf = [MVi(1 + e)] / (M + m)
vf = (0.2 kg)(58.1 m/s)(1.7) / 0.246 kg
Tiger woods sends the golf ball flying at a speed of 80.3 m/s which is ~ 180 mph
Using equation 6 to find his club head speed after impact
6) Vf = Vi(M - me) / (M + m)
Vf = 58.1 m/s(0.2kg - 0.046kg•0.7) / 0.246kg
Vf = 39.6 m/s
To calculate the energy lost during the impact use equation 7
7) W = -(0.5MVf2 + 0.5mvf2 - 0.5MVi2)
=-(0.5•0.200kg•39.6m/s2 + 0.5•0.046kg•80.3m/s2 - 0.5•0.200kg•58.1m/s2)
= 32.6 J
Daish2 shows through flash photographs that the impact lasts for 0.5ms, thus to calculate the average force of his drive we use Newton's second law F = ma
where a = change in velocity / change in time
F = 0.046kg•80.3m/s / 0.0005s or
F = 7390 N
Since this is an average force, the maximum force put on the golf ball is twice this amount, therefore:
Fmax = 14780 N