Introduction

Introduction In my over twenty years of teaching golf, I have learned that almost all golfers want to hit the ball longer. Most of them express the desire to do this without expending any more effort than they currently do. And while this is completely possible by becoming more efficient, you can also increase your clubhead speed without any extra conscious feel of effort. After getting a strong background in Kinesiology, specifically exercise physiology, I learned the science of the perfect golf swing from the legendary Mike Austin. Mike is best known for hitting a 515 yard drive at the 1974 National Senior Open at the age of 64. It was calculated later that Mike would have needed at least 150 mph clubhead speed to perform the feat, which is actually what pioneer photographer Doc Edgerton measured him at around 1939 in Chicago. Of course, keep in mind the tools that were available in the early 70's – small persimmon headed drivers with heavy steel shafts. They were also 43” standard, instead of the 45” modern standard. Mike used a Titleist 100 balata ball as well, which were extremely mushy. Most experts agree that between the modern multi-layer ball and titanium drivers with graphite shafts, professional golfers have probably picked up around 50 yards since that era. Austin's Guinness record held up for decades as the longest drive ever struck in a round of tournament golf. Several years ago, Mighty Mike Dobbyn eclipsed it with a 539 yard blast in a Harmon Tour event – ironically also in Las Vegas. It is unknown if Guiness has put their blessing on it. Even in his late 70's, Dr. Austin was still swinging faster than Tiger Woods in his prime – 133 mph. This not only speaks highly of his technique, but also for his longevity. During this stage of his life he toured with the legendary 350 Club created by protege Mike Dunaway. Mike was still averaging over 310 yards per drive, while the longest hitter on the PGA Tour was only averaging around 280. Mike lived from 1910 to 2005, and while his degrees in all applicable sciences have yet to be confirmed, somehow he amassed a PhD level of knowledge in the sciences of human movement. Some believed that Mike's teaching was 50 years into the future. And as we near the 50 year anniversary of the 515 yard drive, technology that can measure golf swings in nearly every way imaginable is now being utilized by top teachers and players. Trackman, Boditrak, and Gears 3d are able to measure many aspects of the swing extremely accurately. We now have a much greater insight into what the most optimal golf swing might be – and so far, Mike Austin's teachings have only been confirmed. In my teaching career I have worked with seniors in their 80's all the way to pro long drivers who regularly smash drives over 400 yards. I can count at least 6 world champions I've measured with my Trackman launch monitor. The following are my 50 best tips for driving the ball longer. Longer drives, for most golfers, means lower scores – this has been proven statistically. A longer tee shot could mean reaching all the holes in regulation. It might mean reaching par 5's in two shots and putting for eagle! And of course long drives impress your buddies and enable you to win bets off them. I've had students pick up nearly 100 yards in 30 minutes with the ideas in this book, while others worked tirelessly for weeks to eke out a 15 yard increase. So needless to say, your mileage may vary. I certainly hope some of these tips really hit home for you and get you to where you want to go with your driving. If so, I'd love to hear about your successes and exploits. Please send me an email to [email protected]. 50 Tips for Hitting Your Longest Drives Ever! 1. Grip the club across the base of the fingers, not in the palm. In the left hand (for a right handed golfer), it will feel like you're holding a hammer. You will achieve the quickest, most powerful snapping of the wrists through the ball this way. The right hand will also sit at the base of the 3rd through 5th fingers, while the thumb and forefinger gently 'pinch' the sides of the grip. Gripping across the palm greatly curtails the snapping or whirling motion we need for great clubhead speed, and furthermore interferes with our control over the squareness of the clubface. 2. Bend at the hips, not at the knees and certainly not at the spine in order to get the club down to the turf. This will encourage the shoulders to tilt up and down at the proper angle to ensure the correct path and plane. This will also help your chances at making solid contact. 3. Narrow up your stance. Too many golfers, especially very strong men, think that a super-sized stance will make them more powerful. However, we do most powerful motions in balance when our feet are under our hips. Look at a boxer making a knockout punch for example. Here, Larry Holmes swings at Ali. His stance here would be perfect for a driver in golf. 4. Setup with the hips and shoulders parallel to the intended line of flight with the right shoulder slightly lower than the left. Rather than tilting the head backwards towards the right foot to achieve the tilt, instead slide the left hip an inch target ward and flex the right knee to gently tilt the spine and drop the right shoulder and hip. This will encourage the proper under, up, and out track of the clubhead into the ball. Most golfers line up with the right shoulder too high and the shoulder line open, leading to a downward strike with the driver that cuts across from the outside in. You will lose a lot of distance setting up and swinging this way. 5. Take the club back low to the ground and on a mild inside arc. To hit a golf ball straight, the clubhead must follow an arc to the inside, and return from the inside as well. You can place a tee 24 inches behind the ball just inside the target line and practice sweeping just over it on the way back. Allow the left shoulder to start winding under the chin early. There are no straight lines in the golf swing – only planes and arcs. The only line in golf is the one between your ball and the flag that you're trying to hit along. 6. Always strive to swing faster on the downswing, rather than harder. Thinking 'swing hard' often translates into an attempt to be 'strong' which in turn leads to rigid muscles. Swinging 'fast' changes the image to one of supple quickness, like when you crack and whip or swat a fly. It takes a quick explosive burst of muscle contraction to power the club down into impact. How quickly you can go from contraction towards relaxation in the hands and forearms great influences what clubhead speed you can attain. 7. Better technique will almost always provide the most substantial gains in distance, especially for the golfer who shoots above 80. I have worked with many golfers who drive over 400 yards, who can squeeze out a ton more yardage simply by making their motion more efficient. They often think they need to get stronger, or swing faster. But there is a lot more to it than that. Efficiency is king! You should regularly review the 'textbook' fundamentals of grip and setup. 8. After technique, a comprehensive flexibility program will net you the most gains in speed and distance. Stretch all the golf muscles daily, or even twice a day, for 15 minutes. Hold the stretches for at least 30 seconds for a more permanent lengthening of the muscle. Focus especially on the back and hips. Strive for normal range of motion at all the skeletal joints. Being hyper flexible is not required to hit long, but being extremely tight often leads to short hitting. Miguel Angel Jimenez has a pretty wacky routine but it has kept him performing at a high level into his 50's. This is a lat stretch primarily. 9. After flexibility, speed training will provide a good boost in clubhead speed and eventually distance. Practice swinging your driver without a ball as fast as you can 5 to 10 times in a row without stopping. Purposely go beyond 'control' into 'reckless abandon'. Perform at least 3-4 sets of these 3x a week at minimum. When you're really ready to get serious, work up to 15-20 sets of 5. You should see gains of 5-8 mph in about 6 weeks. As you get closer to elite level of clubhead speed, say above 115 mph, your gains will start to diminish. Players above 130 mph have to put in a lot more work to get just 1 more mph. 10. Weightlifting, in many cases provides only small gains in clubhead speed and golf power. Additionally, it takes weeks or months or hard work to see these gains. This is especially true at the elite level, where technique, ball contact, and supple quickness usually win. Untrained beginners and senior golfers will get a nice benefit out of a comprehensive resistance workout program, which may also boost overall health as well. Explosive exercises such as deadlift (pictured here), power cleans, medicine ball throws, and battle ropes or chains are among the most popular.

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