Quick Fix For Drives

If you watched the PGA Championship this weekend you can't help but
be happy for Tiger. Although as a Canadian I was disapointed to see
the colapse of Mike Weir. But I can't blame him - he was only 3 off
the lead and was not ready to settle for second place so he went for
it. I admire that - no risk no reward.

Now if you are not happy with your golf game - remember our friends at
GolfSmith are having a year end sale that is still going on until Sept
17th. With the new equipment today you can easily drop 5-8 stokes off your
score just with new tools. Don't miss this sale! Click Here
to see what is on sale.

I just bought the TaylorMade R5 driver and can't wait to hit the link on
Wednesday to try it out! In the spirit of getting a new driver here are
some quick fix tips for improving your drive

Quick Fix For Drives

The following adjustments to your position at address are easy to
make, and will quickly improve the striking, trajectory, and
distance of your drives. Really, it will. And if it doesn't, go
back and re-read this!!!!

Tee the ball a little higher than normal (i.e. get BIGGER tees!!!),
and play it forward in your stance, opposite the instep of your
left foot (REMEMBER!!! On drives, your feet do not point directly
ahead, i.e. they don't point towards where you eyes are looking.
They should be slightly spread apart for BALANCE!!). Widen your
stance slightly, and put 60 - 65% of your weight on your right foot
AND side. Your head and your hands should be placed slightly behind
the ball (this insures everything is set up correctly). AS ALWAYS,
maintain a light grip pressure, relax your body and don't ground
the clubhead - hover it slightly above the turf. This is extremely
difficult to do, I realize, but there is a reason. I am not sure
what it is, but it just does work better. This is probably the
HARDEST STEP in this process!!

The grip must be in your fingers, not in the palm.

Combined, these adjustments will make it a lot easier for you to
make a full and free shoulder turn, create a wide arc and get your
body fully turned behind the ball at the top of your swing. You
should be aware of an increase in the amount of coil that you
create which will then enable you to move back to the left side and
accelerate the club through impact with a more powerful ascending,
sweeping motion. Keep your head back (hit up the back of the ball)
and attempt to sweep the ball away without removing the tee-peg.
Work on this procedure wherever you can. Pretty soon you may well
be playing a game with which you are not familiar.

The most important aspect of this lesson is that you are hitting
the ball while your clubhead is going UP!! You should always swing
THROUGH the ball. This is most easily accomplished by trying to
hit a spot two inches in front of the ball.

Proper Balance!!!!

By having poor balance at address, you'll lose power. Take your
normal stance, then imagine: if someone gave you a little push in
the center of your back, or in the middle of your chest, would you
fall over? What if someone tugged on the club-would you fall
forward? If someone could easily push you over from behind (or pull
you forward by tugging on the club), you have too much weight
toward your toes; if someone can push you over from the front, that
means that you have too much weight on your heels. Take a solid
athletic stance, with your weight evenly distributed on the balls
of your feet. Staying in balance will lead to better rhythm, more
consistent shot making and longer shots.

Now get out to the driving range and hit some balls with your new driver!