Golf Tips to Increase Driving Power

Instead of analyzing a successful driver's swing, let's focus on what beginner golfers, or golfers who have problems generating power on their drives, do incorrectly.

The first thing is that the ball is teed up too low. This has had more impact recently as the size of driver heads have dramatically increased. Years ago driver club heads, and clubfaces, were much smaller, resulting in a much smaller sweet-spot. The driver heads simply were not large enough to warrant a higher tee height. General rule of thumb says to tee the ball up so that the top half of the ball is above the clubface when the club is resting in starting position on the ground. Naturally with a bigger club head, you need to tee the ball higher to achieve the top half ratio. This will ensure you are still striking the ball with the center of the club head.

Another thing below-average drivers tend to do is position their hands too close to their body at setup. I've talked about how this limits you in another article, and will promote more of a vertical, or up-and-down, backswing and follow-through. Reach just a bit when setting up for your drives. Something moving on the edge of a circle (your swing arc) will travel faster than something towards the middle of a circle, so the farther away the clubhead is from your body the faster it will travel and the more power you can generate on your drives.

Many golfers lift their front foot on their backswing. This can lead to a reverse weight shift, where weight is actually shifted to the front side on the backswing. This can result in a hook or shank shot. Keep your front foot planted on the ground on your backswing, which will promote a proper hip and shoulder turn and get you into a "coil" position setting you up for increased power. Just don't forget to shift your weight to your back side.

Ball position is also key in generating more power. Setting up the ball too far forward or back in your stance will limit your power. If the ball is too far back in your stance, you will strike the ball potentially on your downswing. With a very small angle to begin with, it is virtually impossible to hit a good drive on your downswing with the ball too far back in your stance. The proper position is somewhere in between the width of your front foot.

And of course many golfers are unsure of their tee shots, or automatically don't believe they can hit a good shot. Tee off with a positive mindset by selecting the spot you want to drive the ball.

Technorati Tags: golf driving tips  generate power  golf tips