Instruction

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Game-improvement

Get Longer, Get Straighter

November 2008

Art Sellinger: Two-Time National Long-Drive Champion
Sellinger owns the Long Drivers of America, producers of the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship. He is based in Roanoke, Tex.

HIT IT LONG: Unblock yourself; By Art Sellinger; Chuck had the classic setup for a golfer who is all about stability: He had a wide, closed stance, and his hips were closed, too (near right). He was trying to swing from inside out and hit a draw for power. But the closed stance was blocking him from using his great rotation. To give him more width, stretch and speed on the downswing, I narrowed his stance to shoulder width and opened his hips and feet (far right). We moved the ball up two inches, to help him make a strong shift toward the target coming down. I wanted Chuck to focus on moving the clubhead fast, not on hitting a draw.

: Go caveman on it; Chuck's backswing position here is perfect for hitting short clubs dead straight. He's stacked over his feet, but he doesn't have any extension in his arms, and he's not getting the speed bonus that comes from a dynamic wrist cock. If you were a caveman protecting yourself with a stick, what would you do? You'd pull the stick way back behind you, shifting your weight. You'd set your wrists, then explode into the hit with a forward shift, letting your wrists fly. Chuck had years of muscle memory emphasizing control, but he immediately understood "caveman speed" and incorporated some of it into his swing.

Extend your arms, release your knee

The keys for Chuck are the same as for anybody trying to add power. Release your left knee going back so you can turn your hips and shoulders more and load up on your right side. Look how much more behind the ball Chuck is compared to in the photo above.

To avoid wasting the power you build up with this bigger turn, keep your left arm extended in the backswing: It should feel like your hands are staying far away from your head. The wrist cock you want should feel like a two-handed chop with an axe. Your wrists bend where your thumbs attach to your hands; they don't flop back and forth like you're waving away a bad smell.

The biggest distance gains come from players who aren't very efficient to begin with, or who are using equipment that isn't right for them. Chuck is a terrific player, and he has good equipment. But with these setup and swing changes, he found 10 more yards with the driver. A 20-handicapper could get more -- two clubs longer with lighter, slightly longer iron shafts and up to 30 extra yards with the driver.

: Build a feel for speed and stretch; Swinging a stick baseball-style (far left) is great training for the loading and firing of the big muscles in the swing. You can even turn around and swing the stick left-handed, which increases suppleness and extension on your right-handed follow-through. I see Vijay Singh do that a lot. When you work on your stretch, be sure to turn your chest and move outside your back leg (near left). That's a big power move. If you just turn your shoulders and let your back straighten, you're making a reverse pivot. That's no good.