Build a powerful swing by activating your big muscles

Many golfers think hitting it farther comes down to how fast you can swing your arms and unhinge your wrists to sling the club through impact. But there’s more to it than that, especially if you want to hit solid shots nearly every time you swing.

Like any athletic activity where you have to throw or strike an object, real power comes from your legs. Just visualize Major League Baseball pitchers. They’re pushing off the mound as hard as they can before their pitching arm lets go of the ball. If they didn’t push off the rubber on the mound with their back leg, and used just their arms to create speed, their careers would be over.

That’s why I love throwing medicine balls as a way to understand the role of your legs in creating powerful golf swings. The weight of the medicine ball makes you intuitively use the bigger muscles of your legs and core—otherwise you wouldn’t throw it very far. If you try this drill, just be sure to use a medicine ball that doesn’t feel too light. And when you wind up and throw the ball like you’re mimicking a swing, keep your upper arms in close to your body. Feel like they stay glued to your sides, so that the energy for the throw is a push off the ground with your legs and a releasing turn with your torso.

Once you can powerfully throw a medicine ball, incorporate similar body action into your swing. Without going at it any harder with your arms, your body will help you compress the ball like never before.