The Medium-Sized Golfer's Guide to Power

Dustin Johnson blasts his tee shots 350 yards. He's also 6-foot-4 and built like a pro basketball player.

You aren't Dustin Johnson.

But even an average (or below average) size person can still pump some more speed into the swing. Take it from Louis Oosthuizen, who isn't scaring any muggers away at 5-foot-11, 160 pounds. He has two easy tips that will help any golfer get longer.

"A lot of players mess around with their grips to try to get longer, but they stop there," Oosthuizen says. "You need to get your arms relaxed when you start, centered on your chest and positioned with the elbows pointing down." This configuration lets your arms lash through the ball with speed, like the snap of a fishing rod, instead of moving stiffly and slowly.

The second tip, ironically enough, is to go easy on the accelerator from the top of the backswing. In other words, go slower early to go faster later. "When you try to make the club go fast from the top, you've already lost it halfway down," says Oosthuizen. "Give everything time to unwind. Feel like you're throwing the club underhanded as far and as high as you can down the range. The hips should start first and pull the upper body."