Extending Your Range

This is a fairly simple tip from golftipsmag.com... but I think simple is good. It's a drill from PGA instructor Justin Klemballa to help increase your driving distance. There's a video that goes with it but wasn't available at the time I did this post. When the video is available again, it will be at the link in this paragraph.

Klemballa says many players don't get much distance off the tee because they don't extend their arms fully through the impact zone. If you don't, you can get the dreaded chicken wing. (He calls it the "classic" chicken wing but I think you have to include that "dreaded" part to be completely correct. After all, everybody else does!)

Anyway, the drill itself is one you may have seen before. As this photo shows, the idea is to start with the club out in front of your ball with your arms extended. From there you swing the club back and then through. (There are more photos included with the article.)



One very useful mental tip that Klemballa included -- and that you may miss if you don't read carefully -- is this (and I quote):

If you collapse after impact, it means you were trying to hit into the ball instead of through the ball, causing you to lose a ton of power.

Memorize that little jewel, folks. It may do more than just help increase the width of your swing; it may just help you relax your muscles during your swing. Martial artists will tell you that relaxed muscles move more quickly than tight ones... and for a golfer, that can mean increased club head speed.

Remember: You want to hit through, not at, the ball. If your arms are relaxed, the swinging motion of the club will pull your arms into a wider arc as you swing through impact. You don't have to forcefully push them out, stiff and ramrod straight, to create width. Trust the swinging motion and you'll get results.