Golf tips: hit the ball further , watch out Dustin Johnson

Hitting longer golf shots is a something we all want to do. There is nothing like hitting a solidly struck, long tee shot out on the golf course. All the guys out on tour hit the ball long. Even the shorter hitters are pumping it out to 275 yard averages. Today my interest is in one of the most powerful and explosive players on tour.

Dustin Johnson hits the ball looooooooooooong. He bombs it, and also manages to keep the ball in play as his wins and major contentions showed in 2010. Dustin averaged over 307 yards off the tee in 2010 which helped him claim two tour titles and claim 7 top ten finishes.

So the question is, why does he hit it so far? and what do i need from my swing to get the ball out there?

Well lets take a look........

Coil up for power & maximise your speed............

The backswing comes down to two key components, coil and extension. These to factors allow us to maximise tension in the body that wants to be released, thus supplying power and also maximising the momentum in the clubhead. 

The picture right shows Dustin Johnson's takeaway. Notice the width of his take away. By this I mean the extension of the left arm away from the body. This means the swing arc is already being maximised therefore Dustin's golf club is going to travel a great distance around his body and build up lots of momentum, this creates speed.
At this point also notice the amount of shoulder turn. By half way back Dustin has already created around 60 - 70 degrees of shoulder turn. This is the coil I mentioned which created tension. His body is rotating creating a tight, spring like effect which will want to be released from the top of the backswing.



At the top of the backswing you can really see the extent of the rotation that Dustin has achieved. Notice how his shoulders have turned beyond 90 degrees from his set - up position. This is impressive, however the fact his hips have only rotated not even half of this distance is even more impressive. The facet he has created this separation means he is now coiled like a spring ready to be released back towards the ball. This will create power in the downswing.
Notice also the extension of the left arm at this stage!!


Work it from the hips..................


The downswing sees the release of all the accumulators built up on the backswing. You will notice in the picture on the right how Dustin's hips are driving well ahead of his shoulders. His belt buckle is almost pointing at the target however his shoulders are more square on over the ball.
This shows how the legs and hips should drive the downswing. Driving from the lower half transfers energy to the upper body, which then transfers the energy to the arms and finally the club. By the time the clubhead is ready to reach impact it is like a loaded whip ready to crack at the ball.

Extend out into the follow through...........

Carry on through the ball. Hit through it and hit it hard. Notice how Dustin has both arms extended after impact in front of his body. This is through maximum momentum and speed through the ball. Quitting on shots and not being committed to the strike will not allow you to create this position.
See it and hit that is what you want.
Again notice how open Dustin is with his hips. Again they are clearing a long way ahead of his shoulders.


Now it's your go...........

Ok so we aren't all going to be able to get into the same positions as Dustin Johnson. However we can practice the same sequence of movements that leads to a more powerful swing. You may want to start off without a club and just practice with a hands across the shoulders to practice the backswing coil and downswing sequence.

Good luck, and lets hope you find a few extra yards as well. Watch out Dustin!!

Daniel Gale PGA Professional

Dan is a fully qualified member of the PGA & TPI certified Instructor.

Check out his website at www.dangalegolf.com

Golf tips - Control your mind: The 3 boxes

The unpredictability of golf is great. One minute your on cloud 9 and feel you can't miss a thing, the next you are in despair and feel you couldn't hit a barn door. No two rounds of golf are ever the same and we need to learn to control our behaviour throughout everything that is thrown at us during any game.

The golf course leads to a wide range of emotions being experienced. At times you will feel nervous or under pressure. At other times you may feel frustrated, angry or alternatively happy and ecstatic. The wide range of emotions and thought processes must be controlled. Failure to control these will lead to poor decision making and execution of golf shots. 

One way of controlling your mind, maintaining concentration and controlling emotions is to use the 3 box rule. The three boxes break each shot you play into three distinct phases. This allows you to make wise and thoughtful decisions, play your shots with a clear objective and also allow you to move onto the next shot in the best possible frame of mind.

So here is how it works..........


Pre shot box.........

The pre shot box, or preparation box, is where all your analysis of the shot and decisions are made. It is the box where you set the scene for what you want to achieve. Taking into affect factors such as yardages, wind, undulations, hazards, club selection, shot shape, trajectory. When I say set the scene it is where you will use your thoughts and decisions to use imagery or visualisation to create a clear picture in your head of what you want to achieve for that given shot.

This is also the position where practice swings should be carried out. Visualising and executing the swing that will create the ball flight and outcome you require prior to playing the actual shot is vital in order for good execution of the shot to be successful.

Action box........

The action box is only entered once you have a clear understanding and vision of what you want to achieve from the current situation. This box is just for action and shot execution. If you have any doubts or feel uncomfortable over the ball then this box should be exited. Get out of the action box and get back into the pre shot box.

Never play a shot with doubts in your mind. You must approach every shot with 100% commitment with 100% trust that what you have set out to do with the shot is clear and achievable.

Post shot........


This is maybe the most important box of the three. This box allows you to continue around the course without tension and anger running through your veins and also will help to keep you grounded when things happen that make you too excited.

Lets focus on the negative first. Now everyone hits bad golf shots. Martin Kaymer is on fire at the moment yet he will miss fairways, greens and putts.The same was the case for Tiger Woods when he was on form and also when he returns to form. What we need to do is make sure that one bad shot does not lead to a succession of poor shots. Damage limitation is needed. We will use this box to make sure we do not allow our anger, frustration or tension to reach an uncontrollable level that will effect our performance.

The same is true for overly positive experiences. Being set for your best round on the 18th tee, hitting over a big pond or other hazard and maybe even a hole in one. These are all factors that will excite you during a round. Again this needs an element of control. You need to remain in a controlled zone in order to carry on performing to the level that got you to these positions in the first place.

The post shot box allows you a 10 metre window to try and get yourself back in the present. For example after hitting a shot heavy into a greenside bunker, you have 10 metres to let out anger. No shouting or screaming please! Just time to have a chat to yourself and get rid of the frustrations. After that 10 metres you must refocus on the next shot. The same applies following overly positive results. Adrenaline is a hard thing to control.

So there it is....

A little tip to assist you with on course management. Every shot you play on the golf course deserves this attention whether it be a putt from 4 feet or a driver tee shot on a long Par 5. Control your thought processes and set yourself up to approach every shot with the clearest frame of mind and 100% commitment and confidence.

Give it a try over a few rounds. It is hard at first to try and remember every shot you play, however this will become habit and your normal behaviour which is definitely a good thing.

Good luck, and enjoy your golf.

Daniel Gale PGA Professional

Dan is a fully qualified member of the PGA & a certified TPI Instructor

Check out his website at www.dangalegolf.com

Golf tips - check out the social networks

Every golfer likes free golf tips. You only need to check out the number of views on the 1000's of swing instruction videos on YouTube etc to learn this. As golfers we are constantly looking to improve, looking for that little swing thought or theory that will make us a better player.
My advice to all golfers in this case is to set up a Twitter account. Yes Twitter, used by celebrities to put little bits and pieces about themselves into the hands of the public. Twitter however is home to hundreds of golf professionals.

I initially set up my Twitter account to assist with the launch of my website, www.dangalegolf.com and blog account. It was a great way for me to broadcast any new info for my site to many people at the touch of a button. However since using Twitter i have found it is an absolutely brilliant way of broadening your knowledge of the game. 100's of golf professionals, sports psychologists and fitness experts are sharing there knowledge on the social networking site. The main use seems to be that of either sharing links to useful blog posts or YouTube videos often introducing great information. The other use is to fire questions at other experts. If you don't want to get involved with conversation yourself, you can still watch others carrying out a public chat.

As is often the case with website information you do need to put up with some very average and occasionally poorly advertised information and Tweets. However you will soon see which of the people you are following is offering genuine and helpful advice. Therefore for me it is a no - brainer to set up a Twitter account and get following some experts to broaden your golfing knowledge.

Read and enjoy.

Daniel Gale PGA Professional
TPI Certified Instructor

Dan is a fully qualified member of the PGA and a TPI Certified Instructor

Check out his website at www.dangalegolf.com