PGA Pro Tips: Power Golf: Add 30 Yards To Your Drives By Maximizing Your Leverage
You don't need to be muscle-bound to hit longer drives. But you do need to take advantage of all the power you have available to you. The way you maximize power in your golf swing through leverage. Archimedes once said "Give me a lever and a place to stand and I can move the world."
Proper leverage is what provides the power to generate speed. The power in your golf swing should be used to rotate your core faster through impact to the target. Faster core rotation will generate the clubhead speed you want, because distance comes from speed.
The common mistake most golfers make when trying to drive the golf ball farther is to throw the clubhead at the ball with their hands and arms. The challenge is that the hands and arms are not nearly as strong as the big muscles in the core.
The Key to Leverage is Good Foot Work and the Ball of Your Right Foot
Jack Nicklaus believes that a good golf swing begins with good foot work. Creating more leverage in your swing – and consequently effortless power – starts with your feet. At the top of the swing you should be loading power and energy on the inside part of your right foot, specifically on the ball of the foot.
The inside part of the ball of the right foot is your action position. If you don't have your weight set on the inside part of the ball of your foot at the top of your swing, you run the risk of a sway or reverse pivot.
Think of a baseball pitcher and the way they push off the rubber to hurl the ball over 90 mph. The same concept applies to distance and your golf swing. It is almost impossible to initiate the downswing with the lower body - where all good golf downswings start - if you can’t push to the front side with your feet.
Pigeon Toe Drill to Help You Feel Leverage
To help get the feel of good leverage, try the "pigeon toe" drill.
Take your normal driver stance. Before swinging, turn your right heel out so that your right foot is "pigeon toed." Square up your hips and keep a little flex in your right knee. Make a ¾ swing and pay attention to the tension that builds in the right leg. You will likely find that it is very easy to push towards the target with the lower body when the right foot is turned in a bit.
If you want to add more distance to your drives with effortless power, maintain your leverage position throughout your swing: like Archimedes, you will be able to move the world.
