Drive Straighter and Longer

Everything we do should be about being able to deliver the club correctly to the ball on our way from the top of the backswing through to finish.

Miss-hits are the main reason for a lack of potential distance that your technique might produce.  I see so many golfer tee up the ball high, but then place the club on the ground with the sweetspot directly below the ball.

Addressing the ball with the sweet spot below the ball can lead to miss-hits

I used to tee the ball up like this and my miss hits would always strike the face towards the heel or nearer to the hosel.  Gear effect would usually mean a heel impact on the face would produce fade or slice spin.

I now tee the ball up so that when the club is on the ground behind the ball, the ball is positioned on the toe of the club.  This improved my ball striking with my driver immediately.

Addressing the ball so the toe is behind the ball will improve contact at impact

Here is the reason why…
When you strike the ball through impact, each golfer will have a set radius of their swing.  The radius of the swing is the length of your target side arm and club from shoulder to clubhead.

If you place the club on the ground at address and then lift the club up a couple of inches off the ground, if you maintain your radius the club will not only move up but also away from the body.  This is due to the fact that we play golf on an incline plane.

Centre Impact is essential for distance and control

Since we must ensure that we make solid contact with the ball through impact it then seems logical that we allow for any differences from where we address the ball to where we need to strike the ball.

So in the photo below, we can see that SET UP should be with the toe of the club behind the ball (Blue Line) and IMPACT should happen with the sweetspot making contact with the ball (Yellow Line)

Setting up to allow for impact to happen correctly will lead to better ball striking

So now with teeing the ball up on the toe of the club, the golfer won’t need to make any compensations by:  shortening their radius (bending of the target side elbow or wrist) or by moving their centre of gravity either back or up to create room.

If the golfer sees the ball as slightly further away at address it will help promote extension through impact and allow the golfer to maintain their radius.  The result of this will be a more centered impact with less loss of potential distance and straighter shots.

Kindest Regards

David Williams
AAA Rated – PGA Teaching Professional
Cardinia Beaconhills Golf Links
Upper Beaconsfield, Melbourne, Australia

David is also a Master Instructor with the Medicus Golf Institute

Willow

Director of Golf & Coaching @ Rossdale Golf Club

Director of Golf & Coaching
Rossdale Golf Club
Aspendale, VIC. Australia

P: (03) 9580 4763

PGA Australia - Full Member since 2005
Callaway Golf - Brand Ambassador