Use The Ground to Instantly Add Power

USE THE GROUND TO INSTANTLY ADD POWER

There’s no doubt golf has become more of an athletic sport over the last 30 years

What used to be a game of finesse and precision is now a game of power and speed

And while the average driving distance for players has increased, scores have not gone down

Why is that?

You’d think being able to hit the ball farther would help you play better golf

But for the average player, it doesn’t seem to make a difference

CONSISTENCY

One of the big reasons why players scores have not gone down despite advances in technology is because of consistency

The average player struggles to repeat the same swing

This means it becomes difficult to predict where the shot is going to end up

And since equipment DOES help the ball go farther, your miss-hits may simply be farther offline

STABILITY

One of the big reasons most players struggle with consistency is because they fail to create stability in their lower body

They don’t know how to use the ground properly

As a result, their swing is loose, inconsistent, and unpredictable

Furthermore, because most players also struggle with muscle imbalances and poor mobility, even when they seek out instruction to help fix their swing, they’re unable to see longterm growth

USING THE GROUND

So what does it mean to “use the ground” and why is that important in the first place?

If we go back to Physis 101, every action has an equal and opposite reaction

Which means in order to swing the club, we must create a foundation for that club to swing against

The goal is to have a sturdy lower body so you can swing off that platform

But for so many of us, because we don’t have lower body stability, we end up anchoring off our lower back instead

So if you have back pain, tend to lose balance in your swing, hang back and fail to transfer your weight through the shot, or find it difficult to hit the sweet spot regularly, there’s a good chance you’re failing to use the ground

HOW TO USE THE GROUND

There are many ways to visualize using the ground but my favorite way is simple and can easily add 5-10 yards to any club in the bag instantly

Imagine you’re standing on a big piece of paper with both your feet pointing towards 12 o’clock

Now imagine you’re trying to rip that paper down the middle by twisting your left foot towards 11 o’clock and your right foot towards 1 o’clock

By pushing your feet down, apart, and twisting, you begin to create stability in your lower body through a force known as torque

WHAT IS TORQUE?

Torque simply put is a rotational force

And since golf is a rotary sport, it makes sense we need to create torque

Again, every action has an equal and opposite reaction so if the goal is to create a powerful rotary motion, it makes sense we need to create torque with our legs to counter the forces you’ll produce with your swing

The more torque you can produce with your legs, the more stable your platform will be to swing off

SHORTER = LONGER

The catch here for many players is that the more torque they create in their lower body, the less mobile they become

For most players, because of their lack of mobility, once their big muscles are active, it reveals the weakness in their mobility

The result is feeling like you can’t make as big of a swing as you could before

And that’s ok!

In most cases, it’s better to make a smaller swing where you’re stable and able to use your body properly than it is to over swing on an unstable platform for the sake of “making a complete swing”

If you’re ever heard to “swing within yourself” this is what we’re talking about

Swing to whatever degree your body will allow you to without compromising posture or stability and you’ll likely hit the ball better, even if that means making a smaller, shorter swing

TEMPORARY BANDAID

The temporary bandaid to help you produce even more power while still swinging within yourself is to start with your feet a little flared open

By starting with your left foot at 11 o’clock and right foot at 1 o’clock, you trick your body into thinking your hips have more mobility than they actually do

So long as you’re still able to push your feet into the ground and twist to create torque, flaring your feet open is a great way to create consistent and powerful contact without coming out of posture

CONCLUSION

For most of us, we want and need more power to play better golf

More power = more distance

More distance = closer to the hole

Closer to the hole = better chances for good scores

But creating consistent power, that’s another story

That’s because most of us are unable to stabilize our lower body

By learning how to create torque, you’ll have an easier time creating consistently powerful shots without having to change anything other than how you address the ball and build your stance

In the short term, flare your feet out slightly to help “improve” your range of motion

And long term, work on improving your mobility through targeted Power Stretching exercises to protect your body from injury

It’s usually these simple tweaks that have the biggest impact on our game

Give it a try next time you play and watch as the ball goes farther, flies more consistently, and as a result, scores start to fall

MOVE BETTER - PLAY BETTER

COACH BLAINE ⛳🏌️‍♂️

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