Need to get longer off the tee

[daddymack]

I can hit my driver pretty straight when I'm on my game but I don't get a lot of distance.

I get a lot of "nice shot" when the ball leaves my club but then it seems to just die. It always seems like it's gonna go farther then it does. I use a macgregor eyeomatic or mactec. I play a bridgestone e6.

I've read some artices from the pros but heck, it's easy for them.

What do regular golfers like yourselves do to get longer?

 

[N.V.M.]

sounds like too much spin. "it seems to just die". i'd work on the shaft/head combo more than what ball you use.

 

[SilverUberXeno]

Swing faster. Seriously... if you don't have great clubhead speed, you're not going to hit the ball great distances. Your mechanics can be perfect and you're still not going to throw a football 75 yards like an NFL QB. Golf is the same way. Technique is very important, but you have to move that clubhead if you want to hit the ball far.

My recommendation? Get better hitting your mid-irons. That's what they're there for.

If you really want to get the most out of your driver, get fitted. Get on a launch monitor. Bring your E6's. The E6 is a pretty good ball, so keep playing it until you have reason to do otherwise. It's possible your loft is off for your angle of attack and clubhead speed. That could add a few yards.

But listen to me... LISTEN! If you're hitting the ball straight off the tee...Be very careful about what you do to try to "improve" that. Even if you're left with mid or long irons into the green a lot, you're probably going to hit between 25 and 40% of those greens if you're a fair iron player. Of the greens you miss, you can probably get up and down 30-50% of the time if you're a good chipper. If you're a reasonably good putter, you can shoot GREAT scores missing greens a little.

Seriously. If you can get down in 3 strokes pretty often from 160-180 yards away, just work on making that happen more often. You do not need driver distance. Trying to get it might put you in situations worse than being a little farther back.

That being said.... I understand. Just be careful.

 

[mddubya]

When you tee the ball up, use one of those really long tees. Lean it as far forward as you can towards the target and the ball stay on the tee.



You should gain about an inch to a inch and half of distance that way! :laugh:

 

[BrandonM7]

I usually try to use the cart path to maximize my distance. I can turn a 230yd drive into damn near 300 on some holes.

 

[eclark53520]

When you tee the ball up, use one of those really long tees. Lean it as far forward as you can towards the target and the ball stay on the tee.



You should gain about an inch to a inch and half of distance that way! :laugh:

Bestest advice EVAR!!!

I'm sending this to golf digest....

ETA: My advice, post more. My distance goes up every time i post here. 100% proven.

 

[slickpitt]

Bestest advice EVAR!!!

I'm sending this to golf digest....

ETA: My advice, post more. My distance goes up every time i post here. 100% proven.

Just play golf on the internet... everyone hits 300+ here!

 

[BrandonM7]

Another easy fix is to hit from the whites, or even the reds, but keep using the yardage numbers from the back tees when calculating how far your drive went.

 

[Phana24JG]

I can hit my driver pretty straight when I'm on my game but I don't get a lot of distance.

I get a lot of "nice shot" when the ball leaves my club but then it seems to just die. It always seems like it's gonna go farther then it does. I use a macgregor eyeomatic or mactec. I play a bridgestone e6.

I've read some artices from the pros but heck, it's easy for them.

What do regular golfers like yourselves do to get longer?

I happen to be in pursuit of the same goal. Over the past couple of years I had lost 15-25 years due to age, injuries, and honestly, getting fat. By July of this year, there were times I was 40 yards shy of where I was 2 yrs ago. That humbling experience, combined with throwing a $400 driver in the pond led me to action. It is not that I need the additional yardage to meet my goals, but there some holes on the courses I play where an extra 15 carry takes some trouble out of play, and lets face it, it is easier to get close with a 9-iron than a 7-iron. Besides, it's more fun......whoever brags about the great lay-up shot they hit? Warning: I am not a pro (or even close) or an expert. This is simply my understanding of the physics of golf and the result of my amateur research on the subject.

IMHO, if you are serious about acquiring more distance, you are going to have to invest some time in learning about ball flight laws and swing dynamics. If you know a good pro or expert clubfitter, he can walk you through this stuff, but if you are relying on the average goober at Dick's or Golf Galaxy, beware.

Let me echo SUX's suggestion to get on a GOOD launch monitor, treferably a Trackman with your golf ball. The first thing you have to do is ascertain that you getting all the distance you can with your current (and possibly future) swing. There are three factors (actually four, but lets keep this simple) that determine your distance. They are ball speed, launch angle, and backspin (landing angle being the fourth). Ball speed should be close to clubhead speed X 1.5 with 1.45 being acceptable. Let's use 85mph as an example. If you swing a driver at 85 mph and you get ball speeds of 123-128 mph, you are making solid contact and maximizing ball speed. If you are below 123, you are not making solid contact and that means your swing needs work first before you try and speed it up. This is not a guarantee your swing is ideal, but it does tell you you are at least in the ballpark. For example, you could be casting or flipping, and still getting good numbers on a FlightScope or Zelocity monitor. The Trackman would basically diagnose additional issues that would pick up other problems.

Even if your ball speed is where it should be, that does not mean you are getting max distance. Depending upon your swing speed, you should be launching the ball at around 12-16* with spins rates of between 2100 and 3300. The faster you swing the closer you want to be to those parameters. A slower swing speed will require a higher launch angle and spin to max your distance. This seeming conundrum is explained by gravity.

OK, so you have determined you are getting the most out of your existing swing. If you are still not satisfied, we only have one alternative. Increase your swing speed. If you have not done so, I encourage you to find a good instructor. If you have been down this road unsuccessfully, I strongly urge you to either PM me or initiate another topic on finding a good instructor. I finally found a very good instructor who diagnosed half of my distance loss in 15 minutes, which was basically the dreaded flip. By no coincidence, as I gradually lost the flip, one of elbow problems resurrected and got worse (i.e. I developed the damn flip due in part to the fact that it hurt less).

However, if you hate/refuse instruction, have established you are getting most of what you can from your swing, but still want more distance let me share a few thoughts and places for you to investigate, however, please reread the warning in the 1st paragraph.

As I watch most golfers play, and your description of your initial ball flight leads me to suspect you are in this category, I believe that most mid-to-high handicappers fail to develop a sufficient "lag." I suspect that the cause of this is the idiocy one hears as a beginner of "keep your head down/still and "swing easy." Hence the golfer tends to fail to pivot properly, and picks up the club with his wrists very early. While many excellent golfers have an early wrist cock (some guy named Faldo had a modicum of success) for most of us this is a prescription for a premature release as well, robbing us of the major source of power. What happens is you hit the driver with less than your full potential speed and with a descending blow, adding backspin that robs you of distance.

Some golfers can figure this out on their own. I was not one of them. that is why I pushed the instruction issue.

Now, let's assume you have a good swing and STLL are not happy. There are ways to increase clubhead speed. However, and this is not an opinion, YOU MUST NOT LOSE PROPER TECHNIQUE to gain swing speed. If you do, the net result will be longer drives in the rough and forest. How? There are two schools of thought. One involves strength training where Michael Manavian right here at ShotTalk can help you, the other I call swing training which is less weight-focused, and the one I chose because of joint limitations. I have included links to an Aussie TGM forum where a guy with a S/N of Junior is an LD guy and he has some suggestions and training ideas, the other is Ray Beaufait, who is a senior LDA guy. I think his swing advice is terrible (especially about beginning the downswing), but his training ideas seem to gel with others I have come across.

LET'S TALK PHYSICAL TRAINING OUR GOLF MACHINE! | forums.iseekgolf.com

Long Drive Golf Tips by Rippin' Ray Beaufait

Look these over and you may want to ask some pepole on ShotTalk whose opinions have impressed me to critique my suggestions. Indacup seems very knowledeable about fitting and launch monitors, and the aforementioned Mike Manavian would be a good critic for my swing/swingspeed stuff. Both will probably tear me apart, but that's cool, that is how I learn. If I have offended anyone by not citing their expertise, it is only because I am fairly new and have not yet gotten familiar with all the players.

http://www.shottalk.com/forum/shot-talk/23619-q-bodybuilding-golf-pro-michael-manavian.html

http://www.shottalk.com/forum/sponsors-bazaar/15832-new-sponsor-w-special.html


Finally, to Sling and the mods, if I have violated any formal (I did check the rules) or informal rules of ShotTalk by linking to other forums I apologize. It was simply the fastest and easiest way to confer the information.

 

[BrandonM7]

Holy moly. That's like cypressperch levels of long right there. Nice post, man.

 

[Phana24JG]

Bestest advice EVAR!!!

I'm sending this to golf digest....

ETA: My advice, post more. My distance goes up every time i post here. 100% proven.

EC, it seems as though posting at GolfWRX is really the answer. All the LDA guys spend all day there. If you dont believe me, just ask them. :killersmiley:

 

[Wi-Golfer]

Just play golf on the internet... everyone hits 300+ here!

Ain't that the truth?

 

[SilverUberXeno]

Great post, Phana. Hopefully it doesn't fall on deaf ears!

Certainly; added speed or strength applied to a poor swing will net you a lot more... strokes.

 

[Manavs]

I happen to be in pursuit of the same goal. Over the past couple of years I had lost 15-25 years due to age, injuries, and honestly, getting fat. By July of this year, there were times I was 40 yards shy of where I was 2 yrs ago. That humbling experience, combined with throwing a $400 driver in the pond led me to action. It is not that I need the additional yardage to meet my goals, but there some holes on the courses I play where an extra 15 carry takes some trouble out of play, and lets face it, it is easier to get close with a 9-iron than a 7-iron. Besides, it's more fun......whoever brags about the great lay-up shot they hit? Warning: I am not a pro (or even close) or an expert. This is simply my understanding of the physics of golf and the result of my amateur research on the subject.

IMHO, if you are serious about acquiring more distance, you are going to have to invest some time in learning about ball flight laws and swing dynamics. If you know a good pro or expert clubfitter, he can walk you through this stuff, but if you are relying on the average goober at Dick's or Golf Galaxy, beware.

Let me echo SUX's suggestion to get on a GOOD launch monitor, treferably a Trackman with your golf ball. The first thing you have to do is ascertain that you getting all the distance you can with your current (and possibly future) swing. There are three factors (actually four, but lets keep this simple) that determine your distance. They are ball speed, launch angle, and backspin (landing angle being the fourth). Ball speed should be close to clubhead speed X 1.5 with 1.45 being acceptable. Let's use 85mph as an example. If you swing a driver at 85 mph and you get ball speeds of 123-128 mph, you are making solid contact and maximizing ball speed. If you are below 123, you are not making solid contact and that means your swing needs work first before you try and speed it up. This is not a guarantee your swing is ideal, but it does tell you you are at least in the ballpark. For example, you could be casting or flipping, and still getting good numbers on a FlightScope or Zelocity monitor. The Trackman would basically diagnose additional issues that would pick up other problems.

Even if your ball speed is where it should be, that does not mean you are getting max distance. Depending upon your swing speed, you should be launching the ball at around 12-16* with spins rates of between 2100 and 3300. The faster you swing the closer you want to be to those parameters. A slower swing speed will require a higher launch angle and spin to max your distance. This seeming conundrum is explained by gravity.

OK, so you have determined you are getting the most out of your existing swing. If you are still not satisfied, we only have one alternative. Increase your swing speed. If you have not done so, I encourage you to find a good instructor. If you have been down this road unsuccessfully, I strongly urge you to either PM me or initiate another topic on finding a good instructor. I finally found a very good instructor who diagnosed half of my distance loss in 15 minutes, which was basically the dreaded flip. By no coincidence, as I gradually lost the flip, one of elbow problems resurrected and got worse (i.e. I developed the damn flip due in part to the fact that it hurt less).

However, if you hate/refuse instruction, have established you are getting most of what you can from your swing, but still want more distance let me share a few thoughts and places for you to investigate, however, please reread the warning in the 1st paragraph.

As I watch most golfers play, and your description of your initial ball flight leads me to suspect you are in this category, I believe that most mid-to-high handicappers fail to develop a sufficient "lag." I suspect that the cause of this is the idiocy one hears as a beginner of "keep your head down/still and "swing easy." Hence the golfer tends to fail to pivot properly, and picks up the club with his wrists very early. While many excellent golfers have an early wrist cock (some guy named Faldo had a modicum of success) for most of us this is a prescription for a premature release as well, robbing us of the major source of power. What happens is you hit the driver with less than your full potential speed and with a descending blow, adding backspin that robs you of distance.

Some golfers can figure this out on their own. I was not one of them. that is why I pushed the instruction issue.

Now, let's assume you have a good swing and STLL are not happy. There are ways to increase clubhead speed. However, and this is not an opinion, YOU MUST NOT LOSE PROPER TECHNIQUE to gain swing speed. If you do, the net result will be longer drives in the rough and forest. How? There are two schools of thought. One involves strength training where Michael Manavian right here at ShotTalk can help you, the other I call swing training which is less weight-focused, and the one I chose because of joint limitations. I have included links to an Aussie TGM forum where a guy with a S/N of Junior is an LD guy and he has some suggestions and training ideas, the other is Ray Beaufait, who is a senior LDA guy. I think his swing advice is terrible (especially about beginning the downswing), but his training ideas seem to gel with others I have come across.

LET'S TALK PHYSICAL TRAINING OUR GOLF MACHINE! | forums.iseekgolf.com

Long Drive Golf Tips by Rippin' Ray Beaufait

Look these over and you may want to ask some pepole on ShotTalk whose opinions have impressed me to critique my suggestions. Indacup seems very knowledeable about fitting and launch monitors, and the aforementioned Mike Manavian would be a good critic for my swing/swingspeed stuff. Both will probably tear me apart, but that's cool, that is how I learn. If I have offended anyone by not citing their expertise, it is only because I am fairly new and have not yet gotten familiar with all the players.

http://www.shottalk.com/forum/shot-talk/23619-q-bodybuilding-golf-pro-michael-manavian.html

http://www.shottalk.com/forum/sponsors-bazaar/15832-new-sponsor-w-special.html


Finally, to Sling and the mods, if I have violated any formal (I did check the rules) or informal rules of ShotTalk by linking to other forums I apologize. It was simply the fastest and easiest way to confer the information.

Phana24JG,

thanks for including me in your response. you make many great points. the dilemmas as you and many others have found is that the solution is non-linear. it encompasses a matrix of areas to solve the issue. its not one or the other, its the relationship of all of it to yourself. you need to optimize strength, technique, equipment in all areas, and above all have the integrity discipline and focus mentally to be able to decifer the truth from opinion and from bs.

which is where I have focused all my attention on -
- swing - online path, pressurized shaft, flat left wrist (pretty simple?)
- equipment - one that optimizes your swing to produce the desired flight (lots of great fitters out there)
- body - the optimization of nutrition/biochemistry/strength/endurance (lots of bs, lies, partial truths here)
- mental - the willingness and ability to perform under the highest level of duress in order to make hitting golf shots easy in relation- i use the gym as a tool for this. (ask a Navy SEAL or a champion bodybuilder about duress and performance sometime)

then throw in the customization for the individual, their lifestyle, and their goals. now youve got the art behind the science.

knowing this matrix (i should i made it up lol), i am able to get a positive result in anyone - with the degree of success being not on the instructor, rather up to the commitment of the individual.

if all else fails i still like leaning that tee forward bit :biglol:

 

[daddymack]

I happen to be in pursuit of the same goal. Over the past couple of years I had lost 15-25 years due to age, injuries, and honestly, getting fat. By July of this year, there were times I was 40 yards shy of where I was 2 yrs ago. That humbling experience, combined with throwing a $400 driver in the pond led me to action. It is not that I need the additional yardage to meet my goals, but there some holes on the courses I play where an extra 15 carry takes some trouble out of play, and lets face it, it is easier to get close with a 9-iron than a 7-iron. Besides, it's more fun......whoever brags about the great lay-up shot they hit? Warning: I am not a pro (or even close) or an expert. This is simply my understanding of the physics of golf and the result of my amateur research on the subject.

IMHO, if you are serious about acquiring more distance, you are going to have to invest some time in learning about ball flight laws and swing dynamics. If you know a good pro or expert clubfitter, he can walk you through this stuff, but if you are relying on the average goober at Dick's or Golf Galaxy, beware.

Let me echo SUX's suggestion to get on a GOOD launch monitor, treferably a Trackman with your golf ball. The first thing you have to do is ascertain that you getting all the distance you can with your current (and possibly future) swing. There are three factors (actually four, but lets keep this simple) that determine your distance. They are ball speed, launch angle, and backspin (landing angle being the fourth). Ball speed should be close to clubhead speed X 1.5 with 1.45 being acceptable. Let's use 85mph as an example. If you swing a driver at 85 mph and you get ball speeds of 123-128 mph, you are making solid contact and maximizing ball speed. If you are below 123, you are not making solid contact and that means your swing needs work first before you try and speed it up. This is not a guarantee your swing is ideal, but it does tell you you are at least in the ballpark. For example, you could be casting or flipping, and still getting good numbers on a FlightScope or Zelocity monitor. The Trackman would basically diagnose additional issues that would pick up other problems.

Even if your ball speed is where it should be, that does not mean you are getting max distance. Depending upon your swing speed, you should be launching the ball at around 12-16* with spins rates of between 2100 and 3300. The faster you swing the closer you want to be to those parameters. A slower swing speed will require a higher launch angle and spin to max your distance. This seeming conundrum is explained by gravity.

OK, so you have determined you are getting the most out of your existing swing. If you are still not satisfied, we only have one alternative. Increase your swing speed. If you have not done so, I encourage you to find a good instructor. If you have been down this road unsuccessfully, I strongly urge you to either PM me or initiate another topic on finding a good instructor. I finally found a very good instructor who diagnosed half of my distance loss in 15 minutes, which was basically the dreaded flip. By no coincidence, as I gradually lost the flip, one of elbow problems resurrected and got worse (i.e. I developed the damn flip due in part to the fact that it hurt less).

However, if you hate/refuse instruction, have established you are getting most of what you can from your swing, but still want more distance let me share a few thoughts and places for you to investigate, however, please reread the warning in the 1st paragraph.

As I watch most golfers play, and your description of your initial ball flight leads me to suspect you are in this category, I believe that most mid-to-high handicappers fail to develop a sufficient "lag." I suspect that the cause of this is the idiocy one hears as a beginner of "keep your head down/still and "swing easy." Hence the golfer tends to fail to pivot properly, and picks up the club with his wrists very early. While many excellent golfers have an early wrist cock (some guy named Faldo had a modicum of success) for most of us this is a prescription for a premature release as well, robbing us of the major source of power. What happens is you hit the driver with less than your full potential speed and with a descending blow, adding backspin that robs you of distance.

Some golfers can figure this out on their own. I was not one of them. that is why I pushed the instruction issue.

Now, let's assume you have a good swing and STLL are not happy. There are ways to increase clubhead speed. However, and this is not an opinion, YOU MUST NOT LOSE PROPER TECHNIQUE to gain swing speed. If you do, the net result will be longer drives in the rough and forest. How? There are two schools of thought. One involves strength training where Michael Manavian right here at ShotTalk can help you, the other I call swing training which is less weight-focused, and the one I chose because of joint limitations. I have included links to an Aussie TGM forum where a guy with a S/N of Junior is an LD guy and he has some suggestions and training ideas, the other is Ray Beaufait, who is a senior LDA guy. I think his swing advice is terrible (especially about beginning the downswing), but his training ideas seem to gel with others I have come across.

LET'S TALK PHYSICAL TRAINING OUR GOLF MACHINE! | forums.iseekgolf.com

Long Drive Golf Tips by Rippin' Ray Beaufait

Look these over and you may want to ask some pepole on ShotTalk whose opinions have impressed me to critique my suggestions. Indacup seems very knowledeable about fitting and launch monitors, and the aforementioned Mike Manavian would be a good critic for my swing/swingspeed stuff. Both will probably tear me apart, but that's cool, that is how I learn. If I have offended anyone by not citing their expertise, it is only because I am fairly new and have not yet gotten familiar with all the players.

http://www.shottalk.com/forum/shot-talk/23619-q-bodybuilding-golf-pro-michael-manavian.html

http://www.shottalk.com/forum/sponsors-bazaar/15832-new-sponsor-w-special.html


Finally, to Sling and the mods, if I have violated any formal (I did check the rules) or informal rules of ShotTalk by linking to other forums I apologize. It was simply the fastest and easiest way to confer the information.

Thanks for the reply. It gives me a lot to think about. I think I can get a few more yards using your info. Thanks again