by Kevin Wood with
Photos by Jim Vaiknoras
There are a few basic keys to hitting longer and straighter
drives. To visualize the proper swing path for
a drive it’s helpful to
imagine the positions of a clock with
the goal of returning the club back
to the ball in the same position on the clock as it started.
First, set up the ball forward off the
inside of your front foot. Your hands
should be slightly pressed ahead of the ball at address with your weight
evenly balanced. Push the club straight back away from you and begin
to turn your shoulder back to the ball to create an arc. In the nine
o’clock position, the
butt and the shaft of the club should
be parallel to your target line.
At the 12 o’clock position, a right angle should be formed between
your left arm (right arm for lefties)
and the shaft.
Keep your hands in front of your chest
as you turn the club up to the 3 o’clock position to aim the
club down your target line. It’s important to try not to let
the angle break down or you will lose
valuable club head speed on the down swing.
As you start your down swing, plant your
left heel firmly on the ground -- this will give you a strong left
side to hit against. It will also force you to shift your weight to
the left side without thinking about it. Hold the 90-degree angle as
long as you can to create club head lag. To accomplish this you need
to keep your right arm close to your body to help deliver the club
on an inside path. As you swing the club through impact, power is generated
by your arms moving past the ball as the club head follows behind.
At this point in the swing your left
wrist should be straight or slightly bowed at impact as your upper
body uncoils against your planted left side. The entire swing should
rotate around an imaginary axis that keeps your head back slightly
throughout the swing.
Practice these fundamentals regularly
at the range and hopefully you should find yourself hitting shorter
approach shots on the course.
Kevin Wood, PGA Class A professional,
is one of the longer hitters in the
area. A Beverly native, Wood has been the Director of Golf at Salem
Country Club since 2001. He now lives in Winchester with his wife
Janet and their two boys, Justin, 8, and Christian, 4.
