August 10, 2018 7:20 am

By Jon Woodroffe –  Master Professional, World of Golf London

One of the questions we get the most is, how can I hit the golf ball further? Basically, nobody is ever happy with the distance that they hit a golf ball, and in most cases, they are not hitting as far as they could. Here is my answer to that question.

Fundamentally there are 3 things that determine the power you use to hit a golf ball and thus by definition, how far that golf ball will go.

1. Centeredness of contact. That is if you hit the golf ball off the toe or heel, sole or top of the clubhead then the ball will not go as far as a centre of the clubhead hit. Very much the same as hitting a tennis ball off the rim of the racket, or a cricket ball of the edge of the bat. Now if that is what is happening then you need to look at the reasons why. Solutions will depend on this analysis and are many and varied.
2. Angle of Attack or Approach. This is the direction and angle that the clubhead is travelling on final approach to hitting the ball. If, like many golfers, you are swinging at the ball with what we call an out to in swing path, or from outside of the ball, then you will be giving the ball a mere glancing blow. Without a full on contact you will not get your full distance. Again, if this is the case, the reasons and solutions are many and varied and golf lessons with our team of PGA qualified professionals will sort that out for you.
3. MPH of the Clubhead at Impact. This is simply how fast the club is travelling as it makes contact with the golf ball. This is not just a technique thing; physical strength will play a large part in this too.

So, in most cases people could hit the golf ball further by hitting more shots in the middle of the club, or by swinging on a better path through impact, or by swinging the club faster into the hitting area. The best way to see which of these areas is causing you to lose power on your shots, is to book a lesson with one of our team of PGA qualified professionals. They’ll soon diagnose where the problem lies and put you on the path to increased power off the tee.

Categorised in: Golf News, Tip of the month