Sparta Golf Society Golf School

	Sparta Golf Society
The Golfing Society of the Departments for Communities & Local Government and Transport

Golf School

Here you can get some tips to help you improve your game

Driving

Setup

You should always setup to a drive as you would any other full swing golf shot. Given that you will most often be driving with a wood or driving iron, and as these clubs are the longest in the bag you will find yourself reaching two maximums in terms of the setup.

The distance you stand away from the ball (due to the increased shaft length).

The width of your feet (due to the size of the swing arc, need for good balance and to create the greatest weight transfer of any shot).

Your hands can be slightly extended out toward the ball (careful not to over extend), and the ball may be slightly further forward in you stance. Make sure you are well balanced on your feet having the weight evenly distributed from heel to toe. Practice good posture, spine straight, chin up and use the tilt (see below).

Tilt
Having the proper setup position before swinging at a ball is of the utmost importance.

In order to make the weight transfer onto the back foot easier during the back swing there should be a slight tilt of the upper body away from the target which occurs at the waist. Be sure to maintain a square lower body when addressing with the tilt. This allows the shoulder turn to be completed in a manner that reduces excess movements and the chance for a reverse weight transfer.

Teeing Up
How high should I tee up my ball?

This question arises many times during a season of teaching. My answer is always the same. "It depends entirely on what club your hitting".

Drivers: The top of your tee should be at least 1/2 an inch off the ground. However, if your driver has a very large face it will be necessary to tee

Fairway wood: Same as the driver. Tee the ball up enough so that your club will be slightly off the ground and the ball will be in the middle of the club face (sweet spot).

Iron: Tee up an iron shot only slightly. It's basically like giving yourself a really great lie. Tee the ball up no more than 1/2 an inch when hitting an iron.

Power
In order to achieve your highest available swing speed and therefore power, it is essential to make the correct backswing.

One of the keys to creating power is to maximize the weight transfer through the ball. This can only be achieved if the backswing transfers weight onto the back foot (foot furthest from the target).

The trick is to maintain good posture and concentrate on lining up the left shoulder directly over the right knee (reverse for left handed players). This will ensure a significant amount of weight has been shifted to the back foot and thus loaded up properly for a powerful golf swing as the weight is transferred onto the front foot during the downswing and follow through.

More power
The greatest amount of power within a golf swing comes from the torque created within the body.

When loading up during the backswing it is essential to make the proper amount of shoulder turn - up to 90 degrees. If a 90 degree turn can be achieved then your back should be facing directly toward the target at the top of your swing. This creates power as the body is coiled up and then released through the downswing motion. Strong legs, back and abdominal muscles will help increase the strength of this uncoiling process.