When it comes to golf, there’s no such thing as hitting too far. We all want to hit it further, especially off the tee. Although it’s true that you can buy your game these days, there are also a few tips I can offer that will help you.

1. If you want a distance boost, tee the ball a little higher than normal and widen your stance. You’ll notice you feel more stable in this position. You can take a more aggressive swing without losing your balance. The wider stance also sets your shoulders on a steeper angle (your right shoulder lower than your left).This makes it easier to sweep the ball off the tee. Hitting it on the upswing will launch the ball higher with less back swing, and that’s ideal for more distance.
2. Try not to straighten your right leg on the backswing. This tends to tilt your body toward the target. You’ll tend to shift to your back foot on the way down. Steady, keep some flex in both legs as you swing to the top. Feel athletic. The muscles in your right thigh and hip should be firing and back wound. From there, you’re ready to strike.
3. Physics is physics. If you can swing faster and hit the sweet spot, you’ll drive it farther. However, I’ve found that when I try to swing harder, not only is it a real challenge to find the sweet spot it’s usually a lot harder to find the ball. I recommend you swing only as hard as you can and still be confident you’ll flush it.

Know matter how far you hit the ball, you’ll still have to have get it in that little 4 inch hole. That’s where your short game comes into the equation. You’re not always going to hit the green in regulation, so when you’re close to the green your object is to get it up and down. The best way to improve your short game is to adopt a new way of thinking. Here are a couple tips in this department.

1. When you size up a wedge shot, don’t choose a club based on how high you want the ball to go; choose it for the lie. The firmer the conditions the least amount of loft is recommended .
2. The most common mistake here is to shift too much weight to the lead foot. This creates excessive forward shaft lean and causes the club to dig and stick to the ground.
3. Putt it off the green. That’s right, I said it. Swallow your pride and putt it if there is no reason not too. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how this can shave a few strokes off your game.

Back to buying your game. I’ve had the same driver for three years and it’s time to make a change. Although I hate the thought of spending the dollars$$$ on the newest and the greatest–been there done that. I think I paid around $350 to $400 three years ago and guess what the local pro offered me for a trade–$40.00! He looked it up and said it was only worth $20 but he would double it. Talk about a slap in the face. What a racket. I told him I’ll just keep the one I have even though I know I can hit this new on further… YEAH RIGHT. I’ll let you know next month which model I chose.

Till Next Tee Time.