Golf's Short Game For Dummies
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Everyone in the world would like more distance on the ball when they make a golf swing. Some simple tricks can to help you add yardage your to golf shots:

  • Turn your shoulders on the backswing. The more you turn your shoulders on the backswing, the better chance you have to hit the ball longer. So, stretch that torso on the backswing — try to put your left shoulder over your right foot at the top of your swing.

    If you’re having difficulty moving your shoulders enough on the backswing, try turning your left knee clockwise until it’s pointing behind the ball during your backswing. This frees up your hips to turn, and subsequently your shoulders. A big turn starts from the ground up.

  • Get the tension out of your grip. Hold the club loosely; you should grip it with the pressure of holding a spotted owl’s egg. If there’s too much tension in your hands, your forearms and chest tighten up, and you lose that valuable flexibility that helps with the speed of your arms and hands.

Turning your hips to the left on the downswing and extending your right arm on the through-swing are trademarks of the longer hitters. Here’s a drill to help you accomplish this feat of daring:

  1. Tee up your driver in the normal position.

  2. Place the ball off your left heel and/or opposite your left armpit.

  3. Reach down, not moving your stance, and move the ball toward the target the length of the grip.

  4. Tee the ball up right there; it should be about 1 foot closer to the hole.

  5. Address the ball where the normal position was and swing at the ball that's now teed up.

    To hit that ball, you have to move your hips to the left so that your arms can reach the ball, thereby causing you to extend your right arm.

Practice this drill 20 times and then put the ball back in the normal position. You should feel faster with the hips and feel a tremendous extension of your right arm.

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