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Power Sports

"Play" other sports to improve your golf game!

This Article Features Photo Zoom

Check out the similarities in both swings. Pay particular attention to the body position at the top and near my release/impact position. They’re practically identical. My hips have cleared first, allowing my upper body to follow, letting my arms swing through the release/hit zone. If I didn’t rotate enough on the backswing, or if I stopped rotating through the ball on the forwardswing, I’d lose not only power, I’d lose accuracy and consistency.

HIT It

How the wrists function through the hit is critical if you want more power. If the wrists don’t hinge/unhinge, you can’t get that extra whip and you’ll have to rely too much on brute strength to hit the ball any sort of distance.

If I were to hit this golf ball with a bat from a high tee, I’d make sure at impact that my hands weren’t hinged and the bat was fully released through the shot. In golf, too, I want my arms extended toward the ball and my head slightly behind it as I focus on swinging through the ball, not at it. Just like a soccer kick, in golf the left side opens up and faces the target, allowing the arms to swing in a circular motion through the ball. Like baseball, I want the back of my glove facing the target at impact, my arms extended and my head slightly behind the ball.


Once you have the right grip and hinging motion, you need to apply it to your golf swing. In the sequence above, I could unhinge my hands properly, mainly because I kept rotating through the shot! How and when you hinge/unhinge your wrists depends on how well you rotate toward and through the target. The key is for the hands and club to swing out and around your body in a circle so you finish on your left side.

Hammer Down How should the hands hinge? Consider using a mini-sledgehammer or mallet and you’ll see what I mean. The most natural and strongest way for the wrists to hinge is straight up and down (as in the photos below). Any hinging to the side will place excess strain on my hands, restricting my hinge and, in some cases, may even cause injury. Instead, if I hinge correctly, the wrists can bend freely, and I can hit the ball with more power. Experiment with whatever grip position helps you hinge the club in this direction with the most ease. Once you find the right grip, you’ll have a better chance of hitting longer shots.

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