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Power from within. We admit, this issue isn’t the first Golf Tips magazine-produced issue to feature the long-hitting Jamie Sadlowski. Needless to say, we just can’t get enough of this 21-year-old’s prodigious power. His wiry, athletic build and precision eye-hand coordination has proven to be a winner, having just captured back-to-back RE/MAX World Long Drive Championships (’08-’09).
Impressive, isn’t it? Sadlowski is able to harness an incredible amount of power, thanks to not only his strength, but also his ability to add a tremendous amount of width and wrist angle (lag) to his backswing. In the photo above, which shows the onset of his downswing, Sadlowski’s incredible wrist angle preserves a significant amount of power in his swing. When you can hold this angle, energy is stored that later can be released directly into the golf ball.
Also, Sadlowski’s wide stance not only helps create a wider swing, but also serves as a means to create a ton of torque between the upper and lower body in the backswing. The more angle between the upper body and lower body, otherwise known as the X-Factor, the more torque the body has, which then leads to a faster release.
No wonder he’s so long. He has tremendous lag in the hands and an insane amount of body torque.
 This is what Sadlowski tries to avoid. Any collapse at the top of the swing will cause the swing arc to shrink, resulting in a big loss of power. It also makes holding the right spine angle more difficult. |
 By extending his left arm, Sadlowski ensures a long, wide backswing. Now, it may not look wide because of the ample wrist cock, but don’t be fooled. Sadlowski has taken a huge backswing–as wide as he can, actually. |
 Practice using two tees placed behind the ball to encourage more width (as Sadlowski does). It will help you take a longer and lower backswing. But, don’t forget the followthrough. As Sadlowski demonstrates, a full extension after contact is equally important. |
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Jamie Sadlowski is the reigning two-time World Long Drive Champion. To learn more, visit his website at jamiesadlowski.net.
I have never seen a tip on driving the golf ball that suggests flexing the elbows at the top of the swing, yet many do just that. Coiling shoulders with arms as straight as possible is paramount to generating the torque for longer drives. Even if you cannot get the shaft parallel with the ground at top of swing, coil as much as possible for a powerful (for you) release.
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