In Search of That Extra Ten Yards
It seems that golfers have become obsessed with distance. It is always, "if I could only hit my driver 10 yards farther". I am warning you to be a little careful here. I see too many golf swings that are out of rhythm and balance because the swinger is trying to hit the ball too far. I am not convinced that distance is the answer to lower scores for everyone. To find out if distance is your problem, play 18 holes putting the ball in the fairway, 10 yards farther than you normally hit your tee shot. See if this drastically reduces your score? My sense will be that it will not make that great a change. I would really like to here some responses from people who try this exercise.
My son is ten and has been playing golf since he was three. He is taking lessons and his technique has improved exponentially over the last year. I have no desire to be a pushy father who demands that he always be on "top of the podium" but I wonder if you might address appropriate measures that children and students can take to improve strength and physical fitness that would benefit their golf game.
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Great question Mark, and one I am asked often. The answer is simple, we must be patient and let the maturation process take place. Each kid matures differently and we need to let nature take it's course. Golf is no different than any other sport and you have to look at how your child measures up in other sports as far a strength. Now can we help a little, I think so. Exercise is always great for kids, and exercise of all types. Just your normal children running and jumping and playing with other children is terrific. The Bodylastics exercise equipment on my Training Aids page is also really good. Use the light bands and minimal reps to start.Walking the golf course and carrying their bag when they play should be a must. If they can only make it four holes, then that is all you play. But don't let them fool you, they always have a little reserve in the tank. They will claim being too tired and wanting a cart, but when you say "ok if your too tired we can go home" they will perk up quickly and find more energy. The big thing is being patient.
We always want the best for our children, and when we see another child hitting it farther than ours we start to question why. Always remember, there is someone out there who can hit it farther and harder than you. Keep your eye on the score. And your son does very well in that category. I hope this helps.
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I think you are right on track with the extra 10 yards not being all that it is cracked up to be. For me, it's much more important to be the right distance out for a comfortable full shot in. The only time the extra 10 yards comes into play for me is a par 5 that is reachable in two. But for that to pay off, you have to have very little greenside trouble to make the risk worth it. So that may be one out of four par 5s in a given round that 10 yards truly pays off, on a good day. Now, if I could only hit more greens and fairways...
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