A wide stance and high tee will help your balance and get the ball to travel further 

By Tom Ogilvie
The average driving distance on the PGA tour is now over 300 yards. In the last two or three years, distance has been a big talking point, especially with the likes of Bryson DeChambeau making headlines for his increase in clubhead speed and enormous drives off the tee. 

There are a few factors we must get right before we move into the swing, and this is the set up. Having a wide stance to keep your balance while swinging at high speed is very important and, if you want to maximise carry distance, tee the ball high on your
lead foot. 

While taking the club into the backswing, we want to feel a big shift in momentum away from the ball. Almost instantly as you move the club back, shift your weight into your trail side and start to rotate your body. Swing catalyst highlights around 80-90 per cent pressure should be on your trail foot by this point. 

Once the club moves wide and away from the ball, this is where the body should wind or coil up to the top of the swing. A good sign is when you feel the right hip moving up as you get to the top of your swing.  

Into the downswing, it is imperative that your head stays behind the ball before the club is delivered at impact. This will allow the club to work on a shallower angle and increase the angle of attack helping maximise carry distance because of less spin on the ball. 

During your speed practice, focus on the clubhead speed and not so much on the result. With use of a launch monitor such as Trackman, gaining 3-4mph can result in an increase of 9-12 yards. Practise at a high intensity and treat it like a workout. Hit several balls in a short space of time to get your heart rate up. Keep note of your highest recorded swing speed and try to beat this each time you practise. You will notice over time that your cruising swing speed will become higher.

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Tom Ogilvie is a PGA teaching professional at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Peter Cowen Academy Dubai.

More golf tips and instruction:
Straight to the point for short-game success
It is never too late to pick up a club for the first time — some tips to get started
Mobility and stability are key links in the chain to golf fitness
The chips are down if the hips are right
Looking for more power? It’s all about kinetic sequence forces
Understand golf’s power chain and how to avoid a weak link in your swing
Why solid putting starts with a sound set-up
Alignment is a fine balancing act to stabilise clubface
Why you are wasting your time on the range
Claude Harmon III’s simple impact drill
How Billy Horschel’s simple back swing move will make you a better ball-striker

The post WATCH: How to maximise the distance off the tee appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Tom Ogilvie
Even the simplest of bunker shots evokes anxiety in most amateurs. The fear factor ratchets up further when you find your ball in a deep bunker and are faced with a high lip to clear with a pin cut tight to the trap. But a high escape from sand that lands soft isn’t as tough as we often make it. Simply follow these five basics and you be on your way to momentum saving sand saves.

Stance
Your stance should be much wider than your normal set up position with a focus on more flex in the knees to lower your centre of gravity. Keep your feet square to the target with your lead foot flared open. It’s also very important to have a little more pressure on your lead food; the weigh should never be on your back foot.

The clubface
Using a higher lofted club such as your sand wedge or lob wedge, open your club face to promote a higher trajectory and a softer landing. It’s essential for a higher flight to maintain an open clubface through the shot.

Ball position
Position the ball adjacent to your left heel. This allows you to have more time to slide the club under the ball with an open club face. Practice by drawing a line in the sand just inside your left heel to help you understand where the ball should be positioned.

The Swing
You have to commit to bunker shots. Even though you’re trying to play a delicate shot, acceleration through the ball is key. I see many high handicap players hesitant to swing through bunker shots. Don’t hit at the ball, swing through it with speed with an out to in swing path.

Contact
Draw a line just behind the ball during your practice which will be your reference point for contact. This practice will give you good feedback on your strike. Stick to the basics and you’ll soon fear the sand no more.

Tom Ogilvie is a PGA teaching professional at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Peter Cowen Academy Dubai. For more information, visit dubaigolf.com

The post Five steps to escape deep bunkers and land it soft appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Dubai Creek professional Tom Ogilvie shares a round saving shot

By Tom Ogilvie
The flop is a delicate, potentially high-risk shot but needn’t be feared. We all come across scenarios on the course where we need quick elevation and a shot that lands softly on the green.

Depending on the loft applied to the ball at impact and the speed of the swing, it’s a shot that will travel 10-25 yards and impress your pals when successfully pulled off.

Follow my tips and you’ll be able to do just that. Executed correctly, the flop is a shot that can shave plenty of shots off your scorecard.  –with Kent Gray

Weapon of Choice
The club required for this type of shot is one which has enough loft to get the ball up quickly so reach for sand or lob wedge.

Open the Clubface
When addressing the ball it is vital to open the clubface at address to add loft. To compensate for the open clubface, it is important to adjust your body alignment slightly to the left. Keep the clubface open after impact to maintain the loft, as illustrated in the picture above where you can clearly see the clubface pointing to the sky.

Posture and Stance
To help encourage a shallow angle of attack, widen the stance and add more flex to your knees, feeling slightly closer to the ground.

Ball Position
This is critical to success. Position the ball in the middle of your stance or slightly forward to help the club slide under the ball. If you position the ball too far back in the stance, it will encourage a steep angle of attack resulting in a lower trajectory.

The Swing
Fully commit to the flop shot. As a result of an open clubface, any decrease in swing speed will result in the ball landing short of the hole.

Common Mistakes
Often amateurs will lean back onto their trail foot in an effort to lift the ball up. Maintain equal balance in the feet throughout the swing.

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Tom Ogilvie is a PGA teaching professional at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Peter Cowen Academy Dubai. For more information, visit dubaigolf.com

The post VIDEO: Fret not the flop shot appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.