Sports
Hitting the ball farther is closer than you think
By Keri Moffat
Published 11:16 PDT, Fri April 13, 2018
The concept of sequence, timing and how we
use the ground can be difficult to understand ourselves, but it’s easy to see
in other players.
When you watch a player like Adam Scott or
Lexi Thompson you can see how effortless they make their swings look while
still hitting the ball a long way.
However, recent conversations around vertical
ground pressure has brought light to how these players maximize club head
speeds.
Now with BODITRAK, a pressure sensing matt,
we can collect relevant data in real-time about the interaction between a
golfer and the ground.
Top of Backswing
Good players generally start to build
pressure under their lead foot (left foot for right-handed players) as the
backswing is ending.
This is something that I need to work on. The
timing in the transition from my backswing to my down swing is a bit late and I’m
not applying enough downward pressure into the ground and therefore losing
distance.
Shaft Vertical on Downswing
One of the most important positions in
determining your ability to hit the ball far is when the lead arm is parallel
to the ground on the downswing.
At this point in the swing players should be
pushing up from the ground with the lead foot at a fast speed.
Push down then up; the timing of this feeling
is critical to clubhead speed.
Impact
Players should have most of their weight
under their lead foot which will help to reach their maximum vertical pressure
between the previous position and impact.
Making small changes in the way you relate to
the ground and the timing in which you move through different positions
throughout your swing can make a big difference to your overall clubhead speed.
Hitting the ball farther is closer than you
think.
For help on how you can improve your sequence
and timing book a BODITRAK session with us today by calling 604-276-0585.
•Keri Moffat is the 2011 PGA of BC teacher of
the year and the University of British Columbia women’s golf team assistant
coach.