How To Hit Longer Drives
If you want to crush your drives and lower your golf score, focus on your fitness and physique. Sure, improving your swing mechanics will increase your distance to a point, but if you want to add serious yards to your game, you have to add muscle and get stronger.
More importantly, because of the sport, you need to do the right exercises so you won’t get stiff or ruin your technique. Bodybuilding routines like bicep curls, sit-ups, and chest flies won’t help you much. Instead, you need golf-specific strength exercises to train your body to generate faster swing speeds.
Try these four exercises and increase your distance:
1. Romanian Deadlift
The Romanian deadlift can strengthen your hips, legs, core, and back, as well as boost your distance. Strong hips equal a powerful swing. The ability to shift your weight, create torque, and accelerate your upper-body is all generated from your lower-body.
Stand hip-width apart with a barbell or dumbbells in your hands. Lower the weights by bending at your hips and keeping your knees fairly straight. Focus on keeping your chest out, shoulders back, and lower back in a safe arch throughout.
2. Split Squat
The split squat increases your power by strengthening your legs, targeting your core, and improving your stability. And strong legs are critical to generate the power for pro-level drives.
Begin with your legs in a split stance position, with one foot about a yard in front of the other foot. Lower your body straight down and come back up. To make it harder, add dumbbells or elevate your front foot.
3. Dumbbell Overhead Press
Pushing weight overhead is a better way to strengthen your upper-body than the bench press. You’ll generate force from the ground, up your kinetic chain, and out through the arms, which translates to a faster clubhead speed and more distance.
In a standing position, push two dumbbells directly overhead — keep your palms facing each other throughout to make it shoulder-friendly.
4. Pullups
Pullups build the ingredients to a powerful swing: a strong upper-back, shoulders, and grip.
Grab a pullup bar about shoulder-width apart with your palms facing away from you (the opposite of a chin-up). Pull your body up, focusing on touching the bar with your chest. Keep your shoulders down and back throughout the movement. If you can’t do bodyweight pullups, use a chair or an elastic band to assist you.
By incorporating these key exercises into your workouts, you’ll be able to generate more power and improve your golf game.