Golf Myth: The Harder You Swing, the Farther the Ball Goes

Here is a tip for you kids. Most kids think that the harder you swing the golf club the farther the ball is going to go. Typically what I see are swings that look like this and the kids start flying all over the place. They swing as hard as they can and they get the weight going in the wrong direction. I have a little thing that I do to try to prove a point to the kids as far as what happens.

A Balanced Golf Swing Determines How Far the Ball Goes

Most kids know how to throw a ball, so I have a kid stand in front of me and I will put a ball in a hand. Here is what I want him to do, I want him to have both feet planted firmly on the ground, put the ball back up behind your head and try to throw the ball by keeping his feet flat on the ground. It is awful hard to do but that is the way they are swinging the golf club. As a matter of fact it is even worse because they are getting the weight going in the wrong direction. Then I will give them another ball and I will ask them to do the same thing, but this time I am going to let them to move their feet. Low and behold, here is what happens. They get right up on their back toe. The point is that it is not how hard you swing the golf club that makes the ball go far, it is swinging and having everything in balance.

What I get the kids to do when they swing is to get away from swinging flat footed and out of balance, they can swing as hard as they want to as long as they finish the swing in balance and up on that back toe. That is what is going to make that ball go far.