Today, I’ve got a lesson from Ben Hogan and a drill from some big named golf guru. I don’t really know who to attribute it to, because I’ve seen so many people use it! If you know who originated this drill, let me know.
So far this week, we have learned two tips from Tom Watson that you can perform on the golf course to relieve tension. These are great when you are starting to feel nervous coming down the stretch of a good round or trying to make a cut. If you missed these tips, you can read the articles by clicking the links below:
=> Click Here to Read the Silent Killer of Distance (fix #1)
=> Click Here to Read the Silent Killer of Distance (fix #2)
Nervous tension isn’t the only kind of tension in the golf swing though… there’s also good tension.
Your haven’t heard of good tension? Man, are you are missing out! 🙂
We’ve all heard people talk about Ben Hogan’s classic book the Five Lessons and the Power Coil. My dad gave me a brand new copy of Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons when I think I was around 10 years old. I still have it, and my dad even wrote my name in it because I was afraid I would lose it.
The book is torn and tattered and heavily used… and it’s my most prized personal possession. It means the world to me for many reasons, but most importantly because it was a gift from my father that helped shaped who I am today… and it will help you today.
The power coil is created by generating tension or torque between the upper body and the lower body. The coil is the area from your upper thighs, hips, core, and shoulders. Creating a solid coil is THE KEY to hitting the ball to your maximum potential. We want to think of this area as an elastic band that we will stretch to create tension.
Today’s drill will help you build a power coil, but first, I wanted to provide a quote from Ben Hogan and his thoughts on a solid Power Coil…
“…these muscles must be stretched taught with tension that is just waiting for the golfer’s signal to be released. This tension is built up on the backswing by retarding the hips but rotating the shoulders fully around. If you permit the hips to turn too much on the backswing, this tension and torsion are lost and then there’s nothing to start them forward.” ~ Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons
…and to help you build a solid power coil, I’ve found one drill in particular you can use that will help you feel the tension you need between your upper and lower halves.
The Basketball Drill
You can use a basketball, volleyball, or even a beach ball to do this drill.
I’ve seen David Leadbetter, Jim Mclean, and even the old pro I used to take lessons from use this drill to help golfers get a feel for creating the tension required to drive the ball a long way.
The ball drill is designed to help you learn how to resist with the lower body on the backswing and not over-coil the hips.
To stop swaying, over-active knees, and learn the proper resistance, place a ball between your knees. You will need to gently hold the ball in place. As you take your backswing, keep the ball in place. If the ball drops, you’ve over-rotated your hips or you have straightened your right leg. No bueno!
Practice this at home to get a good feel for how your power coil should feel. I recommend practicing randomly throughout the day over the course of a week. As my coaching clients know, this is known as GTG (Greasing the Groove) training.
This is a great drilll, but there is more to the game than drills and tips like this if you want to add more distance to your game. You can use Force Multipliers like golf fitness to increase your distance even more.
=> Click Here to Boost Your Distance by Up to 22 Yards or More than Drills Alone!
Keep reading below to learn how you can add Force Multipliers for more distance by combining multiple tactics.
Check your inbox tomorrow for another tip on power and tension…
Fairways and greens,
P.S. Two weeks have gone by with our Power and Distance Challenge test group. The early results from the group are solid and ANOTHER golfer, Glenn Bowers, has brought in more amazing results!
Glenn has added 4 to 5 yards on EVERY IRON, 6 to 10 yards on his Hybrids, and 13 yards to his driver. Not to mention, the air temp was 20 degrees cooler than his initial test. Pretty solid results in just two weeks using our Force Multiplier strategy.Keep in mind, Glenn has been working his tail off in the P & D Challenge…Â and I would be pleased with these results at the END of the 42 days, but on day 14?!?! WOW.
Most likely, you won’t achieve the dramatic and fast yardage gains like our P&D Challenge Group has so far with just drills alone…
… mainly because the test group is also using our custom designed power workouts, Greasing the Groove system, consistency modules, flexibility routines, and receiving personal one-on-one coaching… but, you can still add distance and improve your accuracy by adding what I call Force Multipliers!
=> Click Here to Boost Your Distance by Up to 22 Yards or More than Drills Alone!
