instruction
What TrackMan has taught us about
driving the ball
Jason Wood
Thornleigh Golf Centre
www.thornleighgolfcentre.com.au
I
see many golfers on the driving range
who try and set up to the ball with driver
in a ‘square’ position much the same
as they would do when playing an iron off
the ground. In recent years however, we
Professionals who teach with TrackMan have
developed a greater understanding of the
differences between the swings players need
to make from off the tee to the grass. “Angle
of Attack” (AoA) is a new number we can
measure on TrackMan and it has a massive
effect on your ability to hit fairways.
For a right-hand player to hit a long and
straight drive the “Base Plane” needs to be to
the right of target and the AoA on the up.
Picture 1 shows a common problem, because
the ball position is forwards towards the left
heel, many amateurs I see have a very ‘level’
look in their shoulders at address. It comes
from wanting to feel ‘over the ball’ as you would
with, say, a 7-iron. The desire to feel in the
same position leads club players to lean their
head and chest to the left in order to ‘feel
comfortable’ this is a killer position if you are
trying to get AoA on the up as you should
with driver.
Picture 2 shows the second issue we see
frequently on the range. A player tries to stand
“square” or parallel to their intended target
line, this makes it very difficult to make your
“Base Plane” swing to the right, the majority
of golfers who stand in this position will have
a club path to the left, and from there the
dreaded slice is never going to be far away.
Picture 3 shows the correct address position
with the upper body favouring the right side.
The right shoulder is a little lower than the
left for two reasons, the first is that our right
hand is further down the club shaft and if
our arms are the same length this must give
a little lower position for the right shoulder.
The second is that if we add a little “right side
bend” we increase our chances significantly of
hitting upwards with our driver, a key element
in maximising your distance
Picture 4 shows the stance pointing a little
to the right of our intended target. This should
allow our “Base swing plane” to be moving
to the right which when combined with our
“upwards” AoA should produce and straight
club path and long and accurate drives if the
club face is square to our target when we
make contact. For the vast majority of golfers,
a feeling of “swinging to the right” with driver
is the only way to avoid the slice, and that is
the opposite of what the majority of golfers
reading this article will be trying to do!
In summary, the golf swing and your set
up with driver need to feel different to your
7-iron off the grass. If you don’t try to change
the stance and feel of swing, this answers
why you may hit some good shots with your
middle irons but struggle to replicate the
same with your driver. A lesson on TrackMan
will confirm what your numbers are, it is then
my job to help you improve them. •
Jason Wood can be contacted at Thornleigh Golf Centre. Brickpit Park, 142-178 Pennant Hills Road
(Cnr Dartford Road) Thornleigh NSW 2120. Tel 02 9875 5445. Mobile 0407 418 231.
www.thornleighgolfcentre.com.au
n
Desigr
you
own
reSULTS 13th June 2014
Winner - D. Harvey
Runner Up - A. Cameron
Next Best - A. Toohey
Best Gross - A. Brandon
N.T.P 3rd - R. Marsh
N.T.P 6th - C. Woods
N.T.P 12th - G. Fraser
Approach 11th - C. Connolly
62
July 2014 | www.insidegolf.com.au