Pro Tips
Want More Distance?
Here’ s How! by Courtney Mahon, LPGA
Almost every golfer who walks through my doorway wants more distance. A high percentage of those students believe the solution is to swing faster. What they don’ t realize is that most of them can increase their distance without swinging faster, but by changing swing mechanics. Here are two of the ways to improve your distance during 2020.
Optimize Impact—
In order to optimize impact, players need to have the club traveling on plane with a clubface that is slightly closed to the path. The closer you are to being on plane, the more optimized at impact you will be. This typically results in an increase in distance. Players who will gain the most distance are those who swing the club over the top with an open face and transition during the downswing to a more neutral swing path / face relationship.
The challenge for amateurs is identifying how or why the club is off plane. Some of the common reasons include: elbow separation, keeping the head down too long, weight on the trail foot, limited rotation, not being bent over enough, and wrist conditions that are either too cupped or too bowed.
Centerness of Contact—
A slice shot
Centerness of contact is another factor that will negatively influence distance. Off-centered hits will also affect the direction and trajectory. For a right-handed player, toed shots travel more to the left of your intended target( like a pulled shot). Heeled shots will go more to the right of your intended target( like a pushed shot).
A hook shot
Work on squaring the face at impact.
Since there are many swing flaws that will affect where the ball is hit on the clubface, it is a best to start by working to optimizing your impact positions first( striking the ball squarely), and then recheck to see where the ball is striking the face.( There is face-tape available at golf stores that you stick on the clubface, and when the ball is struck, it will leave a mark on the tape, showing you where you struck the ball on the clubface.)
Work on striking the ball squarely. Most of the time when impact positions improve, the ball also finds the center of the face— more distance!
While more distance may not come overnight, keep working on swing mechanics. After making improvements to these two areas, increasing the swing speed and then new equipment would be next on the list to achieve more distance.
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What is Swing Path? In this setup photo, I am set up for a draw shot. The Stripped pole is the target line. The Orange stick is the clubface line. Yellow stick is the club path line— meaning, I will need to swing along the Yellow line( coming from the inside) in order to hit a draw down the target line.
12 May 2026 TEE TIMES GOLF GUIDE
Courtney Mahon is currently the Director of Instruction for Tour Striker Midwest located at Falcon Ridge and Prairie Highlands Golf Clubs in Kansas City. Golf Digest has ranked her as the Top Instructor in the State of Kansas since 2022 and as one of the Best Young Instructor Under 40 since 2019. She is a LPGA Top 50 Instructor and has received both LPGA Teacher of the Year and LPGA Coach of the Year honors. Courtney runs the largest PGA Jr. League program in the Midwest Section PGA and has nationally ranked Nike Junior Golf Camps at both facilities. For questions or help, contact her at Courtney @ TourStriker. com or call 913.393.4653. Scan the QR Code for a direct link to lesson videos and even review them while you’ re practicing on the range. Lesson videos at www. youtube. com / courtneymahongolf. Visit, www. courtneymahongolf. com.