Johnny Miller, who for a couple of years in the mid-1970s played sublime golf, is just one noted observer of the game who believes that in order to get more distance you need to use your legs effectively.
In the same way that picking up a heavy object is much easier if you bend your knees and let your large thigh muscles take the strain, so it is with hitting a golf ball - why swing just your arms when, if you can involve the bigger muscles of your legs as well, the results are so much better?
Tiger Woods (pictured) is one of the most effective hitters of a gall ball there has ever been and it's noticeable how much he uses his legs in the downswing.
For many, a good key thought is to initiate the downswing by moving the right knee (left knee for left handed players) towards the target. However, you need to keep your left side braced and not simply let both legs 'collapse' in the direction you want the ball to go (this is known as hitting against a firm left side).
Inevitably, when you try something new it doesn't always work at first and if you find that your timing goes, hit a few balls with your feet together until you get some rhythm back and then experiment again with the knee-to-target practice.
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 4 - MARCH 2002 |
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