The Golf Team

Hello Golfers,

Get to know the Pro...

Hello again and welcome to our weekly feature - Get to Know the Pro - with me, PGA Professional Ben Wall. This week is a massive topic and one that every golfer will definitely be interested in - POWER.

I believe that everyone has the potential to hit the ball further, but first of all you have to understand how power is created most effectively; you need to learn how to implant that power into your golf swings; and finally, and most importantly, you need to know how to practise these new moves.

Before we look at how power is created, we must first look at the necessities you must have to hit the ball optimal distance.

1. You must strike the ball off the middle of the face. Now although this sounds obvious, most players don’t understand how much difference an off-centre hit makes.

Around 1cm off centre reduces distance by up to 15%, and 2.5cm off centre reduces the distance by up to 20%. The reason for this is that off-centre hits will reduce your ‘smash factor’. This is your ball speed divided by your swing speed and put simply, equates to how efficient your golf swing is.

Strike the middle of the face

2. You must hit the ball high, hit up on the ball or sweep the ball off the tee. This encourages a ball flight that launches higher into the air but with less backspin, so it carries optimum distance but still has good forward momentum when it hits the ground.

3. Finally, you must have the correct equipment for you! How can you expect to hit it as far as your potential allows if you’re not using the perfect equipment built for your swing and your body because after all, no-one has the same swing or shape or build.

Once you are certain that you have these three steps covered, you can then look at how to increase your swing speed, and in turn increase power. Speed is key to distance, so if we increase speed as long as our strike is good, we increase power.

My quick-fire tips for increasing speed are:

1. Rotation is your friend. Try and encourage as much hip rotation in both backswing and downswing as you physically can! Get your left hip pointing at the ball in the back swing and then really rotate it hard on the downswing. A drill for this would be placing an alignment stick through your belt loops and repeat that feeling.

2. Allow the left leg to kick in on the back swing or even lift up, this will allow the hips to rotate easier and further which is our main goal. Then stamp the foot back down in the downswing to create an ultimate power move.

3. Step back drill. Place feet together and make a back swing then take a step forward and swing down hard through the ball. This is to encourage all weight transfer to be going forward into the ball and therefore all of your power being transferred into the ball at impact.

Give these drills and ideas a go and let me know how you find them. If you have any questions please get in touch – feel free to e-mail me at benw@winchestergolf.co.uk or give me a ring on 01962 885254.

Thanks for reading, keep enjoying your golf, keep working hard and always keep learning!

Junior news

One week until our new and improved Golf Passport...

The school holidays are over and that means our fantastic Passport for all standards of junior golfer starts next Thursday 12th September.

Every child receives their very own passport and will receive a stamp for every skill achieved week on week.

The Passport runs from Thursday 12th September to Thursday 19th December and costs £110 - great value for money at less than £8 a session.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

There are three age groups so that every lesson can be both age and ability appropriate.

4.30-5.30pm for 5-7 yrs
5.30-6.30pm for 8-10yrs
7.00-8.00pm for 11-14 yrs

Click here for more info or call us to book a place on 01962 885254.

Revealed: Our favourite trolleys of 2019

Push trolley or electric trolley? Do you have a preference or have you not really thought about it that much? We have both covered as we reveal the best trolleys money can buy in 2019, and both of these winners are available through your very own pro shop.

Push to pass - Motocaddy Z1

Happy to go around under your own power? Then you can’t go wrong with Motocaddy’s Z1 push trolley.

The Z1 is our top pick when it comes to value and practicality from a push trolley, not just because its lightweight nature is a joy to handle around the course, but also because the easy-to-fold two-step system makes it quick and easy to transport.

Go electric - Motocaddy S1

Want to take a load off and let the trolley do the bulk of the work? Then there are none better than Motocaddy’s electric S1.

A whisper-quiet 200W motor provides ample power throughout your round, allowing you to stay fresh for the back nine. Its stunning high-resolution LCD display has been updated for 2019 and keeps you ‘up to speed’ with battery life and speed settings.

shop Motocaddy's range >

Why the recent surge?

Here’s some homework for you: the next time you're watching golf on TV, keep an eye on the number of pros using putters with larger heads. Whilst some golfers still prefer the traditional blade style putters from years gone by, over 60% of PGA Tour players have a larger headed putter in their bag today – the question is: why?

TaylorMade Spider X and TP Black Copper Ardmore 3

High MOI putters

These are all to do with stability, feel and alignment. When you take a look at TaylorMade’s Spider X and TP Black Copper Ardmore 3 putters (pictured above) you will see what we mean.

The larger head style of both putters is designed to increase MOI, which is crucial as it means the putter face will twist less at impact, especially when struck away from the sweet spot.

How do they work?

It's all to do with the additional weight in the extremities of the head when compared to traditional blade style putters, which helps to keep the face stable through impact.

You might also find that a heavier and larger putter is easier to control, therefore improving your stroke. Either way, we have a great selection of putters waiting for you to try in-store.

explore TaylorMade's putter range >

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