Gaining Distance

[sboardz006]

What are some good exercises to help build the muscles needed to hit farther, mostly my drive?

Some basic info... I'm athletic, but not extremely strong. I usually have a slight fade on my shots, except when i miss hit, which leads to a dirty slice. I currently drive the ball around 230-240 yards.

Any help is appreciated.

[Norm66]

I've gone from my 5 iron being my 150 yard club to my 7 iron carrying in the neighborhood of 155 in the past 6 weeks simply by taking a full shoulder turn. I've done some stretching to help get that far, but no real exercises or anything, just concentrating on making a full turn.

[powerhitter]

Alot of your power that some people may not realize is there is located in your midsection, specifically underneath your abs. Practice exhaling to tighten the muscles and then do your normal ab routines, like cruches. This article is a good one for finding out about general golf fitness, which in time relates to more power with less effort

http://www.shark.com/sharkwatch/fitness/fitness17.php

[tdinneen]

Yeah, a good shoulder turn and that x-factor a the top of the turn where you start to rotate your hips just before finishing your backswing (really coil up the shoulders against the hips) will do more for distance than weights. Delaying the wrist release on the downswing can add more then bulking up as well. Check out slow-motion videos on YouTube, most pros don't release till there hands are in front of right hip.

But assuming you've got a good power swing, then the muscles to work on for golf are lats, triceps and hip flexors. A good core for balance is essential as well, although it's more balance and stability than the source of power in a swing.

So chin-ups, dips and side lunges. Throwing a medicine ball to a mate on your left is good (for right handed golfers) 'cos it works everything. A weighted club is good to hit as well.

Stretching is essential, you don't want to build bulk and loose flexibility. Also, muscle will build the way you train it. So doing heavy weights slowly will make you strong but with little speed (remember power = strenght x speed). Doing more reps of lightly weights faster (not too fast that you lose form) will build muscle... not as much... but it'll be a faster more powerful muscle than what you had in the first place.

[thehillgolfer]

The biggest thing to look for in your swing to gain more distance is your hip turn. Make sure u are turning your hips and not just swaying. I used to sway for the longest time and since i was athletic i could still hit the ball far. But when i actually learned to coil my hips it greatly increased my length