Nick Faldo tip for length

[Ben]

Usually I turn deaf ear to golf tips, but while watching PGA coverage yesterday Nick was giving pointers. I figure, "hey, it's Nick Faldo, he knows a thing or two about the swing." Anyway he was talking about how to hit the ball farther, eluding to having nice relaxed arms which leads to a swing with nice smooth tempo, which in turn gives you solid contact and serious yardage. A key thought I've always had for myself is "tempo for contact", but never really equated relaxed arms to tempo. So today I tried it out, my swing thought being "relaxed elbows". I BOMBED the ball today. Our par 5 10th hole I rarely reach in two, never mind the fact that it's been raining in LA for 3 days, the ground is moist and the air is thick. Well, I reached in two, hit a huge drive and a huge 4 wood to about 6 feet, then most importantly made the putt. That was the highlight, but like mentioned I was killing all my shots today. Oooh that's fun. Ended up 2 under for the round.

Thank you Nick Faldo!

[Shindig]

Is this the one where he hit three drives, the first of which was topped and only went a few inches? Obviously, that first drive was a demonstration to show what bad things can happen when one tenses up.

In any case, I was wondering how good an idea that was - I'm big on tempo too, and my best drives have been tempo when my only goal was to get the ball out into the fairway. Seeing your endorsement, I'll try it next time I get a chance to hit balls (probably next week).

[Ben]

Yeah, that was the one! Like Rolfing said, the fact that Nick hit that 3 inch roller was probably the hardest of all three of those shots. I don't think I could have dont that on command.

Just remember, think "relaxed elbows" and watch that ball gooooooooo.

[deakanutz]

At a +2 handi its hard to believe you need ball striking help.

[iacas]

Yeah, that was the one! Like Rolfing said, the fact that Nick hit that 3 inch roller was probably the hardest of all three of those shots. I don't think I could have dont that on command.

That was actually a shot we'd practice (albeit only for a few minutes a week) on my golf team. When we found someone new we'd give this whole speech about how we've been working on our driving, and watch us BOMB this one, just watch... and then you trickle the ball off the tee.

We probably fooled our coach five times a year with that one. But yes, a tough shot. Try it on the range sometime. And oh yes, good tip from Nick.

[Ben]

At a +2 handi its hard to believe you need ball striking help.

I'll be the first to admit that I am about the worst ball striker around. But, I can get up and down and make birdie putts like you've never seen. That's where my +2 comes from. I'm like Brad Faxon. Hey, Tiger Woods is Tiger Woods, but he's still trying to get better. There is always room for improvement, always.

I'll give that 3 incher a try iacas... Maybe that's the real key to a better golf game. Master the full swing dribbler.

[fusioncal]

Well, I'm sure that "relaxed elbows" is not new, just presented differently. If you've heard "Swing easy, hit hard"? Or perhaps Swing Chi, where you transfer the whole thing into impact.

[Ringer]

Step #5: Relax