This is a great exercise. I have been told to use this with my irons also, to help with keeping my hands out of the swing. I believe I have watched a video of yours, were you are saying the same thing, while working on your swing at the range. One quick question Paul, I continue to make contact with the toe of my club at contact. just killing the toe of my club. Without seeing my swing it’s tough, but what are your thoughts. Coming down for your classes is still a pipe dream, so keep sending all you tests and tips, there awesome
Yes, you should be doing it with irons too. If you re toeing it you are lifting up or hitting it from your heels. If you start on one angle and stand up taller through impact the club will move closer to you. f you fall back the club will move back. So check your weight distribution. Also, hit the shot then look for it after you hit it. This will maintain your spine angle and you will make solid contact.
Thanks a lot for the two videos. It is exactly what I am doing by standing up straight at my finish, instead of the slight angle. I have been finishing like that for years. I got some work to do. Thanks again Paul. Love this site
Good stuff. Even better players do this when they are swinging too hard at it. I would do it in a mirror. This way you can check it. Also, don’t over do it. Just a slight angle is fine.
Hi Paul. This is the second time in my life I’ve been told to hit my drives 100 to150 yards. The first time I was playing with a fellow who was about 80 years old and I was having a terrible round. He said Ron, “you’re trying to kill the ball.” Then he told me to hit the ball into the bunker that was about 150 yards from the tee.I almost whiffed, proving how messed up I was because of so much arm involvement. At least I finally know the reason for my problems. By the way, the old guy gave me and my sons quite a lesson that day. I didn’t keep his score, but I know he had nothing more than a bogey on any hole and probably shot his age or better.
You should have kept doing it. Imagine … you would have powerless arms by now. Glad you know about it and will put this test in your back pocket so you can keep doing it regularly.
Paul ,I agree this being a wonderful test and “moment of truth”for your driver swing .
I feel it’s more useful to do with a Fairway wood (Number 3 wood rather than Number 5 wood ,because it’s more difficult to do it well with the 3)
However ,if you really want to send the ball far ,there has to be some hand action:I try to “snap”the ball at impact using the right forearm ,but my entire endeavor is to stay as loose as “warm spaghetti ” with the entire body while swinging .
When I was a very youg boy ,I was brought up in KENYA :the local Kikuyus and Masaïs showed me how to use a “sling ” ,you know the one DAVID knocked out GOLIATH with.
Well ,I try to have the same feeling with my swing as if I was”slinging” the ball away :it does take some hand action on top of swivelling the body and rotating the sling :this a personal opinion of course,and has nothing to do with your excellent teaching
Great drill and everyone on the range thought I was some weirdo swinging so ‘slowly’. But, kept with it my whole practice session. It becomes very apparent as to what the problem is when the ball doesn’t fly correctly…chicken wing, sliding, hanging back, etc. By the end, was doing about 8/10 right down the line and ingraining that feeling. Never did hit one full speed, but will work back up to that next session. I also did the ‘hold the tee’ drill in my grip as well, which also helped (mostly to keep from pulling it as I tend to let go of the club and release too early).
Very good. You passed. Amazing how difficult this is for people. It gets you to stop hitting though. Once you stop hitting you can learn how to use the body as the power source.
Hi Paul working on this hitting 50% on course one question when get to top of back swing is it okay to still have the concept of starting downswing with lower body just at slow speed.
This would be a great thought. If you go to hard without hooking it first you will block it so yes go slower but think legs. Got to get use to using them.
Hey Paul, I notice in your driver set up (also in other videos) you line up the ball towards the toe. Is there a particular reason. Do you have a tip on this? Would like to know the advantage, if any. I typically line up my driver, and other clubs, in the middle of the club.
I followed George Knudson’s technique many years ago. He wanted you lining it off the toe. Doing it for many years I just can’t stop not that I want to. Knudson felt the arms stretch out through impact due to the forces acting on the mass. In doing so, he felt the arms would be pulled out so if you line it on the toe and they stretch out you would hit the center. I recently watched a Knudson video and his head actually moves forward in the downswing as does mine so do the arms actually get pulled away from the body due to forces. Logically yes. Reality not sure if they get pulled that much as I already start with them fully extended.
That does make sense. I guess that is why I see some people keep the driver head raised at address at set up. In theory, if they dropped the club, the ball would be toward the toe. I’ve tried to hover the club, but it’s a funky feeling so I keep it on the group. I will try to practice with it closer to the toe. I do notice many of my drives seem to be more inside of center on the face.
Yes, give it a try. I don’t like hovering others do like it. I just find it gets you too tight. See if the toe placement works. If you are hitting close the heel though it is the sign of hitting it with arms.
Hi Paul..i dont know why but when i’m trying to use my driver i m losing all my set up,control and swing.. i feel like driver swing is different than iron swing before…after watching and working on your tips i fixed alot but mostly i m hitting with an open club head that causes missing my ball to right..i saw my ball center to the club but i m opening my club head somehow..when i try to fix it with my wrists i couldnt get constintant hits because each time i need to arrange some moves in my wrist..or might be my lover body moves faster than arms..hope you can help me
The shots going right is the face open. You need to do and master my roll over drill and get it hooking. I say this because there is no way you are going to get the club to go from open to square consistently so overdoing it is easier. Once you get it hooking you straighten it out with lower body.
If you cannot do the roll over with driver then do it with 7 iron teed up. Some people try to swing a million mph trying to do the roll over drill. Others do not roll it soon enough. You need to roll from the top as soon as you start down. Do this at home, at the range and when you play in practice swings.
Forget about hitting great shots right now. You need the be squaring the face. If you keep want to hit great shots you will never fix anything. So step 1 is get it hooking. Step 2 is work on body to straighten it out.
Think about it. If you consistently hook it, you are no longer a slicer. If you hook it why would I tell you to roll it over?
You might not realize but my assistant does swing analysis. You might want to look into doing one so you know exactly what to work on. You can find out more here:
Also, are you working on your swing positions? If you are having this much trouble I would think you are out of position. The lessons I teach to everyone are right here in the order I teach them:
Hi Paul..Thanks for the comments and the related videos ..i m gonna work about them in this week..i feel great about finding my mistakes and now time to fix them.i m so happy to be in this community and getting clear answers in time..thanks for you and your team for all your affords..i hope we can work with you face to face soon
Paul ,The catch is to move the hips faster ,not slower .Anybody can move the hips slower , but very few manage to have the hips turn significantly faster .
I’ve tried multiple exercises ,of which THE ULTIMTA SWING TRAINER you recommend .
The result is mediocre at best .
This is my favorite drill and is always my go-to whenever I getting going too fast and too hard, which is a constant battle for me. This drill epitomizes what you teach. Balance returns. Relaxation returns. Solid contact returns. Tempo returns. Rhythm returns. The positions are perfect. It is surprising how far the ball still goes no matter how easy one tries to swing. We have a 170 pole at our club driving range that is perfect for this drill.
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25 Responses to “Test Series – Can You Hit Your Driver 150 Yards”
May 15, 2015
AnthonyAdairHello Paul
This is a great exercise. I have been told to use this with my irons also, to help with keeping my hands out of the swing. I believe I have watched a video of yours, were you are saying the same thing, while working on your swing at the range. One quick question Paul, I continue to make contact with the toe of my club at contact. just killing the toe of my club. Without seeing my swing it’s tough, but what are your thoughts. Coming down for your classes is still a pipe dream, so keep sending all you tests and tips, there awesome
Tony in Bend, OR
May 15, 2015
Paul WilsonTony,
Yes, you should be doing it with irons too. If you re toeing it you are lifting up or hitting it from your heels. If you start on one angle and stand up taller through impact the club will move closer to you. f you fall back the club will move back. So check your weight distribution. Also, hit the shot then look for it after you hit it. This will maintain your spine angle and you will make solid contact.
Watch:
How To Cure Toeing: https://ignitiongolf.com/cure-toeing/
Spine Angle Follow Through: https://ignitiongolf.com/follow-through-eyes-tilted
May 15, 2015
AnthonyAdairHey Paul,
Thanks a lot for the two videos. It is exactly what I am doing by standing up straight at my finish, instead of the slight angle. I have been finishing like that for years. I got some work to do. Thanks again Paul. Love this site
Tony
May 16, 2015
Paul WilsonTony,
Good stuff. Even better players do this when they are swinging too hard at it. I would do it in a mirror. This way you can check it. Also, don’t over do it. Just a slight angle is fine.
May 15, 2015
RonCalabreseHi Paul. This is the second time in my life I’ve been told to hit my drives 100 to150 yards. The first time I was playing with a fellow who was about 80 years old and I was having a terrible round. He said Ron, “you’re trying to kill the ball.” Then he told me to hit the ball into the bunker that was about 150 yards from the tee.I almost whiffed, proving how messed up I was because of so much arm involvement. At least I finally know the reason for my problems. By the way, the old guy gave me and my sons quite a lesson that day. I didn’t keep his score, but I know he had nothing more than a bogey on any hole and probably shot his age or better.
Best Regards, Ron
May 16, 2015
Paul WilsonRon,
You should have kept doing it. Imagine … you would have powerless arms by now. Glad you know about it and will put this test in your back pocket so you can keep doing it regularly.
May 15, 2015
BillMorrisPaul:
Can I assume that every time I pull the ball with driver, it is because my hips are lagging behind the arms and hands?
Thanks, Bill Morris
May 16, 2015
Paul WilsonBill,
You can certainly assume this.
You do know that in the DASHBOARD under CURES you will find the cure to every swing flaw? If your body start first you will hit it dead straight.
May 15, 2015
RaymondCHASTELPaul ,I agree this being a wonderful test and “moment of truth”for your driver swing .
I feel it’s more useful to do with a Fairway wood (Number 3 wood rather than Number 5 wood ,because it’s more difficult to do it well with the 3)
However ,if you really want to send the ball far ,there has to be some hand action:I try to “snap”the ball at impact using the right forearm ,but my entire endeavor is to stay as loose as “warm spaghetti ” with the entire body while swinging .
When I was a very youg boy ,I was brought up in KENYA :the local Kikuyus and Masaïs showed me how to use a “sling ” ,you know the one DAVID knocked out GOLIATH with.
Well ,I try to have the same feeling with my swing as if I was”slinging” the ball away :it does take some hand action on top of swivelling the body and rotating the sling :this a personal opinion of course,and has nothing to do with your excellent teaching
May 16, 2015
Paul WilsonRaymond,
Yes, the snapping or whipping action is a great thought. I do explain it this way to some students and they get it after this description.
May 18, 2015
KimBozikPaul,
Great drill and everyone on the range thought I was some weirdo swinging so ‘slowly’. But, kept with it my whole practice session. It becomes very apparent as to what the problem is when the ball doesn’t fly correctly…chicken wing, sliding, hanging back, etc. By the end, was doing about 8/10 right down the line and ingraining that feeling. Never did hit one full speed, but will work back up to that next session. I also did the ‘hold the tee’ drill in my grip as well, which also helped (mostly to keep from pulling it as I tend to let go of the club and release too early).
Kimbo
May 18, 2015
Paul WilsonKimbo,
Very good. You passed. Amazing how difficult this is for people. It gets you to stop hitting though. Once you stop hitting you can learn how to use the body as the power source.
May 25, 2015
golfer99Hi Paul working on this hitting 50% on course one question when get to top of back swing is it okay to still have the concept of starting downswing with lower body just at slow speed.
May 25, 2015
Paul WilsonBarry,
This would be a great thought. If you go to hard without hooking it first you will block it so yes go slower but think legs. Got to get use to using them.
October 7, 2016
BrianLeeHey Paul, I notice in your driver set up (also in other videos) you line up the ball towards the toe. Is there a particular reason. Do you have a tip on this? Would like to know the advantage, if any. I typically line up my driver, and other clubs, in the middle of the club.
Thanks,
Brian
October 7, 2016
Paul WilsonBrian,
I followed George Knudson’s technique many years ago. He wanted you lining it off the toe. Doing it for many years I just can’t stop not that I want to. Knudson felt the arms stretch out through impact due to the forces acting on the mass. In doing so, he felt the arms would be pulled out so if you line it on the toe and they stretch out you would hit the center. I recently watched a Knudson video and his head actually moves forward in the downswing as does mine so do the arms actually get pulled away from the body due to forces. Logically yes. Reality not sure if they get pulled that much as I already start with them fully extended.
October 7, 2016
BrianLeeThank Paul.
That does make sense. I guess that is why I see some people keep the driver head raised at address at set up. In theory, if they dropped the club, the ball would be toward the toe. I’ve tried to hover the club, but it’s a funky feeling so I keep it on the group. I will try to practice with it closer to the toe. I do notice many of my drives seem to be more inside of center on the face.
October 9, 2016
Paul WilsonBrian,
Yes, give it a try. I don’t like hovering others do like it. I just find it gets you too tight. See if the toe placement works. If you are hitting close the heel though it is the sign of hitting it with arms.
June 18, 2017
tolgaagacikogluHi Paul..i dont know why but when i’m trying to use my driver i m losing all my set up,control and swing.. i feel like driver swing is different than iron swing before…after watching and working on your tips i fixed alot but mostly i m hitting with an open club head that causes missing my ball to right..i saw my ball center to the club but i m opening my club head somehow..when i try to fix it with my wrists i couldnt get constintant hits because each time i need to arrange some moves in my wrist..or might be my lover body moves faster than arms..hope you can help me
June 19, 2017
Paul WilsonTolga,
Driver can be tricky for some people.
The shots going right is the face open. You need to do and master my roll over drill and get it hooking. I say this because there is no way you are going to get the club to go from open to square consistently so overdoing it is easier. Once you get it hooking you straighten it out with lower body.
If you cannot do the roll over with driver then do it with 7 iron teed up. Some people try to swing a million mph trying to do the roll over drill. Others do not roll it soon enough. You need to roll from the top as soon as you start down. Do this at home, at the range and when you play in practice swings.
DRILL: 3 Ways To Roll It Over: https://ignitiongolf.com/3-ways-to-roll/
Roll Around The Stick: https://ignitiongolf.com/roll-around-stick/
Clarifying the Roll Over Drill: https://ignitiongolf.com/clarifying-roll-drill/
Modified Roll Over Drill: https://ignitiongolf.com/modified-roll-over-drill/
Please Learn How to Hook It: https://ignitiongolf.com/please-learn-hook/
DRILL: Smooth Wrist Release: https://ignitiongolf.com/smooth-wrist-release/
DRILL: Watch Your Release: https://ignitiongolf.com/drill-watch-release/
Forget about hitting great shots right now. You need the be squaring the face. If you keep want to hit great shots you will never fix anything. So step 1 is get it hooking. Step 2 is work on body to straighten it out.
Think about it. If you consistently hook it, you are no longer a slicer. If you hook it why would I tell you to roll it over?
You might not realize but my assistant does swing analysis. You might want to look into doing one so you know exactly what to work on. You can find out more here:
Swing Analysis:
http://paulwilsongolf.com/las-vegas-golf-lessons/swing-analysis/
Skype Lessons
http://paulwilsongolf.com/las-vegas-golf-lessons/skype-online-golf-lessons/
Also, are you working on your swing positions? If you are having this much trouble I would think you are out of position. The lessons I teach to everyone are right here in the order I teach them:
https://ignitiongolf.com/start-here
June 20, 2017
tolgaagacikogluHi Paul..Thanks for the comments and the related videos ..i m gonna work about them in this week..i feel great about finding my mistakes and now time to fix them.i m so happy to be in this community and getting clear answers in time..thanks for you and your team for all your affords..i hope we can work with you face to face soon
June 21, 2017
Paul WilsonTolga,
Glad you like the site. I really appreciate it.
September 20, 2019
RaymondCHASTELPaul ,The catch is to move the hips faster ,not slower .Anybody can move the hips slower , but very few manage to have the hips turn significantly faster .
I’ve tried multiple exercises ,of which THE ULTIMTA SWING TRAINER you recommend .
The result is mediocre at best .
May 16, 2020
MichaelBarrettPaul,
This is my favorite drill and is always my go-to whenever I getting going too fast and too hard, which is a constant battle for me. This drill epitomizes what you teach. Balance returns. Relaxation returns. Solid contact returns. Tempo returns. Rhythm returns. The positions are perfect. It is surprising how far the ball still goes no matter how easy one tries to swing. We have a 170 pole at our club driving range that is perfect for this drill.
Thanks for all you do!
Mike Barrett
Pasco WA
May 17, 2020
Paul WilsonGreat stuff!! Keep up the hard work. Did you check out my app, COACHLINK? Go here for a demo on it; https://paulwilsongolf.com/coachlink/