Welcome to Play Smart, a daily GOLF.com game-improvement column that can make it easier to play smarter, higher golf.
Viktor Hovland ranks No. 6 on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gaines: Off-the-Tee, so it’s protected to say he’s fairly comfy utilizing driver.
Most amateurs alternatively? Well, many battle with grip, setup, alignment and even swing ideas, making it a battle to constantly hit stable drives. When we really feel like we ought to be higher, it might probably throw off a complete spherical, inflicting frustration and golf nervousness.
As GOLF’s July cowl star, Hovland not too long ago caught up with our personal Dylan Dethier to speak via a wide range of golf subjects — certainly one of which is a tip that can assist amateurs hit higher pictures with their drivers.
In at this time’s Play Smart lesson, Hovland provides his recommendation to the Average Joe when utilizing driver. By following a few of his suggestions, you could lastly stop slicing and begin seeing longer, straighter drives.
Low price of closure
The key to hitting bombs with the driving force is clubhead pace and having the clubface sq. at impression. When this doesn’t occur, hitting off the toe or heel of the membership can happen — which is able to both end in a disastrous hook or ugly slice.
For Hovland, he has the power to maintain the face sq. all through impression.
At the highest of his swing, Hovland says his left wrist can be somewhat flexed, the clubface is pointing up in the direction of the air, and his arms aren’t very deep.
“My clubface does not go super open to super closed quickly; it stays square throughout the golf swing,” he says. “I kind of have high arms in the backswing.”
By understanding his swing tendencies, Hovland is in a position to assess how to correctly play his shot, saying he’ll typically discover himself both aiming method left or method proper — however nonetheless seeing the end result he needs.
“On some holes, I knew I was going to aim it towards the left trees because, if I just hit my normal shot, that’s going to be in the fairway,” he says. “I think playing like that makes it a little bit easier for you.”
Limit lateral motion
Another issue that makes Hovland so good with the driving force is the power to limit his lateral motion.
“I don’t have a lot of lateral movement,” he says. “A lot of the great players have lateral movement — which is not necessarily a bad thing — but, too much, and if you don’t get the proper tilt, you’re going to hit down on the ball.”
Hovland mentions all-time nice golfers like Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus having later motion, however then explains how he sees nice outcomes with out incorporating such swing motion.
“If you watch my left arm and my left shoulder, it will pull up. That’s how you get the club up out of the ground and you hit up on the ball.”
When requested about an alternate transfer he makes use of, Hovland says he pivots round his again foot and bends down a bit extra.
“I’m still moving forward, but I can’t move too far forward because my arms; as I said, I don’t have a lot of depth,” he mentions. “So I pivot extra round my proper foot, which remains to be high quality as a result of I get quite a lot of aspect bend.
“You see my left shoulder kind of going really up in the air, and that’s kind of how I make it work.”
Have a sport plan
For many amateurs, adverse swing ideas could make every little thing go sideways. Even in the event that they do every little thing else proper bodily, the result’s poor from overthinking (which may trigger added pressure on the membership).
This is the place Hovland says having a plan is vital, understanding what you need to give attention to as you’re taking your swing.
“I want to kind of stay back a little bit, and still get my body forward, but kind of pivot a little more on the right foot and get that left shoulder up in the air. So that’s all that I’m kind of thinking about right now.”
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And when he has the mechanical a part of his swing going effectively, he can confidently use his driver with unbelievable outcomes.
“When I’m playing my best golf, it almost feels like I have a wall down the left side of the fairway, and I can just try to hit it up against the wall; and it always comes off of it.”
How to restrict slicing the driving force
Finally, Hovland says it’s doable for newbie golfers to keep away from slicing off the tee, however they want to settle for the truth that they don’t have the athletic skills of professional golfers.
“If you just sit at a desk all day and you try to ‘hit bombs’, most guys come over the top,” he says. “If you battle with a slice, a very good feeling for most individuals is definitely to sort of transfer ahead with the pelvis to allow them to enable some aspect bend in there.
So when you’re slicing the ball off the tee with your driver, Hovland says ensure to get some added aspect bend as you make ball contact.
“They exaggerate this pelvis movement, kind of getting it away from the body. Now you’re rotated, but if you don’t have any side bend in there, your path is just going to go straight to the left.”
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