It's easy to be lazy when you go practice. You go to the practice facility with no particular plan. Chances are you might get worse which seems to defeat the purpose unless you are just out there for entertainment. You probably wouldn't use this approach in your business if you wanted to be successful.

Lets say you go to the short game area with a plan. You are looking to make better contact from uneven lies. You have taken a lesson and you know what to do. I want you to monitor your attention during practice. A simple 1-10 will do. After each shot, monitor the strength of  your focus. When your focus start to wander, its time to work on a different skill,  re-focus, or stop your practice. Time is precious so use it well especially if you are trying to improve. 

I always tell my students to do something today that makes you better than you were yesterday. Paying attention is a great start. 

One of my former teammates at Stanford, Mark Funseth, son of former PGA tour winner Rod Funseth, told me that his strategy when he wasn't striking it well was to shape all of his shots. This was and still is great advice. Obviously you need to know how to shape shots but if you do, I highly recommend this strategy. 

John Jacobs stated that a great ball striker was one that could predict the result before the event. If you are trying to hit a hook, you are probably not going to slice and vice versa. Knowing how your ball is going to curve is comforting and helps you mange your game around the course. Bubba Watson has made a pretty good living playing golf this way. 

We are all in awe of how tour players can make a powerful swing and finish in perfect balance. Rory McIlroy is the first one that comes to my mind. His lifetime instructor, Michael Bannon, told Rory as a kid to swing as hard as he could and stay in balance. I ask my juniors to do the same and count 5 Mississippi or wait until the ball lands before they come out of their finish position. Thinking about holding your finish is a great thought out on the golf course. It helps you make more solid contact and keeps you from getting overly technical which you know is not a great way to play. Here's a great way to practice your balance. Hold up one leg and keep both arms at your side. Now close both eyes and try to hold your balance for as long as possible. You will feel your foot working hard to keep you balanced. Tour players average 20 seconds on this test according to the Titleist Performance Institute. Practice this every day for a couple of minutes and you will be amazed at how your balance and golf game will improve. 

Your Secret Weapon to a More Powerful Swing

When it comes to increasing drive distance, there are many variables we can consider. One variable we have the most control over and can affect every day is our ability to create the maximum amount of torque to apply to the ball.

Developing both strength and mobility in the appropriate areas facilitates the increase in power output. For today, we'll focus on two main areas: strong, stable hips, and a mobile thoracic spine. First, we need to ensure our hips are stable enough to hold their ground as we rotate at the torso.

To develop strong hips, front squats or deadlifts will be two movements we'll emphasize in training. Front Squats: The load is placed in front of your chest/shoulders and torso remains upright. Use hamstrings to pull hips down between hips. The goal is for the hips to reach knee height or slightly lower without a movement compensation at the lower back.

Deadlifts: The load is placed as close to the legs as possible, and is between mid-thigh to mid-shin height (depending on current level of hip mobility). Ensure hips are loaded with the weight prior to pressing through feet to stand. The goal is for the load to stay close to the body and for the movement to be isolated in the hip socket - meaning the torso does not bend or become excessively loaded.

Next, we need to be able to safely rotate at the thoracic spine--a.k.a ribcage--to help generate the torque needed for a powerful drive. To develop this movement ability, we'll focus on T-Lunges. T-Lunges: This unloaded (bodyweight) movement is performed by stepping forward into a lunge and placing both hands on the ground near the instep of the front foot. Then, with the elbow closest to the instep, reach towards the sky. Once the hand clears the thigh, begin reaching with the hand. The front foot and opposite hand remain flat on the ground and push down to keep the hips stable. Exhale at the top of the range of motion and attempt to contract hips and obliques to further pull into rotation.

The hip strength generated from front squats and deadlifts, combined with the ability to rotate through the thoracic spine will improve the amount of force potential that can be applied to the ball. Try adding 4 sets of 6 front squats, combined with 4 sets of 6-per-side T-Lunges to your training sessions two times per week. On two other days, add 4 sets of 6 deadlift variations, combined with 4 sets of 6-per-side T-Lunges. Stay consistent with this practice for four weeks and then test to see how your range of motion and drive distance improve over that time.

Send me your results and questions at chris@performancegaines.com. Happy power swinging!