It can be quite discouraging during a round of golf, even with mates, when the players in your group are constantly hitting the ball further and more accurately than you off the tee. To be in the rough and some 30 yards back than the other players in your group and always having to play first can dent your confidence. Many people believe it is a strength issue. They must be stronger than you and the only way you can change it is by going to the gym and adding muscle.
There is a small element of truth to that but in fact, it could be down to a small detail in your swing. Many players who have difficulty off the tee, are often struggling because they are letting their wrists roll on the backswing. If your wrists roll on the backswing, you have a lot of work to do to get the club face back to the ball from that position. This is going to lead to a very inconsistent outcome, as it’s almost impossible to get the same contact with the ball every time and this could one of the reasons why you are struggling with accuracy and distance off the tee.
The key to fixing the issue is to not allow your wrists to roll but hinge them instead.
Take your normal grip and pick up the club, towards your body, using only your wrists. If you continued to move the club towards your body, it would eventually hit you in the head. However, you need to stop when the club is parallel to the ground. Turn your body fully and note your position at the top of the swing. Your wrists will be at a strong angle, instead of being floppy. This strong angle, will give you the consistency you need to hit the ball a good distance, with accuracy.
The loft being generated off the club is also an important factor in losing yards off the tee.
Using a right-handed player as an example, take your normal grip on the golf club, as you would when setting up on the tee. Take your left thumb off the grip of the club and place it on top of your right wrist. Obviously, this is going to feel strange to begin with, so it is best to do this in practice rather then start on the golf course.
Using an iron, try a few half-swings using this grip and you will notice how the thumb is forcing the right wrist to remain in position and the club head to continue behind the hands at impact with the ball. This will help to produce the right amount of wrist hinge and keep it there throughout the swing. What you are aiming for is consistency remember.
Once you can rely on your wrists to remain in the same position, you will be hitting the ball with consistent loft off each club. This helps greatly when measuring the distance you can hit each club in your bag.
