Tag Archives: golf techniques

Greg McHatton’s Cart Pushing Drill For Longer Golf Drives

Posted on by
Reply


Hey, Doc here, bringing you yet another free golf tip…

We’ve all heard it time and again – power in the golf swing comes from the core. The problem is, unless you know how to properly use your core, this advice does little good. That’s about to change.

In the video above you find award winning golf instructor and PGA Pro Greg McHatton explaining how to develop massive power from your hips. The kind of raw power that translates into 300 yard drives.

As you can see Greg’s teaching methods can be a bit unorthodox, but it works, and that’s all that really matters. This drill is all about learning how to “drag” the club toward the ball using your core, instead of flipping the head of the club at the ball with your wrists. The key to making this dragging motion work is using your core.

Your hips lead this dragging motion by sliding forward. That’s where the golf cart comes in. We can all slide our hips forward, the question is can we do it in a way that delivers serious power to the golf ball. By forcing yourself to push up against a heavy object, like the golf cart, you will naturally put your lower body into a powerful position. This means your right foot is firmly planted driving into the heavy object and your knees don’t collapse toward each other.

This is also a perfect drill to teach you how to use and feel the ground in the golf swing. You can’t hit 300+ yard drives without feeling and using the ground beneath you.

The trick is ingraining this feeling into your body so you can repeat it without a heavy object to push against. Once you do that you’ll be able to tap into a whole other level of power in your golf swing.

This drill should help teach you how to lead your downswing with your hip slide, not your arms. The hips accelerate the club longitudinally, one of the keys to developing pro level club head speed. If you aren’t sliding forward you are missing out on this crucial longitudinal acceleration.

For more simple and effective golf tips for longer drives check out Greg McHatton’s “Perfect Results” DVD package…

For better golf,
Doc O’Leary
Head Golf Nut, OHP

Golf Tip – Secret to Ben Hogan’s Waggle

Posted on by
1


Hey fellow golf nuts, Doc here with a short but sweet tip for you this week.

As you probably know a good pre-shot routine is crucial if you want to play great golf, all the golfers on the tour have a pre-shot routine and so should you. But I’ve noticed a lot of guys omit one very important part of the pre-shot routine, the waggle.

The waggle does some amazing things for your golf swing and skipping it is just plain madness. Once you realize all the good stuff the waggle does for your golf game you’ll never skip it again.

As Bill McKinney explains in the video the waggle does 5 important things for your golf swing. First, it rehearses you swing path. By moving the club along the proper path you are reminding yourself seconds before you swing where the right path is.

Next, it reminds your wrists how to cock at the top of the swing. A good waggle also reminds your wrists how to release into impact.

The waggle also helps you feel the right amount of tension in your arms and wrists, remember your arms and wrists should be loose and your grip just tight enough to hang onto the club. If you have too much tension you’ll quickly realize it when you waggle and be able to correct it before it ruins a shot.

Lastly, a good waggle gives you some rhythm, and keeps you from stiffening while standing over the ball. As Bill McKinney explains in the video, the rhythm aspect to the waggle is very similar to a baseball player rhythmically moving the bat before each swing. Starting a swing from a stagnant position nearly always results in a jerking motion, it’s just how our muscles work, but if we are already moving we can be incredibly precise and smooth.

How can something as simple as a waggle help so much? The simple answer is that it force feeds your brain very detailed information about where the ball is. That’s why it’s so important to waggle with precision. A sloppy waggle can be worse that no waggle at all.

How does the waggle force feed your brain information? Our brains have two ways of knowing where something is, sight and feel. Sight is pretty simple, look down at the ball. The feel however is a bit different. You can’t reach down and touch the ball with your hand in golf, instead you have to learn to use the club as an extension of your hand.

This is obviously a bit more difficult, that’s where the waggle comes in. Instead of putting the club head right behind the ball once (which tells the feeling part of your brain where that ball is), the waggle allows you to send that message to your brain two or three times in a row, really cementing the feeling of where the ball is into your mind. When you have both sight and feeling working properly you’re much more likely to hit the ball crisp and clean. That’s how something as simple and easy as a waggle can help eliminate fat and thin shots, without actually changing you natural swing.

I’ve got another great free golf video tip from Bill McKinney waiting for you, just Click Here.

For Better Golf,
Doc O’Leary
Head Golf Nut, OHP

Turbo Charge Your Golf Swing: What pitchers know that you don’t…

Posted on by
Reply

Hey it’s Doc again with yet another no-cost video lesson to help you crush more long, gorgeous drives.

This week I want to talk about your right elbow, more specifically how getting your right elbow in the right spot during the downswing can add power and distance to your golf drives.

Bill McKinney’s baseball analogy in the video above is probably the best way I’ve ever heard this golf tip explained, that’s why I’m sharing it with you today. We’ve all seen those dramatic Sports Illustrated shots of a baseball pitcher just before he releases the ball with his hand so far behind his elbow it looks physically impossible. Pretty Impressive.

What does that have to do with golf? Well great pitchers and great golfers both know that they can maximize their speed by tucking their right elbow before the moment of truth. Why does this work for golf? Without getting into complex physics it basically loads up power in your swing. The more bent and pulled into your body your right elbow is, and the longer you can hold that position before impact, the more power you have to release right when you hit the ball.

When you tuck your elbow properly it’s like a loaded spring.

You may be thinking to yourself, well that’s great, but how the heck do I naturally get my elbow bent into my body like that? The answer is that although it looks awkward in slow motion it’s actually pretty easy to do when you are swinging.

However, if it doesn’t come naturally or you are having a hard time developing a feel for it you can have a buddy do what Billy is doing in the video with the student. By lightly grabbing a hold of the club as the student starts his downswing, Billy is forcing him to pull the club down and inward toward his body. In order to do this you will naturally tuck that right elbow into your body.

If you don’t have anyone willing to do this for you that’s okay, there’s a simpler way. To do this without a partner simply think about pulling the handle of the golf club downward and in toward your body from the top of your downswing. Just remember it’s not a jerking motion.

For more great power boosting tips from PGA Golf Pro Bill McKinney checkout his Natural Power DVD Package. You’ll be glad you did.

For Better Golf,
Doc O’Leary
Head Golf Nut OHP

Hit Longer Drives By Tricking Your Subsconcious Mind

Posted on by
Reply


Hey it’s Doc again with another free golf tip for you…this one’s about hitting the ball longer and straighter so listen up.

Many golfers have a hard time developing the kind of raw power from their lower body that would help them hit the long drives they dream about. For most of them the problem has nothing to do with any lack of ability, instead the problem is in their head.

As you saw Darrell explain in the video the subconscious mind can play tricks on us in the golf swing. We put so much focus into the little white golf ball at our feet that we unknowingly slow or halt our pivoting action once we reach the object of our focus, the golf ball. As you can imagine this has devastating consequences not only for the distance of your golf shots, but their accuracy as well.

How can you fix this distance robbing problem? As you saw in the video it’s pretty darn simple. It’s time to turn the tables on your subconscious mind. Instead of it playing tricks on you, you are going to fool it into focusing on something beyond the golf ball. That’s where the cardboard box comes in.

Having an object to focus on that is well beyond the golf ball will teach you to accelerate beyond the golf ball. This in turn will prevent you from decelerating at impact or stopping your rotation too early. All you need to do is place an old empty cardboard box 18 to 24 inches in front of where your golf ball would normally be. The box should now be the focus of your swing. Put all your energy into smashing it to pieces. Keep in mind you’ll be hitting the box with the toe of your club, don’t try to hit it with a square club face.

The best part is, this golf club head speed boosting trick is easy as pie. There are no tricky concepts, no tedious techniques; all you need to do is spend 20 or 30 minutes beating an empty cardboard box to pieces. Do this once a month or so, just to remind yourself how it feels. If you want to you can buy a special bag that’s made for this purpose.

The result will be longer drives without a whole lot of effort. Just remember to use an old club with a steel shaft for this drill. You don’t want to accidentally snap an expensive club.

For more no nonsense golf tips that’ll boost your drives and slash your scores check out Darrell’s Signature Package. You’ll be glad you did.

For Better Golf,
Doc O’Leary, Head Golf Nut at OHP

Simple Mistakes Spell Death For Your Tee Shots

Posted on by
Reply


Doc O’Leary here with another free golf tip for you. This week its all about hitting longer drives.

It’s practically impossible to hit long consistent golf drives without having a setup routine you follow each time you walk up to a tee shot. Even more important, you’re routine should be simple, quick, and get you in the optimum position to fire off long drives time after time. In the clip above, Bobby Schaeffer showed you how his simple routine prevents several common mistakes and prevents you from over-thinking the shot.

Proper Alignment is the first goal of any setup routine for you golf shots. Setting up too close or too far from the ball is a guaranteed way to send a tee shot into the trees. The best way to prevent this is to align the club to the ball and the target, then setup your stance based on where the handle of the club is.

One important thing to remember is that the higher you tee up any golf shot, the more you have to align the golf ball toward the toe of the club, when the club is resting on the ground.

Aligning the ball off center, toward the toe of the club, allows for the extra inch or two of arm extension at impact. Making this small adjustment ensures that you are striking the ball on the sweet spot instead of the heel of the club face.

Okay now that the golf club is lined up properly to the ball it’s time to get your feet set up.

As Bobby shows in the video above, using a few clubs to create a line perpendicular to the target is a great way to help you visualize your setup when practicing. Use this perpendicular line as a guide when you step into the shot. It will ensure that you are placing your left foot in the right spot, then you can choose a placement for your right foot based on comfort.

It’s the alignment of your left foot that needs to be precise. Many golfers walk up to a tee shot and then take some shimmy steps to get comfortable.

This may work sometimes, but it often leads to shifting your left foot out of position, all for the sake of getting comfortable. Using Bobby’s method you can still get comfortable, while maintaining proper alignment.

The final aspect of a good tee shot routine is pace. It shouldn’t be rushed, but it should be brief and to the point.

Don’t waste time standing over the golf ball. It will only get you thinking too much and throw your mental game off. As Bobby said in the video it’s best to think of it like riding a bike, you know what to do, there is very little to think about after the setup.

Now that you have proper alignment nailed down your tee shots will wind up in the fairway a lot more often. All that’s left is adding some serious “umph” to your swing, so you can start nailing those monster tee shots, you know…the kind that make you smile from ear to ear.

I personally can’t think of a better Christmas present for any golfer to give to himself than the gift of ridiculously long and accurate tee shots.

That’s why I’m running a killer deal on one of my hottest “long drive” packages, Bobby Schaeffer’s Beyond Long. Just use coupon code [XMAS2015] without the brackets at checkout to get 20% off the Beyond Long DVD Package.

For Better Golf,
Doc O’Leary
Head Golf Nut, OHP

1 1/2 Inch Ball Shift for Longer More Accurate Drives…

Posted on by
Reply


If you want longer more consistent golf shots with fewer fat, duffed, topped, and thin golf shots you need to think a bit about your ball position.

Each golf club you have in your bag is a different length. This means each club has a slightly different swing arc. What does this mean for your golf shots?

Well if you hit your seven iron perfectly then took that exact swing and used your five iron you would hit a fat shot.

The solution is not to change your swing, rather you want to change where the ball is in your stance. Changing your swing leads to terrible inconsistency. Changing the position of the golf ball in your stance is simple repeatable and easy to do.

The best part is that since the lengths of standard golf clubs vary in half inch increments it’s actually quite easy to figure out where each club should be in your stance. Keep in mind there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to ball position, but using this guide will get you pretty close to what will work best for you.

The easiest way to determine the best ball position for each club is to use the seven iron as your standard. The seven iron is the middle length club and should be played in the middle of your stance. Since the eight iron is a half inch shorter it should be played a half inch further back in your stance, and a nine iron should be played a full inch back from center. For longer clubs you’ll move the ball forward in your stance in half inch increments.

The driver is where people have the most difficulty with ball position. The driver is the longest club in your bag and you have probably been told by instructors, magazines, book, or buddies that when hitting your driver the golf ball should be lined up with the inside of your left heel.

I’ve got some news for you, unless your driver is still made out of persimmon wood with a hickory shaft playing the ball off your left heel is simply wrong. Standard driver shafts back in the old days were 43.5 inches long. To be fair many drives were still 43.5 inches long up until about 10 years ago, so your buddy’s advice is outdated but not ancient. The point is most new golf drivers are somewhere between 44.5 to 45.5 inches long.

If you were paying attention earlier you know that a longer shaft means these newer golf drives must be played further forward in your stance. The old guide of using the inside of your left heel won’t work anymore. For long consistent golf drives you need to play the ball a full inch to an inch and a half further forward.

Don’t worry you don’t have to get out a ruler when teeing up. Simply swap the “inside of your left heel” quick guide with “inside of your left toe”. It’s as simple as that. This slightly more forward ball position will compensate for the longer driver shafts and swing arc. The result is a square club face at impact along with longer, and more consistent tee shots.
It doesn’t much easier than that.

For more simple golf tips to improve your swing and your scores click here.

For Better Golf,
Doc O’Leary
Head Golf Nut, OHP Direct

Start Your Golf Downswing “In The Slot” For More Consistency & Distance

Posted on by
Reply


This week’s video tip comes to you from a long drive champ and a former long drive world record holder Brad Peterson.

How you take the golf club to the top of your backswing has a huge effect on your swing path and the power of your golf shots. That’s why this week’s video is so important.

Let’s start off with the basics. Each person will have a unique backswing that should feel comfortable, but all good golf backswings should have a few things in common.

First they should all rely primarily on the twisting motion of the torso to get the club back. This twisting of the torso stores power.

Second, you should always load your wrists in the backswing. Loading the wrists means that the club shaft is at about a 90 angle to your hands at the top of the swing. This loading action stores power to be released through impact.

Third, a great golf backswing should set you up to have a proper swing path for the downswing. This last point is the main focus of this video. A proper swing path creates consistency and accuracy. If you get the other two right you may be storing a lot of power, but when your swing path is off you won’t be able to translate that power into long straight golf shots.

To get your swing path off to a good start you need to pay attention to where your hands and club are at the top of your backswing.

As Brad explains in the video, when your hands are too far back your golf club swing path will be too flat. You’ll have trouble getting solid contact with the ball and your shots won’t be straight.

If your hands are too far forward (toward your head) you’ll also have trouble hitting consistent golf shots because your swing path will be too steep. This usually results in popped up shots, you know, the ones that leave a nasty mark on the top of your driver.

Learning these principles is easy, it’s feeling them and knowing where the happy medium is that’s the tough part. As Brad demonstrates in the video that happy medium is usually when your hands and the golf club are over the space between your head and your right shoulder.

A great way to visually check this in your own swing is to get in front of a full length mirror and go through the motions. Just remember to keep an eye on the ceiling fan.

Remember making a solid connection at impact is a lot easier when you start your downswing from the right spot.

To get your hands on Brad’s A-Z golf instructional program check out his 7 Steps to Smokin’ Hot Club Head Speed DVD Package.

How Disappearing Hands Can Fix Your Golf Swing

Posted on by
2


Hey Fellow Golf Nut,

Doc here with one of the simplest ways to see if you are swinging “on plane.”

Swinging on plane will make all your shots more powerful and consistent. It will make your pitch shots deadly accurate and your drives long and straight.

On the other hand, swinging off plane will make your golf shots erratic and weak. You will be forced to play the kind of “army golf” that you swear is just for those other duffers on the course.

Often times the biggest difficulty amateur golfers have is simply knowing whether or not they are swinging on plane (and if they aren’t how to fix it). The golf swing happens so fast that it can be nearly impossible for anyone but a professional golfer to recognize the slightest of mistakes that are robbing power and accuracy.

This is where PGA Pro Bill McKinney’s “disappearing hands” trick comes into play.

In the following video Bill McKinney is going to show you how to make sure your hands are “disappearing” after contact with the golf ball. Your hand position, during and after impact with the ball, is a great indicator of whether your swing is on plane or not.

Okay I know this sounds a little strange but if you watch the video I promise it will make perfect sense.

The best part about this trick is that you don’t need a pro watching your swing to see what you are doing wrong. You can have one of your golfing buddies or even some guy at the range (he’ll be delighted to learn this trick too) simply stand behind you and watch.

It’s so simple a 5 year old could do it. Check out the video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snn4sMMFWOs

It’s really that simple. This is a great way to fix your golf swing quickly and easily.

Stay tuned to my blog for more simple tips on how to start hitting longer and straighter golf shots.

For better Golf,

Doc O’Leary

Head Golf Nut, OHP

How Mr. Hogan Was Wrong

Posted on by
1

Dear Fellow Golf Nut,

Doc here with a short video showing you a simple drill, originally designed by the great Ben Hogan now recreated by golf Pro Bill McKinney, that will put massive power behind your golf swing.

Ben Hogan was one of the greatest golfers ever…but…he did make one big mistake in the way he taught people how to play better golf.

Mr. Hogan created a training drill using a heavy ‘medicine ball’ (the kind you see in the gym). In this drill he compared using your pivot to throw the ball down the fairway to a golf swing.

PGA Pro Bill McKinney has taken that drill to the next level. See he understands that, YES, your core is the source of your power…but…you should be delivering that power ‘down plane’ into the ball not in a sweeping motion down the fairway. In the video above you can see that McKinney is using his core pivot to drive the medicine ball down into the golf ball on the tee.

This is much more like a golf swing, where you transfer your power and energy into the ball not down the fairway with a horizontal tossing motion like Mr. Hogan’s original drill.

Why am I telling you about this? Well many high handicap golfers suffer from something pro’s call ‘false speed,’ which is essentially a misunderstanding about where power is developed and where it should be delivered.

‘False Speed’ is the speed you develop by mainly swing with your arms, or speed you never actually put into the ball. For example some guys seem to have a wicked fast swing but can’t figure out why their drives are still lacking. The real problem is that they are developing much of this false speed from their arms that is wasted in their follow-through after impact. It’s kind of like the difference between slapping a guy in the face and stepping into him with a punch. Only one is going to knock the guy back. Just like the slap ‘false speed in your golf swing looks fast but doesn’t pack the punch.

Don’t get me wrong, this is not what Mr. Hogan was doing. He put the power into the golf ball (if he didn’t we wouldn’t still be talking about his incredible ball striking abilities 40 years after he retired). But… many guys have misunderstood him.

Allow me to straighten this out. Power is created by using your core, stored in your lag, and then delivered ‘down plane’ to the ball at impact. This power must be created and stored before contact. And remember swinging fast with your arms simply doesn’t send the ball anywhere. Learning how to do this is the REAL secret to putting power into your golf shots.

Go try this drill and let me know what you think. When you get a club in your hands after doing this a couple of times, I think you will be impressed with the results.

For more from PGA Golf Pro Bill McKinney Click Here.

For Better Golf,

Doc O’Leary

Head Golf Nut, OHP