Want Increased Driving Distance, Then Understand F-18’s and Aircraft Carriers.

By Jim Fanatra, CSCS

 The club head is the only surface that can put built up energy directly into the golf ball.  The higher the club head velocity at impact, the more energy is transferred to the ball.  If swing fundamentals keep the club path and club head heading in the right orientation, higher velocity will result in more distance.

 How do You Get the Clubhead Moving Fast? 

 Increase Your Backswing Rotation

 One way is to give the clubhead more time to build up speed. That means you need to get more rotation in your backswing.

 You can’t get a commercial jet off the ground in a couple of hundred yards.  It needs distance to build up speed.  JFK’s runway 13R-31L is 14,511 feet long.

 So, distance travelled by the club head is a limiting factor in how much speed can be generated. The more you can rotate your hips and shoulders in the backswing, the longer the time available to build up club head speed. It’s really hard to get those booming long drives with half a backswing even if everything else in the swing is perfect.

 Distance Travelled isn’t the Only factor.

 But is distance traveled the only factor?  Not if you’re a Nimitz Class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.  The entire flight deck is only 1,092 feet long.  So, distance traveled clearly isn’t the only factor launching a F/A-18C Hornet or a F/A-18F Super Hornet.

 Horsepower is a big factor.  The Super Hornet generates 22,000 lbs of thrust from each engine.  That’ around 50,000 break horse power out of each engine.  That gets the 30,000 lb Super Hornet from 0 to 60 MPH in .8 seconds.

 Massive Power Still isn’t Enough.

 You know what? Even with all that thrust blasting out of the rear of those two engines, the F-18 still needs some help getting into the air on a short runway.  That’s why aircraft carriers launch fighter jets with a catapult. A catapult accelerates that F-18 from zero to 130 knots in about 300 feet.

 So that’s the combination that maximizes acceleration without the benefit of distance. You need the extreme force of the engines to producing 22,000lbs of thrust with some mechanical help from a catapult.

 You Have a Physical Limit Like an Aircraft Carrier Runway.

 As a golfer looking to increase driving distance, a long backswing seems to be the answer.  But aren’t most of us like an aircraft carrier rather than the JFK runway.  Even the most flexible golfer can only take the backswing so far.  There is a physical limit, just like a Nimitz Class carrier.

 Strength is not enough for the F-18 to get off the ground.  Just being strong won’t help you drive the ball far either.  You can get a full backswing, be as strong as NFL linebacker and still not hit the ball far.

 The Double Pendulum Effect is Your Catapult.

 Distance travelled plus strength does not necessarily equal speed.  You need a catapult to turn that distance and strength into rotational speed.  As a golfer, your catapult is the double pendulum effect of a properly executed golf swing. The double pendulum effect in a golf swing creates the whip like action sending all that built up rotational speed into the clubhead.

 Another way to state the double pendulum is lag.  Creating in the downswing and holding off lag through impact generates and maintains clubhead speed.

 Your Hips are Your Catapult Pistons.

 Just like the catapult’s pistons on the carrier, your hips need to create the extra energy needed to drive the ball for distance.

 To make the double pendulum effect work, get your hips started forward before your backswing is completed. Without the lower body driving the forward rotation, the effectiveness of the double pendulum is reduced. Use a wide one piece takeaway with no wrist cock.  Shallow the club on the downswing and keep your hands in front of the clubhead into impact.

 Lag Creates the Energy that Drives the Ball Far.

 Even if you just can’t get much shoulder and hip rotation, get your hips started first in the downswing.  This helps create lag to more effectively unleash the built-up energy stored in the coiled back muscles. 

 Relax the rear hand to let the club shallow. Fully release lag around 450 past the impact point.  That will keep that built up speed going through impact.

 Getting Hip Rotation is Easier Said Than Done.

 For many golfers, getting the hips started before the backswing is completed is not easy to do. In fact, especially for older golfers, getting properly rotating hips and shoulders is quite difficult.

 Face it, many golfers can’t even access the positions required to safely rotate into the backswing or keep their spine stable throughout the swing, much less drive the ball for distance.

 Lifestyle Choices and Constraints Impact Mobility.

 For many golfers, modern lifestyles have decreased the range of motion and disrupted the basic motor functions necessary to access the positions required for a fundamentally sound swing.

 Sedentary lifestyles, lack of movement diversity, stress, poor sleep and nutrition, misguided exercise programs and injury lead to muscle imbalances that impact movement quality.

 Even poor breathing patterns impact posture and mobility.

Unfortunately, lifestyle constraints like sitting all day at a desk or everyday choices like wearing shoes with elevated heels impact hip function. That’s because our bodies develop structural adaptations to habitual activity (or non-activity).  The resulting structural changes affect posture and mobility. 

 What you do Everyday Impacts Hip Function Which Impacts Mobility.

 What you do everyday results in structural adaptations like muscles imbalances. Muscle imbalances disrupt normal joint function. When joints don’t function as they were intended, range of motion is affected. That means mobility suffers.

And the epicenter of joint dysfunctions due to the modern lifestyle is the hip.

 Hip Dysfunction Sends a Cascade of Compensations Up and Down the Kinetic Chain.

 The golf swing is a tough movement under ideal conditions. Add postural dysfunctions like stiff hip capsules and a weakened hip muscle complex to your swing and you’re asking for trouble.

 Hip issues create compensations up and down the kinetic chain, placing the vertebrae and associated soft tissue and discs in a more vulnerable position.  Knee, ankle, foot, shoulder and the neck function can also be disrupted by hip issues.

 Without Daily Movement Variety, It’s Difficult to Improve Hip Mobility.

 Daily movement variety is the key to maintaining mobility.  Jogging, treadmill and elliptical workouts, spin cycling and 1970’s style weight training (you know what that is; bench press, curl and bench again…) won’t change movement quality.

 Even a well-designed exercise program will be hard-pressed to offset 8 to 10 hours of sitting each day. Even if you’re exercise plan is full of movement-based programs like yoga, Pilates, martial arts, and dance class, how many hours a week do you spend on these activities? Can 6 hours of exercise a week really offset the impact of an otherwise sedentary lifestyle?

 Age is a Factor, But it Doesn’t Have to Be.

 Age is also a factor. As we age, it’s common to lose range of motion as joints get stiffer and muscles get less pliable.  The reasons are varied. Often, a combination of factors is responsible for diminished movement quality. 

 For many older golfers, the movement diversity experienced when younger has lessened over the years. As a result, motor functions have been diminished. Previous injury, illness or chronic issues like arthritis and spinal stenosis also can impact movement quality.

 For many older adults, sedentary lifestyles and lack of physical activity reduce overall fitness contributing to loss of mobility, strength and motor function.  That’s true for younger golfers too.

 It all adds up to reducing the ability to effectively rotate into a fluid, youthful looking golf swing.  Often swing compensations as workarounds for less range of motion put pressure on the lower back.  For example, reduced hip mobility forces the lumbar spine to produce more rotation than it was designed to provide. 

 Whatever your age, staying active everyday is the key to maintaining and regaining hip function. Walking, yard work, home improvement projects, washing the car, cleaning the house, using a standing desk, sitting on the floor; daily activity variety all add up to improving hip function.

Now, add an exercise program that is rich in movement variety to more movement everyday and you will have a better chance to fix those stiff hips. 

 Your daily routine should also include techniques that address your specific mobility issues. The mobility techniques can be used within an exercise program, throughout the day and at night.  In this way you can accumulate time in the positions that will help improve your movement quality.