Bomb Your Driver Like the Pros: A Comprehensive Guide to Crushing It Off the Tee!"
Updated: Aug 15
What would you give for an extra 10 to 30 yards of carry distance with your driver?
I want you to carefully consider that question above. Close your eyes and see how important it is for you to gain the distance you are thinking of. Now that you know the importance of this distance gain to you, what are you willing to sacrifice for it. Are you going to go get fitted for another driver? How about the Auto Flex shaft, that has to be the answer?
If the answer to that question is daily practice for 10-15 minutes then you have a chance. Remember folks that my practice is not the brainless practice I see on the driving range where one hits the same club over and over. No, this training that I have perfected over the years is nowhere near what you see on every range throughout the world minus a few outliers and my students.
I am not saying everyone can get this distance. I had someone last week gain 45 yards with their driver in one lesson. They were swinging 8 to the left with an angle of attack that was down 6. That is a nightmare situation with the driver. Imagine when you perfect your launch angle, angle of attack and strike position with a faster swing. If you do not gain any distance, something is wrong or you already are the long drive champ.
Video
Hello friends and golfers. My name is coach Erik Schjolberg and you can find me at my Academy, EJS Golf located at McCormick Ranch G. C. in beautiful Scottsdale, AZ. I have been voted by the people the No. 1 rated golf coach in the golf mecca of Scottsdale, AZ which has long been known for innovative and great coaching. I can't think of anywhere better to coach than here.
From the PGA Tour Professionals that I coach, to the juniors I develop and anyone else that is devoted to getting better I have found the commonalities in success for anyone willing to attain it. The main component of this success is the willingness to practice in slow motion and in front of mirrors. Yes, that is one of the main factors that will determine whether or not. you reach your golfing goals. I guarantee that every golfer will get better b/c they just have to sacrifice 15 minutes per day of doing slow motion drills. Also, keep in mind, you will never hear me say that you have to get worse before you get better! That is absurd and I feel sorry the golfer has been sold that bag of lies. I want you getting better immediately.
The quest for distance in golf is a pursuit that has fascinated and challenged players for generations. It's not just about raw power; it's about finesse, technique, and understanding the very physics and anatomy of the swing. I love coaching distance. For most students they gain more yards than they ever thought possible by me helping them become efficient in their golf swing. They will tell me that they feel like they aren't swinging as hard and the ball is going so much further. Then a hug may follow!
The Anatomy of the Swing to bomb your driver
The golf swing is a complex dance of muscles, joints, and coordination. Understanding this dance is the first step towards adding those extra yards to your drive. Coach Erik's approach is rooted in the biomechanics of golf, where every movement is analyzed and optimized. This is a basic structure to follow.
Stance and Posture: The foundation of a powerful drive begins with the right stance and posture. Alignment, balance, and positioning are crucial. The feet should be shoulder-width apart to less or more depending upon each student, knees slightly bent, and the spine straight but relaxed. That is different than straight as a board. You will be a bit rounded on the upper part of your back. Your pelvis will be more underneath you than your butt sticking our as far as one can push it.
Grip and Hand Position: The way you hold the club can make or break your swing. A firm yet relaxed grip, with the hands positioned correctly, allows for a fluid motion that translates into power. Everyone has a grip that fits them. One of the fallacies that drives me nuts is the one that says everyone must get a stronger grip if they slice and the opposite for a hooker. If that is true how come Azinger played a fade with 4 knuckles showing. Matchups are much more important!
The Backswing: This is where the magic begins. The backswing is not just about pulling the club back; it's about coiling the body (spiraling to be exact), storing energy like a spring. The hips, shoulders, and arms must work in harmony. Our goal on the back swing should be to get wound up nice and tight with the coiling feeling like it is all happening with the chest turn. I like to see the lead arm over the pecs at the top.
The Downswing and Impact: Unleashing the stored energy in the downswing requires precision and timing. The hips lead the way, followed by the shoulders, arms, and finally the club, striking the ball with a combination of speed and control. The kinematic sequence when done properly feels like you didn't do much and the ball is gone and long. Spend time on your transition!
Follow Through and Finish: A nice and tall follow-through ensures that the energy is transferred efficiently, and the swing is completed in balance. I started picturing Fred Couples finish position some 35 years ago when I was playing competitively.
Technology and Training
At EJS Golf Academy, technology meets tradition. Using state-of-the-art tools like the Trackman 4 Launch monitor, 3D Pressure Plates, 3D Video, HackMotion, etc. Coach Erik analyzes and refines the swings of his students. This date-driven fact based approach ensures that every golfer gets better from their very first lesson.
Trackman: Your Key to Distance Optimization
Trackman is a cutting-edge technology that provides us with invaluable insights into the dynamics of our golf swing. By paying attention to various factors assessed by Trackman, we can identify areas for improvement and work towards maximizing our distance potential.
Spin Loft: Fine-Tuning Your Ball Flight
Spin loft is approximately the angle between the dynamic loft and attack angle. The spin rate of a shot is controlled by the spin loft. All else equal, a higher spin loft will result in a higher spin rate. Controlling spin loft is key to controlling spin rate. Also, a higher spin loft will create a lower smash factor all else equal. Because of this fact, some will refer to spin loft as “compression”. A lower spin loft creates greater “compression” (and a lower spin rate). I know this is technical but when you are at my bay it all starts to make sense.
Angle of Attack: Taking Flight
The angle of attack (AoA) plays a significant role in determining the distance you can achieve off the tee. A negative attack angle of -4 can negatively impact your distance potential, as it tends to produce a lower launch angle and increased backspin. By working on optimizing your angle of attack, we can help you find the sweet spot that generates maximum power and distance. We want a positive angle of attack with your driver unless you have swing speeds of 120 plus.
Dynamic Loft: Unleashing Potential
Dynamic loft is another vital component that affects your shot distance. By adjusting the dynamic loft, we can optimize the launch angle and spin rate to achieve greater carry and rollout. Through meticulous analysis using Trackman, we can determine how to fine-tune your dynamic loft to maximize your driving distance. Another key component to hitting it longer with proper equipmnet.
Ball Speed, Club Head Speed, Hand Speed: The Power Trio
When it comes to distance gains, nothing beats the power trio of ball speed, club head speed, and hand speed. Ball speed is a direct indicator of the distance your shot will cover, and it can be boosted by increasing club head speed. By analyzing your swing using Trackman and working on specific drills and exercises, we can help you gain more speed in your swing and ultimately increase your ball speed for longer drives.
The Role of 3D Dual Force Plates
At EJS Golf, we have incorporated the usage of 3D Dual Force Plates to enhance our ability to analyze your swing and identify potential areas of power loss. These state-of-the-art plates provide us with detailed data on weight shift, pressure distribution, and force production. By analyzing this data, we can pinpoint any inefficiencies in your swing and develop targeted training programs to optimize your power generation and maximize your driving distance.
In conclusion, by delving into the technical data provided by tools like Trackman and incorporating innovative technologies such as the 3D Dual Force Plates, we can fine-tune your golf swing to gain those extra 10-30 yards with your driver. Through careful assessment and analysis, we can work together to optimize spin axis, angle of attack, dynamic loft, ball speed, club head speed, hand speed, and more. If you're ready to unlock your true potential and add significant yards to your drives, contact EJS Golf for personalized coaching in Scottsdale, AZ. Let's take your golf game to new distances!
Strokes gained data
Let's now look at the difference between the average tee shot in America that travels 220 yards in the air to that same golfer if he gains 30 yards. Strokes gained is a measure that compares a golfer's performance on a given hole or course to another golfer. The strokes gained advantage can be calculated for individual shots, such as drives. According to an analysis of PGA Tour data, every additional yard gained off the tee results in a gain of approximately 0.02 strokes per round. Therefore, a golfer who hits a ball 250 yards in the air should have a strokes gained advantage of approximately 1.5 strokes over a golfer who hits a ball 220 yards in the air, assuming all other things are equal. This s massive and the reason distance matters so much.
Learn to master your game and mind
Golf is as much a mental game as it is physical. I believe it is 100% mental since our brain controls every move we make. My coaching philosophy transcends mere technique; it's about building a mindset that embraces success. I am very ambitious in the sense that not only do I want to create better golfers, I want to help create better humans.
The journey to gaining 10-30 yards with your driver is a blend of science, art, and philosophy. It's about understanding your body, your equipment, and the very essence of the game. Under the guidance of Coach Erik Schjolberg at EJS Golf Academy in Scottsdale, AZ, this quest becomes an achievable goal. Let's learn to Bomb Your Driver together!
For those eager to take their game to the next level, Scottsdale Golf Lessons and Online Golf Lessons are available at EJS Golf and Online Golf Lessons. Learn more about Coach Erik at EJS Golf Academy.
Coach Erik sChjolberg
EJS Golf Academy
coach@ejsgolf.com
(480) 382-3568
Transcript
All right hey buddy good seeing you again today um I feel like this is uh was a great day of um kind of like culmination of the other times we have met of just kind of really getting on the same page and then you know seeing it happen so I just feel like there's um and you know I think I told you one of the last messages I sent you when going through your swing of just getting to a point where we're kind of dialed in on you know certain things in your golf swing and improving those and I just feel like you know like I've told you like I don't ever want you to stop asking questions I feel like I'm the same way as you like I feel like it's fine to be analytical I think you'd find a lot of coaches out there who'll say oh no you can't do that you got to just um it can mess up your game if you're thinking too much about it but well to me that's idiotic like it's that that is not that's giving that's saying you don't have the ability to tune yourself in different over the golf shot um like we are not smart enough I think that's telling people that they can't handle being an analytical and they can't handle.
Understanding where their body is in in space and the club in space yet although that's not good about thinking about all that stuff during our swing but yet that person or whoever it is doesn't have the ability to change to that during their golf swing to get out of that thought maybe move to some external or whatever it is that allows them to be successful I mean I just think it's just really is a shot on you know people when you say that to be like they don't have that ability I think it just I I don't know I think it's just terrible um you know I I think what they probably see is most people making terrible decisions and thinking all that stuff when they're playing so to me it's probably like the education just isn't there so anyways I don't ever want you to stop asking questions because you need to you need to understand what it is um you're doing and why that's just how your brain works so that's great um yeah so I yeah it's fun fun to watch I feel like you did good um you know I'm glad you're starting to see these pictures and video look like you want um and I feel like you do kind of I know you talk about positions you work on positions but I feel like I still feel like you're swinging like you know I think you've you understand golf enough to know that yes you know we could talk positions all day but those are we hit those positions during a swing you know so it's like do they matter yeah right but you know you can't build from position to position position always and say then you have that swing on top of it right so it's like I think you have a grasp of the difference of what positions are but yet how they do come and involve in our golf swing which is the key verse just positional thinking at all times um I think you're very well aware of what the difference is so um let's take a look at this here they have I don't think you saw this last time I did this how this is it's a little different I don't know if I don't like it because I'm not used to it yet or um I don't know yet but I'm not a huge fan right now of how this is down here but maybe I'll just go to get used to it teach us old dog new tricks I mean and still get the number so I feel like I have there's some parts a little better but okay so let's look at this a two and a half inch sway off of it now remember this is your driver so your chest is negative one three so this is what I can do I can click on it and go okay this is where you're negative two and a half and we can look at it and say okay so a tour averages between what barely over zero to one point two five uh maybe that's one and a half no probably 1.25 so it's saying you're a little bit over but here's the thing like let's see where you get to at the top okay like I you know let's see we're here at top before we make a huge judgment and see how you're re-centering because you like that feeling that I think you're doing okay I have not looked at this yet let's see I could be wrong I'm not and you're not so very good I mean look how you are re-centered completely your pelvis is back to right over the top I mean it's just it's absolutely perfect. EJSGolf.com/online-lessons
I'd I would I would say this I wouldn't love to see you going um beyond that two and a half inches because then there's just more of a slide that starts going the other way so I would say that's a number I would keep my eye on and not want you going basically beyond that in saying that I would not you know um worry about it like you're doing good with what you're doing right now okay well I I think that's what's good about this 3D app is I can look at these numbers and say okay cool and you can hear it too and know you're in a good spot but I think we're this these numbers can be bad is if you let any of that get in your head and go oh man Eric's I don't want to go over two and a half you know just keep doing what you're doing and then we have this thing to just kind of check it and to see how you're doing over time right um you know are you going to be screwed up if you go half inch more or half inch less I don't think so I think you'd probably get back close to here I think just the more you have the harder to deal with but this is nice to see I mean this is really nice to see um I mean big change from where you were. EJSGolf.com/onlinelessons
When we started so that's that's really cool um okay I'll see you coming down. I don't know if I even shown you all these different views which are just really cool to look at one of the my favorite ones to look at is um depending on what the person is doing like if they have a big Sway and stuff you can really see where they're moving um like if we go back here I think this is just a cool view to get to right here or this above one look at your hand so I could position their end look at you there so this has to be right before impact I bet.
You got down the line yeah I think um I you know that down the line gives you a lot of value I also you know I feel like you need both but um I feel like I can derive so much from face on too so here's your tilt back. I I just want to see something here yeah see okay I thought that foot was a little off because you you do have your that foot like square and the avatar and I I would think I would have told you something if that left foot wasn't pointed out like that so you're good so let's see let's look at your top one up here just so you can kind of see how that release is happening um with your right hand and getting to that shaking position as tools are to do this. That's a good release so you like I told you you get good really here right.
I get a nice release that there now let's see see look how that's not rolling you're that I guarantee this I can't get I guarantee that thing's pointed you're shaking hands perfect here look at this it's not rolled over you're gonna see the cross like so you were talking about that burnout in the arms right like in between your arm your your arms are there right there too that but that's if you look at where your right hand is I think people can get this confused and think your hand had to roll into that position but think about it doesn't you're shaking hands with your right hand there. EJSGolf.com
You see that I think it just gives the impression and view to people when they look at I'm not saying you but that there's this role that happened to get you right here but as you know from what's working day there couldn't have been because you are you can tell in this you're shaking hands it hasn't rolled over but yet the club's face is closed so I mean it's just perfect um you know like I like that I love the move it this is like super athletic I think just that bounce off that you have right here and how you're re-centering nicely and getting that pelvis just working good there. EJSGolf.com/gear
You know like so the fun thing is is you know I feel like this swing is looking so good but you we have more to do like to like I still think and I I don't know if it's something you want to do at some point but I still feel like you have as big as you are um and once you're healthy you know and feel like I you know you're not I feel like not getting tired that's a nice shoulder turn too buddy like I feel like you can.
I feel like you you can become a bomber of this thing and like if you know if you think about if you're going 110 I mean to me that's like it's not something I want you to think about now but just think about if you added on even if you get up to like 118 you're talking about almost that's about 25 yards more um and then hitting you know you're learning how to hit you know more from you know 60 50 40 those like closer yards I think to help you with that so you can take advantage that's that because I mean I just feel with how big you are and your strength like it's going to be good to get you
The way I look at it like more power like to me it's the whole goal isn't um the the goal doesn't start at speed right unless like unless you're a long hitter that's all you're going for but to me the goal is the way it works is that you're building a better golf swing and then therefore through the better golf swing through maximizing your Anatomy better and the way you move better that it's a byproduct okay so it's like so by getting your lower body to work a little better you know more power off that front foot and stuff like that which will start doing more mat work and just seeing where your vertical forces are and your other rotational forces and horizontal or we'll we'll get measurements more on that stuff and then say okay so because all what you know back to my point we're maximizing then right maximizing your power so it's always like why wouldn't we at some point go that route to maximize who you are as a golfer and what's the byproduct of it more yardage right so if you can be that golfer that is you know hitting it um you know carrying at 3 10 3 15 320 whatever it is that opens up a whole new ball game for you you know I think you then you bring in you know some I think I don't remember if you said 66 was a low but I don't know I think you bring in 63s at that point if you can do that if you can go you obviously have the ability to shoot some get some birdies
Adding this distance is going to get even more but piece by piece right so I don't know what else to say here you're doing great. I'm just going to play this for you so you have in case you want to record just like the swing or in case you want to have just this part to like copy it off. I think I'll do it like I'll give you um I'll just do down the line one for you.
I would say the one thing to be cognizant about is I just look at this I feel like with your clubs you can do I think by just thinking about you can do a little bit better with how your using that right ankle a little bit like I feel like you could roll in say you're quickly up there on the toe like I I don't think it's far off I really don't I think you're pretty close I your right knee seems to stay in pretty good too let's let's look at it on here on the bottom.
It could be in more see like that so if we can get that feeling of having when you have that club under there when you did it you're like how long do I have to do it I was like you just got to get really started so it just has to be that first like roll onto that inside and then you you'll notice like you use more of the inside of the shoe the whole time like I think if somebody look at this say oh that's pretty good yours and I'd say it is pretty good it's but it can get a little bit better okay um it's something I love doing I know some coaches I don't I know don't push this stuff but um I see great benefits from it I really do um and golfers I that teach us to um it benefits where you are with your body with stopping early extension at all um and that's I mean that's one of the biggest ones but you know I find after people get used to it that it benefits with power too um so but I think the power is just through the better synchronization of the golf swing so my opinion on that one so all right buddy um if I don't talk to you I don't even want to say luck um but or best wishes because I know it's going to go well so um I just I can't wait to hear um how it went and let me know or I'll send you a message but send me one if you can I'd like to hear how things went so best of all things to you!
I am proud of you and the future is so bright!