From the mind of Roger Wyatt

I've been revamping my swing for a while now

Ever since I went to a practice round at the Masters in 2008, I have been revamping my swing to improve my distance. I had always been a relatively short hitter, having started playing late in life, but very accurate. However, I reached a point where no amount of improved accuracy would overcome the lack of distance off the tee and with my irons. I was hitting mid and long irons into too many greens which challenged me with getting close to the hole. Very rarely was I hitting wedge or 9-iron into a green. More common for me was 5-7 irons. The only time I hit 9 or wedge was on a par-5 - on my 3rd shot. I had my handicap down to 10 and was pretty happy about that fact considering I only took up the game 2 years earlier.

Ian Poulter Ruined My Golf Game

Okay, not entirely fair to Ian. My wife going on bedrest with my 3rd child ruined my game, but it was a video of Ian's swing that caused me to revamp my own swing. I discovered where Ian and other pro's get their incredible distance with such apparent minimal effort. Ian destroyed my swing by degrees - the angle between his forearm and the club. I put the video of his swing into V1Home and carefully measured the angles at different points in the swing. Then I put my own video in and did the same. I found that while I was accurate, I was not storing up enough energy in the clubhead properly. So I set out to rework my swing to gain more distance while keeping the accuracy.

Something Had To Give

I worked on growing my ability to let my wrists stay flexible throughout the swing. It meant that my forearm strength had to get better. You see, I realized the physics involved meant that the closer the clubhead (the heavy part) could stay to the center of rotation, the more whip I could generate in the club. Looking at my old video, the clubhead was leaving the center of rotation early and it meant that I was working way too hard. In no time, I gained 10yds with every club in my bag - and my swing was getting more and more effortless. That's the funny thing about golf, it's a game of opposites. Swing harder, hit shorter - swing easier, hit farther. I have kept working on it and now I am up to 20+ yds more with each club, but in the ensuing time my accuracy had dropped.

More Video Provided The Answer

I got sloppy in 2 areas - I started swaying my hips (see my 6 rules to hit the ball straight, and I started coming over the top. It was obvious and should have been obvious as my sloppiness increased, but since I was getting 20yds more with an easier swing I didn't really notice. I didn't notice until I looked at my divots. It was clear. So I had work to do. I went back to my 6 rules and added in my new ability to keep my clubhead under control and everything popped into place. My divots are now straight down the line, my distance picked up a few more yards, my accuracy came back, and I still can control the ball flight like I want. I am working on getting the accuracy back with the driver now before I get back to playing.

How Far I have Come

When I was a 10 handicap, I got there by being very accurate with every club in the bag, but I was not a long hitter. It put a lot of pressure on my short game so I had to be good chipping and putting to make par. Well, I also changed my game attitude which resulted in more birdies and less bogeys. I'll write about that later.

Here the chart with the old and new distances.
PW - 100 - 130
9i - 120 - 150
8i - 130 - 157
7i - 140 - 165
6i - 150 - 175
5i - 160 - 185
4i - 170 - 195
3hyrid - 180 - 210

I think I could still stretch the 8i a bit, don't know why it didn't move up more. I'm pleased with the PW and 9i having made the most jump in those clubs - probably because I work with them more. It is nice that I have extended my clubs and have been able to maintain my accuracy. Once I start playing regularly again, we'll see how it affects my handicap. I'm still not super long, but I'm comfortable with the results. It was a long road, but a fun one. The first time I hit 15 balls from 175 with a 6i and had 10 on the green (where I practice has a green to hit to) and I never felt like I was swinging hard was such a revelation. I knew then I was on the right track - I just needed to get it ingrained in my.

... and it's not too bad for a guy who has had 2 lessons and only been playing for 4 years