Ailsa Murphy: Gain driver distance with better rotation in your backswing

I often have students who come to me and think they need to keep their lower body still on the backswing, but this can do more harm than good. Instead, you should look to rotate to gain distance with your driver.

Some players think that in their backswing, particularly with the driver, they need to remain stable with their lower body. That’s not the case and if you look at some of the best players in the world, they rotate so much that a gap appears between their legs.

Take Matt Fitzpatrick for example, a player who has really gained distance in recent times. If you look below, you can see the light appear between his legs from a down the line view of his swing.

Why this works

In reality, we need to make a good turn on the way back to allow us to generate speed. If you do that properly, your right hip is going to move away from the ball and your left knee will naturally move forward. For someone standing down the line of your shot, they’re going to see a gap between your front and back leg.

If your legs are too static, you’re not going to create space on the backswing to generate any power on the way through. If you do this, you’re relying on hands and arms to get your speed and power, and you’re going to struggle for distance.

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Do this to hit your driver further

People get worried because they feel like they’re going to get quite erratic, but as long as you have a solid stance and you can keep it controlled with a good tempo, you’ll be absolutely fine.

If you like to film your swing, take a look from down the line and see if you can see a gap between your right and left knee. If you can, then chances are you’re making a good turn. If not, then you could be leaving valuable distance on the table.

This piece of advice first appeared in issue 201 of bunkered. To subscribe to the magazine, click here.