Mar 15
Monday
Ken's Instructional Corner Print E-mail
I would like to talk about getting off the tee with our woods!  The reason I'm starting here is because I just gave a ladies clinic on this topic, and it was so successful that it is fresh in my mind.

There are 4 steps we need to follow in hitting a good tee shot:

1) SET-UP: A very important step to any golf shot, but super important for the tee shot.

  • Feet are to be at least shoulder width
  • Ball position must be played just inside our front heel. (Left heel for right-handed golfers and right heel for left-handed golfers)
  • With the new technology today, and the big headed drivers, please tee the ball up nice and high. At least half the ball over the clubhead.

2) CONTACT:  Before we can worry about steps 3 and 4 we must learn how to make solid contact. Start with some small, slow swings until you start to hear that PING SOUND.
You all know what i mean, that solid feeling of the ball hitting the driver or 3-wood with no ground. Remember we want to sweep our woods, not hit down on them like an iron shot. That is why the set up is so important. Start with small swings and work your way up in speed.

3) DIRECTION:  As your contact gets better, start to aim your shots. Pick a target out on the range and see how close you can get to it. Remember: aim small, miss small. Remember that on all shots!

4) DISTANCE:  Once we have mastered the first three steps, we can now start working on the Big D (DISTANCE)..

I hate to say this, but the only way to hit the golf ball farther is to swing a little bit harder. Now if you over swing you will notice that your good contact will go away, and you will also feel off balance when you finish your golf swing.

People trust me when I tell you that the tour pros are swinging hard with their drivers, but they have mastered all the steps and that is why it looks so easy for them. Maybe someday you can get there.

I will finish by telling you that in last week's Ladies Clinic I had 12 ladies in two hours smiling because they kept hearing that PING SOUND. If you practice these steps you will be smiling walking down the fairway after your tee shot.

Thank you,

KEN SANDS
TEACHING PROFESSIONAL
HONEYBROOK GOLF CLUB

If you have any questions I can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or at (610) 273-0207.