You may have heard this statement before when describing how to add more length to your game. The reason why it's not natural to use the ground at first is that in golf we grip the club in our hands. Therefore when we do decide to add power, our instincts take over and we tend to use our arms and our hands instead of using our legs. When we just use our arms we can often feel the swing is faster, however distance can sometimes decrease. This is because at a technical standpoint, the more we just use our arms the more we lose our posture.
The best way to describe the difference between using the ground and not is imagining throwing a ball standing only on your tippy toes versus squatting down and turning and then throwing. You will instantly feel that by squatting down and turning your can create more pressure into the ground and therefore enabling you to throw further. One of the ways of spotting if someone is using their hands and arms too much is seeing their spine angle at impact. The common position is called 'early extension' where at impact the hips come toward the ball, making the spine angle come up thus limiting the amount of hip turn through the ball.
This position limits the amount of power that one can generate through the ball. When you see the best players in the world such as Rahm, DeChambeau and Fleetwood, you will see how similar they are at impact. You will see that their 'butt' is even pushed back further than where it was at address and the hips rotated to the left at impact. This gives you a clear indication that they are pressurizing the ground whilst rotating through the ball.
One of the best way to feel this force into the ground is grabbing a piece of wood and placing it under the centre of your feet. As you swing down, I want you to balance on the piece of wood whilst pressurizing the ground. You will feel great force being applied and as a net result, your spine angle will instantly maintain position. Once you have performed this drill several times, remove the wood and start hitting balls. You should instantly feel a difference. You will feel greater force through the ground and hence produce shots that are more powerful and often more accurate.
If you'd like any further help in creating power just book in with myself at David Waters Golf located at Emerald Lakes Coaching Centre.
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