This week, I’m accompanied by Lia Bouthiller, a 13-year-old athlete that I’ve had the chance to train for 2 years. She is part of the competition team at the Vallée Du Richelieu Golf Club and participates in the South Shore Golf-Study program at De Mortagne High School.
For this tip of the week, I explain how to optimize your swing speed, regardless of your physique.
Here’s how Lia manages to hit more than double her weight with her driver.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxEN5wsfqKw
On the video, we can clearly see that Lia begins the transition of her momentum with her legs.
As with a serve in tennis or a pitcher in baseball, the motion sequence begins with the legs. Then come the abdominals (the core) which rotate quickly towards the target, to allow you to “cross the ball” with as much speed as possible.
To achieve this, it is very important to keep a calm rhythm in transition, to allow the big muscles to work before the small ones…
It’s often said that in golf you shouldn’t force yourself, but I think it’s worse to hold back.
Often I ask my athletes to hit the ball as hard as possible and suddenly they start to use their legs and their core more, in order to bring more speed to their swing. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy for everyone. Many players use their arms and upper body more in transition. This greatly takes away precision and power.
At the end of the short video, Lia shows us an exercise that you can easily do here at Académie Vallée Du Richelieu or at a golf center near you. This drill will help you shift your weight to the front leg and spin towards the target, leaving the hands passive in transition. You absolutely have to put your foot down first to feel the power coming from your quads and glutes.
Do not hesitate to contact me via the Academy website if you want to work on this concept directly with me.
www.academievalleedurichelieu.com
Thank you and good practice
Marc-André Guimond Associate Professional, Richelieu Valley Academy
