Kian O’Donnell is a PGA of America Golf Fitness Coach at Seattle Golf Fitness in Mercer Island, Washington.
Kian O’Donnell on the importance of gaining distance off the tee:
Driving distance may or may not be the first thing that your golfers think of when it comes to lowering their scores. However, hitting the ball farther off the tee may be the key to unlocking their potential on the golf course. In 2024, there were a total of 39 tournaments on the PGA Tour from January to September. Of the 39 tournaments, 29 of them were won by players who averaged over 300 yards with their driver. That’s a whopping 74 percent of the tournaments in the 2024 season. All 39 tournaments were won by players who averaged 291 yards or more. If you haven’t been convinced that driving distance matters, of the top 100 golfers in the world, 97 of them hit the ball an average of 290 yards or more. There is an undeniable correlation between driving distance and success on the PGA Tour. We established that hitting the ball a long way directly impacts how you score. And if you think about it, hitting an 8- or a 9-iron into every green versus a 5- or a 6-iron will likely render more greens in regulation and a better score. So, how can you help your students hit the ball farther? First, you need to look at their flexibility and mobility. A full turn in the backswing is a 90-degree turn – 45 degrees from your hips and 45 degrees from your torso. If they are restricted in either upper or lower body mobility, it will likely lead to a lack of speed in the swing, not to mention a breakdown within their swing with one or more swing flaws.
Kian O’Donnell on the business impact of gaining distance off the tee:
Another factor that impacts distance is how stable one is. You need to be able to load into your trail leg on the backswing and transfer your weight to your lead leg in the downswing. Without stability, it will be very difficult to load into either leg effectively, resulting in inefficient movement patterns that don’t give you much distance. Moving your body through the kinematic sequence is imperative to hit the ball far. This sequence goes as follows: on the backswing, your arms move first, your torso second and your hips last. On the downswing, your hips should fire first, your torso second, your arms third and lastly the clubhead just before impact. Without this sequence, you’ll lose a lot of potential distance in your golf game. Lastly, help your students hit the weights to work on strength and speed for the golf swing. They may be flexible, stable and have an efficient golf swing, but without strength and power, they’re missing out on a huge opportunity to lower their scores.
If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email kian@seattlegolffitness.com.
