Add 50 Yards to Your Golf Drives Using the Distance Concepts of B-L-A-S-T

Think BLAST to Drive Your Golf Ball 50 Yards Farther

Picking up extra distance on your drives shortens the golf course, makes par 5’s and long par 4’s reachable, and makes it easier to shoot lower scores. Plus it’s just plain fun to smack it a mile off the tee.

Every day golf students come to me asking if I can help them improve their driving distance. They know that I won the World Long Drive Championship, and that I also coach some of the top Long Drivers in the country.

Invariably the answer is YES!

Nearly all golfers can hit the ball farther once they understand the concepts behind a swing that generates distance.

It’s not about a methodology. Understanding distance concepts allows golfers the freedom to incorporate the concepts in a way that works for them with the swing they already have. Students are relieved when they learn that they don’t have to change their golf swing or make some crazy move just to hit the ball farther. Their swing will change. But it will change in a natural way that will make sense and feel comfortable.

The distance concepts they learn are captured in the acronym B.L.A.S.T., which stands for:

1. Balance

2. Leverage

3. Arc

4. Speed of Core Rotation

5. Target Extension

BALANCE stands for athletic balance. You need to be in your most athletic posture to make your most athletic swing. That means you need to start at address with your weight centered over the area where all the action happens – the balls of your feet.

LEVERAGE stands for your position at the top of your golf swing. At the top of your swing you need to have your weight centered over the inside part of the ball of your right foot. That is the area you will be pushing from when you start your downswing, and it is what allows you to start the downswing with the lower body. Maintaining your leverage position is also the key to maximizing your power through the moment of truth: impact.

ARC stands for swing arc. You should be looking for a wider, shallower swing instead of a narrow, vertical swing. Picture a coffee cup and saucer. Most weak golf swings follow the path of the cup. To hit longer drives, widen your arc to resemble the saucer.

SPEED stands for core rotation. The faster your core rotates, the faster your clubhead speed, and more clubhead speed translates directly into greater distance. Weaker, slower, and more erratic swings result when the core slows or even stops as it turns to the ball during the downswing. Powerful, longer, straighter drives have continuous core rotation through the ball towards the target.

TARGET stands for target extension. Thinking about target extension facilitates a better ARC as well as more core SPEED. Too many golfers think the swing stops at the ball. Swinging through the ball towards the target will ensure greater clubhead speed and more accuracy.

By thinking “BLAST” the average golfer can add 20 to 50 yards to their tee shots in a way that works with their natural golf swing.