Lack of power off the tee and how to remedy it...

Golf Monthly Top 25 coach Peter Finch explains the key elements you need to look at in your set-up and swing if lack of power is a real issue

1) A solid foundation

Power off the tee requires a strong set-up, and a strong set-up means solid posture. Achieving solid posture is simple in theory, but not quite so easy to master in practice. One way to help is to start with your legs and back nice and straight, tilt forward from the hips and then just add some flex in the knees. Alternatively, you may find it easier to hone your posture in practice starting from a squatting position, then raising yourself up until your knees are nicely flexed.

2) Hit up to reduce spin

The next step is to add in a hint of tilt at address. Dropping the right shoulder slightly below the left will encourage an upward strike through the ball, which is pivotal to reducing spin and increasing clubhead speed.

3) Width and extension

Width in the backswing is crucial to increasing swing speed and therefore power. Without swaying to the right, try to feel the club stretching away from your body until you achieve a nice wide position when the club is roughly parallel to the ground on the way back. You then need almost the mirror image of this coming through the ball as you extend down the line towards the target to add in that final punch of power.

 4) A powerful coil

One of the real keys to more power is a solid lower half for your upper body to coil against. To help achieve a powerful coil and keep your lower half nice and steady, you want the feeling that your right knee is being held in place inwards. This will restrict hip turn on the way back and give your upper body something to coil against. If the right knee straightens on the way back, the right hip will extend backwards and you will lose power in your coil. From here, it’s a matter of turning the shoulders and rotating fully to the top. You then need to feel as though your hips are moving downwards into impact, driving the force you’ve generated into the ground before you then rotate through the ball.

5) Step by step

You won’t be able to get your head round all of these power keys at once, so far better to pick it apart and work on the various elements individually at first. Do this - and put in the hours – and you will eventually reap dividends in terms of added power off the tee.