If I were to get the opportunity to write a golf driver tip for a magazine, I’d say something against the norm.  Something teaching instructors wouldn’t want to hear.  Do you want to know what it is?  It’s not some quick fix, because they never work long-term.  The “only” thing that works long-term is working on you.

Your body has a current level of physical ability.  I don’t care how many balls you hit at the range; how many lessons you take; and what driver you’re swinging.  Hitting the ball further takes an increase in clubhead speed.  Period.  So hitting more balls or taking more lessons won’t improve this.

The only thing that can improve clubhead speed is strengthening your core rotational strength and flexibility.  Your core is the engine to your swing.  A weak or inflexible core will not give you the results you are looking for.

The golf swing a turn back and a turn through.  Isn’t that about as simple as you can make it?  If that’s true, why wouldn’t you improve your body’s ability to rotate quicker and more powerfully?  This is the ticket to longer drives!

There are many simple, yet effective core rotational exercises you can do in your home, or even office to greatly improve your clubhead speed and driving distance.

Do you want an easy one you can do right in your chair?

Cross your arms in front of your chest.  Sit up tall and erect.  With a fixed head position, rotate to the right and left slowly.  See how far you can go.  Do this without stopping.  As you feel a loosening of the core, start to rotate faster and faster.  Do this 20 or 30 times when you think about it and I guarantee you’ll feel it.

Since time is such a valuable commodity, you’ve got to get creative.  I’ve put together a complete section of my manual that covers simples stretches and exercises you can do right in your chair in your office.  You can’t get more convenient than that.

I hope I didn’t disappoint you with this golf driver tip.

These are some of the many concerns amateur golfers have whenever the idea of a golf coach is suggested to them. Genuine concerns but mostly outdated because the modern game has changed a lot and continue to change.

One of the most distinct changes witnessed in the game is the wide acceptance of golf coaches, exercises and muscle conditioning programs in a sport that has for generations been viewed as a leisure sport with no room for any sort of exercising or muscle strengthening programs.

Has your golf game been getting just a little too frustrating in recent times? Have you been suffering many more humiliating defeats than is the case ordinarily?

Then there is the increasing possibility that you are playing against people who are involved in exercise programs and have a personal golf coach who has been helping them work on improvements in their game.

How can you possibly compete with a golfer who has such a huge advantage over you? How can you ever hope to enjoy your game of golf the way you used to in the days when a golf coach was a strange and uncommon phrase in the game?

Probably the biggest advantage of having a golf coach is that they are able to specifically work on your weaknesses using golf specific exercise programs to strengthen the muscles that are critical for you to play a good round of golf.

A golf coach will also help you avoid some of the common but painful and disruptive injuries of the game like the golfer elbow. They will help you avoid them by getting you to warm up properly before a round of gold and do stretches that will help you tone up to tip-top condition for your game.

What’s more, is that there is no age limit in the golfers opting to get a golf coach to help them with their physicals. Even senior citizens are able to successfully implement the exercise programs into their game. In fact some have been able to get rid of nagging back injuries for good.

Do seriously consider engaging a golf coach.

To achieve a better golf swing, a golfer needs to realize just how physically demanding it is on the human body.  You are swing an object (golf club) at up to 100 mph.  This puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles.

If these tissues of the body are weak, tight or brittle they will rupture and eliminate you from playing golf indefinitely.  If it doesn’t, your performance will pay the price.  The outcome either way is not what you want…but will happen without an emphasis on strengthening these areas.

Along with strengthening comes stretching.  Stretching muscles to attain a better golf swing is common among most golfers.  Although it is common, most golfers don’t stretch.  Why?  Because it is viewed as ‘work’.  But if it were viewed as a form of golf improvement it would be a different story.

Swing mechanics cannot be improved if your golf specific strength and flexibility are ignored.  It is an impossibility, unless you compensate for this lack of capabilities in your golf swing.  Teaching pros are now starting to realize there is a definite connection between golf swing mechanics and fitness.

But that’s where the BIG gap is.  Between instruction and physical fitness.  This is the ultimate combination for total golf performance and I have been preaching it for several years now.  When your physical capabilities are improved, your golf swing mechanics become much easier to achieve.

The next time you visit your teaching pro, to achieve a better golf swing, you’ll be able to do what he/she wants and the desired outcome will be achieved.  This outcome is inevitable when you get your body moving better.  Your golf swing mechanics fall into place.

It will only be a matter of time when all golfers will approach their golf improvement this way.  It’s the only way that will warrant lasting results and ultimately a better golf swing.

Actually a bad golfer ignores or is unaware of what has to be the single most important aspect of the golf swing. This is the setup or positioning before the swing.

It does not matter how good your swing is and how much correct technique you have used. If you do not pay attention to your swing, you are a bad golfer and it will clearly show when you have hit the ball.

All great golfers are aware of how important the setup is and you can be sure that many bad golfers are not. If you setup correctly for a shot, chances are extremely high that you will hit a good shot. So important is your setup that even if you swing poorly in a good setup position, you are bound to at least hit a reasonable shot.

A good setup will enable you achieve a good posture and the sort of balance that will help you maintain balance and inevitably control throughout the shot.

The correct setup comes with correct training and even more important; exercising and conditioning of the muscles you use in your entire body for the swing. A bad golfer will more often than not be the sort of person who does not do golf-specific exercises aimed at improving their golf. The result is that they will not even be able to tell the difference between a good setup position and a bad one, simply because they will tend to feel uncomfortable in both.

It is amazing but true that all it takes to move you swiftly to the ranks of a good golfer from amongst the majority of bad golfers is a simple exercise routine, most of which you can even do from your office while you work.

There are many criteria to selecting the school that is worthy of the investment, and this is not an exhaustive list. However, consider these to get you focused on what is important to you.

Key #1) Golfing style
As with any topic or subject matter to learn, golf can be played in many styles. Most of them based on your personality and skill level. Some play aggressively, others, like me, more conservatively. But ultimately you have to choose a school or instructor that matches you.

Your skills, your personality, your style.

Key #2) Problem areas
I have trouble with slicing. Consistently I find that my shots slice to the right. You, to be sure, have at least one issue with your game or specific shots.    You may want to find a school to address and help correct that shortcoming. If you come back from a long weekend and your slice has vanished, you would have had time (and money) well spent.

Key #3) Instructor to class-size ratio
This is a personal preference item. Some people learn in a group setting (even craze the interaction). Others of you need the attention that a one or two person class offers. It may also depend on what you are trying to gain from the school which one you actually choose.

Key #4) Price
For some this may not be an issue. Golf is your life and no amount of money is too much if you improve your game, and thus your enjoyment. For others, big obstacle. If you are considering a golf school then you know that most start above $1500. There are some “big name” instructors offering half day lessons for $10,000.

You know your budget. If you are price sensitive then, by all means, do not forget to add in travel, lodging, and food costs. Many times these “incidentals” can double the overall cost.

Key #5)  Proximity
What is your traveling distance? Is your schedule tight so slipping off within 100 miles for a half day lesson is all you can squeeze. Or, are you planning your school around a vacation so distance is not really an issue. One plus of keeping tabs on those schools “in your own backyard” is when these offer last-minute specials you can jump on those quickly.

Key #6) Length of training
How long can you take off from your profession to pursue your passion? Like any good consultant would answer, it depends. It depends on whether you are looking for a long weekend, a one day seminar, or wrapping a vacation around your training. This is an important factor in choosing a school so compare wisely.

Still there are very few people who can claim to have had their games improved by a golf instruction video. So here are three tips to help you ensure that you reap maximum fruits from every golf instruction video that you ever get to watch.

1) Watch the golf instruction video several times

Some people watch golf instruction videos to try and get a single Magic formula that will revolutionize their game. They do not realize that the valuable nuggets in these videos are hidden in the many small things you need to do which add up to a great improvement in your game.

This is why it is very important to watch the video several times. At least twice.

2) Get webcam shots of yourself playing and compare your posture and positioning to what you see in the golf instruction video

It may not be very easy to tell what is wrong with your golf swing for example or how to correct it without taking a very close look at your game.

The best way to do this is to get somebody else to take webcam shots of you on the course as you play. When you watch these alongside the golf instruction videos, it will be very easy for you to tell where your problem areas are and what you need to do to correct them.

3) Do golf-specific exercises to condition your body and muscles

Thirdly you will need your body and the relevant muscles to co-operate with our mind as you try to implement what you have seen on the golf instruction video.

One of the most effective ways of doing this is by getting involved in a golf-specific exercise program to tone and strengthen all the ‘golf muscles’ in your body. This way, they’ll be nothing to stop you from reaping maximum benefits from every golf instruction video you watch.