Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
If that title does not get your attention, I don’t know what will! I have found the answer to the age-old question on how to hit the ball longer.
A few years ago, I once had the opportunity to spend some time with Bubba Watson, pictured right, when he was playing at The Dunlop Phoenix Open in Japan.
After watching him hit balls for 15 minutes, I finally conjured up the nerve to ask him how he hits it so far.
I expected some long drawn out technical answer on swing techniques and equipment but he simply said: “I bite my tongue.” What? That`s all he said: “I bite my tongue.”
How could that help? Well, I tried it and he is not lying … it works. Here is how you do it and why it works.
Now, before going any further I have to write off some liability by saying TRY THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK. I can see the letters and e-mails already if this process is not followed to a ‘T’.
Remember, the idea is not to draw blood, just to concentrate on your tongue so you get your mind off your other muscles.
Now, the premise of this training aid is to create more club head speed by forcing you to relax your big muscles in your upper body and your wrists. An easy way to do this is by putting your tongue between your teeth or sticking your tongue out, ala Michael Jordan, before taking the club head away from the golf ball.
Doing so will not allow you to tense up your neck and shoulder muscles giving you a more fluid, sinewy golf swing with more club head speed which sends the ball farther.
Over-gripping or ‘squeezing’ the golf club causes all of your muscles to tense up and limits your range of motion.
The tongue-bite training aid MAKES you relax those muscles and enables the club head speed to increase through a more effortless relaxed golf swing.
This training aid is great for the practice tee but I have found it works on the golf course as well.
Try it on your swing and see if you can pick up some extra yardage. Or, if one member of your foursome is a loudmouth, you might suggest this technique for him. Even if he doesn`t get more yardage, at least you’ll shut him up for a while.
