So you want to hit the ball further. Name one golfer who doesn’t? All golfers want to maximise their length, not only from the tee, but from the fairway.

Technological advances in equipment during the past decade have all been geared toward hitting the ball further. Golf balls fly further and clubs – drivers and irons – hit the ball greater distances because they are far more forgiving on off-centre hits. But it is your body and the relationship between your rotating shoulders and hips that is the key to increasing the length you hit each club in the bag. This relationship is known as the X-Factor.

WHAT IS THE ‘X-FACTOR’?

Some golfers may have heard of it but for those still lost in the jargon, the X-Factor theory simply measures the differential
between the golfer’s shoulder turn and hip turn, at the top of the backswing. The greater the difference, the more coil and
power you’ll achieve at impact. The result is much longer and more accurate hits.

If you think of your shoulders and your hips as dials on a compass, you can see how this works. A full shoulder turn of 90˚ on the backswing, where a line across the shoulders would be perpendicular to the ground, minus a hip turn of about 30˚, where the left heel has come off the ground and
the hips have turned slightly, would give you an X-Factor of 60, which is pretty good.

Any X-Factor over 50 isn’t bad for any golfer, particularly those aged 40-plus. If your other fundamentals are sound, an
X-Factor of 60 (pictured above) should allow you to generate a good amount of clubhead speed at impact.

A shoulder turn of 80˚, which is still good for the over-40 golfer, minus a hip turn of 20˚, which is likely to mean both feet have
remaining fi rmly planted on the ground during the backswing, still generates an X-Factor of 60.

This means the golfer who turns his shoulders only 80˚ but keeps his hips more firmly planted creates the same amount of energy as the golfer who turns his shoulders 90˚ but turns his hips 30˚.

USE A SPRING VISUAL
Here is something you can visualise as you try to work through the X-Factor. Think of your torso as a coil spring. Imagine your shoulders at the upper end with your hips at the lower end. Do you have the picture? Now grab your spring at the upper (shoulder) end and rotate it around its longitudinal axis without securing the lower end. As you might expect, you’ll encounter no resistance because the bottom end is
not attached to anything.

Now repeat the twisting action. But this time, secure the bottom end of your spring with your other hand. Notice that
the more you twist the more resistance you experience as the twist (or X-Factor) increases. This coiling is the mechanism
behind a power swing. Now imagine suddenly releasing the shoulder end of your imaginary spring. Can you see the speed and power as your shoulder unwinds like a sling shot whipping towards the ball?

If you can translate this visual to your golf swing you will be well on your way to hitting longer, straighter shots.

Perhaps the most common mistake club golfers make in trying to generate huge clubhead speeds is to make a
massive shoulder turn, wrapping the club around your upper body like a piece of string.

A huge wind-up on the backswing, a la John Daly, doesn’t necessarily translate to clubhead speed on the downswing.

You can turn your shoulders through the 90˚ (or perpendicular) to 100˚ or even 110˚, but if you also rotate your hips to about 60˚ (in relation to the target line) you have
only created an X-Factor of 40 or 50.

This will build and store far less energy than the player with the shorter, more easily achieved, 80-degree shoulder
turn who keeps their hips close to their address position.

Another mistake many amateurs make is that they pick the club up with the hands in the backswing.

It is possible to take the club as far back as many professionals without turning your shoulders at all. All you have to do is pick the club up with your hands and you can create an X-Factor of zero. If you do actually make contact with the ball with this type of swing, the results will be
pretty ordinary.

Remember, there really is only one principle to remember about the upper body rotation in golf and that it isn’t
how far you turn your shoulders on the backswing, it’s how much of an X-Factor you can create that really counts.

For more information purchase a copy of the February Issue of Golf Australia.

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