Suddenly Lost Distance In Your Golf Game? Check These 5 Causes First

If you’ve suddenly lost distance in your golf game, it can bring on pure panic. You don’t feel injured. Nothing major changed. Yet everything is shorter. Distance loss doesn’t always mean something’s broken. Often, it’s just a subtle swing change, setup shift or body movement that crept in unnoticed. Here are five of the most common (and fixable) reasons you’ve suddenly lost distance.

You’re cutting across the ball

A common cause of sudden distance loss? You’ve started swinging across the target line without realizing it. This outside-to-in path often produces a glancing blow and not a direct strike.

Most of the time, the clubface stays open and that adds spin and loft. You may hit it higher and slightly to the right of the target (right-handed players). Even with good tempo and swing speed, it’s tough to compensate for this incorrect path.

Fix it: Revisit your alignment and swing path. Feel like you’re swinging more from the inside. Use an alignment stick or towel just outside the target line to exaggerate a more efficient path.

You’ve lost lag in the downswing

“Lag” is the angle between your lead arm and the club shaft on the downswing. Lose it too early and you’ve got nothing left to deliver at impact.

Releasing too soon is usually the result of pulling with the arms instead of rotating the body. If your arms start to take over, you’ll lose some of the lag you need. This kills clubhead speed, eliminates compression and reduces ball speed, even if your tempo feels fine.

Fix it: Focus on starting the downswing with your hips, not your hands. Keep your wrists soft. Drills like “pump and hold” or pausing at the top help rebuild that delayed release.

Your foot placement is hurting rotation

Sometimes it’s not your swing that’s changed on you, it’s your stance. Take a look at your trail foot and see if opening it slightly and setting it back just an inch or so could make the difference. A square lead foot can restrict hip rotation, especially if you have a history of a tight back or hips.

A simple change like this can quickly fix your issues with distance loss.

Fix it: Flare out your lead foot slightly at address. It’s a small adjustment that can unlock better rotation, smoother transitions and a more complete release through the ball.

Your backswing length changed

It doesn’t take much. A few inches shorter (or longer) and your entire sequencing can go off.

Too short: You don’t give yourself time or space to generate speed or to rotate and square the clubface. Too long: You over-extend, lose structure and are forced to use your arms to catch up.

Fix it: Aim for a controlled backswing where the club reaches parallel with width and coil, not just length. A good checkpoint? Shoulder turn completes before the arms stop moving.

Your lower body got lazy

Maybe you spent a little extra time at the gym yesterday and your legs are dragging behind. When your legs stop driving the swing, you’ll hang back on the trail leg, struggle with transferring energy through the ball, and your arms may take over.

You’ll probably notice flat-footed finishes or your belt buckle not clearing the ball at impact.

You may not notice it but when your legs stop driving the swing, your distance disappears.

Fix it: Get your lower body moving earlier in the downswing. Make sure you stretch and your legs are fluid and ready to move. Use the “squat and push” drill to re-engage your lower body and improve ground force.

Start at the top of your backswing and then squat slightly as you begin the downswing. As your weight shifts forward, push through your lead foot and extend through impact. This helps you activate the ground and generate more power without relying on your arms.

Final thoughts

There’s one thing you should notice about these five causes: they’re simple. There’s no talk of one-plane versus two-plane swings, for example, and we’re not overhauling your entire motion. The goal is to identify a small change that may be causing the issue and make the necessary correction.

The post Suddenly Lost Distance In Your Golf Game? Check These 5 Causes First appeared first on MyGolfSpy.