Long hitters

[LGolf]

Hi Karin,

Are people born to be long hitters or is that something you become from practice and many hours in the gym?

Did you do anything special (got any secret?) to become a long hitter or were you a long hitter from start?

[Sjodin]

Hey LGolf,

I would guess that ones genes have a lot to do with how far we hit the ball. Someone with explosive muscle fibers should hit the ball farther, than a person with "slower fibers" (given that the mechanics of the golf swing are equally good).
I also think that it has a lot to do with how you approach golf as a youngster. If you learn to give the ball "a wack" and use power as a young player you will probably keep doing that growing up. My coach has often told me that it's easier to teach a long-hitter to swing softer and hit it shorter and straighter, than it is to teach a short-knocker to use more force.

I've always participated in lots of different sports, but didn't start to lift weights regularly until my senior year of high school. The last few years, since I got to the US, I've worked out quite a bit during the fall, winter, and spring, but slacked during the heat of the season. I know that I should work out throughout the entire year, and this is something I will try to do from now on. At present, I'm just happy that I'm naturally strong and don't have to work extremely hard in the gym to hit the ball as far as I do!

As a little side note I should probably tell you that I lift weights primarily to prevent injuries and not to increase distance off the tee.