If you’ve ever taken a golf lesson or gone down the rabbit hole of swing videos online, you’ve likely heard about the importance of sequencing. A well-timed swing generates more speed and power than one that’s out of sync. 

However, there’s a critical link in the chain many amateurs forget—largely because they don’t even realize it’s part of their sequence in the first place.

Mike Perpich, a GOLF Top 100 Teacher, explains that if you want to hit longer, straighter drives, you have to learn how to time your head in your swing. Not your clubhead. Your noggin.

Sequence your head for more speed

Now, you might be wondering, “what does my head have to do with my golf swing?”

As Perpich explains, the head plays a vital role in the swing because it helps counterbalance your lower body in your transition and downswing. This creates a slingshot effect that boosts clubhead speed.

It works like this: as you transition into the downswing, you change direction. To do so, you have to push off your trail foot. As a result, pressure shifts forward. This initiatives your downswing sequence. But, as Perpich explains, it also causes your force to move from back to front. As your club and lower body move forward, your upper body actually needs to resist briefly and work in the opposite direction. 

“You can’t have the top and the bottom going in the same direction,” Perpich says. “Your head is going to feel like it’s going backwards. That’s what helps speed the clubhead up.”

This brief moment of separation is what causes the “whip” effect that elite players use to maximize speed.

Time your head to boost accuracy

Poor head sequencing might be draining you of power. It could also be the cause of your mis-hits with the driver. In a swing where the head is going forward at the same time as their lower body, Perpich says, the path of the swing will likely travel too far out—or over the top—and you’re going to have to compensate to strike the ball.

“When the head moves with the torso, you’re hitting down with the driver,” he says, “So, you’re not going to get a center hit, and you’re also not going to get an ascending blow.”

Remember: head backwards for longer straighter drives

If you’re trying to incorporate this into your swing, Perpich says to think about the top of your head going backwards as you change direction and begin the transition into your downswing.

“It’s like a whip, a slingshot,” he says, “You have to have the bottom half going forward, but the top half is going backwards.” 

Do that, and you’ll hit longer, straighter drives.

Advertisement

Sign up for GOLF Schools Today

Improve your game with GOLF Top 100 Teachers.

Advertisement

The Detroit Tigers and standout rookie third baseman Kevin McGonigle have agreed to an eight-year contract extension, the club announced on Wednesday. The deal is worth $150 million guaranteed and includes escalators that could push the total value to $160 million. It kicks in for 2027 and will run through the 2034 season.

McGonigle’s deal is the latest in a recent spate of long-term extensions for young players with little or no MLB service time. His pact is larger than the recent one signed by young shortstop Konnor Griffin and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The 21-year-old McGonigle is a former No. 37 overall draft pick out of a Pennsylvania high school who’s thus far enjoying a highly productive rookie campaign in Detroit. 

Advertisement

Through the first 17 games of his MLB career, McGonigle has an OBP of .417 with more walks (11) than strikeouts (eight). He’s also slugging .492 with six doubles and an OPS+ of 162. Thanks to strong quality-of-contact measures, McGonigle boasts an expected slugging of .546, which puts him in the 90th percentile of MLB hitters in projectable power. That’s in addition to his running the bases well and playing sound defense at short and third for a Tigers team with designs on making the playoffs for a third straight year.

“Since I’ve been drafted by the Tigers, the way I am, I’m loyal,” McGonigle said at a press conference Wednesday. “I want to stick in one spot and help a team to win a World Series.”

Coming into the 2026 season, CBS Sports ranked McGonigle as the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball. Here’s part of our write-up: 

McGonigle is probably the single most polished hitter not already in the majors. He’s a lefty who, when he’s in his stance, resembles a mirrored version of Jose Altuve. There are some skill-set similarities too. McGonigle can hit the ball wherever, whenever, and often with gusto behind it. He’s mindful of the zone, and last year he walked 13 times more than he struck out combined across three levels. McGonigle has shown headiness on the basepaths in the past, though last year he wasn’t as successful in volume or efficiency. Defensively, he may play shortstop at the onset of his big-league career as a necessity to get his bat in the lineup. McGonigle seems unlikely to remain at the six much beyond that, however, with second base appearing to be his long-term home. It won’t matter. If he hits like he’s demonstrated he can throughout his professional career, the Tigers will be pleased all the same.

The eight-year extension buys out multiple free agent years from McGonigle and all but ensures he’ll remain in Detroit through at least his age-29 season. From McGonigle’s standpoint, he gets a life-changing guarantee, and he can still test the free-agent market before he turns 30 years of age. For the Tigers, it’s bound to be a highly popular move for a fan base that’s primed to be frustrated by ace Tarik Skubal‘s likely departure via free agency next offseason. 

McGonigle becomes the fifth player to whom the Tigers are committed beyond the current season. Marquee offseason addition Framber Valdez will be owed $42.8 million for the 2027 season, and he has a $35 million player option for 2028. Javier Báez is owed $27 million for the final year of his contract in 2027. Colt Keith is under contract through at least 2029 with three additional club options. Finally, reliever Kyle Finnegan will make $9.5 million next season. The Tigers also have 2027 options on Kenley Jansen and Drew Anderson. Overall, that comes to just more than $80 million committed for 2027, which means the Tigers have plenty of room to add salary this coming winter.

At this writing, McGonigle and the Tigers have won four in a row to reach 8-9 on the season after a slow start. 

Spring prospect extensions

Familiarity with playing conditions and players breeds confidence, especially for a player going through a lean patch with the bat. Punjab Kings’ middle-order batter Nehal Wadhera is hoping that his return to the Wankhede Stadium for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash with the Mumbai Indians on Thursday will help him regain form and produce a big knock. Wadhera, who has scored 3, 10, and 14 runs in the three matches in which PBKS have batted this season, has played two seasons for the Mumbai Indians from 2023-24 and is quite familiar with the Wankhede Stadium and the current MI squad, barring a few players.

The 25-year-old batting all-rounder from Ludhiana in Punjab is brimming with confidence on his return to Wankhede.

“I have played here for two years, so I know the conditions well. I have played with everyone here. I have played a lot of these bowlers in the nets too. I know I am short of runs, but I am hoping that the time will come when I am also scoring well. I am in good touch, though. I think it is a matter of one innings, and then it will start from there,” said Wadhera in the pre-match press conference at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Wadhera said the team will take confidence from their good record against the Mumbai Indians over the year — among the eight IPL-founding teams, PBKS are the only one with an equal head-to-head record with MI, with both teams having won 17 matches in the 34 they have played so far.

“Just like a bowler who is doing well has lots of confidence in bowling or a batter who is doing well has confidence in his batting, similarly, a team. If a team has a good winning record against another team, that also carries forward the momentum.

“So we are in a very positive frame of mind. It is not only that, but last year we won against them in the semifinals, and this time too they same set of bowlers, the same team.

“So, we also have an idea of what plan they will come up with, which plan of action they will come up with, and we already have an idea. It is an added advantage that last year, if we did well against their plans, then this year also we will do well,” said Wadhera.

The middle-order batter who bowls leg-break when required agreed that Punjab Kings have started from where they left off last year, though they were disappointed at losing the final to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

“We are exactly where we left, we are carrying up the same momentum. Though we lost the final last year, we are still dominating every team like we did last year. We are following the same routine, there is the same atmosphere basically, which we had last year,” he said.

Wadhera praised head coach Ricky Ponting and skipper Shreyas Iyer for instilling a positive outlook among the players and giving them confidence to play freely. He said Ponting always tells the players to follow their natural game without bothering about failure.

Wadhera said interacting with a legend like Ponting is a big gain for players like him who have not played for India. “He is a great batsman and has captained Australia to multiple World Cup titles, so he brings a lot to the conversation. He always asked the players to be positive in their outlook and that results will come,” said Wadhera.

The 25-year-old batter from Punjab said skipper Shreyas Iyer’s one-on-one interactions with the players also have a good impact on the players. “Just the other day, I was having a conversation with him, and he told me to play my natural game without bothering about pressure. ‘You play your natural game, I am there to take up the pressure, he told me,” said Wadhera.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Featured Video Of The Day

Tushar Deshpande’s Brilliant Final Act Ensures Thrilling Win For RR Over Gujarat Titans

Former MLB pitcher Dan Serafini, who was sentenced to life in prison, insists he is innocent of the 2021 murder his in-laws.

Serafini did a recent interview with “Dateline,” where the ex-Minnesota Twins hurler claimed to Keith Morrison that he was not the one who killed Gary Spohr and Wendy Wood five years ago.

“I don’t understand it at all,” Serafini said to Morrison. “I believed in the justice system. And the justice system failed.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Pitcher Dan Serafini of the Minnesota Twins poses for the camera on Photo Day during spring training at Hammond Stadium at Lee County Sports Complex in Fort Myers, Fla. (GETTY)

Serafini was accused of surprising Spohr and Wood in Lake Tahoe, California, at their home in 2021, where he murdered them in the belief he would acquire a piece of their fortune via his then-wife, Erin Spohr.

Prosecutors said Serafini had snuck into the Lake Tahoe home while the married couple was out on the lake. He was allegedly hiding in a closet with a gun for several hours awaiting their return.

BRIAN WALSHE TO BE SENTENCED FOR MURDERING, DISMEMBERING WIFE WHO DISAPPEARED ON NEW YEAR’S DAY 2023

When they got back, Serafini allegedly shot them both in the head, but Wood survived after being left for dead. However, she died by suicide in 2023.

Serafini was eventually found guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder as well as first-degree burglary in 2025 after a trial that lasted weeks. In February, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

“Circumstantial case and I believe that the circumstantial stuff that they had was just making up a story. They had no proof, no anything,” he told Morrison.

Dan Serafini of Italy delivers a pitch during a World Baseball Classic game against Canada at Rogers Centre in Toronto on March 9, 2009. (Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

Serafini also felt the jury didn’t like him for the way he was acting in court, though he alleges he was just following his lawyers’ advice.

“They just didn’t like me, they didn’t like my lifestyle,” Serafini explained. “They didn’t like the way I acted in court, which I didn’t act any way. I sat there like I was supposed to because my lawyers told me to [not] react, [not] respond. ‘Sit there like nothing’s bothering you.’ And I did. And I got crucified for it.”

The full “Dateline” special with Serafini will air on Friday night.

Dan Serafini #50 of the Cincinnati Reds throws a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Sept. 11, 2003. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Serafini was a first-round draft choice by the Twins in 1992, eventually making his major league debut in 1996. He allowed five runs on seven hits, including a home run, and two walks across 4.1 innings.

Serafini also played for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies in his seven years in the big leagues.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

MUMBAI: In a big blow to the Mumbai Indians, already reeling after three straight defeats, their former captain and star opener Rohit Sharma is set to miss the team’s fifth match of IPL 2026 against Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium due to a recurrence of a hamstring injury, TOI has learnt.Rohit sustained the injury during Mumbai Indians’ previous clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the same venue. Providing an update ahead of the pre-match press conference, addressed by Naman Dhir, an MI spokesperson said, “The medical staff is assessing him. An official update will be given when available.” During the team’s training session later in the evening, Rohit was seen jogging at the Wankhede Stadium.