Amy Sancetta, Associated Press Tiger Woods tees off on the fourth hole during a practice round earlier this week at the Augusta National Golf Club. Click photo for larger image.

No matter how big they make the clubhead, or how thin and reactive they make the shaft, no matter where they create the center of gravity in the clubface, equipment manufacturers can only add length for a golfer. They cannot create it.

All the technological advances in equipment can make the ball fly farther and roll more than usual. But they cannot make it fly far if the proper swing mechanics do not accompany the equipment.

"It certainly helps with equipment," said Rick Smith, one of the top instructors on the PGA Tour whose most famous pupil is Phil Mickelson. "For the average player, it makes it easier to play. But, from an optimum standpoint, you need to learn to hit the ball solid, and people don't because they don't have the mechanics necessary to do so."

Bigger clubheads and thinner, lighter, more durable shafts have combined to drastically increase the driving distance on the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour, where young, conditioned players take advantage of the technological advances to routinely average more than 300 yards off the tee. Bubba Watson, a rookie, leads the PGA Tour in driving distance at 319.4 yards after averaging 334 yards last season on the Nationwide Tour.

But those players are able to optimize the technology because their swings are tuned by instructors and their mechanics are more precise than a Swiss watch. They can find the center of gravity on the clubface easier than a Global Positioning System, creating greater contact and more solid hits.

"People get stuck on power, but good swings can generate effortless speed, not powerless speed. Powerless speed comes from this violent effort to swing the club, and that's not how it works." -- Rick Smith Top instructor on the PGA Tour

Factor in such testing devices as high-tech launch monitors that determine the ball's angle of ascent and spin rate and players have optimized all the available technology to make the ball fly farther than ever.

"People get stuck on power, but good swings can generate effortless speed, not powerless speed," said Smith, who has also worked with Rocco Mediate and two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen. "Powerless speed comes from this violent effort to swing the club, and that's not how it works."

Of course, it doesn't hurt that players -- thanks to Tiger Woods -- have begun working on physical conditioning, growing stronger in the gym and doing more golf-specific exercises to develop greater flexibility and strength. That gives players better posture, a better spine angle and the ability to rotate their shoulders around their hips -- creating a coil effect that helps unleash the power. It also helps them generate greater swing speed.

Jim McLean, another noted instructor who teaches at the Doral Resort & Spa in Miami, wrote a book several years ago called "The X-Factor Swing" which noted how the longest hitters in golf turn their shoulders more than their hips at the top of the swing. Now McLean has a new video called "The Y Factor," which focuses on how much the left shoulder moves in the backswing.

According to McLean, Woods moves his left shoulder more than any player he has studied -- 19 inches from its starting point. By contrast, the average amateur moves his left shoulder 8.5 inches. The base of the "Y" is determined with a vertical line that runs from the left hip through the left shoulder at address. The "Y" is created by the line from his original hip position to the position of the left shoulder at the top of the backswing. The bigger your "Y" factor, the greater your potential for hitting the ball a long way.

None of that matters, though, if a player's swing path is off line.

"You got to have speed and you got to have solid contact," Smith said. "You can have a lot of speed, but if you don't have solid contact, if you're a half-inch off the center of the face, you'll never hit it long. Hitting the ball in the center of the clubface with the proper angle of attack maximizes any speed you might have."

Smith's advice is simple: If a player wants to create power and maximize distance, don't try to swing as hard as you can. Focus more on making a swing that allows the driver to be in the proper position to make solid contact and optimize the technology.

"You can have the most incredible speed ever, but if the path and space relationship are off, you'll hit it all over the place," Smith said. "If you don't have the ingredients to try to generate speed, then you need to play within yourself."