How hard do you swing?

[unkle_77]

I dont swing hard, i swing firm i think is the best way to describe it

[SpringBokVol]

I swing with a purpose. Commit and swing as though you mean it. Don't decel or attempt to steer.

[enduro]

I'm more interested in creating a tension/torque with my hips and shoulders, rotating through the ball and finishing well than "swinging hard". Pure contact shots which get de-lofted naturally don't require much distance to get a penetrating trajectory and naturally great distance.

I'm not saying hold back by any means, but I'm not sure if the objective is to swing out of your shoes.

[Cody Hancock]

My swing speed with my driver is about 100-105. Hopefully by the end of the year I can get it up to 110.

[kleraudio]

I mean Ogilvy was putting up SS's like 116, 118 and he didnt look like he was swinging hard at all, a lot slower than my driver swing, and Im only at like 100 mph...

I guess lag gives much faster speed, the release must be a lot faster if your holding off the release till the last second.... If you cast, like I do I think, then you lose all your speed before you even get to the ball... at least thats what I think is going on

Jim

[zenchili]

I forget who said this. "Swing easy and live with the extra distance."

[verse214]

Swinging hard or soft doesn't matter much if you don't hit the sweet spot on the club face. Take a lesson from Els and swing with a smooth tempo from start to finish.

Els is not really a great example... people look at his swing and think that he's swinging so smoothly and that's why he's crushing it. sadly, the reason why he crushes it is because he's a beast... the guy is like 6'3" and 210 lbs and in shape.. he's not really a "model" pro that many of us should imitate... unless you're that big too.

On the other hand, if you take a golf pro who is more of an average height - like Anthony Kim.. he's 5'11" (which is average height) and you see how explosive he has to be to be able to hit it long enough to keep up with the rest of the field... Comparing the two should show that it's not always about nice and easy and slow temp.. but more about swinging at a even keel as explosively as you can while maintaining balance. The more fit you are the harder you can swing while staying in balance... I haven't been playing for that long but ever since I started I thought that swinging smoothly was the key to distance and power since the pros make it look so easy.. but I found out I was wrong. These PGA Tour Pros are in shape. They exercise - it takes a lot of strength to be able to swing smoothly the way they do (and flexibility). The reason why I believe this is because i recently joined a golf gym in the city and I've been going through a golf-centered workout with my trainer. It is not easy - It takes a ton of strength to swing easily and smoothly the way these guys do and still crush it... that's why when someone (like us) swings smoothly their driver swing speed can still be sub 100, whereas a guy who is in shape and flexible will be able to do it at a much higher speed. Athleticism in golf is underrated and it's something that can help all of our games.

[shortgamewiz]

I mean Ogilvy was putting up SS's like 116, 118 and he didnt look like he was swinging hard at all, a lot slower than my driver swing, and Im only at like 100 mph...

I don't think you can tell how 'hard' they swing at all by looking at them. Their swing speed is invisible. Els, Ogilvy, Couples. They look smooth even at full throttle. I saw couples in a long drive contest on the golf channel. Smooth, and he was going after it for sure. Ever see your own swing? Try giving it a real blast and see what it looks like on video... I guarantee you'll be surprise (unless you've done this) how smooth you look compared to the way it feels. And for a pro its an even a wider discrepancy.

[Shanks A Million]

I forget who said this. "Swing easy and live with the extra distance."

Bobby Jones I believe. And it's true. I swing a driver very fast, over 110 mph, and often as much as 115. I don't try to swing hard, it comes through technique. You want to feel like you're hitting all of your clubs the same, from driver to lob wedge. One of the biggest mistakes people make is trying to really hit their 3 iron really hard. Why? It's longer, and it has less loft, don't you think the clubmaker designed it to go farther without your help?

Years ago, when he (and I) were very young, I went and saw Tiger play. I remember my first impression of him was how skinny he was. I figured he couldn't possibly hit it as far as me, at 217 lbs, a very large person. He takes these little smooth practice swings, and then makes a smooth, easy swing. Yeah, that's not going to go very far... Well, lo and behold, he cranks one like 300 yards right down the center. Wow! I just couldn't believe how far that little ball went. I always try to remember that.

[tm22721]

This is a trick question because I drop my hands from the top. Over acceleration from the top kills a golf swing and it is unnecessary.

I only apply force at the bottom during centripetal release when I wish I had three right hands like Hogan.

[GQ77]

I got a tip recently from a professional about how to swing faster/hit ball further without extra effort. Take tennis ball and squeeze it often. This will make your hands and forearms strong so you swing easy with speed. Your winter golf gym must have more training. This one tip is easy to do, just I have not bring a tennis ball to office yet.

these guys swing feally fast, and pretty hard, there are 3 more if you like it, you can find them in related video.

[Meddle]

For me, swinging too hard is a huge problem. I feel like I'm being violent with that club when I hit the ball, and it causes all kinds of problems. But because that is how I always have done it, when I intentionally try to slow down my timing is all off. Also, it's just one of those things that creeps in your psyche, you know you shouldn't add that extra oomph, but then all of a sudden you address the ball and take the club back, and boom, you try to destroy the ball, come over the top, and slice it two fairways over.

[Shanks A Million]

For me, swinging too hard is a huge problem. I feel like I'm being violent with that club when I hit the ball, and it causes all kinds of problems. But because that is how I always have done it, when I intentionally try to slow down my timing is all off. Also, it's just one of those things that creeps in your psyche, you know you shouldn't add that extra oomph, but then all of a sudden you address the ball and take the club back, and boom, you try to destroy the ball, come over the top, and slice it two fairways over.

You must trust your clubs to do their job. You need to spend time on the range watching what the ball does, not focusing on what you want it to do. Too many people remember only their good shots, and try to play those on the course. Not a good idea. I've met absolute hackers with enough confidence to trust that every shot they hit would be a huge slice, and literally just hit shot after shot right where they wanted it. The best struck shots in the world are worthless if they don't finish in the right spot.

I divide my time into two parts, swing practice, and game practice. In swing practice, I set up my driveway markers on the ground and practice my basic swing, and work on that. In game practice, I move around the range (I go later in the evening when no one is there) and hit shots from all over at different targets.

[bogeyhitter25]

I don't swing too hard. I play at 6300-6400 yard courses. I don't need to hit a 300 yard drive just to survive. I'm a lot more focused on trying to hit the fairway. Everybody's more consistent when they know how the ball will react.

[jaragon126]

I swing pretty smooth ... recently while at my GolfTech lessons I found that my average swing speed is around 75mph. I feel if I try to kill the ball then I get myself into trouble. I'm not the longest hitter out there, but as Dub mentioned if I can keep my smooth (Freddy Couples - like) tempo in check without letting my playing partner's tempos creep into my head then I usually do pretty well! I would guess that if I had to put a percentage on how hard I feel I swing, I would say 75%-80% is a pretty good guess.

[Elvisliveson]

I swing pretty much as hard as I can, while staying in tempo. Forget about trusting the club to do the work, I trust that my fundamentally sound grip and steady head will allow me to go full bore. If you understand that the downswing begins with the turning of the hips, rather than any movement of the arms, you won't come over the top no matter how hard you go at it. Plus, I've tried being smooth and swinging hard is a heck of a lot more fun.

[shortgamewiz]

I swing pretty much as hard as I can, while staying in tempo. Forget about trusting the club to do the work, I trust that my fundamentally sound grip and steady head will allow me to go full bore. If you understand that the downswing begins with the turning of the hips, rather than any movement of the arms, you won't come over the top no matter how hard you go at it. Plus, I've tried being smooth and swinging hard is a heck of a lot more fun.

I agree completely. Much more fun.

these guys swing feally fast, and pretty hard, there are 3 more if you like it, you can find them in related video.

Awesome man. Thanks for that. Beautiful swings. That guy is my new hero. 155mph.. sheesh..

[Johnny]

I found out the harder swing, the weaker the balanced, so I'll always remind myself to not swing too hard before I actually did a real swing. Or, sometimes, I'll imagine that i'm Ernie Els, swing easily, then, I'll swing not so hard in my real golf swing...