How do I get more swing speed?

[late347]

Not sure I agree that increased swing speed is a good motivator as much as increased distance with your current swing speed.

If you get everything else correct, you don't need to look like your swinging out of your shoes to get good distance. IIRC, you already can hit the balls out 275 yards, if you can do this efficiently it will allow you to focus on accuracy which is more important than just distance.

The previous poster said when you can get the lag naturally, you will increase your swing speed. That's also true, because to do that you need really good swing mechanics.

yes that 275 was my top drive...havent hit many of those recently, my standard driver shots are duckhooks or 5-8 yard altitude powerfades. It seems that I need driver specific instruction from pga pro urgently.

I'm more reliable with my hybrids nowadays actually (due to easier swing mechanic in my opinion, hybrids are like medium irons but hit longer)

I was reflecting on that difficult forced carry hole at sawgrass was it? The one with very narrrow fairway, but 200+ yard forced carry over water unto the green.

I was pounding out hybrid shots at 220-230 yard carry at the range today so I would def try my hybrid in that type of forced carry with my increased confidence (assuming I could reach the front bunker at least)

my sad duckhoook drivers just carry about 190 yards and roll forward to about 250-260 LOL!!!

[Lihu]

yes that 275 was my top drive...havent hit many of those recently, my standard driver shots are duckhooks or 5-8 yard altitude powerfades. It seems that I need driver specific instruction from pga pro urgently. I'm more reliable with my hybrids nowadays actually (due to easier swing mechanic in my opinion, hybrids are like medium irons but hit longer) I was reflecting on that difficult forced carry hole at sawgrass was it? The one with very narrrow fairway, but 200+ yard forced carry over water unto the green. I was pounding out hybrid shots at 220-230 yard carry at the range today so I would def try my hybrid in that type of forced carry with my increased confidence (assuming I could reach the front bunker at least) my sad duckhoook drivers just carry about 190 yards and roll forward to about 250-260 LOL!!!

Except for the fact that your hybrid performance sounds good, I think you might have a sequencing issue. Are your hips open enough at impact? There are guys in this site that can tell from a well filmed video.

[johnclayton1982]

Quote:

Seems reasonable.  But, to me, the average golfer who is worried about their swing speed has bigger fish to fry.  For somebody like you - a very good amateur - and even pros, there usually isn't any power hiding in there somewhere.  The fundamentals are solid, so the only remaining missing piece is muscle.

Fix Your Body Fix Your Swing is a great book.  You should buy it and do the dirty dozen every day.  I've been doing it for a while.  It makes you longer and there is no question about it.

One thing that really helped me is the dot drill from School of Golf.  Draw a dot on a golf ball.  Put impact tape on a driver and draw a dot on the center.  Practice, very, very slowly, while looking at the ball (its easy if you cheat and look at the club) touching dot to dot.  When you first start, its hard.  After about two weeks of doing this 50 times a day, you start to get a "sixth sense" of where your clubface is.  Its hard to describe exactly but it makes golf easier when you get a real sense of where the clubface is in your swing.  See how many times you can touch the dot exactly in a row.

The combination of these two things (flexibility/strength training every day and the dot drill every day) over about 8 months made me much longer.  Of course, I was going the range and taking lessons etc... but I really believe these two things were the main contributors.

Currently working on a 88 to 75 post and these two things were really important to my improvement.

EDIT: Sorry, didn't realize this was a three page thread.  Meant for the OP.

[Lihu]

Fix Your Body Fix Your Swing is a great book.  You should buy it and do the dirty dozen every day.  I've been doing it for a while.  It makes you longer and there is no question about it.

One thing that really helped me is the dot drill from School of Golf.  Draw a dot on a golf ball.  Put impact tape on a driver and draw a dot on the center.  Practice, very, very slowly, while looking at the ball (its easy if you cheat and look at the club) touching dot to dot.  When you first start, its hard.  After about two weeks of doing this 50 times a day, you start to get a "sixth sense" of where your clubface is.  Its hard to describe exactly but it makes golf easier when you get a real sense of where the clubface is in your swing.  See how many times you can touch the dot exactly in a row.

The combination of these two things (flexibility/strength training every day and the dot drill every day) over about 8 months made me much longer.  Of course, I was going the range and taking lessons etc... but I really believe these two things were the main contributors.

Currently working on a 88 to 75 post and these two things were really important to my improvement.

EDIT: Sorry, didn't realize this was a three page thread.  Meant for the OP.

I will definitely be an avid reader of this post. Thanks in advance.

[rehmwa]

My head speed goes up when I take a fully swing (more backswing, more thorough follow through), and when I hold my 'release' consciously to later.

1 - fuller backswing - I find I need to be on a very good day to continue to get good contact.  worth doing/practicing, but I'm happy with my distance and contact is more important to me for now than distance.  I want to extend my backswing - maybe later this year

2 - more definitive follow through - need this, need to keep practice it, everything improves with my results when I do it

3 - holding the release - love this and the results, and no real downside to it for me, but need more practice until I do it more naturally.  still have to 'remember' to do it.  When i do it, I seem to hit more advanced irons cleaner as well, get good contact more often, etc etc etc

[late347]

Except for the fact that your hybrid performance sounds good, I think you might have a sequencing issue. Are your hips open enough at impact?

There are guys in this site that can tell from a well filmed video.

yeah you're correct about my driver tempo problem.

I'm getting more flexible it seems with my exercise and weightloss, so I've begun to use that flexibility for the full 90deg shoulder turn.

What I was doing wrong, I think, was  over-speeding at the downswing, which caused slowdown at near the ball. Basically too abrupt tempo it seemed.

Now today at the range my shots went better when I accelerated through the ball. Instead of simply trying to swing fast.

I did a drill at the range where I made two shots with each club, in this order :

driver

6-iron

52deg wedge

60deg wedge

Then I start over again... I was hitting the wedges with quite good accuracy -dead straight-  and I tried to feel the tempo of that swing, and maybe feel it also with longer clubs.

[Lihu]

yeah you're correct about my driver tempo problem.

I'm getting more flexible it seems with my exercise and weightloss, so I've begun to use that flexibility for the full 90deg shoulder turn.

What I was doing wrong, I think, was  over-speeding at the downswing, which caused slowdown at near the ball. Basically too abrupt tempo it seemed.

Now today at the range my shots went better when I accelerated through the ball. Instead of simply trying to swing fast.

I did a drill at the range where I made two shots with each club, in this order:

driver

6-iron

52deg wedge

60deg wedge

Then I start over again... I was hitting the wedges with quite good accuracy -dead straight-  and I tried to feel the tempo of that swing, and maybe feel it also with longer clubs.

If you add putter to that drill you can play a fast 18 holes.

Good you are figuring out what is wrong. I know about the weight loss thing, I need to lose more weight again.

[Jason F6321]

This is something a a very good practising machine.