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Is this how golf supposed to be played?


very handicap
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I've been playing golf for 3 years.  My score range from 80-100.  In the last 2 months, I have tried everything to increase my driving distance by swinging harder and faster.  I think i managed to increase it a bit from 220 yards to around 240 yards, but the dispersion is hugely increased, not to mention about the sore and ache I have to put up with after every round of golf.

Today, I decided to try something different.  Instead of trying to kill the ball with every shot, I just focus on hitting a slow and easy swing.  I would say I was probably using a strength of 2 out of 10 for every shot.    I came back with a score of 83 playing from blue tee.  Due to the easy swing, my driver is back to around 220 yards and hence I was not able to GIR on some of the longer par 4, but  every shot was literally on the fairway or green which is a so difference from when I tried to muscle the game and practically have to play most shots from the rough.  What surprise me is that some of the shot go as far as when I hit with full strength if not further.  I was totally surprised.

Is this how golf supposed to be played?  Any of the low handicapper here can share your view?  Should I continue to play like this?

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If you put 100% effort into a swing you're going to have far less chance of hitting the club perfectly than if you put 20% into the swing. What you've managed to do is realise that hitting the ball in the centre of the face each and every swing gives you a more consistent swing and therefore better score than hitting every shot as hard as you can and having balls fly further but more errant.

I read in a book somewhere that if you hit the driver 200 yards, for every inch you miss the center of the club face you lose 20 yards of distance and you also then add extra complications with side-spin taking the ball off the fairway. That in turn leads to dropped shots through having to hack out of the rough and so it snowballs.

My suggestion would be to keep playing as you are and you'll naturally slowly increase your effort level until you hit a good balance point where you swing as fast as is comfortable but which you can control.

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First rule for distance and accuracy is solid contact. Second rule is solid contact. Once rules 1 & 2 have been firmly established you can work increasing your clubhead speed to achive more distance provided rules 1 and 2 are strictly followed.

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That is a great analysis and observation.  When I am out on the course and my drives or shots in general aren't going straight, I usually slow down my swing and try to minimize the power.  I usually see the results you are stating. However, going from 100 down to 83 is pretty impressive!!

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The ball goes the farthest when it is struck in the center of the club. That rarely occurs when you are swinging at 100%. So the first step is to swing at a speed that gives you this consistent contact.

Now, once you are consistently hitting it in the center of the club, start increasing clubhead speed. But that's not done by brute force - it's done by having the club moving at its fastest point at impact, which is done not by swinging fast, but through proper coordination of upper & lower body through impact.

My suggestion would be to get with someone that can measure your clubhead speed (a lot of golf supply stores has these) by hitting balls into a net. Go ahead and swing as hard as you can, then dial it back a bit. You will be surprised - the club will actually move faster with less physical effort. The key is a light grip pressure & relaxed arms. Allows the wrists to power the club.

In fact, I think it was Davis Love that said, when asked how he hits the ball farther, he said he swings easier.

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My issue is not swinging fast, but overswinging, were i really extend to far. when i keep it compact i can be accurate. Now what percentage is this, i have no clue. All i know is that its a comfortable swing for me, and i am in balance

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
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Drive for show, putt for dough!!

It is rare for a golfer to swing up near 100% off every tee. You swing will gradually get faster as the round progresses, so you shouldn't start off fast. Your "slower" swing speed should be a good start-of-round speed as you seem to be in control and hitting out of the middle of the face. There is nothing wrong with letting rip occasionally on a hole where you have a wider fairway.

Try not to think of it as an average driving distance over the round, way each shot individually. On the holes with more room go for it and then you will build your confidence with the long ball and feel more confident on tighter holes. Nobody hits the same shot off every tee.

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This is a huge realization to have.  I had it sometime in the past year, and it's a huge deal.  For me I've always had good distance so it wasn't an issue that I was consciously trying to crush the ball to hit it far enough, but I just naturally over swing.  I still struggle against that, but on holes/days where I can tone it down and swing easy, I'm much more accurate AND hit if further.  Even though you lost some distance you're still on the right track.

Take even the pros for example.  You can find lots of quotes about swinging easy, but you can even see physical evidence.  I saw one of those Wednesday driving competitions at a pro-am maybe this spring, or last year.  I watched one round where Bubba and DJ were hitting, and they were rolling it out to 380-390 yards.  Those guys bomb the ball during competition too but even on holes where they're trying to rip it they're usually not finishing past 350 or so, and their average is < 320.  So they're dialing it back and getting even less than the 11/12 of their max distance that you say you were getting (220/240 = 11/12).

If you need more evidence, look at your day.  Yeah it's annoying to get to the long par 4 and have to lay up with the 2nd shot, but even having to do that you put up a score 3 off your best ever on the first day you ever tried this approach.  Plus you hit fairways all day.  How much more fun is that!?

If it's too annoying to not get to play the course as designed, maybe move up a tee box while you work on your swing to get more distance the right way, and not by just trying to muscle the ball.  Or maybe play your current tees but play a tee forward on the par 4s where even hitting driver-3w on the tee shot and approach won't get you to the green.  There's a tee box on every course I've ever played where you can reach the green in 2 on par 4s driving it 220 and with standard relative distance on your woods and irons.

Matt

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The pros and the lower HC guys on your course can swing faster and hit really far because their mechanics are sound which enables them to make solid contact 90% of the time.  The higher handicappers have swing mechanic flaws.  Swinging slower not only helps your body not kill itself (particularly your back), but it also allows you to have a much better chance at solid contact.

Personally, my best days are when I have a slow backswing and 70% downswing. I usually hit my drives 275+ when doing this and when I swing really hard I usually come in over the top of the ball, slice or hook, and tend to lose at least 30 yards even if the ball goes straight because I am not hitting the ball solidy on the clubface.

At least in my opinion and I am sure many others, the hardest thing to learn and teach (for the pros out there) is making someone understand that less is usually better. By that, swinging much easier and slower always produces more distance and accuracy for the higher handcapper.  Tempo is crucial to playing good golf.

Biggest mistake I made learning to play was watching Tiger swing as fast as he does and thinking that is what I had to do as well.  Wrong!  Leave the 115+ swing speeds to the pros or if you are an athletic/ talented amateur.

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Note: This thread is 4539 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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