Club Head Speed

[Righty to Lefty]

I answer these posts all the time and I just don't understand why people don't understand the true key to gaining swingspeed. You have to increase your level of fitness to provide your body the ability to create that speed period. I asked my friend Pat Maloney (longest drive in competition was 464 yards) who competed in long drive the key to his power and he said to get in the gym and increase range of motion and lean muscle. I already knew this but that just confirmed it. You need flexibility in your hips and shoulders especially and yet you need lean muscle to help support and stabilize you while you provide that force. You can beat balls on the range til you are blue in the face but you haven't changed anything and you've likely created more tension. Also you have to be able to create a swing that ACCELERATES through impact. You also have to train fast twitch muscle fibers to fire faster than they are. Sure swingspeed is measured at impact but if your club is decelerating at impact you wont hit it straight. That's why when people say that they dial it back a few notches that they control it better. I have hit balls with a friend on the range and we had the launch monitor setup and he was swingin at 109 but only getting 260 out of it and I was swinging at 115-119 and getting 305-315 out of mine. That is because his clubhead was at peak speed at impact and mine continued to accelerate. I can hit my three wood 290 but I know that if I keep myself relaxed ( a technique that I use is I hit 50-100 half wedge shots and then I try and pretend that I am making the same slow and controlled swing with my hybrids and woods) I will hit the ball effortlessly far. But I developed these fast twitch fibers because I swing a baseball bat 99 mph when I played back in the day I am just trying to enhance their efficiency. I do yoga, pilates, step aerobics, circuit training, running, and swimming throughout my week. What you don't realize is that fitness will likely cure most of your muscle imbalances over time and allow you to maximize your potential. Balance, timing, speed, and coordination are all improved through fitness. Trying to swing harder than your body is capable of handling will lead to injury. I also work on my short game religiously and this in turn improves my quaility of impact with all clubs and it is much easier to correct swing faults at the slower swingspeeds. I noticed that the better my fitness level has gotten the fewer mechanical swing thoughts I have. Camillo hits the ball a ton because he is physically fit and has great timing. Tiger pretty much opened everyone's eyes about fitness but this has been known for a while but old school golfers couldn't see the use. If you have not implemented a fitness progam with your golf practice you will never see your full potential. Period.

[oreodawg1]

Club head speed is very important...if you want to hit far. My grandpa (i don't know the exact numbers) swings very slow, but its right down the middle about 225 every single time. If you want to win a long drive contest that would be a different type of swing. i am a small guy, but i CAN swing just as fast if not faster than just about everybody i play with. not being cocky, i just know by how far the ball goes. in my opinion you should play every drive different according to the hole. On a par 4 i play it out about 270 right down the middle consistently, but on a long par 5 or a par 4 i think i can reach i'll just swing with all i got and make sure my hips are keeping up thats very important. hope this helps...just gotta figure out what you want out of your swing

[Golfer71]

In response to Right to Lefty:

I've read a few of your posts and I tend to support the general theme of what you say.

I've always had above average body strength but never driven the ball far, averaging 200-210 yards carry. When i'm driving well the swings are quite effortless and I might get 220 yards carry.

I'm doing yoga twice a week, some resistance and stability training and slowly seeing improvement in my overall body condition. The training has coincided with improvement in my game (i've dropped about 4 strokes over 6 months and play just twice a month). I think the improved fitness makes it easier to follow a proper/better swing plane - I also take lessons.

I'm in my mid 30's and have to say the improvements in flexibility don't come easily so if others are trying do the same do persevere with it!

[Righty to Lefty]

In response to Right to Lefty:

I am glad that your game is improving and you hit the nail on the head when you said that you must perservere. I dread going to the yoga and pilates classes for 3 hours a week because it is painful to put yourself in those types of positions and that your body is not used to but the benifits in the end are worth it. My instructor told me to just make sure and stick with it and I will be really enjoying the benefits in a 6 months, one year, and so on. I'll admit that my game has suffered while I adjust to all of the new fitness demands that I have put on myself but I have a drive to understand and be the best at this game as I can. Best of luck.