Increase swing speed

[Leek]

Like Britboy and many others, I've lost some clubhead speed and want to increase mine. I have read a lot of posts about this over the last year or two on several sites. Finally, las year I found an LDA guy, Mike (idrive400yds on golfwrx)posting about swinging with a 6 lb bar and showing some incredible gains. Others who replied to his thread said they were achieving even greater gains with this idea. After a while, Mike said the bar was causing some problems by making him swing under the plane and he was getting the resulting hooks and pushes. He researched some more and found something called the swingspeed. I read his posts, began talking to Mike and asking lots of questions. He put me in touch with the inventor, a guy named Tim. Some of the results people have posted are downright amazing, 10 mph, 15mph, one guy even a 30 mph gain.
Mike then worked out something that allows golfwrx members to get a pretty big discount on this. After more discussion, I decided to buy one. I just got it last week.
When the device came, I thought it's pretty nice. About a 2 ft. long threaded shaft with a golf grip on it. I understand you can get either a training grip or a standard grip, I chose standard. Included were weight sets 2 2 lb weights and 2 1 lb weights. They thread onto the shaft and there is a "safety cap" to keep them from spinning off. He also sent a dvd with a training program and the same thing in written instructions.

Being an eager dummy, I immediately put ALL 6 lbs on it and swung it one time, very slowly. This ain't like a heavy Momentus. I have one, and with the 6 lbs on it, a Momentus feels like a feather.

A couple observations. The Swingspeed really helps in a couple of areas:

1. Plane- you will not be able to swing this off-plane. It's just too heavy for that.

2. Flipping- the weight, coupled with the drill instructions if you follow them, are another way and I might add very effective way to make you feel how to stop flipping. I have struggled with flipping, or more accurately hoisting (never a full flip, but a slightly cupped left wrist, coupled with a block) for a long time. This really ingrains a flat left wrist.

3. Pivot- you have to make a strong pivot. It's too heavy to muscle very well.

That's all for now. I'll report what's going on with my clubhead speed when I return home from the business trip I'm on currently.

I'd welcome any questions.

[Leek]

OK- Frank (Camster8) on golfdiscussions.com suggested a Swing Speed Radar to measure club head speed. I bought a Speed + Tempo unit from on of the sponsors- Tim at MyOstrichgolf. As an aside, these boards are great for discounts on stuff we want. idrive400yards gave me a very nice discount on the SwingSpeed workout stuff, now Tim hooked me up with a discount on the Radar device. Thanks GD.com!

Anyway, today after 3 weeks of doing the drills on the DVD that came with the SwingSpeed, I went to the range to monitor my results. I knew something was up when I was seeing mid-90s with my 6 iron during warmup. I don't what my 6 iron speed was before, but my driver was mid-90s (sometimes low 90s) three weeks ago.

Then the driver- first swing- good contact 104! I then made a few swings that were NOT pretty- 98 and 100. Now, I'm pretty enthused- what happens if I swing OUT OF MY SHOES??? Take a couple big cuts- 104-107, but bad contact. Excitement is over, just normal swings. They stay from 101-105. Average is about 103 over 25-30 swings. That's about 8-9 mph in 3 weeks.

I don't know what to expect, will I stay there? Will I gain more speed? I don't know, but my goal was to gain 5 mph in a few months, and I'm past that.

I love this device and training program!

[Matt10]

That's crazy, Leek - congrats on the yardage increase. I'm in the process of purchasing the SwingSpeed. So I will also be able to share results in a couple of weeks :)

I must note it was funny seeing FOX4News highlighting the swingspeed device - because I'm from Overland Park and that is our station, one which I pay attention to weather to specifically :)

[kehanra99]

I apologize if I repeat things that have already been said, but here's what I have found to affect swing speed. I'm not a trainer, but I've done a lot of reading, been in sports all my life, and I follow my own advice...

The big things are flexibility, and of course the core strength. There are studies that show you can maintain strength without lifting weights for a few months at a time simply by stretching regularly (this does NOT mean muscle mass.) The range of motion and leverage gained by stretching makes up for the muscle loss. At the same time the muscle loss is slower due to the stretching.

Core training is also very affective. Anything that works the stomach and back is the best. Of course working the major muscle groups also helps. The best thing you can do for your core without doing stuff like sit-ups, is to get in push up position but balance on your forearms. Then, lift one arm off the ground and hold that position for a few seconds, then place it back down and lift the other. Don't change your back angle, remain parallel to the ground. It's much hard than you'd think but it works your stomach and back very well, and it's good for balance.

I can carry a drive 300 yards in the air if I hit it well. Of course, my standard lands about 240 and rolls because my swing just isn't good enough to get a hold of it that well consistently.

[Leek]

Update-

I went to the range today with my Swing Speed Radar + Tempo Timer.

First driver swing, pretty smooth 106! I hit about 10 balls trying to take it pretty easy, all were between 104-107! I tried some harder swings, then full out. I could get to 112 for a few swings, but had no control over the ball. Hit the rest at a comfortable 80%ish power level, very straight and consistently 105-107 swing after swing. Interestingly, I also checked tempo, and my typical tempo before starting this regimen was 1.01 seconds from takeaway to impact. Today it was .87-.92. I did not feel quick, in fact rather lazy. This tempo does seem to fast though, based on what I've read.

I'm really jazzed about this. Increasing from low to mid 90s, to a comfortable 106-107 is about a 20-30 yard increase! Now, if I can just improve my putting!

[negcx]

You may want to try loosening up your grip a bit. Grip the club firmly but make sure that your forearms and arms aren't tense during your swing. You'll generate better clubhead speed if you don't try to muscle and manipulate the club. This should also help you with ball contact.

[Keith Drake]

Negcx, I think you are correct.I tried this on my last round and it seemed to work.It is just so hard to convince yourself to do this.

[SALUKI LEFTY]

I purchased a Momentus strength trainer and use it almost everyday whether just swinging it or following the swing drills and I have noticed my speed increasing.

[Doctorfro]

I tried one of those speed guages one time and I was swinging pretty hard and it gave me only around 95-100. I hit the big stick pretty far. If I were to get up to 115 I would be putting it into orbit. No telling the direction. So if I'm hitting it 265 to 310 at those speeds, how far are you hitting at 110-115??

[Leek]

I tried one of those speed guages one time and I was swinging pretty hard and it gave me only around 95-100. I hit the big stick pretty far. If I were to get up to 115 I would be putting it into orbit. No telling the direction. So if I'm hitting it 265 to 310 at those speeds, how far are you hitting at 110-115??

Something is wrong with either the gauge or your estimate of distance. At 100 mph, you can't really carry the ball over 250. It's physics. At 95 mph it's 238 yards. The other possibility is that the drive is rolling 60 yards after landing.

To carry 310 requires a minimum speed of 124 mph! To answer the question, at 115, about the farthest you could carry it is 288.

[BASHERBAKER69]

Hi

i don't understand the obsession with swing speed and distance. As with most things, as you get older you will slow down-try a harder ball, a more forgiving clubhead and more shortgame practice. If you try to swing harder you could end up with a hernia or something.

practice accuracy!

bb

[Leek]

Why can't anyone practice both? I do.

In fact about 80% of my practice is on putting and short game. I am also working to increase my distance. I've picked up about 12 mph so far, which should be about 30 yards off the tee.

[bruno]

I am slowly but surely loosing swing speed with my driver. Call it age, call it mid section expansion, whatever you want. Does anyone know of any good training aides or exercises that can help to get swing speed back up?

Just might need to adjust your grip. How does your hands (grip) feel during your swing now compared to before. Your grip may be off a little causing your hands to not work together slowing you down a little.

[Leek]

I got to actually got play 9 holes Wednesday. That's a big surprise in Ohio this time of year. Anyway, it was very windy and a course I've never played before, so I can't really tell how far I was hitting the ball. I also didn't have my laser rangefinder with me.

What I can say is I played with a friend how for the last few years hit his driver about the same distance I did. Well, I hit 7 out of seven fairways and my drives came to rest 25-40 yards past my buddy's.

We'll see what happens next, but believe me when I go to the range and test my progress on SSR + TT it's motivating. Driving it past a guy who has been the same length as me by a reasonable amount AND hitting every fairway- that's really motivational!!

[elchene]

If you try to swing harder you could end up with a hernia or something.

HAHA.

A hernia from swinging too hard.

[blackxpress]

Hi

It's simple really. There are some holes where if you don't get a lot of distance off the tee you're going to lose a stroke or two regardless of how accurate you are. The 18th hole at my home course is a prime example. You have to tee off over a good sized lake. I don't know exactly how far it is but the hole is 558 yds from the blue tees. I'm guessing it's at least 200 from the tee to the levee. I don't hit the ball very far (but I'm working on it). Today, my drive carried the water but it wound up in the rough on the downside of the levee, a terrible place to hit from, which caused me to duff my second shot. If I could have hit the ball just a little bit farther I would have been in great shape in the middle of the fairway.

[blopar]

I have played golf for 46 years. Throughout that time my clubhead speed with the driver hovered around 100 mph.  Although I was scratch I was unable to increase my swing speed any significant amount until this year when I came up with my own program with for increasing speed.  I started at 101. In thirty days I was averaging 112(same machine) and since am now averaging 116 and often can make swings at 120+.  My training methods  involve  increasing fast twitch muscle fibers and a few fundamentals that appear contrary to most advice about long hitting ( such as swing slow and attempt to "hold the angle"). If you are interested in my program send me your email and I'll be glad to give it to me free. I sell an ebook  telling exactly how I did it for 8.95 or 3.95 on kindle by the name of Increase Your Clubhead Speed Now! You can get it through amazon or www.golfspeed.biz or let me know at blopar@comcast.net and I'll send it to you free.

[Bananarama]

I think you drastically underestimate the moons lack of gravity (or overestimate the gravity of the gravitational field).. so many puns!!