swing harder

[David in FL]

It took me decades to learn to swing at 80%.  Currently one of my favorite shots is a partial wedge from 100 out.  I guess I could let a 60 degree rip but I don't think I would get the same result.  Ball flight would be interesting though.

+1.  The day I learned to hit a little gap-wedge from 70-100 yards instead of a full lob or sand wedge, I took at least a full stroke off my game!

[boogielicious]

+1.  The day I learned to hit a little gap-wedge from 70-100 yards instead of a full lob or sand wedge, I took at least a full stroke off my game!

But my gap wedge only goes 110 on a full swing!!!

Actually, I am working on using the PW or 9 irons with partial swings to cover these shots.

[Golfingdad]

+1.  The day I learned to hit a little gap-wedge from 70-100 yards instead of a full lob or sand wedge, I took at least a full stroke off my game!

Good to know ... partial gap wedges are something I need to practice just because, ironically enough, my biggest gap between clubs is the one between my gap wedge and sand wedge.  And I just don't have a whole lot of confidence in those shots that are just beyond the range of the sand wedge (110 basically).

Can I ask ...

A)  What are your gap wedge and sand wedge full swing distances? and

B)  How do you play that shot?  Is it simply a 75-80% (or whatever) swing, or does it also involve moving the ball within your stance.  Is it a punch type shot, or a high and soft shot?

[xerex250]

tiger woods did it back near 2000. hit a 190 yard sand wedge. and he went all out at it. so its real trust me on that. I couldn't do it again though because I strained my arm. lol so swing hard but not all out.

[Mr. Desmond]

We understand your point...

I think it's foolish to swing as "hard" as possible, but not "all out" all the time.

Pick your spots.

Because no one else but Tiger had the talent in 2000 to do what he did. Swing a club as fast as he could and get the shot he wants. Most of us "Joes" don't have the talent to pull off that shot. Try that with a 3 wood for most folks, and you get a worm burner or a "fore right" followed by the sound of a ball hitting a house OB.

[k-troop]

What do I do on the 10-12 or so holes every round where I'm less than 130 yards out after my monster tee shot?

Gloat, and talk about your massive balls.  Call your friends Nancy boys.

[Ernest Jones]

I just hit a 180 yard pitching wedge. swinging as hard as I could in the center of the face. I guess swinging hard works. get used to swinging hard then work on control. starting over with my golf. swing hard first, control later.

http://thesandtrap.com/t/70482/swinging-too-hard#post_907209

Point, meet counter-point.

[k-troop]

Hello. im curious on how i may improve my distance with driver. the irons dont need more distance mainly because or at least what ive heard is that your irons vary so if you want a longer shot you take more club. driver doesnt vary so id like to know how to increase my yardage. generally i hit it about 210 on average. im a 20 handicap with a decent swing. not perfect but could do with some improvement. really would enjoy more distance. by the way, i believe that distance does indeed matter when it comes to score. scoring comes from 70 yds in. so in general, if you hit your driver 90 yards obviously it will take more strokes to get the ball onto the green. golf is a logic game. so if there are any logical answers to get more distance if you could please share them and it would be very much appreciated.

Thank you for your concern.

I guess he only needs two clubs:  Driver and PW, since there's only a 30-yard gap between.  But scoring comes from 70 yards and in, so I guess he hits driver, chip, pitch, and then putt.

[buddhabob]

I know what everyone says. I know what all the instructors say. I wonder sometime if its just politically correct. I remember as a kid following Palmer around a course. He killed the ball and had an incredibly powerful,hard swing off the tee. If that was swinging 80% then his driver would have caught fire at 100%. I followed Trevino at an exhibition in 68'. He threw his whole body aggressively into his tee shots. He had to, he was a relatively short man. Gary Player was a hard swinger. He compensated for his stature with a strong fitness program and an athletic approach to his long shots. I saw George Archer play with Julius Boros once. Archer has a monster swing and hit the old soft balata ball a country mile with his persimmon woods. Boros had the easiest swing of them all, 260 with a slight draw and down the middle. No one can tell me Tom Watson had an easy swing. At impact he put everything into his tee shots, I know because sometimes I was standing maybe 5 yards away. Golf instructors have to make a living. They would not be very popular if they were telling duffers all day long to whale away and their results would be terrible, no one would be coming back for more and every other guy would be throwing his back out and sideways. Its all about perspective imo.

[Mr. Desmond]

I know what everyone says. I know what all the instructors say. I wonder sometime if its just politically correct. I remember as a kid following Palmer around a course. He killed the ball and had an incredibly powerful,hard swing off the tee. If that was swinging 80% then his driver would have caught fire at 100%. I followed Trevino at an exhibition in 68'. He threw his whole body aggressively into his tee shots. He had to, he was a relatively short man. Gary Player was a hard swinger. He compensated for his stature with a strong fitness program and an athletic approach to his long shots. I saw George Archer play with Julius Boros once. Archer has a monster swing and hit the old soft balata ball a country mile with his persimmon woods. Boros had the easiest swing of them all, 260 with a slight draw and down the middle. No one can tell me Tom Watson had an easy swing. At impact he put everything into his tee shots, I know because sometimes I was standing maybe 5 yards away. Golf instructors have to make a living. They would not be very popular if they were telling duffers all day long to whale away and their results would be terrible, no one would be coming back for more and every other guy would be throwing his back out and sideways. Its all about perspective imo.

I followed Jack and Arnie in '71. The game evolves as does the equipment and technique.

[boogielicious]

I know what everyone says. I know what all the instructors say. I wonder sometime if its just politically correct. I remember as a kid following Palmer around a course. He killed the ball and had an incredibly powerful,hard swing off the tee. If that was swinging 80% then his driver would have caught fire at 100%. I followed Trevino at an exhibition in 68'. He threw his whole body aggressively into his tee shots. He had to, he was a relatively short man. Gary Player was a hard swinger. He compensated for his stature with a strong fitness program and an athletic approach to his long shots. I saw George Archer play with Julius Boros once. Archer has a monster swing and hit the old soft balata ball a country mile with his persimmon woods. Boros had the easiest swing of them all, 260 with a slight draw and down the middle. No one can tell me Tom Watson had an easy swing. At impact he put everything into his tee shots, I know because sometimes I was standing maybe 5 yards away. Golf instructors have to make a living. They would not be very popular if they were telling duffers all day long to whale away and their results would be terrible, no one would be coming back for more and every other guy would be throwing his back out and sideways. Its all about perspective imo.

The players you cited were the best of their generation.  They had the talent and ability to swing very hard and still be accurate.  The average player cannot control their swing at 100%.  So it does not help the average player to swing out of their shoes all the time.

[buddhabob]

thats very true guys, my point being that it should be the goal of every determined golfer to get the most from the game and to get to a point where you are enjoying the benefits of swinging hard and true. I started with Persimmon wood drivers in the 60s. Was very athletic, played football, boxed,etc. one of the thrills in golf is to learn to hit the long ball imo. Nothing wrong with it. The new equipment makes the 275 belt of my time go 310, the ball flies farther by a substantial margin and the clubs are tailored for ease. Might as well capitalize on these strengths and with the equipment today it makes everything more accessible imo.

[PirateJim]

They've been showing the long drive championships on the Golf Channel.  Wow, some of those guys are monsters, and their 400++ yard drives are just amazing.  Point is, though, those guys do just that, long drives.  It's their "thing."  They don't carry it to the tour.  A lot of 'em may not even be much good elsewhere on the course; I haven't really heard much about their overall games, just how far they hit a driver.  I am not being critical of them, that's what they enjoy.  But golf played well is a game of control and finesse.  Not that a 400 yard drive would be a bad start on most holes!

[inthehole]

nah - a controlled game is way more important than distance ...

[cipher]

I will say about swinging at 80%, that some need to feel more of a full speed swing and will actually be more accurate with it.  I am not going to say it should be 100% but for many players who have a tendency to miss left, backing off a bit can make it worse.  For me it does.  If I back off I can miss way left.  If I feel a lot of speed coming down(controlled) it is not generally a problem, especially off the tee.  The key with partial wedge shots is to still feel the speed down but to control the grip and backswing differently.   I played for a long time trying to feel 80% and have more recently learned that I am much more accurate feeling more of a full speed downswing.

[Mr. Desmond]

I remember Nicklaus saying when he swung, he wanted to feel like it was in slow motion ... it's a feel, not reality.

[xerex250]

Nicklaus also said in his book golf my way that if you want the ball to go a long way you have to hit it hard. and hes the best golfer who ever lived besides moe norman. so im hitting hard from now on.

[Ernest Jones]

Excellent.