Improving Swing Speed

[jimiforpres]

I got my swing speed measured the other day and was disappointed to find that it was only 85 with a driver. I was keeping a loose grip and I am pretty sure I was taking my normal swing, but I rarely succeeded in breaking 90 mph. At 5'4", 110 lbs, I realize that I will be at a clear disadvantage in this area but I would still like to improve. What tips do you have for increasing swing speed?

[lynchjo]

I wouldn't get down or your size...look at Sergio Garcia & Charles Howell III...both of them are probably 140lbs soaking wet and they both can pop it out there 300 + yards.

The key to increasing your club head speed lies more in your fast twitch muscles than the bigger, slower muscles. A great way to build your golf muscles would be to swing a weighted club...there are many on the market...Momentus makes good weighted clubs.

The weighted club will emphasize the release through the ball which is where real club head speed happens. Just make sure you stretch your muscles before you swing a weighted club...stretched muscles are faster muscles. You should always stretch before you play or practice anyway.

Happy Golfing!

[bwinger79]

Another thing you might want to look at is holding the angle created by your wrist set in your backswing until the last possible second on your downswing. Keeping the L or 90 degree angle between your forearm and the shaft on your downswing(with a little practice) will lead to a very powerful release of the club and increased clubhead speed. Hitting the gym now and then doesnt hurt either. As previously posted.... stretching is key.

[supercow]

You have to solidify your technique. If you spend enough watching a lot of am's you'll see a lot of compensating moves which force them to swing the club more slowly than they are capable of. Heck, I've seen juniors with close to 120mph swing speeds.

[ronaldkuntoro]

You don't need higher swing speed for getting longer.... you need more loft (11*) and low kick shaft....

I got my swing speed measured the other day and was disappointed to find that it was only 85 with a driver. I was keeping a loose grip and I am pretty sure I was taking my normal swing, but I rarely succeeded in breaking 90 mph. At 5'4", 110 lbs, I realize that I will be at a clear disadvantage in this area but I would still like to improve. What tips do you have for increasing swing speed?

[bwinger79]

You don't need higher swing speed for getting longer.... you need more loft (11*) and low kick shaft....

How could you possibly know this without knowing the dynamics of his.her swing. More loft and higher launch arent always the answer. For all you know he/she could be launching the ball too high with too much spin already. Every swing is different. Some times, actually, in most cases, the generic advice of higher loft and higher launch doesnt cure the issue.

[Big Don]

I got my swing speed measured the other day and was disappointed to find that it was only 85 with a driver. I was keeping a loose grip and I am pretty sure I was taking my normal swing, but I rarely succeeded in breaking 90 mph. At 5'4", 110 lbs, I realize that I will be at a clear disadvantage in this area but I would still like to improve. What tips do you have for increasing swing speed?

I wouldn't worry about your height and weight. One of the guys in my office is 5'6" and lightly built but is a pretty long hitter by amateur standards. I've seen him effortlessly hit an 8 iron 160 yards and a three iron 210 yards. He can easily hit a drive in the 250-270 yard range and usually blasts the ball well past much larger players. I believe most of his speed is derived from a good wrist hinge and an efficient release together with the ability to nail the ball out of the middle of the club face practically every time.

[Golf4life]

How could you possibly know this without knowing the dynamics of his.her swing. More loft and higher launch arent always the answer. For all you know he/she could be launching the ball too high with too much spin already. Every swing is different. Some times, actually, in most cases, the generic advice of higher loft and higher launch doesnt cure the issue.

Very true. You should consider a two approach attack to increasing distance, assuming you already have a good swing technique. 1.) get properly fitted to obtain best club head, shaft and ball to optimize your flight trajectory, angle, and ball spin. 2.) fitness program to increase strengh not just upper body but lower body where your power is really generated from. I hear the

"Power Maximus" is good tool to develope muscle strengh and good tempo.

[tigerwoo]

One thing I've done in the past and still maintain in the present is taking back the club slow and then accelerating through the downswing.

When I first started this method I use to count to 3 (in my head) during my backswing and only on 3 would I initiate the start of my downswing. This helps create a more consistent, tempo filled swing that allows you to hit the ball more consistently on the sweet spot of the club. Thereby adding more distance to your shots with a more controlled swing. Irons or driver, doesn't matter.

When I use to think I needed to crank it out there, I made the mistake of trying to get to the downswing stage as fast as possible (i.e. fast backswing). This was a severe mistake and it cost me consistency and bad tempo thus resulting in wayward drives and inconsistent distance control.

[sonicblue]

Great advice on tempo. IMO, what tempo MAINLY does for a new amateur is, prevents the hands from leading the (edit) DOWNswing (since they're usually what fires early when the (edit) DOWNswing is started too early). This starts a downstream effect where the body starts the downswing, the hands lag, the wrists stay cocked, and uncoiling all of that closer to impact generates a ton of effortless speed.

[getinthehole]

When I practice getting more swing speed, I hold the club by it's head, then swing the shaft, I find that helps me a lot with swing speed.

[ettsn]

When I practice getting more swing speed, I hold the club by it's head, then swing the shaft, I find that helps me a lot with swing speed.

...but it's a LOT harder to hit the ball!

[mgolfer]

When I practice getting more swing speed, I hold the club by it's head, then swing the shaft, I find that helps me a lot with swing speed.

Hahahahahah lol

[Golf4life]

When I practice getting more swing speed, I hold the club by it's head, then swing the shaft, I find that helps me a lot with swing speed.

LOL.. If anything all you're accomplishing is whipping affect.

[Diggitydog]

Obviously one key to distance is how efficiently you are contacting the ball. I have a swing speed with the driver around 109 mph and my drives when struck well will travel 30 yards further than a poorly struck slice or fade. Bottom line, solid contact. Don't sweat the swing speed too much, just make sure you're getting everything out of your frame that you can. Charles Howell is about 155 lbs but he does pound the ball. The kid Nick Taylor from University of Washington (Placed first in the Canadian Amateur and 8th in the US amatuer) pounds the ball and I bet he doesn't weight more than 160 lbs.

Solid mechanics will get you close to where you want to be for distance. Don't flail around changing equipment etc, figure out if you are releasing the club too early or whatever, there will be places to squeak out speed if you are at 85mph now. Should be able to get around 100 mph with your frame. That'll get you in the 250-260 yard driver range.

[Leek]

I got my swing speed measured the other day and was disappointed to find that it was only 85 with a driver. I was keeping a loose grip and I am pretty sure I was taking my normal swing, but I rarely succeeded in breaking 90 mph. At 5'4", 110 lbs, I realize that I will be at a clear disadvantage in this area but I would still like to improve. What tips do you have for increasing swing speed?

Learn to pivot efficiently

[Golf4life]

Sometimes if you played other sports you can create some analogies to help you understand certain techniques. if you played baseball, or seen one of the greats of all time i.e. Nolan Ryan or Roger Clemens. If you notice the amount of power they push off from their legs it's amazing. So just as a pitcher starts his motion with his upper body, when he is releasig back towards home plate he is leading with his lower body, pushing off, then the upper body(arms) releases.

[lamebums]

I got my swing speed measured the other day and was disappointed to find that it was only 85 with a driver. I was keeping a loose grip and I am pretty sure I was taking my normal swing, but I rarely succeeded in breaking 90 mph. At 5'4", 110 lbs, I realize that I will be at a clear disadvantage in this area but I would still like to improve. What tips do you have for increasing swing speed?

You won't find this is any videos or anything, but watch Tiger when he's hitting driver and needs a few extra yards off the tee. He will snap his left leg straight just before impact, causing his hips to clear faster, causing everything to increase in speed. I tried it myself and can probably gain 20 yards by doing it (I lose consistency though - maybe you can be different).

Also, if you need more distance don't swing harder - try to hit the ball in the middle of the sweet spot instead by making a perfect swing. Hitting all over the club face no matter how hard is just going to lose distance no matter how you look at it. Best bet though is to get on a launch monitor and find out what driver is best for you. IIRC a good launch angle is 17 or 18 degrees although don't quote me on it. Best to ask the guy there.