30 yard drive distance increase overnight? Did this ever happened to you?

[rkim291968]

In your golf career, did you "get" something in your swing right (something clicked) and started to hit 30 yards longer the next round?   If so, how did that happen?  What held you back until then?   Did you keep the new distance?

 

( I bring this topic up b/c in today's round, my drive average went up by 30 yards.   Usually, my "solid" drives average 225 - 230 yards.   Today, my solid drives went about 255 yards.   One drive went 295 (downwind), and another went 275 (flat).   I was floored.  I thought it was a new ball I was using, Wilson Duo.  So, I tried another ball, Srixon Soft Feel, and it went even further.   It wasn't the ball.  My other suspicions were that all those hip turn drills, golf workouts, losing tension on grip, ideal swing impact all came together for today.   I just hope I can repeat it going forward.   But knowing golf and its god, I believe it is just a fluke.   Tomorrow, I will likely go back to hitting 230 yard drives.  )

[Lihu]

Sure just swinging faster.

[Dave2512]

No it's my most variant club long short left right. There are days I drive it well and golf is easy. Next day back to variance. 

[jgreen85]

Yes, this happened to me about 6 weeks ago. I knew I was casting with my driver, but couldn't figure out how to stop. One day at the range I tried something different and boom. So far I have kept the additional distance, I was carrying driver 245 today at the range. My round on Friday, distance averaged 260-265 of easy power. 

[rkim291968]

8 minutes ago, jgreen85 said:

Yes, this happened to me about 6 weeks ago. I knew I was casting with my driver, but couldn't figure out how to stop. One day at the range I tried something different and boom. So far I have kept the additional distance, I was carrying driver 245 today at the range. My round on Friday, distance averaged 260-265 of easy power. 

Nice going.  Getting rid of flipping can easily improve the drive distance.   I believe it.  In fact, it may have contributed to my longer drives today (but not to the extent of 30 yards).  

[Gunther]

Yes, and it's wonderful.  Long story.  For almost 2 years now, my drives; hence, my game have suffered. It started with severe hand pain in my right hand which ultimately caused me to move to a 10-finger grip from a life-long interlock.  This lasted almost a year until the pain shifted from my 3rd finger into the top side of the hand. I was able to interlock again but now i had pain in both hands.

Over time, I stopped engaging my hands with the long clubs, I think because of subconsciously worrying about the pain.  I lost 50-60 yards with my driver.

Recently (last 2 rounds, in fact), the pain has lessened and somehow, I realized I wasn't using my hands in the swing.  Bang, as soon as I thought of that, I began melting the ball again with the big stick.  In 50° weather I've hit 4 or 5 280-290 over the last 2 rounds.  Still missing more than my fair share but what a great feeling to know I can still move it.  Really thought that was gone.  My friends, believe it or not, actually are happy I'm out driving them again, as I always did.  Really sucks when you think you crushed one only to get there and your 60-year old short-knocking bud is 3 yards ahead of you.  No more!  I'm a new person.

Funny thing is I really never lost distance with my short irons but something was holding me back from "swinging the handle" with the longer clubs.  I think the problem I have is arthritis so it'll be something I struggle with for the rest of my days but I'm enjoying the relative painless golf swing while it lasts.

[Patch]

Yep, it has happened to me when the wind was blowing the right direction the next day. 

[Marty2019]

I'm not sure how much extra length I've picked up lately, but it seems substantial.   I'm 62 years old, about 5-8 and 150 pounds, and my drives were going about 210-220.   But working on relaxing my hands and arms, allowing the club to swing itself, getting into the slot on a good downswing plane, no longer coming over the top, maintaining lag, etc, is what I have done in the last couple of months, and now I seem to have picked up an extra 20-30 yards on my driver.   Before, I was casting the club over the top, but I found that if I took my hands and arms out of the equation, I am much less over the top, and I hit it a lot farther.  

So in answer to the original question, I wouldn't say it was overnight.   It took a couple of months, so far. 

[nevets88]

Not me, but I would think someone who is strong and athletic, who starts out with a flip and hips not opening up, finds a good teacher, transitions to a flat lead wrist and better pivot and hip rotation - that would be a day and night difference and I'm guessing, happens more often than you'd think.

[14ledo81]

I have had times over the years when I am hitting it better.  Not quite 30 yards longer, maybe closer to 20.  Always seemed to come back to reality after a bit though.

[Braivo]

This happened for about a month last summer. Everything was going 20-30 yards further even though I didn't change my swing at all. 

It vanished as mysteriously as it had appeared. 

[RayG]

Sure, it happens all the time. When I thin that 8 iron to 180... Oh, I 'got' it all right. I could feel it all the way to my elbows...

[Lihu]

11 hours ago, rkim291968 said:

In your golf career, did you "get" something in your swing right (something clicked) and started to hit 30 yards longer the next round?   If so, how did that happen?  What held you back until then?   Did you keep the new distance?

 

( I bring this topic up b/c in today's round, my drive average went up by 30 yards.   Usually, my "solid" drives average 225 - 230 yards.   Today, my solid drives went about 255 yards.   One drive went 295 (downwind), and another went 275 (flat).   I was floored.  I thought it was a new ball I was using, Wilson Duo.  So, I tried another ball, Srixon Soft Feel, and it went even further.   It wasn't the ball.  My other suspicions were that all those hip turn drills, golf workouts, losing tension on grip, ideal swing impact all came together for today.   I just hope I can repeat it going forward.   But knowing golf and its god, I believe it is just a fluke.   Tomorrow, I will likely go back to hitting 230 yard drives.  )

This can happen and for exactly these reasons. You got the timing right or something. I did this a couple years ago, and was surprised just like you. No one else believed it either until they saw it, and it happened. I've been working a lot on understanding "how" for the past year or so.

 

11 hours ago, Lihu said:

Sure just swinging faster.

Partially joking, but partially not. Swinging faster is the key, simple.

 

11 hours ago, Dave2512 said:

No it's my most variant club long short left right. There are days I drive it well and golf is easy. Next day back to variance. 

True, but by that much?

 

1 hour ago, Braivo said:

This happened for about a month last summer. Everything was going 20-30 yards further even though I didn't change my swing at all. 

It vanished as mysteriously as it had appeared. 

Doesn't have to vanish.

 

In all seriousness, when I first hit longer drives it was really spotty. One day I could hit far and the next short again. I've been working on making the longer drives more consistent for the past year or so and have been breaking down the keys using the drills on this site and trying to figure out why I was able to hit long on some days (excluding weather conditions).

I seem to be getting more consistent in length, excluding hitting trees, but still need to eliminate the pull tendency.

Golf is a lot of work, and if you put in the dedicated and focused practice you should be able to repeat the 255 yard average drives. I think the key is in the "keys" and understanding them better and how they apply to your own swing.

[rehmwa]

Yeah - Did you take the cover off the club too? 

I recommend that to all my friends now - worked for me

[Lihu]

1 minute ago, rehmwa said:

Yeah - Did you take the cover off the club too? 

I recommend that to all my friends now - worked for me

[GolfLug]

11 hours ago, rkim291968 said:

In your golf career, did you "get" something in your swing right (something clicked) and started to hit 30 yards longer the next round?   If so, how did that happen?  What held you back until then?   Did you keep the new distance?

 

( I bring this topic up b/c in today's round, my drive average went up by 30 yards.   Usually, my "solid" drives average 225 - 230 yards.   Today, my solid drives went about 255 yards.   One drive went 295 (downwind), and another went 275 (flat).   I was floored.  I thought it was a new ball I was using, Wilson Duo.  So, I tried another ball, Srixon Soft Feel, and it went even further.   It wasn't the ball.  My other suspicions were that all those hip turn drills, golf workouts, losing tension on grip, ideal swing impact all came together for today.   I just hope I can repeat it going forward.   But knowing golf and its god, I believe it is just a fluke.   Tomorrow, I will likely go back to hitting 230 yard drives.  )

Yes, an improvement in swing path can do it IMO. One of the things you mentioned is losing grip tension. This allows the club to travel in a somewhat more of a natural path (not forcing a path especially at or around impact). See if you still end up with low tension in your hands/arms at finish (compared to your old finish), if so then yeah IMO that is tangible improvement. Another one is the turn drills - if you were previously slapping the ball with arms only without shoulder/torso turn (or limited turn) then this is also a huge improvement.

I flip flop between 210 (usually a low push-hook) and 235-240-ish carry (straight to slight draw). I have an identified issue (shallow down swing path) which I have been working on.

Lastly, if there have been no changes then there's always possible ball position difference in the stance.

I would be curious about your before and after ball trajectory also to understand better. Ball flight laws can help understand the differences.   

[Lihu]

6 minutes ago, GolfLug said:

I flip flop between 210 (usually a low push-hook) and 235-240-ish carry (straight to slight draw). I have an identified issue (shallow down swing path) which I have been working on.

Sounds a lot like your shorter drives might be caused by an arm type swing, while with your longer ones you are coming inside out?

[pumaAttack]

Atmospheric changes?  Harder fairways?