Slow swing speed - would you quit?

[jbishop15]

I would continue to play, though it'd be an adjustment, both in terms of strategy and enjoyment. There is a guy at my club who has ALS, and hits the ball with his driver no more than 140 yards, and yet shoots 74-78 every time out. 

It'd be hard, especially at first, but I think I'd get used to it. 

[No Mulligans]

4 hours ago, Suchmo said:

Thanks for the replies. It's really eye-opening and refreshing to hear other people's views on this. I am somewhat surprised to see lessons suggested. I had come to believe that swing speed was a 'you've got it or you haven't' sort of thing. Has anyone had any experience of increasing swing speed through good instruction?

You might want to posts videos of your swing in the member swings section of the forum.  It's hard for the experts here to say what will work for you without seeing your swing.

What worked for me through instruction.  A bigger turn on my backswing.  I thought I had a much bigger turn until an instructor actually put his hands on my shoulders and turned me as far as I could turn.  Instant extra distance.

The second thing that worked for me was getting a swing speed radar and doing overspeed training with lighter clubs.  I talked about it here:

 

[Hardspoon]

4 hours ago, Suchmo said:

I'm a fairly small 32 year old guy: 5'9 and 130lbs and pretty weak in the upper body. I've played golf for a couple of years and really enjoyed improving. I average 85ish. Anyway, my 7 iron distance is roughly 135 yards and driver is 200, at best (total distance, not carry). I'm starting to feel that without a faster swing, further improvement will be incredibly difficult.

First of all, your distances are not THAT bad.  They're probably slightly below average...but quite far out of "embarrassing" range.

Second, your distances will only get better, not worse, for some time yet.

Third, if you average 85, you're above-average as a golfer.  For only playing a couple years, that's awesome.  Something I always have to remind myself: I'm on a forum for people who are basically addicted to golf.  The ability of the folks here is by no means representative of the general golfing population.

Finally, it doesn't matter.  Hell, if I could only hit driver 150 yards, I'd play a par-3 course or play from the women's tees or senior tees and be as happy as a pig in shit.  I'm not sure what it'd take for me to actually quit.

So...just...enjoy.

 

 

[dave s]

If those are your distances, I guess it's a case of 'it is what it is.'  Move up to tee the tee boxes where the course plays 5800 yards or so.

Do a google search on 'what tees should I play?' and you'll find recommended course length based on average driving distance.

No shame in 'right-sizing' the course to fit your game.  When you do, you'll make more pars, have more birdie opportunities, enjoy the game more and probably shoot LOWER scores!

dave

[Buckeyebowman]

Hey, my swing speed is my swing speed. Maybe I can find a way to swing faster, but even if I can't why would I stop playing? I can find a set of tees to accommodate me! That's what is great about this game. The field doesn't always have to be 100 yards long!

[CyboNinja]

I can drive it 250 easily if it goes straight-ish. And my best round this season has been a 93. You're doing a lot right. More than most of us. Don't get hung up on distance off the tee. I'd trade a great drive for a GIR anyday. Sure its fun to hit the longest one out there and puff your chest out a bit but at the end of the hole the only thing that gets written down is how many it took to get it in the cup. 

Keep doing what you been doing and perhaps find a few SS drills to help you get it out there longer. As a competitor, I wish I had your problem. 

PS- Not sure what ball you use but perhaps try a longer one. Its worth a shot if 20 extra yards makes that much of difference to you on a given hole. 

[tshapiro]

Become the master of the 2nd shot. In other words, get very good with a 7 wood off the deck.  It's a very easy club to hit accurately and you'll easily hit it further than most will be hitting their irons. On a long par 3 tee off with it, par 4 it's your 2nd shot, par 5 it's your 3rd shot. It's an equalizer if distance is your challenge.  

Edited August 2, 2016 by tshapiro

[RH31]

Would I quit if I could only drive it 200 yards? Maybe. It's a challenge for me to keep at it considering how poorly I drive it now(220-230) compared to my younger(250+) days.

I'd probably go through the whole gamut of distance addition things first though. Harder ball, lessons, hitting a big hook, etc.,

I'd also have to have something better to do with my time than scraping it around before I gave it up.

[Jameson]

I look like you, lean and small. My driver does not go far, and sometimes I feel like the course is too long for me. I am trying to improve, however I would like to be really good on that things that I can perform better, like short game and putt. I am never going to be a hitter. You have to be glad with what you have, we cannot hit it like bigger guys, but they cannot run as fast as we do  ! 

Enjoy!

Edited August 2, 2016 by Jameson

[Valleygolfer]

I can drive it over 250 regularly and am always ready to quit golf.

[Slice of Life]

Some of my best rounds (read: still bad), I won't even hit the driver much. Just tee off with a 5 or 6 iron. So if you can hit it 200 yards straight...there's nothing wrong with that. 

 

The other option is to beef up a bit and build up the swing speed. We're about the same height but I probably got you by 20-25 lbs of muscle...if you add that, your swing speed can jump up. You're still plenty young enough.

[uitar9]

7 hours ago, tshapiro said:

Become the master of the 2nd shot. In other words, get very good with a 7 wood off the deck.  It's a very easy club to hit accurately and you'll easily hit it further than most will be hitting their irons. On a long par 3 tee off with it, par 4 it's your 2nd shot, par 5 it's your 3rd shot. It's an equalizer if distance is your challenge.  

Thks tshapiro. I recently put away my driver for two weeks and used three wood off the tee. Took the driver back out this week and am finding better distance and straighter, for driver and next shots, almost getting to the green in regulation, maybe 30 yards short. It's almost like my swing speed increased because I was over compensating with the wood. Started using that feel on the subsequent shots and am getting a little more distance per club. 

[shanksalot]

When you say 85'sh are you talking about your scores or your swing speed. If you can't reach the par 4's in two strokes and have a hard time getting on the par 5's in three strokes I would recommend working on your short game inside 100 yards and also work very hard on your putting. From what you have indicated about the teeing boxes there must only be three sets. But most courses that play from the back tees at over 7000 yards have at least 4 sets. You only mentioned two sets. There should be a set around 6000 yards for shorter hitters and another for women and super seniors and of course new young players. If you are averaging around 85 strokes per round at 6600 yards you are a very good golfer right now and do not need to worry about whether to quit or not. Most players could not break 100 from 6600 yards.

Edited August 2, 2016 by shanksalot

[JxQx]

I definitely wouldn't quit over distance. That can definitely improve through lessons, flexibility, strength training a bit or a combination of all 3. Also you shouldn't be embarrassed about distance at all, you don't right that down on the score card. I know plenty of guys who can pound the ball but couldn't break 90.

[JonMA1]

On 8/1/2016 at 3:58 PM, Suchmo said:

I'm a fairly small 32 year old guy: 5'9 and 130lbs and pretty weak in the upper body. I've played golf for a couple of years and really enjoyed improving. I average 85ish.

 

On 8/1/2016 at 5:37 PM, Suchmo said:

The whites are the back tees. The course only has ladies' (5950 yds), men's (6600) and white (7000). It's a British parkland course (Thorpe Wood in Peterborough) so not high altitude by any means.

You can average 85 on a 6600 yard course? You must be doing something right out there. There are some of use who would kill for 80's on a course that long. Sadly, I'd be playing those 5950 forward tees and still not scoring in the 80's.

Keep at it @Suchmo. Sounds like you have a pretty good game.

[Jeremie Boop]

I don't think that if/when I lose a lot of distance I'll quit golf as long as by that point I've gotten to the point where I'm much more accurate with the longer clubs in the bag. I've played with plenty of guys that may hit a longer club than me but can hit their target much more reliably and score better. I'll let score be my determining factor of when I hang up the clubs or if I just am not able to swing the club anymore.

[Buckeyebowman]

10 hours ago, shanksalot said:

When you say 85'sh are you talking about your scores or your swing speed. If you can't reach the par 4's in two strokes and have a hard time getting on the par 5's in three strokes I would recommend working on your short game inside 100 yards and also work very hard on your putting. From what you have indicated about the teeing boxes there must only be three sets. But most courses that play from the back tees at over 7000 yards have at least 4 sets. You only mentioned two sets. There should be a set around 6000 yards for shorter hitters and another for women and super seniors and of course new young players. If you are averaging around 85 strokes per round at 6600 yards you are a very good golfer right now and do not need to worry about whether to quit or not. Most players could not break 100 from 6600 yards.

 

2 hours ago, JonMA1 said:

 

You can average 85 on a 6600 yard course? You must be doing something right out there. There are some of use who would kill for 80's on a course that long. Sadly, I'd be playing those 5950 forward tees and still not scoring in the 80's.

Keep at it @Suchmo. Sounds like you have a pretty good game.

Yeah! I'm 5'9" and about 180, and 6,600 yards is a slugfest for me! I'll generally choose to play a shorter set of tees.

[Psyber]

Wether you stay with golf or not I'd highly suggest improving your upper body strength if you feel it's a weak point. Chances are if you think your upper body is weak than your lower body probably is as well. If you can find three hours a week to work out a simple 5x5 routine might help your distance. Get your strength up and improve your technique and there is no reason you can't hit it further. You're only 32 so hit the gym three days a week and get in plenty of good clean calories and you'll get your weight up to 160 in no time with significant increases in strength.

Edited August 3, 2016 by Psyber