Smoother tempo (less effort) produces longer shots?

[onthehunt526]

I was messing around in the hitting bay today at DSG. I was swinging with about 75% effort. In other words, easier than normal... My clubhead speed did go down a tick (99-104 driver vs my normal 107-110)... And it seemed as if I was getting a the same or higher ball speed with the smoother swing. 

So to make sure it wasn't a fluke, I hit some 7-iron shots with the same sort of feeling, 75% effort same sort of thing. So I put some impact tape on both clubs, and realized why... My strikes were much closer to the sweet spot with a smoother swing than they were with my normal we'll say 90% effort. (It's probably more than that, I don't have per se an effort meter on me). 

I hit a few 10:30, 9:00, 7:30 swings with the 7-iron, same thing more consistent strikes, better contact, staying on plane.

My question is, why am I hitting it "further" with less effort, than I do with 90-95%? Any information on this would be appreciated, not looking for an easy fix, but it solves some of my issues.

Thanks,

Shane

P.S. The 7-iron I hit was the new TM P-770, awesome club for any of you better players out there, and worth every penny. And it worked with every damn club I tried, wedges, irons, hybrids, fairways and drivers.

[David in FL]

It's amazing what hitting it in the middle of the clubface will do for you!

 

[onthehunt526]

14 minutes ago, David in FL said:

It's amazing what hitting it in the middle of the clubface will do for you!

 

Agreed. I'm more interested of the biomechanics of it. I'm definitely more in balance, don't get that ugly step through. (I guess the step-through drill is actually a good way to feel yourself getting your weight forward). 

The ball was going much straighter for my dispersion was tighter.

Is it the whole old adage about a relaxed muscle is faster than a tense one?

Maybe Erik can explain it better.

[InTheTrees]

It sounds like you're seeing what more efficient energy transfer can do to ball speed. Hitting in the sweet spot of the club more efficiently transfers your swing speed to the ball, so you get more ball speed (and thus more distance), and likely less side spin.

When I was getting fit for my clubs, some shaft/head combinations gave me a better smash factor (ball speed/swing speed), so even with a slightly slower swing speed I got more ball speed and more distance. Those clubs fit my swing and I was getting squarer hits in the sweet spot.

Of course, if we could all swing faster and still hit the sweet spot on the correct path ...  

[roamin]

I noticed similar ball striking results a few months back while practicing "easier" swings and a smoother tempo. I've been incorporating tempo drills into my practice and have seen (and enjoyed!) a noticeable and consistent difference. But...

55 minutes ago, onthehunt526 said:

Is it the whole old adage about a relaxed muscle is faster than a tense one?

If you'll excuse the DD HCI and allow me to offer my two cents... I don't think that's the question here. Your swing speed was slower. You also said strikes were closer to the sweet-spot. Seems @David in FL may have nailed it the first time. 

I'd imagine it's possible you might also be doing a better job with decent angle and low-point, but I'm now bringing up more stuff I don't really know about, or whether it's even relevant, so I'll stop and wait for smarter people to chime in and hopefully learn something myself. 

Either way, stick with it. Sounds like your on to something with your swing. Best of luck! 

[onthehunt526]

e @iacas and/or. @mvmac

Any thoughts? Is this just a "quick fix" or something I can build on?

[mvmac]

3 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

My question is, why am I hitting it "further" with less effort, than I do with 90-95%?

Because of this,

3 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

My strikes were much closer to the sweet spot

Swing speed is obviously important to distance but so is hitting it solid.

[saevel25]

Probably more with what @mvmac has said, but it can happen to those that improver their swings. Proper swing mechanics will produce more effortless power. 

[chspeed]

6 hours ago, mvmac said:

Because of this,

Swing speed is obviously important to distance but so is hitting it solid.

Yes. Closer to sweet spot and with path and clubface square to each other at impact, both of which can improve when we swing slower.

[taffastrophe]

I've noticed that with a slightly slower swing with the driver, I'm able to have a looser grip and supinate my right wrist properly (I'm a lefty).  

I think that quick acceleration at the point of impact, combined with hitting the sweet spot as described above, is what makes the ball travel as far as  a "swing-out-of-your-shoes" swing, except it actually goes straight instead of into the woods.

[Groucho Valentine]

I agree with some of the other posters. Hitting the ball square is more important than just speed. When you get a player that can match top speed and center hits..well you pretty much have a professional...lol

[alleztom]

So the question becomes why does a 75% swing hit the middle of the clubface more often?

My guess would be that the movements are in control and you're not wasting energy forcing the club to act against a more neutral motion. I feel like when I go super hard (say 110% of my usual speed) I try and thrust everything (handle, hips, hands) forward and right rather than just swinging.

Is this also the reason that flighted iron shots are preferred to full swings?

[MRR]

Not only are you hitting the sweet spot, but a relaxed swing like that is probably more efficiently transferring your back/shoulder/arm power through relaxed hands into the clubhead.

Swing a whip as hard as you can, and you just look like a fool.  Flip is casually and correctly and the tip goes fast enough to break the sound barrier.

Now that you have had a taste at a smoother and easier swing, you can start to become more consistent with those movements and correctly add more speed in the future.  Frankly, with your posted index, I'm surprised this is new to you.  I look forward to hearing how your game improves now.

[onthehunt526]

1 hour ago, MRR said:

Not only are you hitting the sweet spot, but a relaxed swing like that is probably more efficiently transferring your back/shoulder/arm power through relaxed hands into the clubhead.

Swing a whip as hard as you can, and you just look like a fool.  Flip is casually and correctly and the tip goes fast enough to break the sound barrier.

Now that you have had a taste at a smoother and easier swing, you can start to become more consistent with those movements and correctly add more speed in the future.  Frankly, with your posted index, I'm surprised this is new to you.  I look forward to hearing how your game improves now.

Off topic but: The reason more or less, I hold an 8.1 HI is because I don't take "stupid" risks... The worst I ever make on a hole anymore is double. My shorter short game is solid enough to where most of the time I make no worse than bogey and make a seven to nine pars a round... I just don't hit enough GIR to have a lower handicap.

Now the related part: I probably don't need a ton more speed @MRR. Probably just what my clubhead speed was before, around 110 would be good.

I realize now I can get that at maybe 80% effort. I thought about sticking with the 75% for a while... An efficient 265-270 is plenty on my home course. As opposed to a forced 260 with inconsistent strikes...

@mvmac what would be a good way of building on this? If I get time, I'll post a video later.

[mvmac]

13 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

mvmac what would be a good way of building on this? If I get time, I'll post a video later.

Yeah I would have to see a video because I have no idea what is really going on.

15 hours ago, alleztom said:

So the question becomes why does a 75% swing hit the middle of the clubface more often?

I'm a little bit of the opposite. My "harder" swings tend to work out better for me.

[Buckeyebowman]

On 5/24/2017 at 1:50 AM, mvmac said:

Because of this,

Swing speed is obviously important to distance but so is hitting it solid.

This reminds me of iacas' thread where he wanted guys to use Sharpies to put dots on the backs of 5 balls, and hit them with a 6 iron to see where on the clubface they were hitting it. When I did it my first swing was toward the hosel. It was a weakish shot that drifted to the right of my target line. Looking at the impact point reminded me that I do have the tendency to get close to the hosel.

So, I adjusted my address to get the ball a little closer to the toe. I hit the final 4 shots dead in the middle of the face and they took off like rockets! And what a sweet feeling was transmitted to my hands. I could tell every shot was dead nutted! And I wasn't trying to hit the ball hard. I just made a normal swing with nice tempo, which probably contributed greatly to my centered contact.

 

[zero]

Same for me. I attribute it to much better trajectory, spin, a bit of de-lofting due to better shaft lean, and of course sweet spot. In my case it feels more like going down to 30% which is probably closer to actually 70% whereas my typical 80% is more like 110% because I just get very tense and muscled-up over the ball.

[Killa]

When I play I always repeat to myself, don't overpower. Because when I do that it's usually a shank. And I attribute that to everything not lining up as nicely as when I "slow down". And when I go full throttle I tend to overswing on the backswing looking like John Daly out there ?