Swing Speed

[sirshanksalot]

At the age of 27, I love that feeling when you hit a solid shot with a full swing, but as I'm learning the subtle nuances of the benefits of having a smooth swing I'm getting to the point where most of my "full"' shots are at 75% of power. Not only are my shots becoming more consistent, but I'm only giving up about 5-10 yards, which seems menial compared to the consistency I get from a 3/4 swing.

A bit of background on my game is that I am very new to the game. I started fooling around at the driving range during October of last year and played my first round with a cheap starter set in early November. I got absolutely hooked with golf and its definitely a sport that is different especially in terms of mental and psychological battles.

So my question is how much power/umph do you swing your clubs with and would how long did it take you to realize that accuracy and consistent play was far more important than hitting that one deliciously looking solid, full-powered shot?

[The Golfing Polack]

It's one of the things I struggle with most. As a big guy (6' and over 250 lbs) I "know" that I should be able to bomb it out there as long as anybody, but so many bad things happen when you try to swing @ 110%. Your grip tightens as do the muscles in your legs and arms. All I usually end up with is a big huge slice when I try and do that. Sometimes I have to step back from the ball and tell myself that I don't have to kill it. That's when I get my best drives. As you start to be able to control your average shots you'll better be able to reach for a little extra on those wide open par 5s.

With iron shots I've found that taking an extra club will make you think about a smoother motion. Ego is nobody's friend on the golf course. I can hit my 9i 160 but I'm much more likely to hit my 8i that far, and on target with a 70% swing, plus if I catch a big divot I won't tear my back out or screw up my wrists.

[rydaddy]

On a scale of 1-10, 10 is your fastest, 1 slowest, enter your backswing at 3 or 4. Downswing 7-8, or whatever speed you feel most comfortable with. Rarely should anyone go with a 10.

An instructor had me go back in super slow motion (1) and down at the same speed. Then more swings with a slight increase in speed each time, until finally I was going back at 4 and down at 7. You'll have to decide the right downswing speed for yourself. I still haven't figured mine out since this lesson.

[TourSpoon]

I will tell you that perception is not always reality especially when it comes to swinging a golf club. When I feel that I am swinging the club at 85-90% is when I get the most out of my clubs. My tempo is better, my contact is cleaner, and my body is more in sync. When all of this happens together it is like magic and I think that the clubhead speed is faster. When I get to the point that I feel is 100% and try to stay there I start losing distance and accuracy. By playing inside myself, I have the ability to juice it every now and then, but that is only because my normal effort stays at that 85-90% level. That was my epiphany.

Of course, with anything to do with golf the above is easier said than done.

[golf_junkie27]

My experience twofold:

1)Not understanding the proper golf finish. I think most golfers fully understand the mechanics of a golf swing. However, how many really work on where they finish their swing? Once I understood that the swing is really just beginning as you go through the ball, my ball striking greatly improved.

2)Focused on contact being in front of the ball. I placed a tee about an inch in front of the ball. The drill was to stay down and through until I made contact with the tee. As a result, my club marks were showing at nearly the front of ball. The result was more distance, more control and a smoother tempo.

I combined this with a lag drill that I was taught by one of the guys, here. I still swing fast but it happens later in my swing. The result is more control and a better tempo.

[kehanra99]

I think the point at which your swing gathers the greatest amount of power and acceleration is much more important that simply swinging hard. I can swing average to light with a 9i and carry about 115 yards...I can put a good solid swing on and hit it 130, or I can go what I consider the hardest swing I can manage with a decent amount of control and carry one about 150.

The 130 yard is probably my most accurate...7/10 on target. With the 150 yard swing I'm probably down around 5/10. The off target hits on the harder swing tend to be more off target than the softer swings. The softer swing I use has more of a flop flight pattern and I put the ball slightly forward from my normal 9i contact area. It doesn't backspin a whole lot, but it will just bounce a few time forward and maintain roughly the spot it lands.

The one I choose is largely based on what distance, lie, and green I'm hitting into. Another thing to consider is that until my recent lessons the only swing I would use for any situation that required accuracy was the soft one. My contact and aim have become much more consistant since I started working with someone.

[tiger_who]

i swing at 95-100% i practice this so im very consistent at it i dont c the reason to swing slower, if you having trouble getting a solid ball contack swing slower but slowy build up why not get and extra 10-20m id love to hit a 7i rather than a 5i

[kehanra99]

I agree with that to an extent. I guess I should clarify what my hard swings are compared to my regular and low speeds.

My hard swing is probably what I use for pure distance. If I have a shot I want to make that I need to do nothing but go long on a wide fairway, or on long par 5's where I have no chance of a green in 2 even if my aim was good enough. It's probably all of what I have while staying in a decent swing plane. The same hard swing I'd do for a practice swing.

My regular swing, what I'd use on about 80% of my shots, is still around 85-90% of my hardest swing. This is where my most consistant distance and accuracy stays.

My light swing is used almost exclusively if I need extra loft without a whole lot of backspin. I play the ball forward and swing about 75% of my full speed to get it up the air and let it land soft. If I did the same ball location and swung hard it would backspin a bit. It's a flop-type shot I rarely use with anything longer than a 9-iron.

[Jaysbee1971]

I have a massive problem with A: Overswinging and B: Swinging too hard. I think its just a case of trying too hard. I always seem to flush my driver when I take a nice slow backswing and then keep my tempo through my downswing, I can guarentee that if I try to force it say into the wind or on a par 5 Ill either get my body through too quick and therefore slice it or get my hands and arms through too quickly and snap hook it. I know exactly what Ive done yet sometimes ego just gets the better of you, I know when Im swinging well within myself when my arms extend at the correct point on the downswing and my wrists seem to really cock late and rip through the ball. I work really hard at the range on tempo as this is my biggest problem on the course when Im under pressure.

[sonicblue]

I absolutely fall apart if I try too hard. There's a key distinction to be made:

1) At what % EFFORT do you swing, vs.
2) What % of potential do you hit your club?

IMO, the hardest lesson in golf is: #1 and #2 are uncorrelated! , at least for most intents and purposes. The bottom line for me is, 100% EXERTION = 70% RESULT. That is, if I tried to swing my absolute hardest, I would lose significant power. Reason being, I tend to cast when I overswing, wrist lag breaks down, hit a bad spot on the clubface, etc... If my partner is hitting his 8I 170 yards, I need to give into the fact that I CANNOT do that. It's not a matter of, "if I swing X% hard, I can," I just can't.

In that vein, I am realizing that for me, to get 100% distance out of a club, requires a perfect transition. That is, when I hit it the farthest, it's because my backswing is the appropriate length (not overextended, cuz my grip breaks down if I do that) and the transition to my downswing is done correctly, keeping my shoulders/torso connected and maintaining my wrist lag. Swing speed effort has absolutely nothing to do with it.

[PingGKEN]

  Jaysbee1971 said:

I have a massive problem with A: Overswinging and B: Swinging too hard. I think its just a case of trying too hard. I always seem to flush my driver when I take a nice slow backswing and then keep my tempo through my downswing, I can guarentee that if I try to force it say into the wind or on a par 5 Ill either get my body through too quick and therefore slice it or get my hands and arms through too quickly and snap hook it. I know exactly what Ive done yet sometimes ego just gets the better of you, I know when Im swinging well within myself when my arms extend at the correct point on the downswing and my wrists seem to really cock late and rip through the ball. I work really hard at the range on tempo as this is my biggest problem on the course when Im under pressure.

Exactly my problem. I remember some of my longest drives last year were after I felt I swung the slowest and with the least amount of effort. Don't let that ego getcha!!

Last year at a charity tourney, there was "longest drive" hole. Every single golfer in my group tried to CRUSH IT. Every single golfer ended up in the forest on the right. Including me. Another thing that happens when I try to "crush it" is I hardly take a backswing and immediatley transition into my downswing. I guess my body thinks to itself "Swing and tempo must be FASTER to go farther!" which couldn't be further from the truth.

[slainte]

i make a new yardage chart every month. this has helped tremendously in playing within myself. Now I'd lay up when I would normally go for it, or sometimes vice versa. I know it sounds ridiculous doing it that often but I find the more I play and the better my swing gets, I'll gain/lose a few yards with different clubs in 30 days.

My 100% is about 90% of my hardest swing. I never swing harder than that, if you ever need another 10 yards use the next club up.

After hitting about 50 balls or so at the range, mainly with my 6 Iron. I'll take 5 shots at 80% and 5 shots at 100% with every single club. Then I'll do the same with a 3/4 length grip. This covers the broadest range of potential shots and gives me the best feedback for what to use in different situations on the course.

Before I tried to do this mentally but found that having inconsistent contact, swing speed, etc will only leave you short, long or worse.