How to Increase Your Swing Speed
Let’s be real: Every golfer wants to increase their swing speed. Who doesn’t love the feeling of seeing their ball soar far into the distance, way past their fellow players?
When it comes to generating more speed, Joan Lovelace, CA’s head golf pro and director of player development, tells all her students the same thing:
“You can swing as hard as you want, as long as you’re in balance when you finish the swing.”
Keeping everything balanced and in sync — so that our swing comes from a strong foundation — is priority number one.
Add speed to your swing
Increasing your speed doesn’t mean simply swinging the club harder. Your swing should be a nice, easy motion where your body feels loose. Swinging too hard at the ball will lead to undesirable results, such as…
- You’ll lose your balance
- You’ll uncock your wrist too early, which means your maximum force won’t be delivered to the ball
- You’ll be tense, which slows the clubhead speed
The key is to speed up where it matters the most. There’s no need to rush at the top of your swing, because we want the most speed at the bottom of your swing to deliver maximum impact to the ball.
Creating lag is a powerful way to create more speed in your swing. So while you want to keep extension in your arms, lag is about maintaining a wrist bend in your downswing (essentially, you don’t want your wrist straight the entire time). Focusing on lag allows your clubhead to reach the bottom of the swing arc at just the right moment to help you gain power.
“Think of Justin Tucker kicking his record field goal. He doesn’t start with a straight leg. He bends his knee, then straightens it to kick it to create leverage,” says Lovelace. ”It’s the same with your golf swing. Don’t let it go too early and don’t be afraid to let the wrist hold on the downswing; this will create lag. You want to hear that whoosh sound at the bottom of your swing!”
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Tips to increase your speed
One simple drill you can try at home is to hold your club upside down, so that the grip is the end facing down to the ground. Then move through the motions of the golf swing without hitting an actual ball — come down, keep your wrist cocked and make sure you hear that whoosh sound at the bottom.
Beyond working on your swing technique, it’s a wise idea to add strength training to your routine. It’s not necessarily strong arms that will help your ball gain more distance, however. Focusing on building a stronger core will be most advantageous to your game. Flexibility training like yoga or simple stretching is equally important.
At CA, we offer a variety of classes and programs to help you tap into your fullest potential as a golfer. Working with a pro means personalized attention, tailored to your specific needs and abilities. We also have state-of-the-art technology like the FlightScope® Launch Monitor to measures the speed, spin and distance of your shots and take your swing to a whole new level. Learn more here.