If you learn how to increase golf swing speed, you will likely find that you can make longer shots. With that said, you do not have to have muscles or a strong physique to get a faster swing. In fact, all you really need is some better overall technique.
What Are the Challenges: Things to Keep in Mind
It is common sense to know that if you can get the ball to move faster, you have a greater chance of getting a longer distance when hitting the ball. With that said, it isn’t always straightforward when it comes to increasing your golf swing speed.
You do not want your increased speed to come at the expense of some other necessary fundamental in your swing. You don’t want to be off-balance, for example. You certainly don’t want to lose the proper strike, too. If you lose control because you are moving faster, you aren’t actually accomplishing much.
One nuance to understand is that when we reference increasing golf swing speed, we don’t mean actually swinging faster. We mean getting your clubhead to move faster when you make an impact.
How to Increase Golf Swing Speed: The Exercises
Here, we are going to provide four key exercises you can do, which will cover areas like sequencing and timing so that you can get your clubhead moving faster.
Bear in mind that moving your clubhead at a faster rate has to do with technique far more than it does with muscles or physique. You can also check out Ben Hogan’s golf swing secret once you’re through with these exercises.
Exercise #1: Have a Good Set Up
The way you set up will have a direct impact on the energy transfer to the golf ball. If you address the ball in the right way, you basically create a great angle and loft. Both of these will help you get the best ball speed.
To set up properly, here are the things you need to follow:
- Keep Your Chest Behind the Ball
You want to keep your hips a bit forward with your spin leaning away from your target. This will make you feel like your chest is behind the ball. That sensation will give you the time and space needed to build up speed before making an impact.
- Angle up Your Shoulders
Having your spine angled also works to create an upward sweep of the ball. It is this action that will allow you to get at the club face’s middle.
It serves another purpose which is to keep the impact face loft and the attack angle of the club close together. This will lead to greater efficiency in transferring energy.
- Support Your Backswing
You’ll have more support for your backswing by creating a sharper angle in your back leg. This limits any swaying you might do.
It also allows you to deliver a really powerful rotation on the ball. That rotation provides a lot of extra speed.
- Pay Attention to Your Hips
Make sure your hips are bunting toward the target. You can exaggerate the position by allowing the hip that’s leading to feel like it’s a bit higher.
Don’t move your head when your hips move. You want it to stay in its position, which will allow you to keep an even weight distribution.
- Check for a Gap
You want to make sure your spine is extended, and you are bending from your hips. You want your hands to be under your chin, as well. There should also be a gap between your thighs and your hands.
Exercise #2: Train for Faster Speed
If you’ve ever watched a baseball game, you know that batters will swing with two bats, or a weight on one bat, as they warm up for their at-bat. This is essentially training for moving the bat quicker when they finally make it to the batter’s box. Their single bat, with no weight, will feel incredibly light compared with their practice swings.
You can do the same with golf. You simply flip the club upside down, and follow these steps:
- Hold your driver by the head and then move it to be horizontal out in the front of you.
- Keep the shaft horizontal while you swing the club around you. You want to aim for making the loudest swishing sound you can. Take note of the fact that as the shaft swings faster, more of your body tries to get engaged.
- Flip the club right side up. Repeat the previous step trying to get the loudest swishing noise you can. You will likely achieve the loudest noise when your lower body rotates to pull the club forward and your arms and hands arrive with the ball later.
- Now swing your club as you normally would. Use your normal posture and take note of the muscle memory you’ve just created while trying to move quickly.
Exercise #3: Use Your Muscle
If you were going to fire a baseball, you would make sure the front foot was fully planted on the ground before your hips moved forward. Then your hand carrying the ball would follow. That is the same sequence of events when working on your golf swing.
With this exercise, you want to get your ball to skip down the fairway. You basically want it bouncing as fast as possible. You can achieve this through a few different maneuvers:
- Release Later
Once you’ve gotten to the maximum speed you can achieve, it will almost feel as if your arm and hand release later. This is often referred to as the late hit, which is when the body pulls through your arms followed by the club.
- Hurl a Ball
Throw a ball as powerfully as you can at a target, but use a golfing motion when you do so. You can start out by having a ball in your trail hand.
Then, fold your other arm and hold it behind your back. Use your normal golfing posture.
- Throw the Ball with Your Driver
Once you’ve mastered getting a better speed from throwing, try it out with a club. Hold the driver and perform a swing for practice. Think of replicating the motion of throwing a ball and focus on looking down the fairway.
- Think of Throwing a Club
The focus of this exercise is to develop more speed. Think as if you are going to throw the club as far as you can.
If you really keep that mindset, you can get your glute and hip muscles to engage right at the beginning of your downswing. That will help to increase your speed.
Exercise #4: Timing Improvement
This exercise requires you to use a towel with a knot at the end. The knot is intended to add weight to the exercise. Here are the steps to follow:
- Hold your towel as if it were a golf club and act as if you are addressing an imaginary ball. Allow the end with the knot to just hang. Swing to the top and wait for the knot to make contact with your shoulder.
- The added weight of the knot will help you to feel lag as you approach impact. This replicates the lagging the club does behind you.
- Start down and feel the weight of your body linger above your front foot. Pay attention to feeling the towel as it stays on your shoulder while you start down.
- Snatch the club down with your arms and hands. The knotted part of the towel should start to move away from your shoulder. This exercise helps to make sure your lower body leads and your arms and hands follow after.
That’s It!
Each of these drills can help you learn how to increase golf swing speed. You can also check out Ben Hogan’s golf swing secret for more inspiration.
