I've got a need for speed

I recently had a go on a simple swing monitor. I was clocking in at about 97 / 98 mph fairly consistently. That puts me about 245ish down the fairway, sometimes getting up to about 260 yards, when I get it on the nose. Looking at my swing on video it seems fairly relaxed and controlled. So my question is this, how do I try and increase swing speed, without attempting to kill it. My gut feel is to speed up my hip turn and get my legs to work faster. I’d love a few drills to try out, so would appreciate advice.

How was your round with LBC?

Counciling would be a good start. ;)

You should try and get more flexible that is a big key to gain in distance, also you don't really need to quicken up your swing it is fine. Just simply work on hitting the ball more consistently out of the middle of the clubface this will also lead to a greater gain in distance.

Also vitamins and minerals are good to a better gain in distance, these substainces will lead in hand and body speed with out extra effort.


It isn't all about having a fast siwng.

It is well past my bed time and yours IG good night.

Sorry I couldn't go into more detail.

[QUOTE=NickP]How was your round with LBC?[/QUOTE]

It was very cool, Irish Whiskey travels well.

It was nice to play in Californian sunshine, especially now that it is snowing here in Ireland. And it was nice to play with a dude, LBC is the perfect host. Some pictures and the match report were posted here last week somewhere.

He bought lunch and gave me a knock-down price on his old driver. The same item is now launching the ball down the fairways of Portstewart, so coincidentally it travels well too.

I'm trying to coax him over to Ireland for the return leg.

I'm about 5'8" and tip the scales at 140 with my golf bag on. I run, lift weights, etc. so I'm in good shape just not a big guy. But, I have to generate clubhead speed and I do it with lots of flexibility and a TON of clubhead lag. Watching my swing on video is fun...my hips unwind so incredibly fast compared to my shoulders and I keep the wrist angle until just the last second and then release everything through the ball. Charles Howell has a good article in this months Golf Magazine, I thought. It's just a matter of figuring out how to do what he's saying. One trick I use is to hold the driver by the clubhead and get a big "whhoooossh!" from the grip passing through the air at the bottom arc of the swing. There should be no sound until the bottom of the arc...then "whooosh!" very quickly. That means you are releasing the club at the right instant. Other than that, working with an instructor is about all I can say.

[QUOTE=Irishgolfer]I recently had a go on a simple swing monitor. I was clocking in at about 97 / 98 mph fairly consistently. That puts me about 245ish down the fairway, sometimes getting up to about 260 yards, when I get it on the nose. Looking at my swing on video it seems fairly relaxed and controlled. So my question is this, how do I try and increase swing speed, without attempting to kill it. My gut feel is to speed up my hip turn and get my legs to work faster. I’d love a few drills to try out, so would appreciate advice.[/QUOTE]

Go get Tourtempo on Amazon for $20 US.

It explains that for you to increase your net clubhead speed - you must increase your backswing - since the backswing and downswing are inter-related at a ratio of 3:1.

You will receive a CD along with the book. It is the first time that tempo has been quantified scientifically.

Here's a little article and a few training aid recommendations you might find helpful.

[url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HFI/is_6_55/ai_n6092893] Swing Speed[/url]

The swing builder looks like a good idea, but's it's kinda pricey...

[url=http://www.practicerange.com/product/swb100_swingbuilder.asp] Swing Builder[/url]

[QUOTE=Chili Dipp]Here's a little article and a few training aid recommendations you might find helpful.

[url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HFI/is_6_55/ai_n6092893] Swing Speed[/url]

The swing builder looks like a good idea, but's it's kinda pricey...

[url=http://www.practicerange.com/product/swb100_swingbuilder.asp] Swing Builder[/url][/QUOTE]

Thanks CD, good article.

[QUOTE=Irishgolfer]I recently had a go on a simple swing monitor. I was clocking in at about 97 / 98 mph fairly consistently. That puts me about 245ish down the fairway, sometimes getting up to about 260 yards, when I get it on the nose. Looking at my swing on video it seems fairly relaxed and controlled. So my question is this, how do I try and increase swing speed, without attempting to kill it. My gut feel is to speed up my hip turn and get my legs to work faster. I’d love a few drills to try out, so would appreciate advice.[/QUOTE]

Alot of people fall into the trap that if they want to hit a drive a bit longer they try to hit it harder.
Really what you want to be doing is trying to swing better. Work on hitting the ball flush with a good tempo swing and you have my word you will start hitting it longer. Make sure you have loads of turn and width on the backswing!

Saw a piece on the GC recently in which a pro mentioned that amateur players tend to "get narrow" on the backswing and wide on the downswing--meaning that they're throwing the clubhead from the top--whereas the most effective swing is to get as wide as possible on the backswing and "pull in" or get narrower on the downswing. You've all heard the expression "dropping the club into the slot." Checking out my own swing in slo-mo, I can see that I'm not always as wide as possible on the backswing, not as fully extended with the left arm as I might be. Also, those who tend to pull both feet almost off the ground on the follow-through are probably pretty wide on the downswing, without much club lag.

Its hard to say without looking at your swing. Weight transfer is the main part of maxing out distance. The faster (but smooth) you tranfer your weight, the more power the club will have. I just got measured at a golf shop and since I changed my swing I am over 120 MPH with my swing speed. I used to be 110 to 115.

[QUOTE=JasonMacIsaac]Its hard to say without looking at your swing. Weight transfer is the main part of maxing out distance. The faster (but smooth) you tranfer your weight, the more power the club will have. I just got measured at a golf shop and since I changed my swing I am over 120 MPH with my swing speed. I used to be 110 to 115.[/QUOTE]

What is your index?

[QUOTE=Bravo35223]What is your index?[/QUOTE]
It is 2.5 at the moment and falling.

[QUOTE=JasonMacIsaac]It is 2.5 at the moment and falling.[/QUOTE]


What age are you? And any video of your swing? Or any one else for that matter?

You guys are all wrong. The answer is the #3 gripper and you know it. :D

[QUOTE=Chili Dipp] The swing builder looks like a good idea, but's it's kinda pricey...

[url=http://www.practicerange.com/product/swb100_swingbuilder.asp] Swing Builder[/url][/QUOTE]

I had my swing speed measured about a month back, and found that I had lost about 5 mph with my 5 iron, averaging about 80 mph, and my driver was hovering at around 90, probably the result of a muscle strain that had bugged me for about a month several months ago. Anyway, I had the same question for the pro who measured me--specificially the need to gain, or at least restore, my swing speed. Now I've known this guy for a few years and I like him, but he does have a golf store, and has a vested interest in selling me product. After caveating the fact that he hates measuring swing speed, because he said that we all tend to try to overswing, he said that the swing builder that Chili refers to was a great tool to build swing speed. Take it FWIW.

The real point that I wanted to bring out here was that my kids gave me a Speed Stik for my birthday a couple of weeks ago. Out of the box, I was swinging that bad boy--balanced--at 95-100 mph. Using it frequently, though not daily, over the past couple of weeks, I have been able to consistently reproduce swing speeds of 105 mph, swinging both left and right handed. I have also been able to produce speed bursts of up to 110 mph, but these were not the most balanced efforts. Like swinging a driver grip outward, one tries to build speed so the "woosh" is heard past the impact area. It's a lot of fun, and has a built-in meter so that you can measure your speed increase, but I do not know how this translates into swing speed with the 5 iron. I am planning to have my swing speed measured again in a couple of weeks, so I'll let you know if the increase in speed measured with the Speed Stik has resulted in an actual increase in my swing speed with a 5 iron and a ball.

[QUOTE=The master]What age are you? And any video of your swing? Or any one else for that matter?[/QUOTE]
I don't have a video now, my brother in law just moved in and he has a video camera so I could tape it but it would be at the in door golf range. I also don't know how to make put it on the computer......Would Dr Divx work?

PS: I am 19 turning 20 in june. I am 6`1 160 with a long large arc. It looks smooth but I have problems going past parallel....not near as bad as John Daly but much like Phil Michelson. Finally am starting to release the club head and getting much much more power in the process. Strong iron player but poor driver and poor putter.

[QUOTE=The master]What age are you? And any video of your swing? Or any one else for that matter?[/QUOTE]

I am going to play at my indoor golf league on a simulator tonight and record my swing as I play a round on the simulator. I could post my swing if you would like to analyze?? My only question is this - I saw that you posted yours the other day and had to go through another medium to do it. If I get a .mpg video on my computer can I post that? That is what my camera coverts the video to.

[QUOTE=Bones04]I am going to play at my indoor golf league on a simulator tonight and record my swing as I play a round on the simulator. I could post my swing if you would like to analyze?? My only question is this - I saw that you posted yours the other day and had to go through another medium to do it. If I get a .mpg video on my computer can I post that? That is what my camera coverts the video to.[/QUOTE]


Yeah it should work. Try it. I would love to see it, and so would everyone else.