Three exercises to generate more clubhead speed

Weekend golfers often equate “muscle power” with length off the tee. I see it all the time in my golf lessons. The player swings his driver as hard as he can, hoping to hit a monster shot. They never do. In fact, swinging the driver harder, as I tell these players, shortens your drives because he tightens the muscles, decreasing their ability to produce power.

The secret to getting more distance off the tee is generating more clubhead speed. Mechanically, you generate more clubhead speed in one of three ways, as I point out in my golf tips:

o Widening the arc of your swing

o Lengthening the arc of your swing

o Adding speed in the hitting area

Widening the arc of your swing increases the distance the clubhead travels, giving you more time and room to build up speed. The same thing happens when lengthening the arc of your swing. This makes the arc of the swing longer and, again, gives the club more time and room to build up speed. Adding ball speed increases clubhead momentum through the impact area, generating more power.

Below are three drills I use in my golf lessons to teach how to generate more clubhead speed. The key with drills is learning the feel of what it’s like to swing the clubhead faster, and then incorporating that feel into your swing. Practice the exercises faithfully. You will see the results quite quickly.

Broadening Your Bow: Right Hand Drill

If the arc of your swing is narrow, the club has less time and room to build up speed. If your left arm (for right-handers) bends too much during your backswing or is crushed against your body during your backswing, as I often explain in my golf tips, your swing radius decreases. This, in turn, reduces the arc of your swing. To generate more distance, you have to keep your arms extended, which is not easy if you have too much tension at address. Watch out for golfers with low golf handicaps. They are always loose in the direction.

Ideally, you should feel your left arm extend on the backswing and downswing, with the feeling that you are swinging the butt of the club away from your body. To achieve this feel, practice hitting the balls with your left hand holding the club and your right hand holding your left wrist. Extend your left arm as you rock back. Use your right hand and arm to move the club away from your body. The muscles in your left upper arm should feel stretched as you complete your backswing. Swing slowly to keep club-ball contact solid.

Lengthening the arch: exercise for the right foot

Here’s another golf tip: The further away from the ball the clubhead travels on the backswing, the more potential it has to generate speed on the downswing. Short swing arcs result from a lack of body twist on the backswing. A full turn pushes the club back further, so it has to go further, and more time and space to generate speed, going down. To set the stage for a steeper turn, try the right foot exercise. I use it frequently in my golf lessons.

At address, step your right foot back about 10 inches (such as taking a small step back away from the ball to establish your closed stance) and turn the ball of your left foot at a 45-degree angle to the ball. to your goal. Keep your shoulders and body pointed toward the target. Define the target line by placing two sticks on the ground, pointing towards the target. Now hit some balls. You will feel the sensation of your hips and shoulders turning more fully. Remember that feeling. Return to your normal setup but incorporate that feel into your swing.

Adding Speed ​​Through Impact: The Listening Exercise

The next time you’re playing a golfer with a low golf handicap, listen carefully when you drive your ball. You will hear a loud “buzz”. That’s the sound of the clubhead traveling through impact at tremendous speed. That’s the sound of a good ball hitter.

This drill teaches you what it feels like to swing a club at incredible speed as it passes in front of your body. You need a shaft the length of the driver, with a grip and without the clubhead. Swing the shaft back and forth as in a normal practice swing, listening carefully for the “buzz” as you tear through the impact of thought on the downswing. Try to make the whistle louder from a level point with your right leg to about halfway through the follow through. If you don’t have a spare shaft, simply flip the driver over and hold it at the neck, just above the clubhead, and the clubgrip will be where the clubhead would normally be.

As you swing, be aware of which parts of your body are moving the fastest during the swing. This feeling varies from player to player, so he incorporates it into his swing. If you feel like your hands are giving you the biggest speed boost, for example, focus on using them more actively when you return to your normal swing.

These three drills generate more clubhead speed. Practice them 25 to 50 times in one session. Make them a daily golf instruction routine. Doing so will improve your mechanics and ingrain the feel of adding clubhead speed. Once you’ve ingrained this feeling in your mind, take it with you to the driving range and hit some balls. follow it. You should find yourself hitting more distance off the tee without swinging harder and probably reducing your golf handicap strokes.