How To Increase Golf Swing Speed: Top 5 Tips And Exercises
Meet Jake
Jake was a competitive golfer for over a decade dating back to the days of being the Captain of his high school golf team. He has played more than 200 courses across 32 different states in the US. Now semi-retired, Jake continues to golf 3-4 days a week with a current 2 handicap, gives golf lessons to his friends and family, and provides a wealth of knowledge to Golf Circuit from his competitive playing days. Jake combines practical expertise with technical knowledge to create golfing strategies and training techniques for both beginners and scratch golfers.
If you find you’re struggling to hit the ball farther, there is only one solution; you need to increase your golf swing speed.
We’re not going to lie, this won’t happen overnight and takes time and practice. Our tips and exercises below will be a great starting point for you.
Ready to find out more? Let’s take a look.
How To Increase Your Golf Swing Speed: Top 5 Tips
To get you started, we’ve put together a list of tips to catapult you to swing speed success, so keep reading!
#1: Focus On Your Grip
The connection you have with your golf club is the most important part of the whole game. That’s why it is essential to master your grip.
Ideally, you should keep your hands low if you want to control your shots.
Golfing legend, Ben Hogan, found that laying the club diagonally across the fingers of the top hand meant that there would be more room for the hand to fold over the club, thus making for a much stronger grip.
Placing the club properly in the top hand provides the correct amount of control and grip pressure which helps to produce maximum golf swing.
#2: Club Fitting
When getting a club fitting, always make sure a launch monitor is used. This will give the best indication as to what kind of clubs and shaft length are best for you
A launch monitor uses data such as launch angle, impact position, and most importantly swing speed, to find the perfect fit.
Don’t be fooled into thinking the clubs used by professionals on tour are the best ones for you. Not only will it be a waste of money, but this can lead to years of struggle.
#3: Assess Your Swing Mechanics
Unfortunately, there is no ‘perfect swing’ guide out there as every player is different. However, we think our advice below may be of help.
To begin with, you should lift the club backwards slowly making sure it is low to the ground.
PGA Tour pro Chris DiMarco states that you should imagine your left hand is “pushing the club away from the target” (if you are a right-handed player).
You should then focus on your hip rotation. If you are right-handed, you should rotate your left hip and shoulder so that they are in line with the ball as your backswing reaches its peak.
A good way to monitor this is again by using a launch monitor when training. Controlling the speed of the club from backswing to downswing can be tricky, but it can be done.
Taking a look at your leg position, stance and clubhead speed are all important factors that will essentially increase swing speed over time.
What Not To Do
- Do not hit down on the ball, this will only increase the spin rate which results in a shorter drive.
- Do not increase the speed until the moment of impact. If the transition from your backswing to downswing is too quick, the ball will fail to travel the required distance.
Take a look at this video to find out how adding certain elements to your downswing can help maximise your club head speed.
#4: Fitness Level
It’s clear to see that playing golf isn’t as harsh on the body as other sports such as soccer, football, or tennis. However, it does require a certain level of physical demand, which unfortunately depletes as we age.
While you don’t necessarily need to be doing hours of intense cardio to improve, you do need to be moving more (if you don’t already).
Weight training and walking are the kind of exercises you need to be doing if you want to improve at your game.
#5: Power Through Rotation
Mastering your rotation is the key to increasing your swing speed. The faster you can do this, the more power your driving distance and ball speed will have.
Your body moves quickly from backswing to downswing, so it is important to be aware of how this motion feels over time.
Flickr Image by Ricardo Velasquez
However, rotation is not just about the movement, but the strength of your muscles. Good rotation requires strong hips and strong back muscles.
Keep reading to find the correct exercises you need to improve your rotation.
Best Exercises To Increase Your Golf Swing Speed
As mentioned above, a good way to increase your swing speed is to work on your strength. Our list of exercises below will help to strengthen your body which will in turn help to increase your swing speed.
#1: Planks
This is hands down the best core strengthening exercise and requires no equipment at all. Your swing is powered by your core muscles, so planking for just 1 minute a day will help to increase your strength.
PGA professional Bernhard Langer likes to plank with an arm and leg extension when working out. This challenges the muscles, particularly in the back and around the spine.
#2: Kettlebell Swings
Exercising with a kettlebell is essential for powerful shots.
Driving the weight from between your legs into a forward-upward direction is not only a great exercise for the arms, it helps to strengthen the glutes, hamstrings, quads, deltoids and erector spinae (muscles surrounding the spine).
#3: Band Walking
Playing golf puts an enormous strain on the knees. Placing a band around your knees and walking from side to side will help to strengthen these muscles along with the outer thighs.
#4: RDL’s (Romanian deadlifts)
Romanian deadlifts will help to strengthen your erector spinae. A strong back and spine is important for rotation and driving the club through for a successful shot.
Don’t start too heavy and instead, add weights gradually to build your strength.
#5: Pelvic Rotations
This exercise requires the least effort, however it’s just as effective. Pelvic rotations are important for body balance and are a great warm-up exercise before playing.
The great thing about pelvic rotations is that they require no equipment and can be done anywhere, even when waiting in line at the grocery store!
To Conclude
Increasing your swing speed can be done through a multitude of ways as discussed in this article.
Investing in a set of decent clubs can help, but swing speed is mostly down to your form and physical fitness.
