For those of you with a lot of power...

[JonMA1]

I think it's easy to be irked by someone downplaying your dedication/work put in to something you have and use well, whether you were born with it or not. Probably not as easy as it is to irk someone with really good sequencing and technique whose body isn't capable of doing what others' can with half their efficiency. Natural speed, strength, and hand eye coordination absolutely plays a role.

I wouldn't blame you. It doesn't matter how much natural talent one has, nobody gets good at this game without a lot of work, even though the opposite may be true.
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I have no business posting in this thread, but I will say as an older guy (59) who never had power at any sport - even in my prime - the fact that I'm now averaging the yardage of most male amateur golfers with my 7i leads me to believe that I'm doing something right, even with my goofy-looking swing.

When my son was pitching in high school, we would play catch every night after I got home from work. He was learning some very good fundamental mechanics to increase velocity. No matter how hard I tried to use them, my rag arm was incapable of any real increase. I think power is a combination of ability and technique.

 

[Scorp]

I‘m not lamenting about losing strength. Its simply what happens when you become less active - regardless of age. I‘m healthy (at least according to doctors) but just have less raw strength/speed as I did 10 years ago. Working out would definitely help, but my laziness gets in the way lol.

That being said, I kind of wish I didn’t mention this as it’s not really the point of the thread.

It's all good brother... and it's part of getting older. Some of us (not me) can keep what seems to be the fountain of youth a lot longer than others...

Practice. It'll help

 

[93civiccpe]

Reading the title again, I probably have no business posting in this thread either.. Lol. Paging @Smryan12!!

 

[charley48]

By the time I was 18 I was 6'1" 225 pounds. I'm around 235 now. Power has always been my game is every sport I play. I've never been good at finesse. Which is probably why I struggle so much with the golf game. It takes a lot of finesse.

I played men's fastpitch softball for over 30 years. I was a pitcher. I was always a power pitcher. Preferring to throw it by hitters than fool them. A lot of strikeouts to go with a lot of walks. I did have to learn more finesses as I got older. I played high school baseball and I was a relief pitcher and first baseman. I threw 95 percent fastballs. The curve was just a throw away when I was ahead of the count. In football I played on the line. In basketball I played in the middle close to the rim. Heck, in bowling all I cared about was how fast the ball would go down the lane.

Now I play golf. I used to hit 300 yards once in a while but it had nothing to do with technique. I just tried to muscle it out there. Didn't hit many fairways. At 64 years the 300 yard days are over. But I can get it to 260 on occasion. At least I can hit more fairways now.

 

[OldandStiff]

I‘m not lamenting about losing strength. Its simply what happens when you become less active - regardless of age. I‘m healthy (at least according to doctors) but just have less raw strength/speed as I did 10 years ago. Working out would definitely help, but my laziness gets in the way lol.

That being said, I kind of wish I didn’t mention this as it’s not really the point of the thread.

Right. The point was power. How did/do we develop it in our athletic pursuits like golf. So setting aside an genetic predisposition to such things, I work my butt off for it. Baseball took over golf for me about halfway through high school. I was a pitcher by this point, and I had 'easy gas'. I'm sure my official swing/not-enough-effort coach @Hamfist will be shocked by that. But I wanted to be more than naturally fast, so I studied film, analyzed where other thrower's power came from, tried to pinpoint my inefficiencies, where I had weaknesses, and where I had power to gain. I took the technical to the field and the weaknesses to the gym and worked relentlessly to maximize. It's what led me to study nutritional and exercise science, and then kinesiology, before and after baseball was done for me, and many years working as a strength and conditioning specialist.

Long story short, and a surprise to no one who follows my posts, I do that same thing now with golf. Because of physical circumstances I can't use my natural power the same now, so I analyze video of myself and others, look for my inefficiencies, try to incorporate their strengths into my technique where my body will let me, and take my weaknesses to the gym until they're no longer weaknesses. The result is some decent power with minimal physical impact/effort.

 

[Tevenor]

Define a lot of power? I don’t feel like I have a lot of power. However when I execute a good golf swing it’s not unusual for me to hit it a little over 300 yards. The golf swing to me, is more about form and timing. Some of my longest drives have been on swings that I was “nice and easy”.

The same. I used to just try to rip it when I was younger, with the results you would expect. The occasional bomb ( I was hitting drives over 280 with equipment from 20 years ago ) and a whole lot of spray-n-pray. Fun to see the results, really sh***y for scoring on a golf course.

Today, I hit a decently long ball ( longer than when I was younger ) off the tee and my irons are pretty long as well. I am an ex-baseball player ( college level ) AND ex-soccer player ( ~40 years of playing ) so in my 5'10 230 lb frame, I have a disproportional amount of weight in my legs from sheer muscle mass and a fairly light upper body in comparison. Allows me to really use the ground and my leg/trunk muscles to create some speed without really trying. However, where i have found the most gains in the last few years has been in sequencing and fitting. Getting into clubs that allow my body to do what it does naturally and create that timing/sequencing has done wonders for accuracy which in turn allows me to swing more freely.

That being said, there's always someone longer and someone shorter that outscores you.

 

[DaBuckBoys]

I played a lot of baseball and softball as a kid/young adult. Had what they call "Warning track power"... never hit one over the fence in my life. Almost hit one opposite field just messing around in practice once. Clanked off the upper 1/3 of the fence... No one worked harder than Pete Rose and he never hit more than 16 homeruns in a major league season. Only 160 in his career out of the 4256 hits...

Technique can definitely be refined much more in golf than baseball/softball, but natural ability goes a long way. I remember seeing a skinny kid show up for his first organized team practice in his life and after a few adjustments, he was cranking line drives just as far as I could when I was 2 years old and outweighed him by 40 lbs... just pure natural ability.

 

[Luchnia]

Getting into clubs that allow my body to do what it does naturally and create that timing/sequencing has done wonders for accuracy which in turn allows me to swing more freely.

I think the better low handicap golfers I play with have the timing/sequencing down the best. It really isn't about power with them at all. What they do from shot to shot is like a rubber stamp. I play once in a while with a guy that is 69 and plays at a 9 hcp. Timing and sequence is the primary thing stands out about him when watching his shots and I never really notice power, but it is there when he strikes the ball.

 

[jvbart]

I have only been playing a few years and still can't break 90 but I have a ton of power. I probably average 300 with my driver when I hit it straight and have hit many up to 330-340.

I played competitive rugby for 15 years up until a few years ago and have been on power lifting programs since I was 15. I would assume most of my power comes from physical strength built over the years as an athlete. The strange thing is I have dialed way back in the gym since I retired from rugby and lost about 40 pounds and a lot of strength and am actually hitting the ball further than I ever have. It's probably from improving my flexibility and swing mechanics. I also played baseball as a kid for 10 years so maybe that helped developing rotational core strength growing up.

All that said I would gladly give up some power for some consistency in my ball striking. The distance does not help your score when you're losing balls OB.

This is a great question that I have wondered a lot about. How can small skinny guys like JT hit it so damn far with no bulk but then you see Bryson add 40 yards from bulking up.

 

[Luchnia]

This is a great question that I have wondered a lot about. How can small skinny guys like JT hit it so damn far with no bulk but then you see Bryson add 40 yards from bulking up.

In my opinion it is the amount of power through velocity at impact (good impact that is) that is generated. I remember seeing a long driver hitter and was amazed at how small his body was, but he wound up like a clock spring and released like a wild man creating some very fast swing speeds through impact zone.

 

[Tevenor]

This is a great question that I have wondered a lot about. How can small skinny guys like JT hit it so damn far with no bulk but then you see Bryson add 40 yards from bulking up.

There are 2 ways to gain club head speed in my mind.

Pure brute force of moving mass A through Space X ( or hte Bryson way ). To do that, he simplified his swing planes/sequencing and focused on pure bulk of muscle to gain that speed.

The other way is through maximizing the leverage / body sequencing to maximize the club head speed at impact. JT leverages all his mass ( watch how far his feet move on impact ) and really good sequencing to gain the club head speed he gets.

In an ideal world, you do both. And you get a Rory McIlroy.

In my opinion it is the amount of power through velocity at impact (good impact that is) that is generated. I remember seeing a long driver hitter and was amazed at how small his body was, but he wound up like a clock spring and released like a wild man creating some very fast swing speeds through impact zone.

Yup, this. Jamie Sadlowski's a great example of leveraging flexibility and rotational impacts to get the club head to maximize its velocity at impact.

My 2 cents.

 

[DG_1234]

This is a great question that I have wondered a lot about. How can small skinny guys like JT hit it so damn far with no bulk but then you see Bryson add 40 yards from bulking up.

Mostly distance/power is about technique, not muscle strength.
This is why 5'5" 120 pound female players with fundamentally sound technique can drive a golf ball more than 250 yards, but a 6'4" 250 pound muscle man may struggle to strike a ball 200 yards.
Lately Bryson is hitting his tee shots longer primarily because he has taken to swinging out of his shoes, whereas earlier in years prior he swung with a more traditional smooth tempo pace. I don't think Bryson's recent weight/muscle gain has much to do with his shot distances.

 

[Templet0n]

Right. The point was power. How did/do we develop it in our athletic pursuits like golf. So setting aside an genetic predisposition to such things, I work my butt off for it. Baseball took over golf for me about halfway through high school. I was a pitcher by this point, and I had 'easy gas'. I'm sure my official swing/not-enough-effort coach @Hamfist will be shocked by that. But I wanted to be more than naturally fast, so I studied film, analyzed where other thrower's power came from, tried to pinpoint my inefficiencies, where I had weaknesses, and where I had power to gain. I took the technical to the field and the weaknesses to the gym and worked relentlessly to maximize. It's what led me to study nutritional and exercise science, and then kinesiology, before and after baseball was done for me, and many years working as a strength and conditioning specialist.

Long story short, and a surprise to no one who follows my posts, I do that same thing now with golf. Because of physical circumstances I can't use my natural power the same now, so I analyze video of myself and others, look for my inefficiencies, try to incorporate their strengths into my technique where my body will let me, and take my weaknesses to the gym until they're no longer weaknesses. The result is some decent power with minimal physical impact/effort.

nailed it. Find inefficiencies, and work to overcome them. Either with technique or strength. Better is both.

There was a time about 10 years ago. I was trying to compete in long drive and was training really hard at it. I had a cheap swing speed monitor. I have no idea how accurate it was. I honestly think it was off. But, I do think it was consistent. I would go to the range and swing driver has hard as I could. My goal was to simply see if I could get the number on the monitor higher each swing, each session, etc. I didnt care where the ball went so much. Just that I was getting faster.

I think my left knee and back hurt some now due to that. but I am still faster than most at 40. I also still train in the gym, work explosiveness, do sprints, etc. All things that are done at an explosive level to trigger white muscle fiber development.

 

[jvbart]

There are 2 ways to gain club head speed in my mind.

Pure brute force of moving mass A through Space X ( or hte Bryson way ). To do that, he simplified his swing planes/sequencing and focused on pure bulk of muscle to gain that speed.

The other way is through maximizing the leverage / body sequencing to maximize the club head speed at impact. JT leverages all his mass ( watch how far his feet move on impact ) and really good sequencing to gain the club head speed he gets.

In an ideal world, you do both. And you get a Rory McIlroy.





Yup, this. Jamie Sadlowski's a great example of leveraging flexibility and rotational impacts to get the club head to maximize its velocity at impact.

My 2 cents.

I guess I always figured strength was a large factor just because I'm a pretty strong guy and was able to crush the ball as soon as I started playing (I have struggled with accuracy from day 1). Even now I outhit most of my friends who have been playing a long time and are far better than me. I guess I just naturally have powerful swing mechanics, albeit wild ones. When I first started out I was swinging almost all arms with not much rotation and still managed to hit it pretty far with really bad mechanics.

One thing I have found interesting is that when I shorten my backswing and try to slow down and swing smooth I really don't lose any distance. I have always been surprised that guys like Finau and Rahm hit for so much power with such short backswings but I guess that shows my ignorance when it comes to swing mechanics.

 

[Luchnia]

I guess I always figured strength was a large factor just because I'm a pretty strong guy and was able to crush the ball as soon as I started playing (I have struggled with accuracy from day 1). Even now I outhit most of my friends who have been playing a long time and are far better than me. I guess I just naturally have powerful swing mechanics, albeit wild ones. When I first started out I was swinging almost all arms with not much rotation and still managed to hit it pretty far with really bad mechanics.

One thing I have found interesting is that when I shorten my backswing and try to slow down and swing smooth I really don't lose any distance. I have always been surprised that guys like Finau and Rahm hit for so much power with such short backswings but I guess that shows my ignorance when it comes to swing mechanics.

It has amazed me that most of us simply do not need a long or even wide back swing. I practice on my launch monitor pretty much daily except when I am playing and not long ago I changed my swing to a much shorter back swing for the heck of it and started working more on developing that motion and acceleration more forcefully through impact. The results were surprising.

My swing speed has maintained and at times still gets close to 100 mph (average 97/98) which is good for me at 65 yrs old and my average carry yardage has actually increased and another plus is I simply hit the ball much better. I think the shorter distance of the back swing eliminates more chances of the swing getting off in the downswing as I don't always have the best mechanics.

Watching older golfers in our league hit the ball as far or farther sometimes with much less swing speed than me by utilizing less back swing and consistent motion showed me it can be done without a ton of effort or strength. Some of the older golfers I play with are not strong by any means.

 

[Chef23]

I have a ton of power in my swing but no touch. I just come by it naturally, but I am a rather large person to others. Funny thing is when playing baseball or softball I was never the one with the power I am more of a find the open spot type of player.

Touch comes from practice. You need to hit lots of shots shorter distances and you can develop touch it comes through experience. If you have power you can develop touch.

Speaking from experience you can lose power. I used to have a lot more power and speed in my swing and I had an illness which led me to losing all of my muscle tone and about 80 pounds. I have put about half that weight back on but haven't regained my power. Overall my muscle and strength isn't back where it was and the fact that I am 54 doesn't help.

 

[Flipit]

There are 2 ways to gain club head speed in my mind.

Pure brute force of moving mass A through Space X ( or hte Bryson way ). To do that, he simplified his swing planes/sequencing and focused on pure bulk of muscle to gain that speed.

The other way is through maximizing the leverage / body sequencing to maximize the club head speed at impact. JT leverages all his mass ( watch how far his feet move on impact ) and really good sequencing to gain the club head speed he gets.

In an ideal world, you do both. And you get a Rory McIlroy.





Yup, this. Jamie Sadlowski's a great example of leveraging flexibility and rotational impacts to get the club head to maximize its velocity at impact.

My 2 cents.

All you have to do is watch the lpga to see these tiny ladies hit the ball so far. To me it’s more impressive that a 110-120 woman is hitting the ball 260-270. Bryson is double the weight to get 20-30% more. Wanna maxamize potential? The ladies know hot to do it, and with impressive accuracy.

 

[TheHeez]

I think people that have an athletic background know how to use and manipulate their body to generate power. If you have a background in a sport or physical activity, you have a better understanding of your body and that sense becomes innate.

I'm no monster at 5'8", but think I can move the ball for pushing 40. I played all sports as a kid and the big influence was hockey, you learn pretty early that a slap shot from swinging your arms is going nowhere. Like a baseball player, you learn that planting your lower half and using the big muscles gets things moving with pace.