Hit Ball Far
ShootzGolf
Active member
Oh Oh pick me!!!
Stop heaving on that club like it is a 50 pound barbell. Crack it like a whip! It's a feather.
The ball weighs nothing. You are not trying to hit a bowling ball with a chopstick.
Stop heaving on that club like it is a 50 pound barbell. Crack it like a whip! It's a feather.
The ball weighs nothing. You are not trying to hit a bowling ball with a chopstick.
DG_1234
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2015
- Messages
- 6,211
- Reaction score
- 1,931
- Handicap
- 2
Davis Love III was consistently one the longest drivers on Tour and he often said his key to longer distance was exceptionally relaxed grip pressure.
Hit the ball with your hips, not your hands. You hit straight because of what happens above the waist. You hit long because of what happens below the waist.
Sent from my LM-V350 using Tapatalk
Sent from my LM-V350 using Tapatalk
-CRW-
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2013
- Messages
- 10,399
- Reaction score
- 1,977
It’s mostly mechanical advantage. Either you are tall (Longer levers), exceptionally flexible, or you have more than average fast twitch muscle (some of which you can build in the gym). If you notice, most of the best world long drivers look like line backers.
Without those, maximizing your potential distance with your current club head speed is mostly about numbers at impact - dynamic loft, face to path, and having the right equipment.
You can gain speed with improved sequencing/flexibility and use of ground force, but you still have to deliver the club correctly to see any benefit from added club head speed.
I’ve posted my club head speeds here and have hit just under 124 on GCQuad and can swing a PW 100 mph on Trackman. I don’t think about my hips or legs, I use my hands to swing the club. I don’t grip the club lightly at all, but I don’t death squeeze it either. I’m also 250 pounds so I have a mechanical advantage. However, my first event at THP I could only swing the driver around 106 and I was the same size. So learning to sequence better and improving flexibility helped a ton. I just don’t think I would have the same club head speed if I were smaller because I’m average height (5’11).
Without those, maximizing your potential distance with your current club head speed is mostly about numbers at impact - dynamic loft, face to path, and having the right equipment.
You can gain speed with improved sequencing/flexibility and use of ground force, but you still have to deliver the club correctly to see any benefit from added club head speed.
I’ve posted my club head speeds here and have hit just under 124 on GCQuad and can swing a PW 100 mph on Trackman. I don’t think about my hips or legs, I use my hands to swing the club. I don’t grip the club lightly at all, but I don’t death squeeze it either. I’m also 250 pounds so I have a mechanical advantage. However, my first event at THP I could only swing the driver around 106 and I was the same size. So learning to sequence better and improving flexibility helped a ton. I just don’t think I would have the same club head speed if I were smaller because I’m average height (5’11).
Add in width and big arc.
Look at how straight Tiger's arms are and how far away the butt end of the club is from his body. Go straight to 2:10 in the video below and the 2019 swing view.... look at the width! Look at his right arm in the takeaway and backswing! This is where most of us amateurs fall short.
Look at how straight Tiger's arms are and how far away the butt end of the club is from his body. Go straight to 2:10 in the video below and the 2019 swing view.... look at the width! Look at his right arm in the takeaway and backswing! This is where most of us amateurs fall short.
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2019
- Messages
- 10,495
- Reaction score
- 6,871
- Location
- Boulder City, NV....... for a while
- Handicap
- N/A
Back when I could hit the ball pretty far (270-280) with my 9.5 driver, it was all about having an easy, consistent, in correct sequence, in balance swing. An Ernie Els type swing as an example.......sort of
I was also in much better physical shape back then. My legs, torso, and arms were more muscular.
All that physical, being in shape stuff helped me quite a bit with the long drives. However, it was my ability to hold my wrist cock (lag) in the downswing, to the last possible second before release, that gave me the extra, usable yardages.
I was also in much better physical shape back then. My legs, torso, and arms were more muscular.
All that physical, being in shape stuff helped me quite a bit with the long drives. However, it was my ability to hold my wrist cock (lag) in the downswing, to the last possible second before release, that gave me the extra, usable yardages.
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2015
- Messages
- 7,630
- Reaction score
- 4,259
- Thread starter
- #8
While I'm 62, I've been blessed with a ton of flexibility. So, I've got that advantage.
I'm a bit confused about your comment that sequence and flexibility helped a ton, but you also said you don't think about your hips or legs, you use your hands to swing the club. Those two things sound contradictory. Can you say some more about the sequencing? That would probably clear things up.
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2015
- Messages
- 7,630
- Reaction score
- 4,259
- Thread starter
- #9
Holding your wrist cock in the downswing to the last possible second. What does that feel like to you? How did you get there? This is clearly a key golf instructors bring up a lot, but for how much they talk about it, there's not a lot on how to do it.
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2015
- Messages
- 7,630
- Reaction score
- 4,259
- Thread starter
- #10
How? And how did you learn to do this?
For me, most of my golf swing fundamentals came from playing baseball. I played from around 8 or 9 through college. This was great for my lower body mechanics and horrible for my wrist/arm action. Took me years to de-program the baseball swing out of my golf swing.
However, one drill that stuck with me was the fence swing drill. It forces you to keep your baseball swing on plane, wrist lag until point of contact, and hard hip turn to clear the front side out. All of these mirror power generating moves in the golf swing. Instead of a horizontal plane as in a baseball swing, its at the 45-deg-ish swing plane of a golf swing. See the video below for an example and I think you will see the correlation between hip turn, hand position/lag position, and explosive power generated by the hips/lower body.
Just to give some background, I am 44 years old and can push my swing to 115-ish mph and 160 mph ball speeds when my swing is in sequence and on tempo. Lately I have been pulling back the speed to 108-110 to help with some dispersion issues which I am hoping the recent driver fitting/shaft fitting will help allow me to get back to and some drills on staying wide in the back swing and pushing off the right side. I developed a bad habit over the last couple of years of not completing my shoulder turn to help aim the ball, instead of letting my body bring my hands/arms back to square. This caused me to put a bit of an over the top release which cost me some yards/mph and accuracy. Working on getting back to the full shoulder turn and more passive hands through the shot.
i don’t hit the ball far. but the best recipe anyone can do to hit it farther, is hit it better.
speed is very difficult to teach. with many junior golfers, they are taught to swing as hard as they possibly can. then dial in the mechanics after they’ve figured out speed.
the rest of us need center contact above all else. once that is achieved with consistency, work on aoa and path/face.
drills for lag are a waste imho. lag is secondary to good mechanics and sequencing; it is not a mechanic to be learned.
speed is very difficult to teach. with many junior golfers, they are taught to swing as hard as they possibly can. then dial in the mechanics after they’ve figured out speed.
the rest of us need center contact above all else. once that is achieved with consistency, work on aoa and path/face.
drills for lag are a waste imho. lag is secondary to good mechanics and sequencing; it is not a mechanic to be learned.
Don't disagree. I'd rather give up MPH on my swing speed for better contact on the face of the driver. Make the swing you have more efficient by creating the right parameters at impact. Which I tried and fell into the trap of watching the rest of my swing break down. Learned a valuable lesson that my swing mechanics ( tempo, lag, AoA, swing plane) get worse both the harder I try to swing it and the slow I try to swing it. My longest drives have always been the result of the smoothest swings and the best contact. The key is to make that smooth, great contact repeatable so then you can start to accelerate more without losing the basics.
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2019
- Messages
- 10,495
- Reaction score
- 6,871
- Location
- Boulder City, NV....... for a while
- Handicap
- N/A
Actually it doesn't feel like anything. It is what I just do, naturally more than anything.
Best way I can explain it, is having my wrist still cocked just as my grip (hands) is just beginning to get close to the ball.
Best way to see where a golfer is losing their wrist cock is to take slo-mo videos of their release. Once that release point is known to be some what early, the golfer just focuses on holding it a little longer.
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2015
- Messages
- 7,630
- Reaction score
- 4,259
- Thread starter
- #15
-CRW-
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2013
- Messages
- 10,399
- Reaction score
- 1,977
It’s like most other athletic actions that involve ground force reactions. When I throw a baseball I use my legs, but I don’t think about it. I use my hand and arm to throw the ball. My subconscious mind makes the rest of my body do what it needs to do. Same with throwing a punch.
I think if you are going to work on sequencing it’s something you do slowly while on the range as part of position work. When you are on the course you just swing the golf club.
Spot on. You basically took the works & explanation out of my mouth. Lower body movement and explose those hips out through rotation. Best way to explain it is pick up a baseball ball bat and swing it over and over using the legs/hips. Really good practice to do that will allow you to feel that motion correctly.
Rusty Dave
#staffproto
I started hitting a lot farther when I learned to use my body and not my arms as the primary force. Core muscles, lower body, weight shift and proper sequencing all work together to drive the swing.
I'll echo the explosive hips, center of the club face advice.
I played baseball from the time I could walk through college and I was a dead pull power hitter. I picked up golf at 13-14 and had immediate power as soon as I got past that pesky little concept of center face contact. Reason? I instinctually knew how to fire my hips and transfer my weight through the ball. I would say flexibility is key too...not necessarily for the explosiveness, but being able to fire those hips and not hurt yourself in the long-term. I'm not exactly in shape at the moment, but I can still pound the ball out there. I do a short yoga routine every day and it helps me be able to hit it long and not have an aching back or hip flexors.
You can hit it far with just your upper body, but I don't recommend it. You're working too hard.
I played baseball from the time I could walk through college and I was a dead pull power hitter. I picked up golf at 13-14 and had immediate power as soon as I got past that pesky little concept of center face contact. Reason? I instinctually knew how to fire my hips and transfer my weight through the ball. I would say flexibility is key too...not necessarily for the explosiveness, but being able to fire those hips and not hurt yourself in the long-term. I'm not exactly in shape at the moment, but I can still pound the ball out there. I do a short yoga routine every day and it helps me be able to hit it long and not have an aching back or hip flexors.
You can hit it far with just your upper body, but I don't recommend it. You're working too hard.
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2014
- Messages
- 14,796
- Reaction score
- 8,581
- Location
- Webster Groves, MO
- Handicap
- 8.1 GHIN
You are spot on there. Unfortunately, speed is a lot like running and jumping - you are either naturally gifted with it or you are not. In other words, just like a 5.2 40 sprinter will never get to a 4.6 no matter how hard one trains, a golfer with a 90 MPH swing speed will never get it up to 110+ MPH regardless of how many products claim to increase swing speed by 20+ MPH.
You will gain so much more by making consistent contact on the center of the club face than anything else.
Played golf or other sports that developed the right fast twitch muscle fibers growing up. Lighter grip pressure helps, and knowing how to correctly deliver the clubhead is huge (think cracking a whip correctly). But unfortunately a lot of the guys I know who really bomb it, is because they naturally have it and have developed it since they were young. It’s honestly not something that everyone can do and it’s extremely hard to nearly impossible to teach it.
I agree with that.
No one wants to hear it and I totally get why. But chasing big distance gains isn’t going to happen unless you have the clubhead speed to begin with and it’s just a contact issue. You can fix a swing all day long, you can’t coach many people to swing 120.
Agreed. Center face contact is coachable. Talking about distance makes you sound like an ass if you have it, but I’ve never worked on it. I give more credit to the thousands of baseballs I hit than golf balls. Of course, I expect this to slow down in the next 10 years.