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More power for lighter/shorter bodies?

PiratePenguin

PiratePenguin

2024 Goat Cup Team Brennan
Albatross 2024 Club
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Location
St Augustine, FL
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I am roughly 5' 8" and weigh 150 pounds. Not a big guy by any stretch of the imagination. (Beats when I was 5'8" and 125 lbs forever!) As such, I am not tall enough to generate massive clubhead speed for distance naturally and I am not heavy enough to get any weight behind the ball for any distance. So what's a guy to do? How can I generate more power in my game? I have no problem just playing shorter tees when I'm out on my own - I have nothing to prove to anyone - but when I have scrambles and tournaments they are usually one tee box farther back than where I normally will play and then I am left at a disadvantage and not as much help for the team, etc.

For some references:

Avg driver distance: around 240-250 yds (If I kill it and the stars all align I might get 265 yds)
5 iron avg: 165 yds
7 iron avg: 145 yds
9 iron avg: 125 yds
SW avg: 95 yds

I am seeing a little more distance out of the Srizon Z Star since I just started playing it so those distances might be a little short now, and I'm sure I could get more distance from some different irons (I love my EVO blades, but they aren't exactly powerful) but I also need to milk what I can from my body.

Any tips or drills? I know there are some smaller guys on tour that can kill it anyway - how do they do it?
 
Very good question, I'm in a similar boat.
 
I'm about 5'4" and all of my clubs go the same distance (about 100 yards from my 5i down to my 9i). I thought that I'd get more power by coiling/twisting more, but that's not the case. My instructor has told me that because I'm still developing my swing with my clubs, more distance will come with more practice and time once I get my swing down!
 
240-250 off the tee isn't all that short to me. i'm 6'4 and not a small fella and avg around 250-260 off the tee. i think you're just fine.
 
tcalloway1 said:
240-250 off the tee isn't all that short to me. i'm 6'4 and not a small fella and avg around 250-260 off the tee. i think you're just fine.
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Like tc said, those distances are not too bad. Sure, we all want to be longer off the tee, but that comes with a great swing. I'm 2" shorter than you and about the same weight, my distances are very similar, but I have a young buddy that's about your height and 25 ibs lighter. He hit's it a ton for his size with drives in the 285 standard and the occasional 295/300. He constantly hits the sweet spot with a great ss.
 
tcalloway1 said:
240-250 off the tee isn't all that short to me. i'm 6'4 and not a small fella and avg around 250-260 off the tee. i think you're just fine.
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Perhaps, but I'm not especially unhappy with my driver distance. I'm pretty accurante and consistent with it, but I feel at a disadvantage with irons as it seems I am always hitting one or two clubs more than everyone else I play with, and that also makes it more difficult to hold greens (I don't generate a lot of spin either). It's a lot easier to score when you can hit a 7 iron into a green instead of a 5 iron.
 
Try posting a video of your swing for the resident pro to look at. He works wonders and can really help. You can even e-mail if you would rather not post on the site. Also, I think he might be at the outing next month and it's right there in Florida. You could get hands on help and have a great weekend to boot.
 
Penglynns said:
Perhaps, but I'm not especially unhappy with my driver distance. I'm pretty accurante and consistent with it, but I feel at a disadvantage with irons as it seems I am always hitting one or two clubs more than everyone else I play with, and that also makes it more difficult to hold greens (I don't generate a lot of spin either). It's a lot easier to score when you can hit a 7 iron into a green instead of a 5 iron.
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yeah, i did notice that. so even though i don't hit the ball a whole lot further than you off the tee, i would be hitting a 9 iron from 140-145. i agree with duey, please ask this to andy in the ask the pro section. he's phenomenal and can stear you in the right direction.
 
thedue said:
Try posting a video of your swing for the resident pro to look at. He works wonders and can really help. You can even e-mail if you would rather not post on the site. Also, I think he might be at the outing next month and it's right there in Florida. You could get hands on help and have a great weekend to boot.
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tcalloway1 said:
yeah, i did notice that. so even though i don't hit the ball a whole lot further than you off the tee, i would be hitting a 9 iron from 140-145. i agree with duey, please ask this to andy in the ask the pro section. he's phenomenal and can stear you in the right direction.
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Thanks. I'll get a video or two tomorrow - playing in a scramble in the a.m.
 
I am similar in build and height to you. I found that when I started taking lessons that I started hitting the ball a lot farther. The instructor shortened my swing and I got more power as well as drastically improving my ball striking. I imagine you should have have much trouble increasing all those distances by 20 yards (I could be wrong of course). I would be interested to know the lofts of your irons.
 
haha I just noticed I made your sig Setho!! Ive reached a new status of THP!! lol
 
Mighty Seth has spoken! Testify!:clapp:
SethO said:
I am similar in build and height to you. I found that when I started taking lessons that I started hitting the ball a lot farther. The instructor shortened my swing and I got more power as well as drastically improving my ball striking. I imagine you should have have much trouble increasing all those distances by 20 yards (I could be wrong of course). I would be interested to know the lofts of your irons.
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I have suffered from the same lack of distance as well. As my swing has improved, my distance has also improved. When I had a terrible swing, I would be lucky to get a 5 iron to go 150 feeling for all the world like I was straining every muscle in my body. And that was 16 years ago when I had stopped playing as I had realized that I had no time to devote to improving. I can now hit the 5 iron 180-190 yards feeling like I am doing it effortlessly as I approach age sixty. This is not to say that I can do that every time as I just came back to the game a year ago and my consistency really needs work at this stage of the game.

If you watch the touring pros, pay particular attention to their hip action in relation to their shoulder action and think about what you are seeing in terms of an elastic band. This starts in the backswing where their shoulders are used to take the club back turning away from the target followed by the hips also turning away from the target. Notice that the shoulders have turned a full 90 degrees by the time they get to the top of their backswing while their hips have only turned about half that much. It is in that difference that they begin to create this elastic dynamic that is at the center of power in the golf swing. As they start their downswings notice that they turn their hips back toward the target before they start to turn their shoulders back toward the target. As the hips turn back the elastic stretches out as far as it will go and as the shoulders turn back the elastic snaps. That is where most of the power is coming from in their swings and that is the only way that you will ever really generate the maximum amount of power that you will be able to generate in your swing.

Of course it goes without saying that in order to turn your hips and shoulders back toward the target, you have to properly turn them away from the target in your backswing. If you have not turned your shoulders and hips properly away from the target in the backswing, you have nothing to turn back toward the target in your downswing.
This is particularly true for the irons. With your woods the weight of the club head is integral to the distance achieved with the club. The iron is designed to do a different job as the iron swing must provide for enough trajectory and the necessary backspin to stop the ball on the green.

This is also why every DVD you watch and every book you will ever read tells you to think of your arms as the connection between your shoulders and the grip. Do not think of them in terms of generating power in your swing. The more you try to use your arms the less you are able to create the necessary dynamic action between your hips and your shoulders. Nobody at this stage can tell you how far you will hit the ball once you are taking full advantage of this elastic dynamic. However I can tell you that you will be getting as much power as you are capable of getting once you are able to take full advantage of it.

Before you say to yourself that you are already executing a turn away on the backswing and a turn toward on the downswing I should tell you that it was only when I started to think about the hip and shoulder action in terms of an elastic dynamic that I truly understood why “the turn” is so important in terms of generating power and it was only then that I truly started to execute the turn in a way that allowed me to generate as much power as I am able to produce.

I also agree with the comments about lessons. Lessons can be hugely helpful expecially if you feel like you are no longer improving but have not reached your peak potential as yet.
 
Excellent post jnug! Hey dude you and I are the same age as I will be 60 this November. Are coming to the outing?
 
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Thanks Grey. Wish I were going but unfortunately cannot make it.
 
Are those actually carry distances though?

If that's carry, I really don't see a problem. 250yrds on a drive + 145yrds with a 7 iron will get you almost 400 yards which is probably on the longer side of most "normal" par-4s from the white tees.

The only issue might be 180+ yard par-3s.
 
jmingt said:
Are those actually carry distances though?

If that's carry, I really don't see a problem. 250yrds on a drive + 145yrds with a 7 iron will get you almost 400 yards which is probably on the longer side of most "normal" par-4s from the white tees.

The only issue might be 180+ yard par-3s.
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The 250 yd drive is if I catch it cleanly and the course isn't muddy or soft (a frequent issue around here in the summer especially). So half the time the drives are closer to the 220-240 range with minimal or zero roll. Then I am looking at a 5 or 4 iron into longer par 4s even from closer tees.

I got a new golf app for my iPhone that will let me anaylze swing video and also email it or post it to Youtube - hopefully I can get out to the range with my friend to help video this week.

I do like jnug's post. I have not taken lessons in many years but my teacher then was also big on the shoulder/hip rotation and keeping the arms out of things. I've probably gotten away from that and am maybe thinking too much about my arms during the swing (plane) and forgetting rotation/coil. I'll see if I can experiment a little at the range with that, too.
 
240-250 off the tee is far from being short...
looks more to me that approach shots or iron play is the problem
from what little youve posted here id have to say its a technique/equipment issue
you seem to have a huge gap between driver and irons
so you can kill your woods but not your irons
depending on the technique/philosophy hitting driver as opposed to irons is a little different
id suggest seeing a pro and getting a few vid lessons
i have more distance on my irons yet my driver is 20-30 yrds shorter than yours but my gaps seem to "fit"
 
bogey_russ said:
240-250 off the tee is far from being short...
looks more to me that approach shots or iron play is the problem
from what little youve posted here id have to say its a technique/equipment issue
you seem to have a huge gap between driver and irons
so you can kill your woods but not your irons
depending on the technique/philosophy hitting driver as opposed to irons is a little different
id suggest seeing a pro and getting a few vid lessons
i have more distance on my irons yet my driver is 20-30 yrds shorter than yours but my gaps seem to "fit"
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I have 85 yards on my five iron with my driver. I think those yardages are ok.
 
I'd vote for lessons as well.

I mean if you're going to go with advice from other fellow hackers, well I agree with Russ above. The numbers don't make sense; your driver is way farther than anyone who hits a 165 5-iron would hit it.....I would have to see it to believe it, but the only way it can be true is if you use a different swing or you go all-out on it while being much more conservative with the irons.

Furthermore, your SW (I assume when you say SW, you mean a 56 degree) going 95 yards is long-ball territory.....I mean Phil Mickelson only hits a 60 degree 90-yards or so from what he says on his DVD. If I had to guess, your swing is extremely steep to generate such long distances from your short clubs, while it makes your long clubs inconsistent and short.

I would guess you're swinging your woods very differently as it's very hard to hit a driver with a steep swing.

Finally, it's confusing because you bring the softness of the ground into play. When most of us discuss distances, we're talking carry distances (how far it flies in the air) and not total distance (which includes roll). It doesn't matter what the condition of the fairway is for carry, that should be pretty consistent. That makes me wonder if your iron yardages are carry as well. I suppose it is possible to maybe carry 180-200 yards with the driver and roll out to 220-240 though.
 
Thainer21 said:
I have 85 yards on my five iron with my driver. I think those yardages are ok.
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I'm about 65yards between 5 iron and driver so I guess it's very possible. But a 95 yard SW is far....I find it hard to believe that he has 10 yards on me with the SW, but I have 30 yards on him with the 5-iron and about even on the driver...about a 240 carry.
 
maybe its an equipment issue?... i didnt even notice the sw distance as compared to his irons
 
I really don't think it is about height or power. I agree that being taller will help with swing speed, but it all comes down to swing speed and how you link your core to the rest of the swing. I am only 5'7" but am 190lbs... (just lost 20 lbs!).. I hit my driver 270-310, my 5 iron ~ 200, 9 iron ~150, 60* wedge 100 with a full swing. But my length is not because of strength, I am convinced it is mechanics. I played baseball through my youth, and my father always told me that all the power comes from the hips. So I developed a very compact swing. When you get everything linked up... hips, then shoulders then wrists... they should all be turning in that order. By the time the clubhead reaches the ball, it is accelerating through the ball. You do not reach maximum speed until after you have already hit the ball. If you can link everything up, I think your distance will improve. But the real trick is being able to then control the direction. I hit the ball farther than most people I play with, but I also spray it more :D
 
I appreciate all the thoughts on this thread. I think that every golfer regardless of size or age wants to maximize their distance. I liked what jnug had to say and am wondering if there is a drill that would help getting turning in sync and moving the hips properly. I have seen a pro and he said my biggest issue is that I swing with my wrists/arms and not my body. Would love some insight on using the body properly and how to maximize my distance by using body, not hands.
 
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