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Pick up club head speed this off season!

Jan 24, 2023

Increase Clubhead Speed This Winter

We all want to hit the ball longer, and like a lot of people, we've decided that this off season will be spent working out, getting stronger, and getting that clubhead speed up. Below I'll tell you what actually creates more speed and the myths in golf that actually slow us down. 
 
TEMPO: 
When I talk about tempo in the golf swing I'm referring to the time it takes for the backswing and downswing. Almost all tour players have a 3/1 tempo, meaning that their backswing takes about 3 times as long as their downswing. Most amateurs I work with are closer to 4/1 or even 5/1. Increasing the speed of the backswing will allow you to swing faster in the downswing and increase clubhead speed. The reason is that the faster we take it back, more force is needed to have the club change direction in transition, which leads to faster clubhead speed in the downswing. So stop trying to be "low and slow" in the takeaway and start swinging faster.
 
MOTION:  
When it comes to speed, we need to be moving. It's very hard to create speed when we start from a perfectly still platform. In golf, that means that we need to let the feet and our pressure move from side to side before we swing. This allows us to build up energy and movement at the start of the backswing. Below is a pressure trace from a long drive participant and one from a player who is trying to stay still. Notice how his pressure is NOT stagnant before the swing. He's moving from side to side, allowing him to explode into the takeaway. The picture on the right is from someone who is trying to stay quiet before the swing. You can see a huge difference in the movement they've made in the top right corner of each picture. 

 
PRACTICE: 
Like most things, we need to practice swinging faster to actually swing faster. How often do we try and swing as fast as possible on the driving range? My guess is not very often. Go out and practice swinging fast. Spend at least 5 minutes of every practice session swinging as fast as possible. You'll realize pretty quickly that it doesn't take long for your maximum speed to increase, which in turn, makes your "golf course" speed increase. 
 
 In the video below, John Novosel, who is the co-founder of TourTempo Golf, and I discuss why most amateurs lack clubhead speed and what they can do about it. 

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