This simple chart (above) shows the relationship between how fast you swing the club (club speed) and how far you can potentially hit the ball with your golf driver.
The chart is based on reasonable maximums (normal conditions) and represents optimal carry distances (distance in the air).
How Do You Stack Up?
Do you know your swing speed? If so, how does your carry distance compare to the chart?
If you swing the club at 100mph, your theoretical limit is 260 in the air. That means, if your shots only carry 220, you have a 40 yard power leak. And this doesn’t include roll!
No one hits it optimal distances every time, but the chart gives you a nice goal – and allows you to see what your potential distances are.
Ways To Increase Distance
Obviously, an increase in speed will always increase your potential distance. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that speed will find its way into the ball. Some other parameters to look at in order to get closer to your potential are;
- Launching the ball higher – the average golfer launches the ball at 8 degrees, whereas optimal for most golfers is closer to 16 degrees
- Lowering spin loft (difference between angle of attack and loft at impact) – this increases ball speed and reduces spin rate – which are both great for distance. THIS ARTICLE explains more.
- Reducing ball spin – this can be done by the above (reducing spin loft), but also through using vertical gear effect – striking slightly higher on the face. THIS ARTICLE explains more.
- Increasing smash factor – this is how fast the ball comes off the face relative to the club speed. The higher the number the better (for distance). THIS ARTICLE explains more
- Increasing angle of attack – did you know all the longest hitters in the world hit up on the ball? This allows us to reduce spin loft while at the same time increasing the launch angle.
- Reducing face to path separation – if you are swinging the club 10 degrees left with an open face, you are losing energy transference into the ball – as well as hitting unnecessarily large curves (slices/hooks). Reducing face-to-path will hit longer and straighter shots.
If you want to learn more about how to do all of the above, The Strike Plan is my program that helps with achieving maximum distance and improving consistency of distance with irons (needed for hitting lots of greens in regulation).
I show you how to increase angle of attack, get more ball speed and hit higher bombs. To find out more about The Strike Plan, click the image link below.
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Tony hand
ok but how about how to increase swing speed?
admin
It was mentioned in the article that increasing SS is an option to hit it farther, but generally, you can see bigger and quicker changes in distance by changing launch/spin and smash. Ultimately, even with a quicker SS, we would want to get close to optimal distances.
However, if you are really interested in increasing swing speed, I have a module on that topic in my program, Next Level Golf, showing how to use something called “parametric acceleration” to dramatically increase speed in a short time. CLICK HERE to learn more about NLG