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SWING HARDER!
( For More Distance, Fun, and Lower Scores!)
(By Ken Tonks, ISAG senior writer)
I know, I know, you've been taught from day one to "swing within yourself". That long and crooked isn't better than shorter and straighter. But have you watched the best players in the world hit a drive lately? Does Tiger, Bubba, or even Phil look like they're swinging within themselves? These guys are ripping through the ball with an average clubhead speed between 115-140 mph. Meanwhile the average weekend golfer has a swing closer to 90 mph and is being told that's ok!
We've been taught that hitting long drives has everything to do with good mechanics and tempo and less to do with swinging hard. Wrong! Good mechanics and tempo will get you down the fairway for sure, but without swinging hard you'll never hit it out there with the Big Dogs.
HOW I "DISCOVERED" SWINGING HARD
When I was a kid I taught myself to play golf with the aid of a fantastic book my Dad bought me called "295 Golf Lessons By Billy Casper". I spent countless hours in front of the mirror perfecting the grip, takeaway, position at the top, and finally the high finish (that was popular back in 1973!) And I did a pretty darn good job. I had built myself a very nice swing . I'm sure it helped that I was a completely new player, so I hadn't developed any bad habits I had to break yet. But all in all I looked like a golfer in just a few short months.
One day while at the driving range with my Dad, the teaching pro walked past and stopped to watch me hit. (I was 13 at the time) I heard him say to my Dad, "The kid has a nice swing. If you don't mind me saying so let me give you one tip. "Tell your son to Swing Hard! Don't worry about direction so much now. Swing hard now and worry about direction later. It's very difficult to get clubhead speed later on once you've learned a slower swing."
What a tip that was! I took his advice and amped up my swing. It was a bit of an adjustment at first for sure, but soon I was comfortable with my new harder swing and was hitting it 25% farther! From that day forward I always brought by 95% plus golf swing with me to the range and to the golf course. By the time I was 17 I was out-driving virtually anyone I played with. Still had good tempo, still had good mechanics, but swung very hard every time I took out my Driver and longer clubs. My friends used to even joke with me when I was on the tee asking if I wanted them to hold my feet down while I swung! I'd tell them "No, if you do I won't be able to leave the ground!"
TIPS TO SWINGING HARDER
The key to swinging hard is in the downswing, not the backswing! Your backswing should still be as slow as you're natural tempo allows. Think about throwing a baseball. To throw it hard you don't have to jerk your arm back real fast. You'd bring it back at whatever speed you feel comfortable with. Then let it ride once you have your arm back. Same with the golf swing. You want to bring the club back "low and slow". Try to keep the clubhead low to the ground and straight back from the ball for the first 18" or so. That will help create a long wide arc on the takeaway. When you get to the top of your backswing you should feel a good bit of tension built up in your shoulders, torso and legs. There's a imperceptible but definite pause at the top as you transition to the downswing. Your first move will actually be with your lower body, as your right elbow drops down into your side. (see "best tip ever for more on this terrific move.) Now is when you pour on the power. Take a good rip at it, 95% or better! If you feel your right elbow brush your shirt on the downswing you know you're "in the slot" and not swinging over the top. (not outside in.) Release your hands hard at impact by turning them over. Follow through long and high. You're swinging through the ball, not smacking at it.
Swinging hard and feeling comfortable with it will take time, especially if you've been swinging easy for years. Take your new swing to the range and WORK ON IT! Find a teaching pro that agrees with your new swing philosophy. (Not all will!) Having a pro watch your swing and help you with your mechanics will be a big help. If you're not the "lessons" type, you can go it alone. Remember, you can do this!
THE BENEFITS
The benefits of hitting it long are many. Reaching par 5's in two! Hitting 2 or 3 clubs less into par 4's! Can you imagine what your score card would look like if you were taking pitching wedges and sand wedges into the green rather than 7 irons? And once you've grooved your new harder swing it will be as easy or easier to control than your old slower swing! To this day I swing hard even on tight holes, because I know if I ease up it can wind up anywhere!
DRILL TO SWING HARDER
(From ISAG Contributor and Remax Long Drive Champion Rippin' Ray Beaufait)
"I believe some are blessed with fast hands and arms. You can improve on this with body and mind exercises. It is proven that the arms, shoulder and hands create the most club head speed. About 85% come from these. The core muscles support this speed.
If you want to increase speed fast try this. Each day swing a light club as fast as you can. Just whip it with out hitting balls. With each swing try to make it go faster. Do at least 50 swings daily. Close your eyes and think about speed and increasing speed as you swing the club.
I am not an advocate of swinging a heavy club to build club head speed. Teach your muscles and mind to build speed. Speed must be increased with muscle memory. While in my 60's using these techniques I increased my clubhead speed from 94 mph to over 120 and at times getting as high as 135..."
Ray
SWING SPEED CHART WITH ESTIMATED DISTANCES
(note there's no mention of "swinging within yourself!)
Other Helpful pages here at ISUCKATGOLF to help you hit it farther:
Rippin' Ray's Long Drive Tips,
How To Hit A Fade and a Deliberate Slice
PERSONAL STORY:
About 5 years ago I began to have a rotator cuff problem with my left shoulder. In time it became difficult to even bring the club back to the top of my swing, as if there was a giant elastic holding the club back. The shoulder became chronic and I basically stopped playing for a good 3 years.
At that point I was invited to play in a scramble golf tournament by my brother in law. I hadn't played or even swung in years so I ran out in the yard to take a few practice swings before agreeing to give it a try. I hit the range a few times before the tournament and showed up on the first tee feeling pretty good. However the whole day my tee shots were "ok", but not near what I was used to. We did win the tournament, but for me it was a bitter sweet victory, as the long ball is the reason I play!
About a month later I got the call that they had another scramble tourney they wanted me to play in. I hadn't played since the last tourney, and I vowed this time I'd get my mojo back before the tourney.
So I went to the range and focused only on hitting the Driver. There's a net at the end of the range that is t 250 yards out, 100 feet tall and protects the buildings behind the range. In the past when I was hitting well I'd hit my fairly low trajectory drive about 1/2 way up the net. That would equate to about a 275 yard carry on a fairly low trajectory with a good 30 yards of roll. That was my normal shot. But today I was hitting the bottom of the net or even bouncing into it. What was wrong? Dejected and frustrated I stepped back away from the tee. What was going on? Had I lost it? Did the injury to my shoulder leave me weaker? Were the days of Gripping it and Ripping it over for me?
Then it came to me, "maybe I'm just not swinging hard enough?" Could it be that simple? I teed a new ball on the rubber tee, hell bent on swinging AS HARD AS I COULD. I took the club back and when I got to the top I thought "kill it!" I came down as hard as I could, the ball took off low and hard, rising slightly. I watched it as it smashed halfway up the net! I teed another to make sure it wasn't "a fluke", same thing, even a little higher! It seems I had just forgotten over the last few years off what it felt like to swing hard! It's WORK! I know if someone like me who learned 30 years ago to swing hard could lose the feeling so quickly, that the average golfer who never tried to swing all out would have no clue what it feels like. Give it a try! If it feels like work, you're probably doing it right.
THE PAYOFF
A week later I stood on the first tee of this team scramble tournament and smoked my first drive. I hit a very long ball all day when we came to the short, 335 yard par 4 17th. A pond guarded the front of the green, with a sign on the tee warning, "It is 285 yards in the air to carry the pond." Hitting 3rd and with 2 balls already in play I decided to take a shot at it. I hit my usual low drive, and because of the low trajectory I think we all thought it was wet. But it cleared the pond and rolled up onto the green leaving us a 15 footer for eagle. (which we all missed!) We wound up winning the tournament with a healthy 17 under par team score. Now to be fair we had 4 very good golfers on our team, and I played much better on the front then the back, and if it wasn't for some amazing putts by my team mates we probably wind up at 14 or 15 under and finish 2nd. But I was very happy with my contribution to the victory and learned that swinging harder is as much of a key to hitting it long as are solid fundamentals. If you have one and not the other you'll never quite reach your distance potential.
Note: It would be way to self serving of me not to acknowledge some of the heroics pulled off during the round by my team mates. Our other very low handicapper drove the par 4 2nd hole, dogleg right by launching a moon shot over the corner, getting us off to a good start. He also was responsible for a lot of the long putts, some to make par. Our other two players were steady all day, hitting fairways and greens and allowing myself and Ray to swing for the fences already having balls in play. Like I'd mentioned, I was "on" the front nine, but got a little tired or something on the back and starting fighting a hook. These guys more than picked up the slack. Save my tee shot on 17, we maybe played my ball 3 or 4 times the whole back nine. So great job guys!
Oh, and in the Raffle at the end two of my team mates shared a large flat screen T.V. and my brother in law won a nice bag! While I won a freaking New Jersey Devils' hat! Well, at least I got my distance back!
Like my Dad used to say, "Swing Hard in case you hit it!"