As a golf coach one of the biggest mistakes I see amateur golfers make is trying to generate too much club head speed in order to find longer shots. Club head speed plays a factor in how far we can hit the ball, but unless the clubhead speed is combined with timing, balance and a square clubface at impact, the speed we swing the club has very little bearing on our results.
Generally speaking, amatuer golfers would benefit from a smoother, slower swing speed that allows them time to deliver the club back to the ball correctly, resulting in straighter shots that probably travel further than their standard swipe at the ball.
But how can you increase distance if you are going to reduce your swing speed? The answer is simple, you are going to learn to compress the ball and use the design of your clubs. Advances in clubhead design make it easier to hit longer shots, as long as you can correctly utilice the design of the club and the technology it holds.
Striking the ball cleaner, compressing it better is the biggest factor in achieving better results. To learn to compress the ball better we need to understand that lag in the golf swing must be created and used correctly. We want to hold onto the lag for as long as we can, before releasing the stored energy into the ball.
We want to create a swing that unleashes energy in the right place rather than lose it some where in the middle of the downswing.
How do you create more lag?
You have to create seperation between the upper and lower body at the beginning of the downswing, or the transition, and to do this you need to improve your rhythm and timing, hence you need to reign in your swing. It is here all your hard work can pay off. Basically you want to practice returning your hips to thier orignal starting position without rotating the upper body. This creates torque. As your hips return to their starting position your upper body follows, maintaining the angles in your wrists and arms (remember the “L” shape we created half way back) the longer you can hold this position the more lag you are keeping. Releasing this position later in the downswing, or closer to impact is creating more lag and therefore more compression of the golf ball. Keep your target wrist flat to your forearm through impact and you will maintain a square club face and deliver more energy to the ball, resulting in longer shots.
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