The 10 Tips to Increase Clubhead Speed (Boost Your Golf Performance)
If you are here, you know that more clubhead speed equals more distance. That’s the main reason why golfers are working towards increasing speed and trying to get their club moving faster coming into the ball.
I’ll give you the top 10 tips for increasing clubhead speed. Simply by swinging faster, you’ll end up closer to the hole with less effort.
So whether it’s using a lighter shaft, turning better or rotating your wrists through contact you’ll find the tip that resonates best with your game and finally be able to get the clubhead speed you have been looking for.
The Best Way to Increase Clubhead Speed (Too Long, Didn’t Read)
If you don’t have time to take a deep dive into increasing clubhead speed right now, here are the most important things to keep in mind.
- Swing a lighter shaft because it is easier to unload from the top and accelerate.
- Play a longer golf shaft to increase the distance traveled from top to bottom.
- Flatten the lead wrist angle at the top to help increase the ability to rotate through impact.
- Maximize hip and shoulder rotation to gain momentum on the downswing.
- Reduce grip pressure to enhance wrist hinge.
- Strengthen your core muscles for greater flexibility and less risk of injury.
- Rotate wrists through impact to produce added speed just before impact
- Smooth rhythm and tempo to optimize the transition from backswing to downswing.
1. What do you want to improve in your full swing?
10 Tips to Increase Golf Swing Speed
I’ve put these tips in order, starting with the first to try and finishing with the last to try. I don’t think it makes sense to change your equipment until you first try to see what you can do physically.
1. Shallow the Club
Shallowing your club at the top of your backswing positions the clubface as far as possible from the impact zone.
This leaves your club with more room to gain momentum on the downswing and maximize velocity leading into contact.
Sergio Garcia provides the leading example of how to shallow the club. When he reaches the top, it looks like he is pulling a chain down.
This action prompts him to drop his arms into place and use the momentum of his hip and shoulder turn to power the clubface down to the golf ball.
He has plenty of room to gain speed before he gets to the ball.
Given the momentum he builds up through rotation and the distance the clubface has to travel, he generates exceptional clubhead speed. Prime Sergio can deliver an average of 120 mph driver swing velocity.
A great drill to work on this concept is the motorcycle drill. You’ll get your wrist into the right position, have the club more shallow and pull down through impact in the correct way.
2. Optimize Hip and Shoulder Turn
Hip and shoulder rotation is essential to maximize wind-up on the backswing and generate momentum on the downswing.
Without a decent turn, you leave your arms to do the heavy lifting. The problem is, the arms alone are not capable of the heavy lifting!
A lack of turn on the downswing also makes it challenging to keep your club on path and square the face at contact for straight shots.
If I use Garcia as an example, you can see in the slow-motion replay of his swing that he generates maximum hip and shoulder turn on the downswing. His hips and shoulders turn slightly on the backswing to get the club to the top.
Once he hits the top, he shallows the club and activates hip rotation to power the clubface down to impact.
Why is this all possible in Sergio’s swing?
His flat wrist position. The flatter the wrist or even a wrist that is more bowed instead of cupped allows the body to fire through impact at full speed.
1. What do you want to improve in your full swing?
3. Strengthen Core Golf Muscles
Your core muscles comprise the lower back, pelvic muscles, flanks, and glutes. These muscles must remain flexible and in optimal shape to activate during your swing for superior power.
I recommend consistently implementing golf muscle exercises into your workout routine to keep them as flexible as possible.
In addition to getting more speed, you’ll also protect yourself from injury.
4. Reduce Grip Pressure
Reduced grip pressure enhances your control of the golf club and frees you up to activate the wrist hinge on the downswing and power through to impact.
Excessive grip pressure prompts tense muscles, causing them to contract and restricting your ability to hinge your wrists. An increased grip pressure creates a chain reaction as it causes your forearms to tense, and later, your chest joins in.
When these body parts are rigid, you lose rotation, power, and wrist hinge on the downswing, causing a weak strike and a loss of distance.
Start by taking some swings with the lightest grip pressure you can, then gradually increase until you find the perfect amount.
5. Rotate Wrists Through Impact
Bryson DeChambeau is a prime example of how increased clubhead speed and power through impact do wonders for your distance.
He achieves additional speed and power by rotating his wrists through impact. Coach Scott Cowx describes this phenomenon as “rotation release.”
Effectively, the power from your wrist rotation is transferred to the golf ball at impact, ensuring speed through the shot rather than relinquishing velocity at contact.
At address, his wrists sit with -13 degrees of flexion because he sets up with a forward shaft lean. He keeps the wrist stable on the backswing before employing 11 degrees of extension at the top of his swing. From here, he is ready to produce pronation and work his wrist into a flexed or bowed position at impact.
Considering the differences in wrist angle at address and impact, he has to rotate the wrists significantly to get his clubface square at contact. Ultimately, Bryson produces exceptional speed by relying on shoulder and hip rotation.
Wrist angles are complex to understand. However, the HackMotion sensor gives you insight into simplifying the mystery. It offers detailed insight into your wrist positions and how they compare to PGA Tour pros for optimal results.
6. Warm Up Before Your Round
Stretching and warming up before your golf round is essential for loosening up your core muscles and enabling them to deliver optimal rotation and power in your swing.
If you don’t normally warm up, try this.
Take the driver out of your bag, and grab the club head so the grip is closest to the ground. Use the club head weight and swing the shaft back and forth to awaken your core muscles and optimize shoulder and hip turn.
Many golfers find that they don’t reach peak distances until they reach the 5th or 6th hole, which could be due to a lack of time spent warming up.
7. Smooth Rhythm and Tempo
An erratic rhythm and tempo create insufficient shaft load at the top of your swing, leaving you with nothing to release on the downswing. The more consistent your rhythm and tempo, the smoother the transition from the top down, unleashing maximum shaft power.
A simple drill I use frequently is to count from the start of my setup to the time I strike the ball. I usually count 6 between address and impact, but your sweet point can be whatever you want.
The crucial point is to focus on the count and to let the transition from the top down come naturally with optimal power and speed.
You can briefly watch an example from Martin Hall on how he executes this drill, which I recommend employing in your practice routine.
8. Lighter shaft
One approach to adding clubhead speed to your downswing is to play a lighter shaft, which offers greater torque, leverage, and flex.
The lighter a golf shaft, the easier it is to flex, which provides added spring into the golf ball at impact for enhanced energy transfer.
For example, golfers swinging a driver between 72 to 83 mph may find their swing speed slowing with a 55-gram regular flex shaft compared to a 45-gram senior build.
The downside of a lighter, flexible shaft is that they typically contain a higher degree of torque, which is a blessing and a curse. It increases twist to maximize your leverage but reduces your ability to control the golf ball.
Go for a golf fitting to find the perfect option.
9. Extend Your Shaft
The longer your shaft is, the more clubhead speed you produce.
Due to the extended arch in your swing compared to short irons and wedges, it’s good to have a little extra length in the driver.
Using the Trackman statistics on PGA Tour players, we notice that the average driver speed is 6 mph faster than a 3-wood. A stock driver shaft is 45.75 inches, while a 3-wood stretches 43.25 inches, over 2 inches shorter than the big stick.
The downside here is that longer golf shafts can lead to an off-center strike. Just because your clubhead speed accelerates into impact does not guarantee a great strike.
Catching the ball off-center undoes all that momentum and produces a weak smash factor, prompting a loss of distance.
10. Swing Weight
Lighter swing weight is another option if your clubs cost you speeds on the downswing. The swing weight is how heavy a club feels to a golfer as you swing it.
The lightest swing weight is A0, while G9 is the heaviest option. The standard men’s swing weight ranges from D1 to D3, while ladies stick to C5 to C7.
Reduced swing weight feels lighter in the hands and gives amateurs the sense we can let it rip to optimize speed.
Personally, I find my clubhead speed is considerably faster when swinging a C7 swing weight. However, the added torque and flexibility often cause me to produce weaker-than-intended strikes.
I suggest consulting a club fitter who can assist you with shaving off the desired weight. Undertaking this task alone can cause irreparable damage to your clubs.
1. What do you want to improve in your full swing?
FAQs
How to increase clubhead speed without losing accuracy?
You can increase clubhead speed without losing accuracy by producing lighter pressure, shallowing the club on the downswing, and optimizing hip and shoulder turn.
What is a good clubhead speed?
84 to 96 mph is a good clubhead speed for a driver if you are an average golfer.
Naturally, we all desire to swing the driver over 105 mph like a tour pro, but that is not always possible for all players.
Will a lighter shaft increase clubhead speed?
Yes, a lighter shaft will increase swing speed because it is easier to release from the top of your backswing and accelerate on the way down. A lighter shaft will not always improve accuracy.
What are the most important muscles in the golf swing?
The most important muscles in the golf swing include the hip flexors, pectoral muscles, lead-side lat muscles, and forearms.
All these muscles are responsible for boosting hip and shoulder rotation and keeping control of the clubhead throughout your swing.
Final Thoughts
Our guide on increasing clubhead speed highlights the importance of enhanced hip and shoulder rotation. Besides generating optimal turn on the downswing, you require strong core muscles, lighter grip pressure, and rotated wrists through impact.
The best solution requires amendments to your swing mechanic mistakes, rotation, and wrist position.
I recommended leveraging the support and guidance of the HackMotion sensor to open up some new pathways to clubhead speed that you may not have explored in the past.
Your feedback shapes the future of our articles. Help us deliver the best content for you.
Great to hear! But what could we add to make it even better? Share any suggestions to make this post top-notch.
We're sorry to hear that. Could you share what was missing or off?
