subject: What is Swing Speed …and Does Yours Need Changing? [print this page] What is Swing Speed and Does Yours Need Changing?
Swing speed is one of the most important driving factors for your golf game. This can influence how far up the fairway you get after teeing off and how far under par you can ultimately finish! The trick is how to control this power.
So the amateur approach of swinging the club as hard as possible in the hopes that it will connect the ball and send it tearing up the fairway, landing hopefully right next to the hole on the putting green, is a good one. Unfortunately, by all accounts, sometimes the more effort you put into all the other fundamentals of golf can have a disastrous affect on your swing speed and make you feel like you're getting worse at the game! The answer to this is, of course, to practise and practise your swing speed - with control.
Learning to control your swing speed will give you greater options with your game. Once mastered, this will not only give you the initial boost up the fairway to start your game, but will also get you out of a sand bunker faster than if you just hacked at the ball uncontrollably. Swing speed will also affect you when you get onto the putting green. This is when you need to concentrate on the speed to get you within three feet of the cup, which is when you must now focus on the line to get you into the hole, preferably under par!
Many golfers realise the importance of swing speed and spend thousands trying to find the miracle driver, which manufacturer's guarantee will give them a 40 yard head-start of the opposition. There are a variety of training aids which are aimed at improving your swing speed, such as the Swing Speed Radar a gadget which reads the speed of your club head.
Apparently some simple exercises can have you doing this with your old drivers in no time at all. For example, practising swings with the driver cover still on or wrapping a towel around the club head before swinging repetitively. So long as your combined exercise regime includes weight and wind resistance as well as isometric bands, you would be giving yourself the correct cross-training necessary to improve swing speed. Always ask a professional sports trainer before endeavouring on your fitness regime to improve your swing speed, as they will direct you towards the right gym equipment or show you how to perform techniques like a lunge with a twist.
