In the movie Top Gun Tom Cruise said “I feel the need … the need for speed.”

Here’s the simple truth: if you want to hit the ball farther, you need club head speed.

It’s not about how hard you hit it.

It’s about how FAST.

In this video I show you how I train for speed. I’m using two of my favorite training aids: the Swing Fan and the Orange Whip.

Distance Fact

Here’s a distance fact for you based on the laws of physics: For every 1 mph you add to your club head speed you add about 2.4 yards to your drives.

If your swing speed is only 85 mph you’re not going to hit it much past 200 yards off the tee.

Period.

No matter what anybody else says or promises.

Hope that didn’t burst your bubble.

How To Get Distance Off the Tee

But there’s hope.

I’ve yet to run into a student who wasn’t capable of adding at least 5 mph to 10 mph to their swing speed. And that translates to 10 to 25 more yards off the tee.

One of the keys to developing more club head speed is to simply practice swinging faster.

I remember when I first qualified for the World Long Drive Championships I asked a local long drive legend what I needed to do to be competitive.

He said simply “You need to swing faster.”

I’m sure I had one of those blank looks on my face.

“How do I do that?” I asked him.

“Have you ever practiced swinging faster?” he replied.

Sure I’ve swung my club fast. Everybody has taken a rip with their driver.

But practice swinging fast? On purpose?

I said “Duh. No.”

It was a blinding flash of the obvious.

So I use the Swing Fan to help me with resistance training. The faster I swing the fan the more resistance I get.

Then when I pick up my club it feels light as a feather and I get an immediate boost in speed.

Keep doing that over time and the speed burst becomes permanent.

Same with the Orange Whip.

It’s heavy and the shaft is super-flexible. If you swing out of rhythm you get immediate feedback.

But if you can swing that Orange Whip really fast AND do it in rhythm you have the recipe for the perfect golf swing. Speed, Tempo, and Timing.

So if you’re feeling the need for distance what you’re really feeling is the need for speed.

Go out and do whatever you can to increase your swing speed.

Worry about straightening it out later.

Get speed first.

Golf Metrics

Here’s another way I get feedback for my shots.

The app is called Golf MTRx developed by Zeroline Golf. You can download it on your smartphone and it will give you all the vital stats in your swing.

TAKE AWAYS

1. Distance is about club head speed. It’s not about how HARD but about HOW FAST.
2. Consistently practicing swing faster will ultimately help you permanently develop more club head speed and distance.