Does More Club-Head Speed Equal More Distance?

Simply put, Club-head speed is a measurement of how fast in MPH the club-head is moving at the point of contact. One of the most common goals for my players is to increase distance. As a result of that goal, players assume they need to swing the club faster. There is some truth in which swinging faster can and will give a player more distance; However, it is not the most important element for most players attempting to increase their distance overall.

The most important factor in achieving more distance is Centerness-of-Contact. In my coaching experience, it’s rare that the primary reason a player doesn’t hit the ball far enough, is too little club-head speed. Most players do not find the center of the club face consistently enough to worry about increasing their club-head speed. You can swing the club as fast as you want, but if you miss-hit the golf ball, you will consistently frustrate yourself with an exhausting amount of effort only to find maybe one or two good golf shots that actually go farther.

This frustration naturally leads to doubling down, in terms of a players effort. The amount of grip tension in the hands increases so the player can swing harder. All of this creates inconsistent swing mechanics and inconsistent results.

So is Club-Head speed important? The answer is, yes it’s important. Unfortunately the assumed creation and application of increased speed is applied incorrectly. Our intuition tells us the swing harder and faster, which is understandable, but there is a phenomenon called "feel VS real," which essentially means what you feel or think is necessary, in reality, is not true.

So what should I do then to increase my distance? The simple answer is to work on Centerness-of-Contact at about 70% of your full speed. I am going to list a few drills you can try in order to achieve more distance based on contact.

1. Club-face Awareness Drill: The purpose of this drill is firstly, to figure out where on the club-face you normally hit, which includes areas like the Heel, Toe, Bottom, Top, or a combination of these areas. Grab some powdered foot spray, like "Dr. Scholls," and lightly coat your club face. After you strike the golf ball, a mark should appear on the club-face. Hit at least 5 golf balls to get a realistic average. If you see you're not finding the center of the club-face, practice that first before worrying about swinging harder. *You can also purchase "Face Tape" at any local golf department store and place that on your club-face.

2. Putting Gate Drill: Now I know we don't tend to think about "more distance" with putting, but you can improve your scores quickly by improving on "Distance Control" with your putter. You can setup this drill pretty easily by pushing 2 Golf Tees down into the practice green, bordering your putter face. Leave yourself a little bit of space on each side of the putter face, but not so much that you wouldn't hit the tee if you have an off-center strike. Start with short putts inside of 10-feet and focus on center-contact with your putts, distance, and speed control. Centerness-of-Contact is a primary fundamental with all clubs.

3. Impact Drill on Grass: When you practice on grass at your local driving range or country club, setup this easy impact drill as a reference to where your golf club is striking the ground at its lowest point. In order to get more distance and the center of the club-face, you will have to be consistent with the lowest point of your swing-arc. Press a golf tee in the ground, in line with your golf ball, so that after contact you can see whether you struck the ground before or after the golf ball. If you miss the ground altogether, that means your low point is still behind the golf, just as it would be if you hit the ground before the golf ball. The goal of this drill is to create a divot after contact because that means your golf swing is steep enough at impact for the club-head to continue into the ground after contact. Striking the center of the club-face when the ball is on the ground requires a divot after contact. The divot will get more shallow and shorter as the club gets longer.

I will create videos on these drills as well. Please do not worry about more Club-Head Speed until you have tested whether or not you're finding the center of the club-face.

Thank you for reading!