How To Increase Your Clubhead Speed To Hit Longer Drives

Let’s face it: You want to hit the ball farther than your friends. You don’t want them to be able to catch up and outdrive you on the course, do you? Of course not! And that means one thing: you need to increase your clubhead speed. But how do you get more clubhead speed?

That is what this blog post will show you as I discuss a few key points such as drills and strength/flexibility exercises that will help you generate more power and therefore lead to an increase in distance off of the tee and even on your approach shots.

If you’re anything like me and want to be as long off the tee box as possible then this article is for you!

How Do The Top Pros Generate Club Head Speed?

There’s a misconception that the pros hit it so far because they have better swings.

That is not true!

The reason these players can be long off the tee box is due to one thing: Their ability to use what I call their “swing keys”

The term swing key refers to all of those things we do while swinging which lead to an increase in clubhead speed or at least make sure your natural body motion doesn’t slow down your swing too much.

You can’t always control how fast your hands and arms move, but if you’re aware of these swing keys then you can at least minimize the negative effects they have on your clubhead speed.

Some swing keys include things like keeping your grip pressure constant throughout the entire golf swing, staying down in your backswing so that you don’t stand up and take your body out of the swing, maintaining a bent yet strong left arm at impact, and not decelerating in your follow-through.

What Should Your Clubhead Speed Be?

The answer to this question is different for everyone.

According to Swing Man Golf, players that hit a clubhead speed between 115-125 mph are considered among the best in professional golf and would be competitive on any level with other PGA professionals.

However, if you’re just looking to have fun playing golf, I recommend swinging around 100 mph as anything higher may not give you enough time during contact with the ball for proper placement or footwork before it’s too late.

That’s why practicing good swing keys becomes so important when trying to generate more power from your body motion (which will lead to an increased clubhead speed.

How Do You Get 120 MPH Club Head Speed Like The Pros?

The top PGA professionals have been practicing their golf swings for years to reach the 120mph club head speed they are able to produce.

They know how important it is and they put in the work because of that belief. 

In order to generate more clubhead speeds, you’re going to need a lot of strength training exercises, long sessions on practice drills at home or while out on the course as well as flexibility routines which can help with your mobility and rotation ability.

You also need good posture when swinging so make sure you focus on keeping your spine straight instead of bending over during ground contact like some recreational golfers do.

This is video is an example of developing an athletic golf posture to hit the ball long:

How Can You Increase Your Clubhead Speed By 10 MPH?

One of the best ways to increase your clubhead speed is through strength and flexibility exercises. I will get into more detail on what are the best exercises to increase your strength and flexibility to generate maximum speed for your golf swing.

What Are The Most Important Muscles For Golf Swing Speed?

There are many muscles in the body that help generate clubhead speed during a golf swing.

However, there are five major ones that any golfer should be focusing on if they want to increase their power:

• The Pectoralis Major (sides of chest)
• Latissimus Dorsi (back and outer sides of shoulder blades)
• Biceps Brachii (the bicep muscle when you flex your arm at the elbow joint- this is what helps square up your shoulders before impact). This muscle also acts as an anti rotator for the arms/club grip so it’s important to keep this strong. An easy way to do this is by doing curls with dumbbells or kettlebells while rotating your body.
• The Abdominal Muscles (the muscles in the stomach region)
• Gluteus Maximus and Hamstrings (which help power your swing from the ground up). These two muscle groups are also some of the largest around so it’s important to keep them strong for that extra oomph! You can do this by doing leg lifts, or pulling a resistance band towards you with both hands while bending knees.

What Golf Drills Do You Need To Practice To Increase Your Clubhead?

There are a few different swing drills you need to practice in order to generate clubhead speed.

They all help with the natural acceleration of your body as it swings through ball impact and they should be incorporated into any golfer’s routine.

One Arm Swinging

This drill forces you to use more muscles throughout your entire body because while using one arm (or two) you also have to use your core, back, and legs.

The Pushup Drill

If you want an explosive clubhead speed then this is one of the best drills out there for those who are not looking to risk injury.

Instead, do some bodyweight training like pushups in order to increase strength without risking injury from doing heavier lifts that might go too far with your muscles and lead them to be overtaxed which can decrease performance. What I do is swing my SKLZ Golf Grip and Tempo Trainer 5 times and then I get on the ground and do 10 pushups. That’s one set. Then, I continue to do this drill 4 more times.

What Golf Training Aids Can You Use To Increase Your Clubhead Speed?

Swing speed is a complex and very important part of your golf game.

It also has a lot to do with the physicality involved in swinging which can’t be achieved just by spending hours on the practice range or hitting balls at home.

That’s why you need good training aids that will help make it easier for you when practicing swings indoors or outside where other variables might exist like wind, rain, etc.

Here are some of my favorite golf swing trainers:

SKLZ Gold Flex Swing Trainer

This is a great golf swing training aid that will help with your flexibility and also help increase the speed of your swing.

SKLZ Golf Grip & Tempo Trainer

This is another grip/speed training device from SKLZ which uses different color tabs so players who have wrist issues don’t have to worry about any pain while they are swinging their club due to compression or pulling from improper positioning when trying to generate speed.

Orange Whip Golf Swing Trainer

This swing trainer is similar to the SKLZ Gold Flex Swing Trainer. It will help your golf swing speed by improving your grip and hand stability, as well as your swing tempo.

What Strength Training Workouts Can You Do To Increase Your Clubhead Speed?

Now let’s go over some of the key points that you need to have in order to increase your clubhead speed.

• Practice drills at home or while out on the course to improve swing mechanics. The use of golf training aids can consist of increasing your speed. You can use the SKLZ Grip and Tempo Trainer or any club in the bag and hold your impact position for ten seconds and repeat for as long as you like.
• Hit the weight room to increase your strength. This will lead to better posture and more speed in your golf swing. My favorite exercises are pull-ups, push-ups, dips, bodyweight squats, incline bench presses, and overhand presses. Try to go at least 3 times a day to build a consistent schedule.
• While working on your strength workouts and golf swing training, have a healthy diet that includes plenty of protein such as lean meats (e.g. turkey and chicken) and egg whites so you can build muscle mass without adding too much body fat, which is important for all sports but especially one like golf where endurance matters.

What Are The Best Flexibility Training Routines To Help You Increase Your Clubhead Speed?

One of my favorite flexibility exercises to hit long drives is to take your driver and place it behind you, but not too close to your body this time. From there bend forward past 90 degrees until you feel the tension in your back stretch or pain starts to occur while holding onto the grip of the club firmly. This is one of my favorite exercises because I find it’s much easier than touching toes for most people.

Lastly, another great exercise for flexibility training is spine rotations which should be done every day before playing golf or any other sports involving swinging motions including baseball, basketball, and tennis among others. Spine rotations are easy to perform: All you need are two chairs next to each other.

Starting with your back facing the chairs, place one foot on each chair and then rotate your entire upper body around to where you are looking at the ground over your left shoulder. Then go back to the starting position and repeat on your right side.

Tip: One of the most important things you can do for swing speed is keep a loose wrist, which will allow you lots more whip power when swinging down at the ball.

This means that if it feels like your wrists are getting stiff or painful, this could be what’s slowing your clubhead speed in golf.

Try doing some light stretches before playing and staying hydrated with water so there isn’t as much tension around joints during swings.

How Long Does It Take To Increase Your Clubhead Speed?

The truth is every person has a different capacity for gaining clubhead speed.

If you want to know how long it will really take, the answer would be months or even years of practice and dedication.

However, this isn’t something I find too discouraging because if your goal is attaining 120mph swing speeds then we are talking about playing golf as an activity that can last up until retirement age.

Now that sounds like something worth working towards, doesn’t it?

My Short Recommendation on How to Increase Your Clubhead Speed

If you want to know the truth, I think that if you have a lot of time and are willing to put in hours of practice with your golf swing every day then there is no better way than going through these tips:

• Exercise your muscles with weight training and pushups.
• Work on stretch exercises for mobility, flexibility, posture, and stability. If I had to pick one golf training aid for help with this, I would use the SKLZ Grip and Tempo Trainer because of the weight and the time it takes to complete as many reps as you can inside your home.

If you are limited on time, I would recommend doing these two things:

1. Stretch before playing golf or other sports involving swinging motions including baseball, basketball, and tennis among others.
2. Keep a loose wrist while swinging down at the ball so that you can whip it more powerfully. Remember to do this as often as possible.

Tip: One of the most important things you can do for swing speed keeps a loose wrist, which will allow you lots stronger whip power when swinging down at the ball. If your wrists feel tight or painful, however, this could be what’s slowing your clubhead speed in golf.

Try doing some light stretches before playing and staying hydrated with water so there isn’t too much tension around joints during swings.

Now combine these tips with a solid swing speed exercise plan and you will be hitting longer drives in no time at all.

Conclusion

That concludes today’s blog post on increasing your clubhead speed so you can hit those long drives.

Remember: You need to focus on getting more strength in order to generate power in your swings – but without proper technique, all of those hours spent to increase clubhead speed would be inefficient.

If you’re looking to learn the proper athletic golf mechanics, I highly recommend you follow Kelvin Miyahira’s website.

His materials have certainly helped me become a better and more consistent golfer.