Speed Up Your Golf Swing: Five Tricks for Beginner Players

All golfers want to swing faster, because faster swings equal more distance. The tricky part is achieving a faster swing without losing balance, control of the club, or the ability to strike the ball cleanly. If you are a beginning golfer, you might be tempted to swing harder than you are capable of doing comfortably, and the quality of your swing could suffer. Ideally, you will be able to add speed to your swing without compromising the control that you have from start to finish.

Try the following five tricks as a way to add speed to your swing and still strike the ball solidly.

• Slow down to speed up. Instead of rushing through the whole swing, try to make a slower backswing and gradually accumulate speed up until impact. Make sure the first foot or so of the backswing is as slow as possible to keep the rest of your body on balance and in sync. Only when the club starts down toward the ball should you really turn it loose.
• Get in shape. Adding speed to your swing could be as simple as getting in the gym and working on your fitness level. Specifically, added flexibility in your core and strength in your hands and forearms could lead to more swing speed and distance off the club.
• Be balanced. Balance is the key to many things in golf, and club head speed is another one to add to the list. You can only swing your fastest when you are on balance, so make that element of your swing a priority.
• Swing confidently. Many new golfers get nervous before they hit a shot, and that nervousness can affect how much speed they build in their swings. Instead of that, try to think confidently and expect the ball to fly right down the middle of the fairway. When you think this way, you will be more free with your swing and more likely to generate a good amount of speed through the ball.
• Light grip pressure. Squeezing the grip of your club too tightly make it difficult to generate speed through impact. Try to hold the club lightly so that it can whip through the hitting area without your grip slowing it down. Of course, you need to hold the club tight enough to maintain control of the club, but you should try to find a happy medium that allows for both control and speed.