Welcome to Shaving Strokes, a GOLF.com series where we share improvements, insights and variety from amateur golfers like you — including some of the obstacles and challenges they’ve encountered along the way.

While we all want to hit the ball straight for many reasons, every amateur golfer is obsessed with getting more distance with their shots – especially with the driver. Longer shots usually mean fewer shots to reach the green, which leads to better scoring opportunities.

But anyone who has ever picked up a golf club and swung from their own shoes knows that this is not the way to actually hit the ball farther. In fact, for mid- to high-handicap players, the opposite tactic is often most effective.

Since many of us average golfers lack the fundamentals to increase our swing speed while still maintaining the correct sequence, simply swinging as hard as we can usually results in the clubface being anything but straight. The key is controlled Speed ​​and intentionally Power while avoiding all common swing errors.

What’s the best way to do this? I asked GOLF Top 100 instructor EA Tischler for three natural power moves.

3 ways to increase power in your golf swing

When I asked Tischler about ways to gain more power, he first showed me three natural ways to gain that extra firepower, and then explained how he had helped one of his students named John generate extra speed for more distance (see below).

1. Improve your physical strength

A perfect example of this is Bryson DeChambeau’s physical transformation a few years ago when he was lifting weights and building muscle. A big part of his plan was to gain more power and distance by building muscle mass.

Tischler said the everyday player doesn’t have to go as far as DeChambeau, but there are benefits to improving his physical strength.

“There are many ways to gain more strength through exercise,” he said. “If you want to go down that route, I recommend finding a certified personal trainer, conditioning coach or other expert in the field to help you. Improper training will lead to injury.”

2. Use speed training to develop a more controlled racket speed

Speed ​​training is a popular trend. Many players want to gain more clubhead speed to improve their drives. Tischler said he sees players using a variety of training aids and apps that program a plan to increase speed and power.

“In my experience, training aids or swing trainers that come with an app to guide you through the process are the most useful,” Tischler said. “I’ve seen students gain significant speed and power using these integrated plans rather than just trying to do it on their own.”

Tischler also said that each player should set their expectations when using training aids, as not every golfer will make great progress.

“Some golfers benefit greatly from speed training, others very little. I think it has a lot to do with body type, athletic condition and overall ability,” he said. “In general, most speed training programs help golfers who need to improve the transfer of energy from their hands to the clubhead, so if you’re already good in that area, you may not get much benefit from the trendy speed training programs.”

3. Sequencing can help to effectively apply more power and speed

As mentioned above, when a player starts swinging recklessly in an attempt to gain more distance, things usually end badly. This is because their sequence becomes unbalanced, often costing them any chance of lining up the clubface and hitting the center of the clubface.

That’s why Tischler says it’s so important to focus on sequence and tempo if you want to achieve greater strength.

“If you’re a player who already has power and speed but isn’t getting the distance you want, it may be because of your swing technique — and that’s where sequencing comes in,” he said. “There are all sorts of training aids and drills to help with sequencing, most of which are tailored to the individual based on their athletic makeup, body type and swing mechanics.”

How does Tischler help his students in this area? He prefers to start with training ropes.

“I make custom speed ropes and core ropes and help my students see the benefits of both,” he said. “We also work on linking the kinetic chain by using exercises that help synchronize their ground force pattern, rotation and arm swing.”

Tischler next discussed the three strength segments that he believes every player must understand (and apply!) to achieve the desired distance gains.

The 3 performance segments

The three strength segments, Tischler said, are the lower body strength segment, the core strength segment and the distal end strength segment.

How do the different techniques work in the golf swing and how was Tischler able to help his student John use them to gain more power? He explains it below.

1. The strength segment of the lower body

“This includes understanding how to engage the body from the hips down, which helps develop a solid ground strength pattern,” Tischler said. “We often call the action created by the lower body strength segment ‘The Dance.'”

“When you learn your best dance, you’ll find that you’re really building strength from the ground up. I use two different types of rope training drills to help golfers internalize that feeling to apply it on the course.”

2. The performance segment in the middle section

“The core strength segment is what we generally call ‘the core’ because it is the segment from the waist to the ribcage,” Tischler said. “When you use the core effectively, it connects the kinetic chain from the ground (using the lower body) through the core to the arm swing. Simply put, we all lean and rotate during the golf swing. However, some of us are built to lean more while others are built to rotate more. horizontal.

“Imagine the body has a continuum in the middle. If you are on the wrong side of the continuum, your joints lock up or get stuck. I call this ‘Stuck 3.0.'”

“Stuck 1.0 is the classic mistake where the hips give way and the arms lag behind. Stuck 2.0 means the lead arm gets stuck in front of the body while the body is faster than the arms, and the hands lag behind. Stuck 3.0 means the joints lock up and the rotation is slowed prematurely – which almost always results in the golfer getting injured.”

The distal end performance segment

“The distal power segment is what is commonly known as the ‘arm swing.’ It involves effectively powering the arms, wrists, hands and club through these components to get as much energy to the clubhead as possible,” Tischler said.

“With proper instruction, we typically see students make great progress in this area when participating in the distal end of the strength unit during training. By using speed ropes, core ropes, swing whiffles, or impact bags, we can help students make tremendous progress in this area.”

By assessing how to effectively utilize these three strength segments, adapting them to your specific body type, and learning to connect them together, you can work toward achieving your club’s speed goals.

TheStack Swing Speed ​​Trainer (Hardware + App Package)

$314 (was $349)

TheStack Hardware 5 milled stack weights allow for 30 weight combinations between 0g and 300g. Dual-use weight housing/phone stand. Advanced training club – adult (41.5”) or junior (38.5”) version (see Fitting Juniors). Speed ​​radar not included. Find all compatible devices here. We recommend PRGR TheStack App Training. 2-year license included, accessible via iOS only. Dynamic speed training developed by Dr. Sasho MacKenzie. Guided workout timer for reps, sets and rest intervals. Custom speed metrics to track your gains. Hands-free data entry using voice input technology. Includes access to Stack Putting (Beta) – Learn more. Includes Single User License – Allows training and tracking for up to five local users (e.g. families) under one login. Multi-User Trainer License sold separately. Access the TheStack app on the App Store when your order arrives. Requires iOS 15.0 or later.

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Nick Dimengo

Golf.com Publisher