Best way for a senior to il increase swing speed

[orr444]

65 yr old with not a great back. Have shied away from the heavier training for speed need to move driver swing speed up from 90 or at least maintain 90. Decent player need more speed, any ideas?

[jonsnow]

I'm in the same boat so I'll be very interested in the replies to this thread. Personally I think it's a combination of increasing range of motion & better technique, specifically better sequencing. I know my swing has gotten more restricted as I've gotten older which leads to feeling like I need to generate speed with my arms, which plays havoc with proper sequencing. So the two kind of go hand in hand. But I'd love to hear from others. 

[DLiver]

What has worked for me is 1) strength training, and 2) speed training. I used to have some back issues, which is what got me to go back into the gym to work on core strength. Lots of core work, deadlifts and squats (use a belt--you'll be fine). Plenty of shoulder work, which gives you the strength and flexibility you need to make a full golf swing. I used to do a lot of stretching, but I've fallen off that wagon. I need to get back on that.

 

I haven't done any speed work lately, and that has hurt my SS, but my speed training caused me to develop some bad swing habits. I'm going to resume the speed work in a way that won't cause my swing to go awry, but that is going to have to wait until my competitive season is over. Right now my driver SS is around 97mph, +-3mph.

 

I'm 67.

[golfarb1]

Youtube

Wayne Defrancesco

” The best senior golf swing for elite golfers”

[torbill]

I’m 77.  My swing speed is not much more than yours.  I am mid-single digit handicap.  If it were simply about driving distance I could play even par golf for the courses I play, and I’ll bet that you play similar courses, too.  The obsession with distance isn’t necessary.  Consistently hitting fairways and making solid ball contact ARE necessary to playing good golf as we get older.  And we tend to lose distance.  I focus on keeping my body strong and flexible and making my swing technique as solid as possible.  Age ultimately takes over, but I know people in their 80s who I don’t enjoy playing for money.  

 

You start selling out your game in pursuit of distance and if you’re like me you will be in the rough or even the trees and you will not be playing good golf.    

 

 

[pinhigh27]

improving your golf swing 

[Short Bucket]

70 here.  I'd say I've lost more flexibility than strength over the last few years.  At a recent lesson my teaching pro said as much and recommended a 3x week stretching routine.   

[Hawkeye77]

Not that old, but . . . my swing getting more efficient = gains in swing speed. 

[ShortGolfer]

In two years I'll be able to play at private course without paying green fees on Mondays.  The town has an arrangement with the course. 

Looking at a recent tee sheet, two dozen seniors take advantage of the arrangement, first thing in the morning.

 

I know this is an unpopular idea, but due to my low swing speed, I plan to play from the red tees.

I don't have any back or flexibility issues but I  would like to keep it that way.

[bluedot]

18 hours ago, orr444 said:

65 yr old with not a great back. Have shied away from the heavier training for speed need to move driver swing speed up from 90 or at least maintain 90. Decent player need more speed, any ideas?

 

This is a subject near and dear to my heart; I'm 69 and still playing as much competitive golf as I can, and every yard matters to me.  I think it's fair to say that in the last 3 years, I've turned over pretty much every rock there is.  So here are my thoughts:

 

1. There is no one answer to your question, simply because what limits the swing speed of any individual is based on their own set of conditions.  FWIW, a 90 mph swing speed for a 65 year old is quite good, and you aren't likely to see that go up a lot, if any.  Your idea of maintaining 90 may be the more realistic idea.

 

2. I think there are about 5 factors in swing speed, in no particular order.

    a. technique

    b. equipment

    c. flexibility

    d. mobility

    e. strength

 

3.  I'm going to guess that if you are swinging the driver at 90 mph at age 65, your technique is pretty good.  You could get on a Trackman if you have questions about that.

 

4.  If you haven't already, don't go to sleep on working with a really good club fitter.  I "regained" about 3 mph at a driver fitting back in 2018, and just regained another 3-4 mph at a driver fitting a few weeks back.  That may not sound like a lot, but 1 mph is somewhere around 3 yards; regaining 10 yards, at least to me, is HUGE.

 

5. When you get past technique and equipment, the other issues are things that you might consider getting assessed by somebody who really knows that side of golf, like a TPI-type.  I think it's fair to say that for many seniors, if not most, the issue becomes mobility more than either flexibility or strength, especially in the hips.  There are a ton of things you can do to improve this, and while it might not increase your swing speed, it WILL help your back a lot AND let you hang on to the swing speed you already have.  Golf-specific workout programs don't use an excessive amount of weight, and I have found them to help my back.  The TPI guys will tell you that most golf-related low back pain is really about something else; if, for instance, you lack hip mobility, you have to use your lumbar spine (lower back) in a way that it really isn't designed for to create room for your arms to swing thru.

 

If you will go to the website of Par4Success, a top 50 golf training facility in Cary, NC, they have an online assessment tool that you can use to get a quick idea of what, if anything, you might be deficient in.

 

Good luck!

[xmanhockey7]

1. Lessons. Depending on your skill level and swing this could make a big difference. 
 

2. Improve strength. I would highly recommend Fit For Golf. $6 for first month. $12 per month after that. If you need to cancel your Netflix to cover the cost. It’s way better for you anyway. Start with the 101 program. You can get by with limited and inexpensive equipment. 
 

3. Practice swinging fast. Get some sort of radar device (PRGR works great) and track your speed over time. FFG actually has a chart for this. 5 swings “cruising speed”, 10 swings as fast as you can. 5 swings cruising speed. 

[phil75070]

Nothing wrong with increasing speed by using your hands and arms. Go to YouTube and find Eric Cogorno's "My Best Advice For Senior Golfers | Create Speed With Your Arms". One thing it does for me is get rid all that tension that can creep into my golf swing.

[Tpfol]

I dont want to be "that guy" but I recently purchased Monte's No Turn Cast program and have improved my backswing depth immediately. I'm 53 and fairly inflexible and even without the cast portion of the program I am feeling significant club head speed increase with no additional effort.

 

[NoTalentLefty]

Swing the arms faster. Not as easy as it sounds but practice with your existing swing and try it. Don’t hit the ball , swing the club. Manuel de la Torre  swing guy here and it has worked for me. 62 with two artificial hips and a bad left knee. 

[Shushwap]

Have a look at super speed and get a good stretching routine.. I use the fit for golf app...

[orr444]

yes i am a 6 handicap but falling behind my younger playing partners. i appreciate all the suggestions and advice very much. thinking yoga in addition to the gym, how are the super speed trainer for your back? im going to look into these other suggestions as well. thanks again!!!

[RogerinNewZealand]

Search ROM range of motion and for me neck exercises last 4 months have helped a lot.I now spend say 3hrs a day at desk..this cut back my flexibility..not over golfing !! Modern driver, better AOA by +2°...big easy gains ,try sean clements videos

[golfarb1]

Be careful with overspeed programs such as “super speed” if you have chronic shoulder , wrist , back issues. Such programs may very well be effective , but may also exacerbate your current injuries. 
 

[Mustu]

1 hour ago, orr444 said:

yes i am a 6 handicap but falling behind my younger playing partners. i appreciate all the suggestions and advice very much. thinking yoga in addition to the gym, how are the super speed trainer for your back? im going to look into these other suggestions as well. thanks again!!!

I'm not a senior yet, but I did the superspeed training last year and had chronic back issues that I went to the chiropractor for several times.  I don't know for sure if the back issues were related, but I haven't been using those sticks this year and no chiropractor.  I've also been using the fit for golf app this year and it's definitely helped my strength and mobility though I haven't really noticed an increase in distance on the course.  

[torbill]

1 hour ago, orr444 said:

yes i am a 6 handicap but falling behind my younger playing partners. i appreciate all the suggestions and advice very much. thinking yoga in addition to the gym, how are the super speed trainer for your back? im going to look into these other suggestions as well. thanks again!!!

 

That’s the level I play at, and as I indicated I much older than you and I still get beat by my elders.  And they don’t hit it any farther than I do. And when I play with the youngsters I enjoy watching in amazement as they hit it 300 yards into the lake and card a double or triple.  Who knew a ball could go that crooked, lol.

 

As always, Bluedot has good perspective and I completely agree with him that as we get as old as you, and especially me, it is probably going to be more about maintaining than anything, and even maintaining takes a lot of work.  And this is OK, because we can still play great golf and improve our handicaps.  

 

And, I would add, with your back, staying healthy is even more important than increasing distance.  If you’re like me you are going to find that as the salt trickles through the hourglass it is almost certainly going to be your back rather than your distance that limits your golf.  As I noted in another thread yesterday, when I hit about 70 I began to think that I was going to be done before long, due to ever-increasing back pain (I once missed an entire year of golf with a back problem!). What I did was to change my swing to the Jimmy Ballard method, a method that is fundamentally sound and back-sparing.  And I finally took exercise seriously, a couple of simple yoga poses and a few flexbility stretches in particular - in my home, no special equipment, just simple floor exercises.  A back-sparing swing method and exercise has been miraculous and has kept me in the game.

 

And if I’m swinging my driver at 90 mph I’m getting about 230 yards, and I can play even par golf with that kind of distance for the sorts of courses that most of us play - assuming that the rest of my game was even par golf, which it isn’t.

 

I tried chasing more distance for a while, and it didn’t end well.  There are a couple of ways to hit fairways, as you well know - synchronize the upper and lower body or connect them.  You start doing things like swinging your arms faster and, if you’re like me, you’ll be farther into the woods than you could ever believe.  And it might be the woods on the right or the woods on the left, who can say where it’s going on this swing, lol.  No siree, I learned my lesson and I am now content to maintain my back health and my distance.  I had to stop walking the courses a year ago, due to bad knees, and it caused me a loss of lower body strength that I’m still working to overcome.  It doesn’t get any easier, but it’s worth the effort.

[NoTalentLefty]

Another method. Take a baseball or softball bat and hit it into a large hanging rug. Increase your swing speed slowly so you don’t hurt yourself. 

[torbill]

Oh, and one thing that you might experiment with is gripping down on your driver handle and see if you pick up some distance.  These 45.5” drivers are long.  As you grip down your radius will decrease, which will tend to decrease clubhead speed.  But at the same time your swingweight will decrease, which will tend to increase clubhead speed.  And the shorter radius should promote more solid/consistent contact.  You might net-up.  If this works for you, you can cut the shaft down by, maybe 1.5”.

 

I’ve also been know to take removable weights out of the driver head.  The lighter the better seems to be good for me.  But this can affect the dynamics of the club, maybe for better, maybe for worse.  For example, if the removable weight is far to the rear of the clubhead removing it will create a reduction in MOI and mabye dynamic loft, so you have to experment.  I have an Epic Flash SZ and I actually removed the sliding weight assembly, to get it lighter.   

[otto6457]

OK.......this is out there, but it's another thing to think about.  I've played a lot of golf with a gentleman that's several years older than I am.  He still hits it really well.  Played college golf and lots of Amateur golf in his day.

 

He swears up and down that after being prescribed testosterone replacement therapy by his doctor, he picked up swing speed.  Plus, he feels better, sleeps better, and has better strength overall.

 

I'm just sayin....it might be worth getting checked.

[golfarb1]

According to Trackman stats published in mid 2019, the average clubhead speed on the LPGA tour was 94 mph resulting in a carry of 218 yards. Their Angle of attack was +3 degrees ; this stood in contrast to PGA tour , where the angle of attack was -1.3 degrees.

To hit it further , seniors might want to experiment with increasing their angle of attack 

[golfarb1]

3 hours ago, torbill said:

Oh, and one thing that you might experiment with is gripping down on your driver handle and see if you pick up some distance.  These 45.5” drivers are long.  As you grip down your radius will decrease, which will tend to decrease clubhead speed.  But at the same time your swingweight will decrease, which will tend to increase clubhead speed.  And the shorter radius should promote more solid/consistent contact.  You might net-up.  If this works for you, you can cut the shaft down by, maybe 1.5”.

 

I’ve also been know to take removable weights out of the driver head.  The lighter the better seems to be good for me.  But this can affect the dynamics of the club, maybe for better, maybe for worse.  For example, if the removable weight is far to the rear of the clubhead removing it will create a reduction in MOI and mabye dynamic loft, so you have to experment.  I have an Epic Flash SZ and I actually removed the sliding weight assembly, to get it lighter.   

Not that long ago the standard length driver was 43 3/4 “ long . A driver that length might increase average distance by increasing the average smash factor ( solidness of strike) compared to the 45.5” driver. 

[Zitlow]

Quick hands, it's a throw not a pull with left arm, push with right arm, drop of left arm, rope tug or harpoon with the hands. You should feel like you're slinging the club with your hands. 

 

How would you crack a whip? 

 

 

[bluedot]

14 hours ago, golfarb1 said:

Not that long ago the standard length driver was 43 3/4 “ long . A driver that length might increase average distance by increasing the average smash factor ( solidness of strike) compared to the 45.5” driver. 

Maybe; probably not.
 

Smash factor is ball speed divided by club head speed; a PW has a lower smash factor than a driver even if hit perfectly because the ball speed is so much lower.  If the OP goes to a shorter driver and loses club head speed AND ball speed proportionally, his smash factor could stay exactly the same, but with less total distance.  
 

If the OP isn’t consistently making contact with his current driver that results in a smash factor of somewhere above 1.45, then yes; better contact might lead to more distance.  But if he already hits his driver squarely, a shorter driver might lead to lower swing speeds and shorter drives, even with a really efficient smash factor. 

[golfarb1]

5 hours ago, bluedot said:

Maybe; probably not.
 

Smash factor is ball speed divided by club head speed; a PW has a lower smash factor than a driver even if hit perfectly because the ball speed is so much lower.  If the OP goes to a shorter driver and loses club head speed AND ball speed proportionally, his smash factor could stay exactly the same, but with less total distance.  
 

If the OP isn’t consistently making contact with his current driver that results in a smash factor of somewhere above 1.45, then yes; better contact might lead to more distance.  But if he already hits his driver squarely, a shorter driver might lead to lower swing speeds and shorter drives, even with a really efficient smash factor. 

Tom Wichon , the well known club fitter and maker stated” I’d say that 90% of drivers sold in shops today are too long for most players . The standard driver length of 45.5-46.5 “ offered by the majority of companies is too long for most golfers and will prevent them from achieving their maximum potential for distance and accuracy .”

From the Dec.,18,2019 GOLF Magazine

The average driver length on the PGA tour is 44.75”. Rickie Fowler actually reduced his to 43.5”.
Tony Finau reduced his from 45.25 “to 44.75” and produced more ball speed because of more consistent center face contact.

 

So why should the average senior golfer, who struggles to  consistently find the center of the face use standard length drivers , when the best golfers in the world , who consistently find the center of the face, use shorter length drivers. 
The bottom line is that senior golfers should test shorter shafts to see if such shafts improve their driving . If they do not , then they can stay with the longer standard length drivers ; if shorter shafts improve their driving , then they  should switch  to the shorter length shafts 

 

 

[chipa]

I have a problematic back and am working on my mechanics to develop more speed with my hands and arms swing so I don't have to turn as much. I am looking at Tommy Armour's swing as it appears to be a very efficient.

[bluedot]

1 hour ago, golfarb1 said:

Tom Wichon , the well known club fitter and maker stated” I’d say that 90% of drivers sold in shops today are too long for most players . The standard driver length of 45.5-46.5 “ offered by the majority of companies is too long for most golfers and will prevent them from achieving their maximum potential for distance and accuracy .”

From the Dec.,18,2019 GOLF Magazine

The average driver length on the PGA tour is 44.75”. Rickie Fowler actually reduced his to 43.5”.
Tony Finau reduced his from 45.25 “to 44.75” and produced more ball speed because of more consistent center face contact.

 

So why should the average senior golfer, who struggles to  consistently find the center of the face use standard length drivers , when the best golfers in the world , who consistently find the center of the face, use shorter length drivers. 
The bottom line is that senior golfers should test shorter shafts to see if such shafts improve their driving . If they do not , then they can stay with the longer standard length drivers ; if shorter shafts improve their driving , then they  should switch  to the shorter length shafts 

 

 

We don’t disagree at all.  A shorter driver might very well help a player who has trouble with solid contact, but I don’t think the OP has said that; he wants SPEED. 

 

I love Tom Wishon’s stuff, and I agree with his thought on shaft length.  But Wishon is talking about contact, not speed. What the pros do is less compelling to me, because they don’t need help with speed or contact; they go shorter for control.  But those two examples are the bookends of the golf world; I suspect the OP is somewhere in between, like most good, but aging players are. Again, he’s looking to gain (or regain!) speed, and a shorter shaft isn’t likely to do that.

 

I swing my driver at around 88 mph, but my 6 iron is down to 80, and my PW is right at 70.(You can probably tell I use a Flightscope when I practice.). Shorter clubs, shorter arcs, lower speeds. There are other trade offs, of course; I’m a heckuva lot more accurate with my PW than my driver, if only because the vector is shorter.  But is not really possible to swing a shorter club faster than a longer club.