Swing Speed Golf Training

Every golfer is enamored with hitting the ball farther off the tee, and golf club manufacturers spend millions annually in research and marketing to attract players with a "longer" club. Because the golfer is the true engine of a golf swing, the best way to increase distance is to add flexibility and strength.

Overload Training

It's true that swinging a weighted club can help, but only to a point. According to a 1995 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, college baseball hitters tested showed the best results practicing a normal swing with bats no more than 12 percent lighter or heavier than their normal bats. Don't add swing weights to a club because it can affect your swing mechanics.

Over-Speed Training

The same 1995 study showed that training with a lighter club, again no more than 12 percent difference than your normal club, can help improve swing speed. The study stressed that training devices should not force a change in mechanics.

Flexibility Training

You can't just bulk up with weight and swing a club faster. Strength training must be balanced with flexibility work. A longer swing can be a faster swing, so include a regimen of stretching in your workouts.

Balance Training

Any energy you spend on correcting balance in a golf swing decreases the power you can apply to the golf ball. A golf swing creates a great deal of torque because of the difference in rotation between the shoulders and hips. It takes good balance to maintain the proper swing path and plane while the body twists in and out of a backswing. Golf trainers often recommend exercises that incorporate a Swiss ball so you have to maintain balance during the exercise.

Timing Training

Many amateurs lose the speed in their swings before they get to the point of contact. The best golf swing has the maximum power and speed at the ball, so exercises to train on the proper release of the club work best. A quick drill is to switch a driver around, gripping it just above the clubhead, and taking swings. Listen for the "whoosh" sound that the shaft makes when you swing the club, and make it happen where the ball will be.