Swing speed is the most talked about skill in golf. How do I increase my swing speed? I want my drives to go farther! As a teaching golf professional, I often hear this relation between swing speed and distance.

Increasing your swing speed is the way to improve distance. For every one mile per hour you add to your swing speed, you gain about three yards. If you can increase your swing speed by about five miles per hour, you will hit the ball about 15 yards farther.

I agree that adding miles per hour, club head speed, and golf ball speed will help you hit the ball farther. What makes me laugh is when a beginner wants to hit the ball like PGA tour player Bryson Dechambeau, yet the student barely knows how to grip the club.

I get that there's a direct correlation between watching the PGA/LPGA tour on television and wanting to hit the ball further. However, the average swing speed of average golfers to tour players is very different; the skill level is worlds apart.

Most golfers ask instructors like me to help them with basic things like swing speed, clubhead speed, consistency, driver swing speed, and driving distance. Of course, let's not forget that accuracy and shots with wedges around the green made Tiger Woods so special. But golfers with slower swing speeds watch the long driver competitions or tour events and want new golf clubs to help them with their game.

Interestingly, lower handicap golfers, on average, have longer driver distances. On the other hand, senior golfers have less flexibility, or their point of impact is not as good as advanced golfers.

So, why can advanced players hit the ball so much farther than amateurs? How do we increase golf swing speed to hit the ball farther?

How to Increase Golf Swing Speed

Can a golfer increase their swing speed at any age or skill level? Yes. Can a golfer increase their swing speed in a week? No.

Let’s look at three things that can increase your swing speed and add distance to your shots.

1. Time

Time spent is the most significant difference to whether a golfer can increase their distance or not. This applies to not only distance, but putting, chipping, and iron shots. There is no way that a golfer will hit farther if they only practice once a month. I don’t know of many things in general that you will improve at if you only practice once a month.

The first question I ask a new student is about their medical history. The second question is: how much time do you have to play or practice golf? Is it once a week, once a month, or once a year?

This one question will tell me what kind of golfer you can potentially be. You will not become a pro or even a scratch handicap playing once a month. Will you get better if you play or practice three times a week? Yes, you will get better. Will you get better at practicing or playing five days a week? Yes, even more than you think. By playing golf, we never achieve perfection; we can only try to attain it.

As a teaching golf professional, I don’t play as much as I would like. If I miss playing for two weeks, my short game suffers the most because of the repetition needed to stay consistent. Students also mentioned that they would like to be more consistent with their golf game. But, again, I immediately go back to how often you can play or practice in a week. If you don’t play enough, you won't be consistent.

So, how about some good news?

Yes, you will increase your swing speed and add distance to your game if you spend more time than you do now on your game. There’s the good news. But we all have lives, families, careers, pets, and others that want our time. If you're going to increase your distance and swing speed, try to find a work/play balance.

2. Training Aids / Equipment

This is where you will see gains. While equipment can help you with distance by correctly fitting the right equipment for your game, I believe more in some training aids.

My favorite training aid is anything similar to speed sticks. The popular one is SuperSpeed Golf. However, others such as SpeedStix and Rypstick are similar. Personal preference and budget will help you decide which is best for you.

In my opinion, speed sticks are the best and fastest way to gain swing speed and distance. You only need to use them about three days a week. There are many videos on these products and how to use them. But they all do the same thing. Swing the speed sticks as fast as possible, record the data, keep track for 2–3 months, and watch your speed get faster. I like that there’s also a tracking sheet for you to keep all the numbers organized and monitor your improvement.

Other programs can help, such as Swingman Golf. This is a total fitness and training program. It requires a reasonable commitment of time. Remember what I mentioned about time?

How about golf equipment? Yes, getting clubs fitted for your game will help. How much it will help is up for debate. Buying new irons with stronger lofts will help you hit a particular iron farther, but it can also affect other things, such as control and accuracy; you still need those to play good golf. I encourage trying different clubs and seeing what helps you play better.

3. Fitness / Lessons

Will you learn to play better with lessons? Yes. You will improve whether you take lessons once a month or every week. If your technique improves, maybe getting newer clubs will help you gain even more distance. Do you have to go to a golf professional to learn golf? Well, not necessarily.

I had a 14-year-old come to me for lessons. He hit the ball about 280 yards with the driver and told me that he practiced in his backyard for a month and then came to me because his dad is a student of mine. I asked him where he learned to swing like that. He said he watched YouTube videos. While it was initially tough to believe, he showed me what he had watched, and his dad verified it.

However, while he had a good swing, he made time to watch, learn, and practice. Remember that time thing?

Now what he didn’t understand was why his balls kept going left. That’s where going to a golf professional will help. I explained that he was swinging over the top; and since he played baseball also, it made a lot of sense. Once I showed him how to fix the over-the-top move, he got much better and straighter.

Working out and getting a personal trainer? I’m all for it. Nothing but good things will happen when you get into fitness. Your golf game and your life will be more fun. But flexibility and mobility exercises will help your golf game the most.

Final Thoughts

Everyone would love to hit the ball farther. I agree it’s fun and helps you become a better player. But first, decide how much time you have to improve. Then choose speed-drill exercises, working out, or seeing a golf professional to get you where you want to be.

If you need help finding the right clubs for your game, chat with me or one of my fellow Golf Experts here on Curated for free, personalized recommendations. Remember, once you get those extra yards, stay humble, take all your friends' money with those side bets, and smile.