What's Swinging Too Hard?
by Tim Mitchell, PGA

How often do you hear from one of your playing companions in your regular foursome, “Partner, you’re swinging way too hard!  Slow it down!” Occasionally that swing thought works, but like all tips, if you don’t really understand the concept, it’s hard to consistently execute. Plus, let’s be honest…nobody wants to be the first person hitting their second shot all the time.

So how do we overcome swinging too hard? There’s three answers to this question that need to match up consistently to strike the golf ball long and straight.

Concept number one is hitting the golf ball solidly. To hit the golf ball solidly, we need to strike the right part of the golf ball. Do you know what the most solid part of the golf ball is? If the answer is no, consider this. Let’s assume that the golf ball is like a nail. If you were trying to strike that nail into a piece of wood with one swing, where would you want to strike the nail? It’d be right in the middle wouldn’t it? We can apply that same rule to golf. For us to consistently hit golf ball solidly we need to hit the sweet spot of the golf ball…the middle…with the sweet spot of the golf club.

Concept number two is swing speed…with a slight modification. Let’s define swing speed as controllable speed. If we go back to our handy image of the golf ball being like a nail, there is a consistent speed that we can strike that nail into the piece of wood in one strike. If we swing too hard, we’ll most likely hit the wrong part of the nail and get less solid strikes and bent nails. Does that sound like some of our ball flights…weak and crooked??? The good news about this image is the speed we swing the hammer, or our golf club, to solidly hit the right part of the golf ball is definable! How do we define that speed? Begin this investigation with the following drill. Start striking golf balls on the driving range.  Specifically assign a number between 1 (swinging easy) and 10 (swinging hard) before each swing. Swing at that perceived speed. Very quickly you should find a number where you consistently strike the right part of the golf ball solidly. Don’t be surprised if it’s somewhere between 3-7.  That number is your maximum swing speed to solidly strike the right part of the golf ball! Know that when you really need to bomb one, you shouldn’t swing much higher than that determined speed. Anything higher than you’re maximum speed can produce less than desirable ball flights. 

The final concept is acceleration. We want to gradually accelerate through the golf ball so that our maximum speed in our golf swing is just past the golf ball. If we start our accelerator too early, our maximum speed will be on the backswing side of the golf ball, or before we ever strike the golf ball. That doesn’t make any sense! To understand gradual acceleration, try this drill.  Swing your golf club with one hand only and try to create a swoosh sound on the target side of the golf ball. When you have completed that task note how effortless your motion was. Now, try and create that same exact swoosh sound on the backswing side of the golf ball. When you have completed that task, note how difficult and how much effort you expended to make the same swoosh sound. The swoosh on the target side of the golf ball is gradual acceleration. It’s also effortless power…just like Freddie Couples or Ernie Els. If you ever feel like you’re working too hard to hit the golf ball anywhere, take a look at where you are starting your acceleration through the golf ball. It’s probably starting too early, or too suddenly.

Keep these three concepts in mind…striking the right part of the golf ball at a controllable speed with gradual acceleration…and you’ll find yourself hitting the golf ball longer and straighter with less effort! You’ll never hear again, “You’re swinging too hard!”

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