If you’re like a lot of golfers, you’ve probably asked yourself questions like… “Why do I swing so hard in golf?” Or, “How do I make my golf swing smoother?”
They’re good questions because if your golf swing is too fast, a lot can go wrong. But so many amateur golfers don’t understand the difference between a hard swing, bad timing, proper tempo, and other factors.
Swinging hard is 100% arbitrary as every golfer is different. What’s important is that you understand the proper tempo and timing during all parts of your swing.
For example, some people might feel like they’re swinging too quickly when in reality, their backswing is too slow, which results in a rushed transition. While others might use way too much upper body on the downswing and feel quick as well.
The key is to understand how power is created in your swing and keep a close eye on it over time. Keep reading to learn more great drills, apps, swing thoughts, and other tricks for a more effective golf swing.
Prevent Over Swinging The Golf Club
The golf swing is so complicated because there are so many moving parts. Each one plays a role in helping you create effortless power. And unfortunately, there are a lot of ways the swing can go wrong.
Let’s break down the swing into three parts; backswing, transition, and downswing. When they all work together, your ball striking will be 10X better. When they aren’t synced up properly, all kinds of misses occur.
Here are the best tips to help you hit each club as far as possible without feeling like you’re trying to kill it.
Accelerate At the Right Time
Let’s face it, everyone wants extra distance.
Thanks to Bryson’s incredible transformation in 2020, the golf world is all about power and distance. Which makes sense because hitting it longer off the tee means shorter approach shots and more birdie attempts.
Swinging harder isn’t always the solution to added distance though. Yes, speed does create distance. But you need to make sure you have optimal speed at the right time.
As Tiger Woods said in his book, How I Play Golf,
“A problem almost every golfer encounters is rushing the downswing — letting loose with everything you have the moment the backswing is complete. When you do that , however, nothing works in proper sequence.
The shoulders outrace the arms, the arms outrace the hands, and the hands outrace the club. All that speed is expended too soon and the clubhead is actually losing speed as it strikes the ball when it should be accelerating.”
This is absolute wisdom from the GOAT. The first move down is key to hit the golf ball with maximum force and a pure strike.
He elaborated saying, “I like to start the downswing by shifting my weight easily back to my left side and then letting my arms fall downward in front of my chest.”
This will help you accelerate at the golf ball properly and actually improve speed without swinging faster.
Practice Half Swings on the Range
Another way to slow things down is to go to the range and focus on hitting each ball with a relaxed, quality shot mentality. Don’t think about distance or shot shape. This will help you slow down your takeaway and feel the difference.
Focus on intentionally slowing down and seeing how the ball reacts.
Put all the gear and gadgets away, simply swing at 50%. Then, work your way to up to 70% speed. Notice how it feels at the top of your swing, transition, and at impact.
You will likely hit more straight shots too.
Take Enough Club
Another huge reason that golfers lose balance and control is from not taking enough club.
If you don’t think the club you chose will get there, you’ll probably try to swing out of your shoes. This leads to bad timing which can throw off the entire swing.
Instead, don’t force anything by trying to hit a club extra hard. You would be much better off if you took more club and swung at 80 or 90% speed.
To make sure you take enough club, you need to know your distances for every club in the bag. Without knowing these numbers, it’s very easy to swing too hard and hit some bad shots.
This is why you need to practice and track your carry distances.
The easiest way to do this is with a portable launch monitor. Luckily, they’re cheaper than ever, can fit in your pocket, and tell you more about your swing than you ever thought possible. With a launch monitor, you can make each session on the range 10X more effective.
For example, if you start a golf workout program or start speed training, a launch monitor will help you track your progress. Just make sure to log your carry distances regularly so when you’re on the golf course, you always know what club to pull.
Click here to learn more about launch monitors.
Measure Your Swing
Speaking of launch monitors, before assuming you’re swinging too hard, measure your club head speed too. With a launch monitor, you can get a baseline for your swing and compare it over time.
Then, take some videos so you can look back on them as well. While you don’t need to upload them to YouTube or anything, having them saved in your phone is a great way to monitor your progress over time.
Having clear swing numbers and other data will make it easier to evaluate and analyze your swing.
Maintain Proper Balance
One common issue that leads to over swinging is a lack of balance. If you move around too much during the swing, it’s easy to over swing and lose control completely.
For example, a lot of golfers sway to a point that it affects the entire move forward toward the ball. If you move laterally on the way back, it’s nearly impossible to get your weight back to your lead foot.
Ideally, you want to maintain consistent balance throughout your swing. That starts from address position, is maintained throughout the swing, and how you follow through.
Read our full article on how to maintain balance in the golf swing.
Use Your Lower Body To Generate Power
Power comes from the ground up.
But if you watch a lot of amateurs on the driving range, you’ll see they try to hit it hard with a lot of upper body movement. The key is to use your legs to push off the ground (known as ground force) to create effortless power.
One of the best examples of this move is Rory McIlroy.
He’s by no means the biggest player on the PGA Tour but consistently one of the longest and straightest drivers. Pound for pound, he’s one of the longest players in professional golf (Justin Thomas is right up there too).
His power does not come from his upper body but instead, how he uses all 155 pounds in his swing. Watch this slow motion video to see how Rory pushes off the turf to create incredible distance off the tee.
If you’re swinging too hard, record a video of yourself and see if it’s from excess upper body movement. If it is, then work on getting your legs more active in the golf swing.
Don’t forget, your lower body should start the downswing. Then, the hands, arms, and club follow behind.
Understand Tempo
If you’re like most avid golfers, when you think of perfect tempo you probably think of Fred Couples. The guy has such a pure swing it’s genuinely hard to believe how easy he makes golf look. When I think of having a good tempo, I always think of Freddy.
Tempo is the key to having a controlled, powerful swing. But good tempo doesn’t mean you have to swing a certain speed on your downswing or backswing.
Instead, you need to have the right tempo – a 3:1 tempo. This is one of the few metrics that pretty much all elite players share.
A 3:1 tempo means that your backswing is 3X as long (in terms of seconds) as your downswing. This ensures that you accelerate at the impact zone and get the most out of every swing. To learn even more about tempo, read our full guide here.
One great way to check your tempo is with the deWiz golf watch. This incredible training aid makes it easy to see if you rush your backswing, transition, or downswing.
Click here to learn more about the deWiz golf watch now.
Speed Up Your Backswing
Sometimes you actually need to swing harder.
You might be thinking, “How will speeding up my backswing prevent me from swinging too hard?”
I thought the same thing myself until a lesson with a PGA Tour coach changed my perspective. I was always taught “Low and slow” on the way back.
But sometimes I would feel like I would “get quick” on my downswing. Then, I would slow my backswing even more in hopes of having a more fluid golf swing.
In reality, swinging slower was actually making things worse.
As Boyd Summerhays told me, “If you’re feeling quick during transition, speed up your backswing.” Which if you think about it, actually makes a ton of sense.
When you’re slow, slow, slow on the way back, eventually you’ll have to speed up to hit the ball. But this makes it easy to lead to a rushed transition and downswing.
Conversely, if you’re more fluid and faster on the way back, it’s easier to not rush the transition. It’s easier to set the club at the top and then make a solid downswing that starts with the legs.
The results were almost immediate and my timing never felt better. Not to mention, it almost instantly added distance as well.
If you need help feeling a faster backswing, download the Tour Tempo app on your phone or read our full Tour Tempo article here.
This is a great tool to help you synchronize your backswing to downswing. It has auditory cues to help you feel a faster swing which in turn, will actually yield a smoother swing.
Watch Your Grip Pressure
If you’re losing control and swinging harder than you want, another part of the swing to check is your grip pressure. A lot of people think to hit the ball hard, they need a firm grip on the club. But in reality, too much grip pressure can actually lead to big misses and a loss of distance.
This happens because too much grip pressure leads to tension in your forearms. Which can translate to the rest of your muscles being too tight and not working correctly (this also happens with putting).
To create a powerful swing and increase club head speed, loosen up your grip pressure – especially with the driver.
This will allow you to start hitting bombs and hopefully, each miss a little better.
Always Pause at The Top of Your Golf Swing
If you are struggling with tempo/timing, check your transition. Specifically, make sure there is a slight pause to separate your backswing from your downswing.
The golf club has to be set before your forward swing.
Even if it’s for a split second, there needs to be a pause for optimal ball striking. This pause allows your weight to shift to your left foot, allows for the club to re-route (or shallow), and keeps your lower body synced with your upper body.
Without a pause, it’s nearly impossible to hit the golf ball cleanly.
If there’s one player to replicate here, it’s Hideki Matysuama. He has the most deliberate pause of all time.
While you don’t need to “wait” at the top like him, this should help you see what a deliberate pause looks like. On the range, practice getting to the top and counting one before starting your backswing to slow down.
Hit Knockdown Shots on the Driving Range
For more consistency, skip a hard swing and head to the range for some knockdown shots.
Since you don’t have a full swing with a knockdown, it’s a good way for golfers to feel the club head more and get your timing right. With each ball, make it your intention to not swing hard and instead, focus on contact above all else.
Start with short to middle irons, then fairway woods, then driver. It should translate to a smoother rhythm on the course and works great for your pre-round warm up.
Keep Your Backswing Parallel
As mentioned in the previous section, you can only accelerate at one point in the golf swing.
A good way to make sure you stop swinging so hard is to shorten your backswing. While a super long backswing might work for a golfer like John Daly, it’s definitely not for everyone.
The average golfer should strive for a parallel or slightly less than parallel swing. So many players think longer is better but it’s not necessarily the case. When you have a long backswing, it can throw off the sequence of your forward swing.
The key is to make sure you maintain a firm hold on the club with your left hand (if you’re a right handed golfer).
Increase Flexibility So You Can Swing Harder
Another reason that your timing and tempo might be off is that your body doesn’t allow it.
As I mentioned, a lot of players use the upper body instead of the lower body to try and generate power. That often comes from the lower back and legs being too tight and not flexible enough to turn properly.
Make stretching and flexibility a priority so you can generate maximum power without swinging out of your shoes. While it’s not the most fun thing to do, it can have a massive impact on your golf swing.
See if a local massage place has services for golfers specifically or make sure to foam roll and stretch at home.
Want more information about improving flexibility?
Click here to learn more about golf stretching.
Think Smooth on the First Hole
There is one shot that everyone wants to hit perfectly – the first tee shot. Of all the tee shots, so many golfers get extra nervous, tense, and swing faster than normal on the first hole.
When in reality, the first golf shot is just like any other golf shot you’ll hit that day. It is only one shot and swinging hard for max club head speed isn’t the answer.
Instead, you want to have one golf swing thought – smooth. Not swing hard, rip it 300+ yards, or even worse “Don’t top it.”
Click here to learn more about first tee jitters.
Use SuperSpeed Sticks At The Right Time
Speed training is all the talk these days.
Why?
Because it works extremely well to help you add more distance. SuperSpeed sticks can help you start swinging faster but still maintain proper tempo to hit the ball further than ever.
I love SuperSpeed sticks and we’ve written extensively about them on the Left Rough (read our superspeed review here) because they are so effective. While they’re not an overnight fix to more distance, they’re a great tool to help you increase swing speed over time.
But I’ve found that if you use them right before a round, they might accidentally lead to swinging too hard. Especially if you are swinging Bryson hard with the blue or red sticks (the red is the heaviest). While a few warm up swings with the green one will help you loosen up, avoid the others before a round of golf.
Instead, use them on your off days or after a round or practice session. This way you won’t unintentionally throw off your tempo and timing during the round.
Final Thoughts on Swinging Hard and Swing Speed
Swinging too hard can happen to all of us from time to time.
But for most amateurs, it’s about understanding where speed is generated from. Then, making sure it’s correct in all three parts of the swing so you’re a more consistent ball striker.
Keep working, tracking your progress, and remember, quality contact is better than swinging out of your shoes.