my back is killing me

[SiberianDVM]

Last evening at the range, after hitting half a bucket of irons, I decided to work on my driving.

So I pulled out my little radar speed thingy, set it up, and put my normal 80% swing on it. 85 mph :(

That's when I decided right there.....from now on with the driver, I'm going all out, full tilt boogie, petal to the metal, balls to the wall.

OK, let's rip one.........POW!! 80mph. :(

Well, at least it looked good in the air.

Okie, dokie, let's get serious..........92 mph, 99 mph!!!!!, 106mph!!!!!

That was my highest and it actually went straight. Carry on that monster was about 240 yards.

The guy next to me wanted to try it, and he was consistently hitting 116-118 mph, carrying the ball 260-280 yards, but some of them were major curve balls. On a real golf course he would have been in the woods a LOT.

So today, besides nursing my aching back, I'm trying to figue out how the heck I managed to get one over the magic number. I think it was a combination of things: a big turn back, a big hip turn down, no chicken wing left arm, good timing, hitting the ball with a bowed left wrist, and trying to really whip that right hand through at impact.

I cannot imagine trying to hit an iron or fairway wood that hard; more than likely I would whiff.

[eclark53520]

Great story bro!

I knew you had it in you!

[slickpitt]

What kind of radar speed thingy do you have?

[SiberianDVM]

this one:

Swing Speed Radar with Tempo Timer - FREE SHIPPING! - eBay (item 250494851661 end time Oct-07-09 05:31:22 PDT)

[slickpitt]

Cool beans!

[SiberianDVM]

Cool beans!

I don't use it a lot, but it it kind of fun to use it at the range, especialy with the driver.

[mddubya]

Hey look Doc, you smoked us all in Tn. as it was. We can't have you start driving the ball 300 yards on top of having a good short game.


But congrats on finding a way to crack 100mph swing speed.

[Wi-Golfer]

From 80 to 106 is a huge improvement, would like to see what mine is at right now. Would be shocked if it were any higher than mid 90's.

[gwlee7]

That "106" was from when you accidently measured ball speed because the SSRTT was too far forward. :ugly25:

[SiberianDVM]

That "106" was from when you accidently measured ball speed because the SSRTT was too far forward. :ugly25:

Could be.

[gwlee7]

Increasing swing speed is a hard thing to undertake. I have found that as my mechanics have improved so has my speed but even more importantly, the quality of the strike. A well struck, launched correctly 100mph swing will toss a drive a right good ways down the fairway.

[SiberianDVM]

If I can get off early tomorrow, I'll repeat the experiment, but I'm not going all out on a half bucket again. Now I know why Freddie Couples walks funny.

[295yards]

This isn't an easy task for me to come forward on this. I've kept quiet on the long ball talk because I believe people can become offended fairly easily and I've also realised hitting longer and straighter does not mean lower scores for me anymore.

If you are serious about wanting to increase your clubhead speeds I would love to be able to help in any way or at least hear about your progress.

One thing that helps me ALOT is to not sole the driver behind the ball at address. Hovering the clubhead behind the ball relieves tension and sets a fixed position away from the ball more easily IMO.

That being said, I personally tee the ball off the toe a certain amount ( which may take some experimentation ) because through centrifugal force the clubhead will extend away from you going into impact and you wanna find that sweetspot without having to stand out of your impact or suck your arms in just to catch the face.

The most recent thing I have found that when i am struggling and popping weak drives out there, it's because the clubhead gets inside my hands and laid off at the top.

If you keep the clubhead outside your hands and set it ( "down the line",,, over your thumbs; shaft,,,or in the center of your triangle at the top ) you should be able to sling that clubhead back to the ball on an increasing velocity until collision.

Another suggestion, ( and sorry for the run on; this is my passion ) do not over rotate! Earn a longer backswing only if your flexibility allows. Just coil enough.

Hopefully your back is sore from firing with your core and swinging longer because normally you stopped short of that.

Hitting half a bucket of balls like this will make you sore but you'll get adapt t othat quickly if you are not tourqing too much.

I remember two years ago when I heard a driving range was open during a break from the winter weather, i went out and was pounding driver stupid long and straight.

Foolishly I hit two large buckets with driver only. 150 BALLS all out!

I never realised how many muscles come into play until that day. Everything ached but my abs were sore for 5 days. It hurt to laugh.

[SiberianDVM]

Another "Grip it & rip it" afternoon at the range.

After a brief session hitting the irons and hybrids, I settled into my real reason for being there: the big dog.

The first few were 85 to 90 mph. Then I got a couple to 99. Could not get into triple digits. :(

So, my young friend Brendan shows up with his new Nike Dymo with an Epic S73? He normally kills the ball, so I was expecting him to show up well on the radar. 108mph, 3 times in a row, with his normal swing. Damn.

So I give it another go.
Finally get to 104, then 111mph!! Not a beautiful ball flight, though, as I am hitting the ball all over the clubface. Not much more distance, either, probably due my poor impact position.

I tried Brendan's Nike, and that Epic shaft is a beast. Try as I might, I could not load it, and never got over 90mph with it. Anyone who says shafts do no matter or that all stiff shafts are the same is dead wrong.

So I went back to my noodle Bassara, which I can load even with a pause at the top, and hit a few more 102-105mph, trying for speed and good impact. That's tough.

I don't really understand how loading the shaft at the top, in one plane, can translate into more clubhead speed at impact, in another plane, but it sure seems to. Can anyone explain this?

I will keep at it, but work keeps me from getting in the practice I would like.

[wirehair]

I don't really understand how loading the shaft at the top, in one plane, can translate into more clubhead speed at impact, in another plane, but it sure seems to. Can anyone explain this?

Kinda like a bullwhip.