Be Careful When Searching For More Speed

By Michael Geiger -- 2nd Swing Staff Writer

One of the most valuable skills in golf is the ability to hit the ball long and straight. Though, while accuracy will never be unimportant, recent trends suggest that the game’s scales are tipping increasingly towards length. Hitting the ball farther provides obvious rewards for golfers, but to increase distance, one has to increase speed. The trick is, increasing speed does not come without its risks.

“...when I say that I'm going to keep pushing the limits, I'm going to keep doing that. I'm going to see how far, how fast I can get, and how straight I can hit it. As a result of what I've done, I think it'll affect some people.”

-- Bryson DeChambeau

“I felt like (increasing speed) was sort of the infancy of where these swing problems have come from. So it’s just a matter of trying to get back out of it… It’ll take a bit of time. It’s not like it’s that far away. I’d still like to keep the speed, but just not make the swings that are sort of producing that speed.”

 -- Rory McIlroy

Those two quotes, taken from two of the best drivers in the world, illustrate the alluring and treacherous path that golfers walk while pursuing an increase in speed. On the one hand, hitting the ball farther leaves shorter irons into greens, making it easier to hit the ball closer and make more birdies. 

DeChambeau has illustrated these benefits with his play over the past 18 months. At last year’s US Open, played on Winged Foot’s extremely narrow West Course, DeChambeau hit driver with impunity, leaving himself wedge shots into almost every single par 4. His six-shot win came as a result of the speed he was able to produce and a hot putter on the greens.

But on the other hand, McIlroy himself admitted, altering your swing to add length can produce unintended negative consequences. Last fall, McIlroy began speed training of his own in order to gain distance and the results have been much different than DeChambeau’s. 

The four-time major champion has recently plummeted to No. 13 in the Official World Golf Rankings and, McIlroy’s lowest ranking since he was a teenager in 2009. His struggles include ugly performances at two of golf’s most prestigious tournament, the 2021 Players Championship and the 2021 Masters, where he missed the cut at each event.

“I’d by lying if I said it wasn’t anything to do with what Bryson did at the U.S. Open,” McIlroy said to the media. 

So, before allowing yourself to get caught up in the speed-chasing frenzy, think seriously about how much you want to risk to gain long-distance glory.

As swing speed increases, golfers will find it increasingly difficult to find the center of the clubface. As ball speed increases, the flight of the ball is increasingly hard to control. And even though golfers can often afford to play from the rough with a short iron in their hands, no club will save them if their ball is out-of-bounds or sitting in a water hazard.

For golfers, the pursuit of more speed and distance can be a high-risk, high-reward strategy. Those that can maximize their driving ability by hitting the ball farther will see their handicap index drop like a stone. Suddenly, par 5s will become true birdie opportunities, short par 4s start to become drivable, and the dangers of par 3s are lessened.

But, if attention to short game and accuracy is removed, the increase in speed could be all for naught.