Increasing Your Clubhead Speed: Adjustments and Exercises

No promises of adding 55 yards to your drive: Quentin Rachinel simply wants to help you get the most out of your own swing. He walks you through the adjustments to check before swinging—which really unlocks speed—and then two exercises to help you feel the club accelerate at the right point.

Quentin Rachinel · his YouTube channelFree lesson selected by Fred P.

What the lesson shows

Before you swing, here are a few precautions. The driver loft: If you're hitting at a moderate speed, feel free to increase the angle to 11.5° or even 12°—the ball will travel farther. The tee height: The center of the ball should be within the height of the clubface. The distance to the ball (with arms hanging naturally) and the ball’s position on the heel of the front foot, head behind the ball, body straight, for a neutral or very slightly upward attack angle.

In motion, speed comes primarily from the laxity: According to him, a tense muscle is restricted by the brain, while a stretched muscle releases much more power. It then comes from the’amplitude: As you rotate your hips, both shoulders move and the club’s arc lengthens. The entire body moves as one, without any wrist action, and the swing is aligned with the target—neither vertically nor behind the back. Contact is also important (the “smash factor,” capped at 1.50, is measured by radar). To get a feel for the speed: try to whistle while holding the club upside down, as hard as possible and after the ball, then take continuous swings with a sand wedge in the rough, trying to pick up speed despite the resistance from the grass.

The Exercise, Step by Step

1. Check the loft of your driver, and if your swing speed is low, consider a higher loft.
2. Adjust the height of the tee so that the center of the ball is inside the clubface.
3. Place the ball on the heel of your front foot, with your arms hanging down toward the floor and your body straight.
4. Make continuous swings with two clubs, like a swing, using as little effort as possible.
5. Swing the club and make it whistle as loudly as possible, right after the ball.
6. Repeat the club exercise in the opposite direction, listening for the same whistling sound.
7. With a sand wedge, string together swings without stopping as you make your way through the rough.

Key Takeaways

Mistakes to Avoid

• Using a driver with too little loft for your swing speed.
• A tee that's too low or too high, causing the clubface to make contact with the ball too low or too high on the clubface.
• Lean toward the ball and shift your weight during the swing.
• Keep your hips still and rotate only your shoulders.
• Add a wrist movement that freezes the rest of the body.
• Generate vertical momentum with your arms or by swinging the club behind your back.

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Video posted on YouTube by its creator (Quentin Rachinel). Best Golf Tips selects and summarizes the best free lessons without hosting them.