Forces That Affect Swing Speed (And How to Increase Yours)

Every golfer wants more distance. And while it’s tempting to swing harder, speed doesn’t come from effort alone. The longest hitters on Tour—and the longest hitters at your local course—know how to use ground forces, timing, and body mechanics to generate explosive clubhead speed.

If you’re stuck at the same swing speed despite strength gains or lessons, it may be because you’re not using the right forces efficiently.

In this article, we’ll break down the three ground forces that fuel swing speed, the sequencing patterns that matter, and the training strategies that actually increase how fast you swing.

Understanding the Three Ground Forces That Build Speed

Vertical Force

Vertical force is the pressure you apply straight down into the ground, which then creates a rebound effect upward. Think of it like jumping—when you push harder into the ground, the ground pushes back.

Golfers use vertical force late in the downswing to help create upward momentum, lift the lead side, and add acceleration just before impact. Tour pros like Justin Thomas are known for this move—you’ll often see them coming slightly off the ground with their lead foot.

A stronger vertical push = a more powerful finish = higher clubhead speed.

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Horizontal (Shear) Force

Horizontal force is the side-to-side pressure you generate during the swing, especially during the transition from backswing to downswing. As your upper body coils back, your lower body shifts pressure toward the lead foot—creating shear force.

This loading and shifting creates tension and speed. The more efficiently you shift your weight and use the ground under your feet, the more horizontal force you can generate to fuel rotation.

Torque (Rotational) Force

Rotational force—or torque—is what creates twist between your feet and the ground. As you rotate your hips against a stable lower body, you generate torque that travels up through the core and releases through the arms and club.

This is the engine of your swing. You need good footwork, hip mobility, and sequencing to get the most out of this rotational power.

Together, these three forces—vertical, horizontal, and torque—are what create real, repeatable swing speed. Most golfers aren’t using them enough—or in the right order.

How the Kinematic Sequence Builds Efficient Speed

Speed Starts from the Ground Up

The most efficient swings in golf don’t start with the arms or shoulders. They start from the ground, with energy transferred up through the body in a specific order. This is known as the kinematic sequence.

The sequence looks like this:

Ground → Hips → Torso → Arms → Club

Each segment of the body accelerates, then decelerates, passing energy to the next. When done correctly, this chain reaction builds tremendous clubhead speed without feeling like a violent effort.

Why Poor Sequencing Kills Speed

If your sequence is out of order, speed is lost.

• If your arms start the downswing, you’ll lose the stretch between upper and lower body.
• If your hips fire too early or too late, you’ll either stall or spin out.
• If everything moves at the same time, no energy transfers—and clubhead speed drops.

Many amateurs swing as if the whole body is trying to move together. Pros create a snap effect, using lag between segments to create whip and speed.

How to Train Your Sequence

• Film your swing in slow motion—look for what starts first.
• Use medicine ball throws to pattern lower-body initiation.
• Focus on transition drills that emphasize pressure shift before rotation.

Speed doesn’t just come from swinging faster. It comes from sequencing your movements so each part of your body helps accelerate the next.

Swing Characteristics That Influence Speed

Width of Swing Arc

One of the biggest speed generators in the swing is arc width. A wider swing arc means the club travels on a longer path, which gives it more room to build speed before impact.

Golfers who collapse their arms or over-hinge early in the backswing reduce that width—and limit their potential for speed. Think of your lead arm and club as a lever: the longer and wider the arc, the more energy you can create.

Focus on keeping your arms extended without tension and turning fully through your upper body to maximize width.

Lag and Wrist Angles

Creating and maintaining lag—the angle between the lead arm and the club shaft—is another major ingredient in swing speed.

Lag stores energy in the downswing. Releasing it at the right time leads to a burst of speed right before impact. Losing lag early (a move called casting) wastes energy and reduces clubhead speed significantly.

To improve lag:

• Use drills that delay wrist release
• Strengthen forearms and wrists
• Practice short, punchy swings with late release patterns

Tempo and Transition Timing

Swing speed doesn’t mean rushing the takeaway. In fact, many long hitters have a smooth backswing and explosive downswing. This smooth-to-fast transition gives the body time to load properly and then unleash all that stored energy at the bottom.

Quick backswing = rushed sequence. Smooth backswing = efficient build-up of speed.

Train your tempo by counting or using metronome-based drills to stay in rhythm and avoid rushing.

Common Mistakes That Limit Swing Speed

Overusing the Arms Instead of the Ground

Many amateur golfers try to create swing speed by throwing their arms at the ball. But this upper-body-only approach bypasses the real power source—the ground. If your feet, legs, and hips aren’t actively driving the motion, your arms will have to work too hard, and your speed ceiling will stay low.

Learn to initiate the downswing with a pressure shift and hip rotation, not just your hands.

Early Release or Casting

Casting the club early in the downswing—losing lag too soon—kills potential energy. When you release the club too early, you burn speed before you reach the ball. This leads to slower impact speeds, weaker contact, and often a high, spinny ball flight.

Train drills that delay wrist release and promote late acceleration.

Weak Posture and No Resistance in the Backswing

A solid setup posture with an athletic spine angle helps you coil properly. If you stand too upright or let your body collapse during the backswing, you eliminate the stretch and rotation needed to generate torque.

Likewise, turning your upper body without creating resistance from the lower body prevents a good “coil”—reducing speed potential.

Focus on creating tension between your hips and shoulders as you turn back.

Inconsistent Sequencing (Hips Too Fast or Too Slow)

Your hips should lead the downswing—but only slightly. If they stall, your arms will race past and release early. If they spin out too fast, the upper body can’t catch up, and you’ll lose power.

Proper sequencing is subtle: the hips lead just enough to pass energy up the chain without getting ahead of the rest of the swing.

Film your swing or use slow-motion drills to identify sequencing issues.

How to Train for More Swing Speed

Resistance Band and Medicine Ball Drills

To improve how your body creates force, use rotational resistance bands and medicine ball throws. These build explosive rotational power from the hips and core—exactly the same movement pattern used in a powerful downswing.

Try this:

• Anchor a resistance band around waist height. Rotate against it in your backswing, then fire forward like a downswing.
• Use a medicine ball to simulate hip rotation and pressure shift by throwing it forward or against a wall with rotational force.

These drills teach your body to use the ground, transfer energy, and rotate with speed and power.

Overspeed Training (e.g., SuperSpeed Golf)

Overspeed training is one of the fastest ways to train your brain and body to move faster.

Using lightweight swing sticks (like SuperSpeed), you swing faster than your normal driver speed, tricking your nervous system into building new speed potential. When you go back to your regular club, you’ll often retain some of that added speed.

Train 3 times per week with 3–5 reps per stick. It works—but it needs consistency.

Strength & Mobility for Swing Speed

Your glutes, core, shoulders, and legs all contribute to swing speed. Strengthening these areas improves your ability to generate and support high-speed motion.

Equally important is mobility. Tight hips, stiff shoulders, or poor thoracic spine rotation all limit how well you can load and unwind.

Focus on:

• Hip mobility drills
• Thoracic rotation stretches
• Core strength exercises like planks and rotational crunches

Speed-Specific Practice Swings

Most golfers never swing as fast in practice as they want to on the course. To improve speed, dedicate time to intentional speed swings—where your only focus is swinging fast.

Try this:

• Take 5 swings where you go 100% effort
• Focus on balance, but let it rip
• Track your fastest and try to beat it next time

You’ll teach your body what speed feels like—and improve confidence in swinging faster when it matters.

Track Your Progress with a Launch Monitor

Why Feedback Is Essential

If you’re working on increasing swing speed, you need to measure it. Without real-time feedback, it’s impossible to know if your drills and workouts are actually making a difference.

That’s where a launch monitor comes in. Tracking swing speed and ball speed lets you identify gains, monitor progress, and adjust your training with precision.

Recommended Tools

You don’t need a $20,000 Trackman to get great data. Here are a few excellent, affordable options:

• FlightScope Mevo+: One of the best consumer-grade launch monitors with accurate swing speed, ball speed, spin, and carry data. Also works indoors and outdoors.
• PRGR Portable Launch Monitor: Budget-friendly, reliable for tracking swing speed, ball speed, and estimated carry.
• Garmin R10: Offers full data tracking and even simulator capability in a small, affordable package.

Use these tools to measure:

• Clubhead speed
• Ball speed
• Smash factor (ball speed ÷ swing speed)
• Launch angle and spin (if available)

Even if you’re not hitting balls, you can still measure raw swing speed with just the club.

Create Benchmarks and Set Goals

Start by recording your average swing speed and track changes weekly. Make it a game—track your personal bests and challenge yourself to beat them.

Over time, you’ll start to notice gains from your training. Even a 2–3 mph increase in swing speed can mean 10+ yards more distance on the course.

Conclusion – Build Speed from the Ground Up

Swing speed isn’t just a product of effort—it’s the result of using the ground, your body, and your mechanics to create efficient force. Most golfers try to swing harder with their arms. But true speed comes from the interaction of vertical, horizontal, and rotational forces, working in sequence from the ground up.

By improving your kinematic sequence, training your body with purpose, and getting real feedback from a launch monitor, you’ll start seeing real, measurable gains.

You don’t have to be a bodybuilder to hit it farther. You just need to understand what creates speed—and train it intentionally. Focus on movement quality, sequencing, mobility, and speed-specific practice. The results can be game-changing.

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Thanks for reading today’s article!

Nick Foy – Golf Instructor