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Welcome to Golfer-to-Golfer, where we try to learn from all the different types of passionate players out there, in hopes that the rest of us can take something that might improve our games.
Every golfer wants to hit the ball farther, especially in the recreational ranks. More distance off the tee means shorter clubs on the green, which translates to more birds. (It also gives you some bragging rights among the weekend quartet.)
Most golfers look forward to achieving that extra distance through speed training and improved fitness – which is great! However, when looking for more swing speed, they often neglect another key component of adding distance: stroke quality.
Strike quality is basically exactly what it sounds like; How well you hit the ball with your racket. Which is something that, if optimized, can add distance to your drives without having to add any mph to your clubhead speed.
See below for details on how strike quality affects your distance to the tee, courtesy of stats expert Lou Stagner.
In the Stagner Experiment, he scored more than 5,000 shots from buffs at swing velocities between 96 and 99 mph. He plotted where the ball hit his face and the total distance the ball traveled, then averaged it all out.
As you can see above, the better A spot on the face that is slightly raised in the middle of the face. Strikes in this area produced an average drive of 246 yards.
On the contrary, the worst Spot on the low heel face. Strikes in this area generated only 210 yards on average. This shorts 36 yards between the best and worst places to hit the ball on the face.
If you are prone to mistakes, staying on the toe is your best option. Toe midface only costs about three yards, but heel midface costs about 12 yards. So try to stay out of your heels (and higher than your face) if you want to get the most out of your drives.
“While speed training is important, strike training is important keysays Stagner. “The closer you move your average shot to the center of the club, the longer you can hit!”
Next time you head to the range in search of more distance, remember to keep strike quality in mind. If you can find the center front of the club more often, it will add yards to your drive rate without having to go to the gym.
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