How This Youtuber Increased His Clubhead Speed By 14 MPH
In today’s Golfer-to-Golfer, we look at how Youtuber Chris Ryan added significant speed to his swing.
ChrisRyanGolf / Youtube
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There’s a lot of talk about power in golf these days. Some of the best players in the world are also the longest, and over the last decade others have taken notice. There are very few elite players who aren’t looking for speed.
This need for speed isn’t limited to the Pro ranks either. Recreational players and top amateurs alike are also on the hunt for more power. The math is simple – hit further, put shorter clubs into the green and consequently have more birdie looks.
If you can keep hitting it, the game will be easier. Suddenly, the 6-iron into the green becomes a 9-iron. With a shorter club into the green, you have a better chance of putting a circle on the map – and who doesn’t want to make more birdies?
One of those players looking to add more speed is Youtuber Chris Ryan. The PGA pro’s page has over 350,000 subscribers, and last year he visited coach Steve Furlonger for help on using the ground to speed up his swing.
Furlonger is not just any golf coach. The UK-based instructor specializes in ground reaction forces, which are a key component in increasing speed. To measure these forces, Furlonger uses force plates to measure how a player uses their feet and lower body during the swing.
“It measures the linear forces that the feet generate,” says Furlonger. “These powers that we get help us move our system.”
During the baseline test, Ryan’s club head speeds fluctuated in the low 120’s, producing ball speeds in the high 170’s. And when he really tried to pump one, he could hit the top 120s and bottom 180s in ball speed.
As Furlonger notes, Ryan expends 14% more force trying to reach top speed than when swinging normally.
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“You have to push your pelvis up,” says Furlonger. “As you push the pelvis up, the pull on the handle increases. When I pull the handle, I release those angles much better and the racquet starts accelerating.”
To get in a better position to generate that extra power, Furlonger Ryan suggests mimicking a move that World Long Drive competitors use to initiate their swings. When they start takeaway, they load onto the wayside and then lift off the ground. From here, they can crouch in their trunks to start the downswing, then explode off the ground to generate the speed they need.
After a few drills to practice this movement and a few swings to get the feel, Ryan’s clubhead speeds jump into the low 130’s. With a little more tweaking, Ryan hits a new record high of 138.3 mph.
“That’s a big leap up, isn’t it?” says Ryan. “There is potential”
If you can learn to use the ground like Ryan did, you can add quite a bit of speed as well.
https://golf.com/instruction/chris-ryan-serious-speed-golfer-to-golfer/ How This Youtuber Increased His Clubhead Speed By 14 MPH