How Swing Speed Affects Compression

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Club head speed is the #1 determinant of player handicaps. Find out how speed affects compression for solid and powerful shots. In this video, I cover where club head speed comes from and the 4 main keys to improve it.

  1. Torso Rotation: Getting Seperation Between Hips and Shoulders
  2. Arm Elevation: Higher Hands for More Speed
  3. Arm Leverage: Keeping Arm Bend Till Late in the Downswing
  4. Wrist Angle: Lag and Release of the Wrists for Speed


As I mentioned in the intro video, you're not going to compress the ball without speed.

Everybody wants more clubhead speed, But it's all about putting that speed into play and getting it to directly transfer energy to the ball.

That's the key, and that's what this Compression series is about.

But first, we've got to get that speed.

Where does speed come from?

Now I've covered this in depth on my video on the three primary sources of clubhead speed.

If you search for how to not lose clubhead speed as you get older on the site, you'll see that video.

So I'm not going to go in depth on that stuff because it's already been covered in depth.

But what I want to do is give you a practical, Simple drill that's going to allow you to put speed into your swing without having to stress your body out.

Because that's the worst thing you can do is go out and try to swing harder and just end up injuring yourself and sitting on the sidelines for the next two months.

You've got to learn how to produce speed correctly.

And And so, if you recall from the video on how to not lose Clubhead Speed as you get older, and three sources of Clubhead speed, one of the things we talk about is how much speed your hips produce.

We've got to get power from our hips.

And so many amateur golfers just try to do everything from the top with their right hand.

And while it feels powerful, it's actually doing the opposite.

It's costing you clubhead speed.

It's changing your path, which I'm going to talk about in an upcoming video.

And it's changing your angle of attack and the clubface angle so that you cannot compress the golf ball.

You're just getting this weak slapping strike.

So this is really, Really important that you understand that the first thing we've got to do is get this separation going back.

And use our weight shift and our hip rotation to bring the arms down into the ball.

That is key.

If you do not shift your weight and rotate your hips, you'll have nothing left to swing with but your arms.

So if you haven't trained yourself to work your body and use your legs and your hips authoritatively to produce speed, you're going to look like this with your legs and just do this.

And this is a very weak way to hit a golf ball.

You'll never compress it because the dynamics will not allow you to produce enough clubhead speed on a proper path with a proper clubface angle.

It's a triple whammy.

So it's really important that you start working on shifting and pivoting on this left hip and getting posted up here so that we can get to the release.

And that's what I want to give you a drill for.

Here is two different ways to start training yourself how to get speed at the right time.

The first drill I want you to do using an impact cube is I want you to take your left hand only and your left three fingers, last three fingers only on the club.

So take your thumb and forefinger off and then I want you to go to the top, come down and release.

And I want you to check the position of your hand at impact.

What you should notice is as you rotate to the top, A, we should have separation.

My hips are turning about 45 degrees.

My shoulders are about 90.

Left arm is nice and straight.

You're going to find it's a little bit difficult to hold the club at the top because you're not having your thumb and forefinger on there.

That's normal.

But the thing that I want you to feel, and I want you to video yourself doing this drill is as you come down without your thumb and forefinger.

The club should, like, look like you have a ton of lag.

This is one of my best drills that I use with students all the time is if I take that off.

All of a sudden they come down, they look like Sergio Garcia, and what they then do if they post up properly?

On this left leg, pushing that left ankle on the ground, it snaps the left wrist down.

As the body moves up, the club is forced to move down.

What I want you to do is start learning how to do this with some speed and check a couple critical things.

One as you check on video I want you to make sure that that club down cocks on the way down.

If you're just holding on to it with the last three fingers, it shouldn't be a problem.

It's going to do this automatically.

You're not trying to throw the club out, you're trying to just shift your weight and start to post up to get that release.

So that's the first thing I want you to check is is the club down cocking on the way down.

Now, the second thing I want you to check is that at impact, your shoulders are square and your hand stops moving.

Now, what I mean by that is for most golfers, if they start doing this drill, they start trying to pull the left arm really hard, trying to create power with their shoulders.

It's not what we're trying to do here.

If you do that you're going to look like this.

This is not the proper impact position.

Notice that the club face is still open.

My chest is wide open.

That's another way to get the club face working across the ball, to get that weak, slappy strike across the ball.

And we want a nice, solid thwack at it and to do that, our shoulders have got to stay closed.

Now notice that my chest is facing you and my hand didn't keep getting pulled way out here.

I released that wrist angle that I created by taking my thumb and forefinger off the shaft and then snapped my wrist as I posted up.

That alone produces a ton of club head speed.

Now the difficult thing is because you're just using leverage, you're putting physics to work for you.

It doesn't feel really powerful, especially because it's your non-dominant hand.

That's okay.

The golf swing is supposed to feel effortless.

How is it going to feel effortless unless you stop putting so much effort into it?

So this is going to feel like way less work to you.

That's a good thing.

If it feels like you're working really hard and you're breaking a sweat, hitting this impact bag, you're doing something wrong.

So that's the first drill I want you to use to start putting some speed into your swing.

The second one is using the right hand and doing the same thing.

But now it's going to be a little bit different.

Because now you have the potential to straighten your right arm up and your right wrist and start losing all this lag.

So your goal coming down is to start feeling as your right elbow starts getting back in front of your body.

The club shaft is still parallel to the ground.

And from there, you do the same thing and release that wrist angle, but notice that my chest is still square, pointing and looking at you.

So as I put this in same thing separation from my upper and lower half shift post up release.

Now, same thing I don't want to see is this stuff there's no, you have no business looking down the fairway.

That's going to cost you speed and put a ton more strain on your body, but it's also going to cost you compression.

Because as you keep rotating through, imagine if you were trying to smack somebody with your hand.

If you keep doing this, you're just going to slap across it.

I want you to hit into it.

That's what you're trying to feel here is that you're hitting into the bag to release it properly.

So you put these two drills together and these are going to be two great, simple drills that you can do indoors and out.

To start putting more club head speed into your swing.

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Asle
To be sure.. does "downcocking" mean #more# W-cocking on the way down?
July 24, 2023
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Asle. Correct. Increasing the lag angle between the forearm and wrists.
July 25, 2023
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John
Hi Craig, the swing review analysis you did for me was brilliant! I have struggled with my driver for a long time and your demonstration, and this video got me unblocked! I went to the range over the weekend and for the 1st time in my life was able to feel an effortless swing with the driver letting the club release. It was shocking how straight the ball went and I even gained some distance. My effort level felt like it went from 190% to 10%. Not every shot was perfect, but 7/10 were massive improvements. I can't thank you enough...it was the 1st time I can remember that I had a smile on face hitting driver and didn't want to stop. My question is this: how can I practice this with driver if I don't have an impact bag? Do I need to get an impact bag (or will that only work with irons)? Thanks! John
July 18, 2022
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello John. Awesome! Life is much better when the big stick is behaving. Really can only do this with an iron. It will break a driver more than likely. Just gonna have to practice some air swings, but feeling the same decel so the club accelerates and squares up.
July 18, 2022
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Kevin
DTL before impact - getting the left hip out of the way and my backswing work has the tush line in good shape
March 22, 2021
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Swing starting to get really good man. Huge strides in last couple weeks.
March 22, 2021
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Kevin
Thanks Craig - I’ve been working hard and checking everything on video. Just need to clean up this release
March 22, 2021
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Kevin
Hi Craig - played a little this weekend and hit it pretty solid besides a few snaps left with the driver. I’m trying to tone down the right hand - would this drill help with feeling more bend in the right wrist at impact? Eventually we must release the right arm but as you know I’m doing it too early
March 22, 2021
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Kevin. Yes. It would help. Make sure though you focus on wrists positioning. The club will take care of itself.
March 22, 2021
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James
Have looked at this video 10 Secret Pro Moves - #3 Swing Easy, Hit Hard three times now and it makes so much sense. Being confined to my home now for nearly two months and really bad weather, plus my health was not so good has been really frustrating Craig. Our Christmas Day family meeting was confined to my daughter and grandson sitting outside my double glass study doors in the open cold air, with my wife and I sitting inside. We opened a bottle of champagne to toast Christmas for an hour; later on a zoom meeting with my son in Switzerland was our family Christmas Day. It was the first time in our lives we spent our Christmas Day alone, without family joining us. Well I am feeling a lot better now and taking in Chuck's teaching of letting my hands drop down low prior to releasing them through impact is really great. I can feel the club, a wedge, really pulling me through impact without any great effort. The wrists seem to do all the work as I come into the impact position. Sorry to be so long winded Craig but it has been so hard not to be able to get out and do things and felt I needed to release some pressure in my mind. We should be getting our first Covid jab within the next 2/3 weeks. All the best seasonal greetings and hope to get a review upped to you sometime in the next month. All the best James
December 27, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello James. Seasons greetings as well. Very tough during the holiday season not to spend the proper time with loved ones. No worries for being long winded. I think the 2020 drain has hit everyone. Great to hear that you can really feel the club's momentum pulling you. Something must be right!
December 28, 2020
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James
Ironically I have been working on feeling the right elbow coming down close to my right him and that feeling was not far off what Chuck was saying in that #3 Swing Easy video, as that feeling was getting my hands getting lower prior to releasing but that video of Chuck's was brilliant as it re-enforced my thoughts on this.
December 28, 2020
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John
HI Craig, thanks for your review today, I agree with you and my last review shall be of dead drill step 6 when I get there. My chest opening too fast is a bigger issue than I imagined, when I'm trying to keep chest shut my arm doesn't fall naturally to the trail leg by post up, it is just below shoulder, then my release is like a dragging handle flip. I can't figure out how to let gravity do all the work.
October 24, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello John. Practice my friend. Take a look at Proper Muscle Activation and work on a little of above. The more we get those shoulders off. The better snap you will have. Also, Play the Best Golf of Your Life in 6 Weeks 2,3,4 of 6 good at helping with tension.
October 24, 2019
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Giap
Should I shift my weight and post up before my hands are at impact?
March 3, 2019
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Dean
Yes, even in the video he talks about posting up and it snaps the lead arm into the bag.
March 3, 2019
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Larry
What if you never hit divots?
October 25, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Larry. You should graze the top of the grass, or take a tiny divot. If you are continually picking the ball your attack may be too shallow or positive.
October 25, 2017
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kris
Hey guys... When I snap release the club in a posted up position and feel like my hips have stopped turning and I've pulled from the left I normally hit what I call a straight hook (Ball starts on target and draws about 10 - 15 yds) and if my shoulders get a little open a pull hook... if I try to hit any type of push draw I end up with a massive snap hook or if I hold it off a block right. This is driver all the way to my LW. I can play it all day because its that consistent, but is still a guessing game of how much curvature I'm going to get. The only straight ball I hit is a 1/2 - 3/4 knock down with the ball slightly back and my weight fwd... any advice on video drills?
October 15, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Kris. Sounds like you need a little impact work and understanding you don't speed the hands up and flip the club. Take a look at the 5 Minutes to the Perfect Release and Flip vs Release.
October 15, 2017
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Rich
Opening my shoulders is a fault I have had for years. since joining Rotary Golf in the spring the drills have really helped. But during the summer, I have only had time for occasional drill practice with more playing. But when I go off track a couple hundred repeats of the right drill seems to really get me back on track pretty quickly. I have been much better at staying closed at impact, although I do have to admit, after over 40 years of bad practice one will still sneak in every once in a while. 3000 current reps sometimes gets overwhelmed by old synapses. But it is no where near as frequent or as bad as what it used to be. I have dropped from a 22.5 Hcp to a 14.5 and am trending even lower. Most of that I believe is from following your series and drills. This drill seems like it will get me better yet. I will work this series and the winter series, over the next few months waiting for spring again. In fact I'll probably re-start the whole 5 Step process over during the winter months. But first I'll have to order an impact bag. Thanks again.
October 2, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Rick. Appreciate the post. I agree. Hit the work hard over the off season. Sounds like you are already on the right track.
October 2, 2017
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David
I am an anomaly in the golf swing world in that I am a right handed person playing left handed. So, I hold the top of the golf club in my right hand. From what I have learned from this site I guess I should feel very lucky but I have struggled my whole life with an outside to in swing path, I have learned so much from the videos on this site but I still really struggle keeping my trail shoulder from pushing through at impact. Should I concentrate more on the drills for my left/bottom hand? Or what would you suggest?
October 1, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello David. If you struggle with pushing your trail shoulder (for you left). I would combine lead arm work and trail work. Use a combination of the Frisbee and Sledgehammer Video.
October 2, 2017
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Mary
Thumb and forefinger use only your last 3 fingers, not sure if it's on this video. My thumb takes over in the downswing, so this may sound like a stupid question but what do you do with this finger & thumb? I have small hands and struggle with getting my left thumb in the life line of my right hand!
September 30, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Mary. The thumb will provide some support and feedback in a normal golf swing. But, to start turning off over use of those you should practice with them off. Therefore, when adding back you may feel how much they over dominant the real swing. Your goal should be when adding them back is to keep relaxed and not overly tense/pushy.
September 30, 2017
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Steve
Best explanation of why I come across the ball - my shoulders are pulling around trying to get speed! Is there any other drills I can do to help keep my shoulders out of it and make them square at impact?
September 29, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Steve. We have a ton of videos that focus on that topic. It would be hard to list them all. However, if you focus on the RST 5 Step System fixing the way your body shifts and rotates. You will be able to remove the across strike. Also, I would suggest a swing review to make sure you know exactly what your primary focus should be while trying to rid this motion (spinning shoulders).
September 29, 2017
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Todd
Would the closed shoulders be primarily for a draw shot or would this also be used in hitting cut shots?
September 28, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Todd. Primarily for a draw. Take a look at the 9 Days to Amazing Ball Striking Series for more information on working the ball both ways.
September 28, 2017
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WIL
How do I view the rest of the Laws of Compression?
September 27, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Will. The rest of the videos will be released shortly.
September 27, 2017
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James
When drilling with the left arm should I let the club go free in between my thumb and forefinger? If so should I do the same in my regular swing? Feels like no control of the club face.
September 27, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello James. You will need the thumb on the real swing for support and control of the club. While drilling you may remove them to train the motion and help with increase of lag angle.
September 27, 2017
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bradford
on the compression topic do you have more for drills.
September 27, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Bradford. This is the beginning of the series. More to come. Day 2: Hitting Low Shots will help with some compression if you tend to scoop.
September 27, 2017
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David
Looking forward to this series Why when I post up and try to use my bigger muscles to hit the ball, do I hit it thin If I try and push off with my left foot, I hit it thin
September 27, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello David. There are a few issues that could be causing thin. Sounds like you maybe too aggressive with it and coming slightly out of the shot. Make sure to keep the spine angle down (You Hit the Golf Ball With Your Legs) and you allow for proper release making sure the chest is square at impact.
September 27, 2017
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William
Hi, are there any videos that are focused on including providing drills on keeping the shoulders closed at impact vs spinning them open? Also, in the video practice points section here Craig lists "arm elevation: higher hands for higher speed." However, he doesn't really talk about this in the video. I wish he would have as amongst several questions I wonder how high is too high as it relates to speed? I have watched all the videos relating to arm elevation, but these didn't relate to speed. They seemed to be more focused on plane. Can you give a little insight into the relationship between the higher the hands, the greater the club head speed? Thx for your help.
September 27, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello William. How to Get Perfect Shaft Lean at Impact, Fix Your Release, Perfecting Your Golf Impact Series and the latter parts of the Play the Best Golf of Your Life in 6 Weeks Series all combine drills to help slow the chest at impact. Elevation is variable. More height equals more speed. However, there is a law of diminishing returns when you start leaving the box and are unable to reconnect in the downswing. Ideally, the arms will elevate to the base of the pectorals. Understanding Arm Elevation and the Winter Golf Training Program - Backswing will give you good guidance/position. As well as How to Maintain Club Head Speed as Your Get Older for further information on leverage. When the hands are higher you are in a much more leveraged position. Leverage, width and rotation are your main power sources. Higher Hands - More Potential Leverage - More Speed. But, you can get too carried away.
September 27, 2017
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Loran
Does this video imply the right elbow to drag all the way to mid right thigh? Or the action should be a natural inclination of rotating the hands until the finish?
August 10, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Loan. The trail elbow will have to maintain the bend till late in the downswing. Some players might have to feel that manually.
August 11, 2015
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Jonathan
Is there a chart that shows the best ball compression vs. swing speed? Say you have a swing speed of 85 mph, would a ball with lower or higher compression carry further, or at a higher trajectory?
June 8, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jonathan. I don't have a good chart. It's all relative to what you are looking for out of the golf ball. More distance or feel. Typically, for your speed you will want to stick with a lower compression ball.
June 8, 2015
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Loran
The right wrist maintains its lag angle until impact or ball compression? When do I flip both wrists to do the follow through?
May 16, 2015
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Caleb
Correct me if I am wrong, but it's not a "flip"; it's gradual rolling of the right wrist over the left, never a "flip".
September 27, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Loan. The trail arm and wrist will not reach full extension till after impact because of need to apply force. The crossover will happen after impact up.
May 18, 2015
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Brian
I can’t find the video Clay mentions ”The Right Arm In The Down Swing” drill.
May 7, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Brian. You can take a look at the Sledge Hammer Drill in the Downswing Advanced Section and the Throw the Ball Drill in the Downswing Section to understand more about the trail arm release.
May 8, 2015
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Brian
Why do the videos keep starting and stopping? They keep breaking up.
May 7, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Brian. We have been migrating over to a new server. All glitches should be fixed now. I apologize for the inconvenience.
May 8, 2015

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