The Key to Hitting the Golf Ball Further

In this article we will discuss how to hit the golf ball farther. And it starts with understanding swing speed. Here’s a quick video I made to share my tips on swing speed in golf.

Check out more videos on Nick Foy Golf YouTube Channel

If you’re like me, you’ll probably get the idea to head to the driving range and see how far you can smash some golf balls. In my case, I’m only 5 feet 8 inches tall and weigh about 165lbs, so hitting the ball far has never been a strength of mine due to being smaller in physical size.

Your height is something you cannot control, unfortunately. We can’t all be Dustin Johnson, who has a massive size advantage to help him hit the ball much farther.

But smaller golfers have hope. Look at Rory McIlroy who is 5’9″ and hits the ball 330+ yards, making him one of the longer hitters on the PGA Tour.

So while physical size(women vs men vs teenagers) can add some limitations to how far you hit the ball, let’s look at what things you can control to increase distance and hit the golf ball farther.

Add muscle to your body frame
Make better contact (ball striking center of face)
Improve swing technique to improve club speed
Play the right equipment

We will break each of these 4 areas down further below in their respective sections. Let’s get started.

1. Hit the Ball Farther By Adding Muscle

If we all had the frame of Dustin Johnson, I’m sure our golf balls would be flying further down the fairways.

Golfer’s who hit the bar far often have a head start in physical appearance whether it’s a result of being tall or they are heavier individuals, or they have lots of muscle mass on their frame.

Since you can’t control your height that God gifted you with, you can still control your muscle mass and body weight.

Try joining a golf specific strength building program. There are many physical trainers out there who work with golfers or you could go the DIY route and purchase a program online to download.

We put together a mini golf fitness program that comes as a bonus to our Golf Academy Membership which you can join and get access to all kinds of practice programs in addition to the fitness program. It’s a one time fee.

Or you can browse the internet and pick up a free golf workout plan.

Click here to learn about our All Access Golf Resource Library

2. Improve Your Ball Speed to Hit Further Golf Shots

The next important tip that you can control and improve upon is your ball speed.

One way to see if you’re hitting with optimal ball speed each swing is to look at the smash factor statistic on a launch monitor. There is a formal definition for “smash factor” but the way I explain it is the combination of hitting the ball in the sweet spot of the club face and with great swing speed.

Smash Factor: If your ball speed is 1.5 times your swing speed, then you hit with good ball striking. As the number decreases, say 1.4 or 1.3, then this shows your ball striking can be improved.

The faster your ball speed is, the longer your shots will go on the golf course. Ball speed is king. To get fast ball speed, you must efficiently transfer energy from the clubhead to the golf ball.

In other words, hit the center of the face!

Work to increase your control in your golf swing and make solid ball striking. If you take two golfers with the exact same swing speed, the golfer who hits the ball closer to the club’s sweet spot is going to hit the golf ball further.

There are a few ways to improve your ball striking.

Learn more about the golf swing on my YouTube channel – Nick Foy Golf

Use Impact Tape or Foot Spray the Club Face

The first method is buying some face tape that goes on the golf club’s face plate. This allows you to monitor for ball marks on the club face so you can see where you’re making contact with the golf ball at impact.

You can also spray the face with a foot odor spray like Dr. Scholls. This coats the face with a white frost and any ball contact spots will show up clearly as darker circles on the club face after hitting each golf shot. You’ll reapply the spray every so many hits as it wears off.

Then make adjustments to your golf swing until you are striking it pure like the PGA Tour Pro’s.

Hire a Swing Instructor

Your second option is seeking out a professional golf swing instructor who can help you square up the club face at impact. Most golf swing coaches will record you on video and slow it down so you can clearly see where you can make fixes to square up the face at impact.

Once you are hitting the ball pure and can consistently square up the face for better ball striking, you should immediately see a difference in how far you hit the golf ball.

3. Improve Swing Speed

Your next step is increasing your swing speed while still maintaining control and good ball striking.

It’s easier said than done and will take many hours of fine tuning as well as thousands of range balls. But the end result is hitting the golf ball far off the tee and this can make the game much easier for you.

You’ll face closer approach shots, which often times will be a short iron or a wedge and give you more control compared to hitting 7 iron and 6 iron approach shots. This will then lead to more greens in regulation and more birdie opportunities.

To improve swing speed, you must improve your golf swing sequence which includes the takeaway, backswing, downswing, impact, and follow through.

There are plenty of videos on the golf swing sequence and drills in my Foy Golf Academy video library which comes as part of any practice plan membership. Learn more here about the All Access Membership.

4. Play the Right Equipment

Once your swing improves and you’re making better contact on the face of the club, the next way to gain distance is by playing the right equipment that fits your game best.

Starting with the driver, you’ll want a driver head and shaft that matches your swing needs.

If you’re not launching tee shots very high, then pick out a driver head that has higher loft so you can launch drives higher and get more carry distance. Play with taller tees so you can tee the ball higher to increase launch and carry distance too.

Make sure you pick golf shafts that match your swing speed. If you have a fast swing speed, upgrade to stiff or extra stiff shafts to unlock more distance with your golf clubs.

Golf balls are also important on the equipment side for gaining distance. Pick out a golf ball that has ideal spin rates as well as compression ratings to allow you to hit with max distance on tee shots, but also giving you control around the greens.

Some of the best golf balls on the market include:

TaylorMade TP5 and TP5x
Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x
Callaway Chrome Soft and Chrome Soft X
Titleist Tour Soft

For wedges, make sure you pick out the right degree of bounce so you aren’t digging, chunking, or thinning chip shots.

For putter, pick a putter that gives you the best feel and control on the green. Evenly weighted putters tend to be easier for beginners to play with than toe weighted putters.

Final Words on Adding Distance in Golf

Overall, this is the true reality if you want to hit the golf ball far.

You must work on improving your ball striking and swing speed in combo with each other to create a high smash factor.

If you can add weight and muscle to your frame, that should also give you more power but only if you learn how to use your body weight properly to add power to your swings. Just swinging harder won’t necessarily work and can lead to inconsistent golf shots.

Thanks for reading today’s truth to hitting the golf ball farther. If you want to improve your golf scores quickly, start by working on short game.

We created a step by step program that takes just 2 hours per practice session. It challenges you to pass each level of the program before you’re allowed to move on to the next level. Check it out here to learn more.

Golf Score Improvement Resources

If you want to take your golf game to the next level, see your scores drop, your drives get longer off the tee, less 3 putting, more up & downs, then you need to check out these resources below.

And don’t forget to download my 10 best short game drills, you’re also giving us permission to add you to our email newsletter and send you weekly golf tips to your inbox you can use to improve your golf game.