How I’m learning to hit bombs off the tee this winter

Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.

As a golf swing sicko, I love the off season. Sure, it means less time on the course, but it also means plenty of time to tinker with my swing.

During these dark and cold months I love going to the simulator a few times a week and taking stock of what works and what doesn’t. It’s a time where I can experiment with swing tweaks and make meaningful changes. This time I can get started in the spring, with months of practice on the couch.

Last winter I was a stickler for fundamentals. Aim, alignment and grip were my guiding principles. It wasn’t the most exciting workout, but it provided a solid foundation that I could lean on throughout the season.

My practice is a bit more fun this year. Heading into the 2026 season, my goal is to add swing speed.

I’ve done this exercise before and have added little bits of speed here and there in the past. This time, however, I have a rock-solid plan and I’m sticking to it – and the gains are already visible. So far my max swing speed has increased about 7 miles per hour since the end of last season.

Here’s how I do it.

How I add swing speed

1. Refinement technique

Hitting the ball longer isn’t just a matter of swinging faster. It is also important that you hone your technique to swing the club efficiently.

For help with this, I contacted GOLF Top 100 teacher Jonathan Yarwood at the end of last season. During our session he noticed that I was ‘lifting’ my arms way too much during the backswing and not getting deep enough. So we shortened my arm swing and set my wrists earlier.

The result was a swing that was more on the plane – and one that generated speed much more easily.

2. Training at too high a speed

Now this is the fun part. Step into the simulator and swing, without taking into account where the ball is going.

Training at excessive speed is a method that long-distance professionals swear by – and one that I have also found to be effective. The idea is that during a speed workout you swing as hard as possible so that your body gets used to the feeling of going fast. Ultimately, you also break through the mental barriers that hold you back.

One thing I have found helpful in these over-speed training sessions is turning off the shot tracer. The only numbers I care about are club speed and ball speed. Once I do that, I let go of the outcome of the shot, or worrying about where the ball is going. That’s when I really start pumping it.

3. Go to the gym

Until last year, I was never really a fan of the gym. But since I started going to the gym a few days a week, I became addicted.

Best of all, it has been great for my golf game. Under the guidance of PGA Tour strength coach David Sundberg, I’ve been strength training for golf for the past few months — and the gains have been noticeable. Not only have my club and ball speeds increased, but my endurance has also increased.

If you really want to hit the ball longer, you need to build your engine in the gym.

4. Stick to the process

My gains in swing speed were not linear – and that was a bit of a frustration. Some days I set a new personal record. The next day I apparently walk in the wrong direction. However, when I look back at my stats over the past few months, the trendline is moving in the right direction.

It can be easy to get discouraged when you have a poor speed session. It happens to me very often! The key is not to let one bad day discourage you. Good processes produce good results, and as long as you stick to your plan, the speed gains will come naturally.

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