How am I learning to bomb this winter

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

As a golfer, I love the offseason. Sure, it means less time on the course, but it also means more time to play with my swing.

During these dark and cold months, I like to go to the simulator a few times a week and make a list of what works and what doesn’t. This is the time when I can experiment with swing tweaks and make meaningful changes. This time allows me to hit the ground running in the spring, practicing for months at the bank.

Last winter, I stuck to the basics a lot. Aim, alignment and grip were my guiding principles. It wasn’t the most exciting practice, but it created a solid foundation that I relied on throughout the season.

My training​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ should be a lot of fun this year. Going into the 2026 season, my goal is to increase my swing speed.

I’ve gone through this project before, and added little bits of speed here and there in the past. This time, though, I have a solid plan and I’m sticking to it – and the benefits are already showing. So far, my maximum swing speed is up about 7 mph since the end of last season.

Here’s how I do it.

How do I increase swing speed

1. Method of refining

Hitting the ball for a long time is not just about swinging fast. It is also important to hone your technique to swing the club correctly.

For help with that, I turned to GOLF Top 100 teacher Jonathan Yarwood at the end of last season. During our session, she noticed that I was “lifting” my arms when I was going too far back and not going deep enough. So, we shortened my arm swing and fixed my wrists first.

The result was a great swing in the plane – and produced a very light speed.

2. Faster training

Now this the fun part. Getting into the simulator and swinging in your shoes, without paying attention to where the ball is going.

High-speed training is the method long-drive experts swear by — and one I’ve found works, too. The idea is that you swing as hard as you can during a speed training session, getting your body used to the feeling of going faster. Finally, you break through the mental barriers that hold you back, too.

One thing I have found useful in these high speed training sessions is to turn off the firing trace. The only numbers I care about are club speed and ball speed. As soon as I do that, I give up the effect of the shot, or care where the ball goes. That’s when I start really pumping it up.

3. Hitting the gym

I was never a gym member until last year. But ever since I started going to the gym a few days a week, I’m addicted.

Best of all, it’s been great for my golf game. Under the guidance of PGA Tour strength coach David Sundberg, I’ve been training for golf strength for the past few months – and the benefits are evident. Not only has my club and ball speed increased, but my stamina has also increased.

If you really want to hit the ball for a long time, you have to build your motor in the gym.

4. Stick to the process

My swing speed gains were not linear – and that was a bit of a frustration. Some days, I set a personal best. The next day, I seem to be leaning in the wrong direction. As I look back at my statistics for the past few months, however, the trend line is moving in the right direction.

It can be easy to get discouraged if you have a bad speed session. Happens a lot to me! The important thing is not to let one bad day get you down. Good practices yield good results, and as long as you stick to your plan, the benefits of speed will come.

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