Golfers are wary of quick ways to get speed – new drivers, swing tips, speed training, you But according to David Sundberg, a strength and conditioning coach who works with many top PGA players, such as Pander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, the best way to get speed is by taking care of your body.
“The first thing we always want to do is keep players from getting injured,” said SunberBerg. “Once they’re healthy and moving, that’s when we’ll start adding equipment – and with most players today, that means speed and distance.”
Sundberg starts every new player – Pro or amateur – in the same place: By testing movements. He looks at posture, hip and shoulder mobility, core strength, and how much a player can like, squat and rotate. Those patterns are the true foundations of speed.
If something is tight or restricted, the body will not be able to generate power properly in the Golf Swing. It also makes you take more damage.
“If the hips are out of alignment, the lower back takes a beating,” says Sunbergg. “If the upper back is out of alignment, the lower back takes the hit. And if the upper back is tight, the neck or shoulders take the hit.”
One area he prioritizes above all else: Internal Hip Rotation. Without it, golfers can not load on their planes – and without that pundel load, the speed is basically bound.
He says: “Hip internal rotation is very important. “If you can’t load your hips properly, you can’t produce maximum power.”
An easy way to unlock more speed
Before the players even get under the barbell, Sunberg holds their body moving. A typical pre-circulation or functional routine includes loosening the hips, activating the glutes, engaging the core, loosening the upper extremity and stabilizing the shoulders.
That combination, he says, helps the golfer spin better and creates the separation needed to generate clubhead speed.
“When you’re just putting something together, you want to use it so those people get the stick,” Sunberg said.
Courtesy of David Sundberg
It is only then that the power of imaging is trained. And the good news? It doesn’t need to be complicated. Sundberg trains the benefits of basic tours, full body movements – squats or lunges, stroke patterns, rows, machines, core strength or slow motion.
“You can strengthen—or train anything with anything if you can improve over time—make it harder, harder, harder,” he said.
Sunnderg likes to remind people that while the good stuff he works with Schauffele and Cantlay can tie the ball 300+ yards off the tee, it’s not power.
“They’re just people,” he says.
Taking it? The things that hold back tour players are the same things that hold down recreational golfers – tight hips, limited circulation, weak glues. And the way to fix those things is the same.
How often should you train?
If you don’t do any physical activity, Sunbergg says even one or two times a week will help. But for women who really want to see meaningful speed gains, three times a week is the sweet spot.
Best: pair that the Gym works with a short warm-up before a workout or circuit. Five minutes is enough to get the body moving the way it was intended.
Ultimately, Sunberg says the formula for great speed is straightforward: better movement leads to better loading, better loading leads to more power, and more power leads to greater team speed.
“Whether you’re a Tour player or a recreational golfer, the principles are the same,” he said. “Go well, be strong, and speed will come.”
