Breaking down the distance myth

The distance myth

How many times have you heard that the secret to pulling off the best drive possible is to hit the ball as hard as possible with as much force as you can?

We all have a golfing buddy that prides themselves on hitting the ball really far, but the funny thing about golf, whether you’re just starting out or all the way even up to professional level, is that we’re all different and our golf swings are completely unique.

We all like to hear a satisfying smack when we hit the ball on the driving range, but how much of that is down to speed? Considering that all our swings are unique, it’s mostly all down to us and our ability.

Think back to when you very first held a golf club, it was a miracle if you managed to hit the ball 50 yards in the air! You’ve played a lot of golf since then and your performance has increased over time. Now the idea of being challenged to hit a drive just 50 yards is laughable.

However, another big factor that will determine the results of your shots is the quality of your gear, and the latest Paradym drivers from Callaway are packed with tech to help you succeed. Please read on as we break down the myth that hitting the ball harder will always give you more distance.

Hitting the ball cleanly

While your natural strength is a big part of getting the ball off the ground and into the air, it’s important that you make a clean impact to give the ball the impressive flight you’re after. Modern driver faces are designed to transfer as much energy from the club into the ball as possible to keep the momentum going to gain maximum distance.

Naturally, the closer your strike is to the centre of the clubface, the better your shot will be. However, a huge benefit to these modern driver faces is that they’re incredibly forgiving across the entire face. This means if you mishit a shot and don’t hit it perfectly out of the centre of the face, you’ll still hit it closer to your intended target than you would with previous models.

This is where Callaway's Paradym driver leads the way. It has been created using Callaway’s own Artificial Intelligence (A.I) to optimise the face design, which generates more ball speed across the entire face. So, when you do hit that slight mis-hit - often because we're trying to swing too hard - the Paradym face will help massively.

So, whether you approach the ball with a fast or a slow swing, the biggest thing to consider and strive to improve upon is the quality of your contact. While there will always persist to be a myth that hitting it fast = hitting it far, you need to hit the ball cleanly to get the best result.

Different Paradym models

You may not even be aware, but brands including Callaway make specific driver models to accommodate different players, and you’ll definitely fit into needing one of these models in regards to swing speed.

The three driver models in the Paradym range are the standard Paradym, the Paradym X, and the Paradym Triple Diamond.

If you have a slower swing speed, you’ll find the Paradym X the driver the most suitable to you. The X model offers lots of forgiveness, and the light carbon crown and sole make it easy to swing at every stage of your shot.

If you’re a more adept player and find you pull off consistent shots with a fast-paced swing, the Triple Diamond is the club for you. It has two sole weights so you can alter your performance to your liking, but is also the lowest spinning option in the range.

If you have a more intermediate swing level, the standard Paradym is an excellent choice. This club has a high resistance to twisting on impact so you get a reliable performance each time. This driver also has an adjustable perimeter weight on the back of the club. You can slide the mechanism to the left or the right to give you a good amount of draw or fade bias depending on the kind of shot you want to take.

We're here to help

When you get custom fit for a driver, we’ll walk you through how important it is that you’re playing with the right gear for your game.

It’s also important to keep in mind that there are a variety of shaft options available to you when deciding on a new club. Shafts have different levels of flexibility so you’ll need to consider the flex that’s most appropriate for you. Essentially, the faster you swing the club, the stiffer your shaft should be.

So, to answer the question, swing speed may have a bearing on how much distance you get, but hitting it far is determined more by how clean your strike is. It’s definitely a good idea to consider how fast your swing speed is the next time you head out to practice. We’re always on-hand to offer you a custom-fitting so you can better get to know your gear and your game.