Speed, quickness, and agility decline with age, but are very important for the golf swing. The golf swing starts in a static position, then you have to move dynamically, with speeds of up to 100 mph, while changing direction quickly and torquing muscles and joints in different directions. To prevent injury, to maintain your clubhead speed and to keep your swing smooth, you should be doing some kind of speed and agility training no matter what your age.

According the National Strength & Conditioning Association, all people benefit from an appropriate strength training program by increasing their functional strength, increasing muscle mass, decreasing reaction time, and by decreasing the incidence of osteoporosis later in life, especially in women. It has been found that exercise training programs can help reduce the incidence of falls and debilitating injuries in people later in life.

Speed, quickness, and agility training has become an integral part of the athlete’s weapon for gaining explosive power in his or her respective sport, according to the National Strength & Conditioning Association.

In the golf swing, you need explosive power at impact, so speed is important for golfers. You need a certain amount of high velocity speed in the swing to get the ball airborne, especially with longer clubs. If you are losing distance, then you need to increase your clubhead speed. The only way to do that is to train your muscles to fire faster.

Watch Karen Palacios-Jansen demonstrate speed training for golf.