How to Add 20+ Yards Without Swinging Harder: The Smart Golfer’s Guide to Effortless Power

The surprising truth?
Adding 20+ yards is not about effort.
It’s about efficiency.

Professional golfers aren’t stronger than most amateurs. They’re simply better at using the ground, rotating in sequence, creating wrist angles, and delivering the club in a powerful position. When you understand those fundamentals, adding distance feels almost effortless.

This guide breaks down how to generate more clubhead speed without extra tension, how to build power through technique rather than strength, and how golfers at every level can experience a measurable distance jump. In the middle, you’ll find learning resources from EJS Golf and swing breakdowns from Coach Erik Schjolberg – The Science of Better Golf, a leading instructional channel for golfers who want biomechanically sound distance.

Let’s begin with the foundation of power.

Where Real Power Comes From

Stronger muscles don’t create long drives; better mechanics do.

Every powerful golf swing relies on four key elements:

Master these, and you don’t need to swing harder, just smarter.

1. Using the Ground for Free Speed

Power in golf starts where you might not expect: the ground.
Professional golfers use the ground as a springboard. Amateurs often barely use it at all.

How the ground creates power:

• You push down and into the ground
• The ground pushes back (a force called GRF)
• That force travels up through your legs and core
• The energy transfers into the club

This is why pros look like they’re gliding, not muscling shots.

How to feel proper ground force:

• At the top of your backswing, feel your trail foot load pressure
• Begin the downswing by pressing into your lead foot
• Feel the body rise slightly through impact

This is the same movement pattern used to jump, but controlled and rotational.

2. Sequencing: The Engine of Effortless Power

The downswing has a specific order:

1. Lower body starts
2. Torso follows
3. Arms drop
4. Club releases last

This kinetic chain multiplies speed without added effort.
When amateurs swing harder, they usually fire the upper body first, destroying the chain and killing power.

A simple way to feel correct sequence:

• At the top, pause for a half second
• Start the downswing by shifting pressure to the lead foot
• Let the arms drop naturally
• Rotate from the ground up

Your body creates speed.
Your arms simply deliver it.

3. Wrist Angles: The Hidden Power Move

Elite players create and maintain lag - the angle between the lead arm and the club.
This angle stores energy and releases it at the exact right time.

When amateurs “throw” the club early, the angle disappears, and so does the power.

How to improve wrist angles:

• Keep the lead wrist slightly bowed (flexed) at the top
• Maintain the angle as your body rotates
• Allow the club to release naturally through impact

This creates a whip-like effect that boosts clubhead speed instantly.

4. Impact Alignment: Compressing the Ball

You cannot hit the ball far if you’re flipping the club or striking with a vertical shaft.

Power requires:

• Forward shaft lean
• Hands ahead of the clubhead
• A descending strike with irons
• A level or slightly upward strike with the driver

When these alignments sync, the energy transfers efficiently into the golf ball.

How EJS Golf Helps Golfers Create Real Speed

Most golfers don’t lack athletic ability; they lack feedback.
They don’t know whether their issue is:

• Weak ground force
• Improper rotation
• Early wrist release
• Misaligned setup
• Poor pressure shift

Through a clear, modern, and measurable coaching system, EJS Golf helps players identify the exact bottleneck in their power production. Small changes in mechanics often lead to significant gains in yardage.

Golfers who prefer visual learning can benefit from Coach Erik Schjolberg – The Science of Better Golf on YouTube. His slow-motion swing breakdowns and biomechanical explanations show exactly how to use the ground, sequence the body, and create efficient, repeatable power.

The 5-Step System for Creating Effortless Distance

This is the same sequence elite coaches teach when helping golfers add 20+ yards.

Step 1: Widen Your Stance Slightly

This creates stability and room for bigger rotation.

Step 2: Load Into the Trail Side

Feel pressure move into the inside of your trail heel.

Step 3: Start the Downswing With Your Lead Foot

Shift pressure to the lead side before the arms move.

Step 4: Maintain Wrist Angles Through Half-Downswing

Let the body turn while the club stays back.

Step 5: Extend and Rotate Through Impact

Allow your chest to face the target as the club releases.

Simple, repeatable, and powerful.

Two Drills That Add Speed Within One Practice Session

1. The Step-Through Drill

Step into the swing as you hit.
This trains pressure shift, timing, and rhythm, the ingredients of real speed.

2. The Pump-and-Go Drill

Make a backswing.
Pump the club halfway down twice.
Then swing.
This preserves wrist angles and sequencing.

Final Thoughts

Adding distance doesn’t require strength, tension, or aggression.
It requires using the ground correctly, sequencing the body efficiently, maintaining your wrist angles, and delivering the club with clean impact alignments.

When you combine those fundamentals with clear, modern instruction, including Erik Schjolberg’s YouTube lessons, you unlock effortless power and learn to hit the ball farther with less effort than ever before.