clubhead

Hinging your wrists correctly, you will feel your clubhead light on the backswing.

And in the third round at Palm Harbor, the 42-year-old produced a clubhead speed of 129.2mph - the fastest on the PGA Tour this season - even though he has had four operations on his back.

And in the third round at Florida's Palm Harbor, Woods produced a clubhead speed of 129.2 mph - the fastest on the PGA Tour this season - despite undergoing four back surgeries.

He feigned a smile when talking about the implosion on the 16th fairway, saying the clubhead had come loose earlier in the week.

"The clubhead came loose on it earlier in the week so I had to get it re-glued so it is partly to do with that and partly the throw itself," said the four-time major winner.

"I think you want to use leverage and kind of quiet your body down so the arc and clubhead can swing and accelerate.

One key that establishes a smooth speed and good rhythm is to feel you are dragging the clubhead away from the ball lazily as it brushes the top of the grass.

Provided that a player can make a solid impact with the club in a good position, swings through on a good line and approaches the ball on the correct angle, there is no reason not to try and improve one's clubhead speed for shots that fly high and long.

To provide stability for the clubhead through impact his clubs are fitted with X-stiff shafts.

The 56-year-old Langer, a two-time winner this year, began the day with the lead but also concerns about his driver after a broken screw in the clubhead was repaired.

Medium-stiff and stiff shafts generally work well, but shafts that cross the fine line into 'too stiff' don't let you feel the clubhead during the swing.