Do Golf Speed Training Sticks (Dry Air Swings) Cause Injury?

Debunking the Myth: Why Dry Swings Won’t Injure You

In the golf world, there's a common misconception that taking dry swings—swinging your driver or training aid without making contact with a ball—can lead to injury. This idea has caused unnecessary hesitation among golfers who want to gain swing speed and refine their swings without constantly hitting balls. However, the truth is that dry swings, when done correctly, do not increase your risk of injury. In fact, in some cases, they may be safer than hitting actual shots.

If you've heard stories of golfers injuring themselves during dry swings with various speed training products, it's important to understand that these injuries are often the result of the overweight and rigid nature of these training aids — not the act of swinging at air. Let’s break this down.

1. Overweight Training Aids Can Cause Injury—Not Dry Swings

Many golfers incorporate overweight training aids to increase speed and strength. However, they can put excessive strain on the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints, leading to injury. Most, if not all,systems (all of them other than Speed Toad) include overweight swing training in their dry swing protocols which has led people to believe that dry swings are the problem when the problem is really in the weight of the tool. 

Swinging a normal driver at air compared to an overweight training aid? Not the same thing. Your standard driver is going to require significantly less torque (rotational force) to produce speeds which means overweight training aids scientifically put more stress on your body. 

2. Rigid Training Sticks Can Lead to Wrist and Joint Strain PUT COMPARISON PICTURE OF PADRAIG HERE?

Until recently, all speed training systems used rigid sticks. The problem? If the stick is too stiff, it won’t flex properly, meaning all the acceleration and deceleration forces are absorbed by your wrists, elbows, and shoulders. This is where injuries happen.

A driver, on the other hand, has a designed amount of flex and give. When you make a dry swing with a normal club, your body along with your club naturally absorbs the motion without excessive strain on the joints. The issue isn’t the lack of a ball—it’s the rigidity of improper training tools. 

3. Hitting a Ball Can Sometimes Be More Harmful Than a Dry Swing

Many golfers assume that not hitting a ball during a swing is riskier than making contact. However, this is not true—and in some cases, hitting a ball actually increases injury risk.

Here’s why:

• When you make contact with a golf ball, the impact contributes minimally to the deceleration of your swing. After all, a golf ball only weighs around 45 grams. Most of the slowing down happens naturally as your body moves through the motion.
• Miss-hits (especially off the toe or hitting the ground fat) create torque in the shaft, which can reverberate into the body, particularly in the wrists, elbows, and shoulders.
• If you hit a shot off the toe, it sends unwanted vibrations through the shaft, which can lead to joint pain or injury.
• Striking shots off hard mats instead of natural grass is a prime example of jarring force on the club, which travels up into your arms and shoulders—this is one of the most well-known causes of golf-related injuries. Same principles could apply with a ball. 

In contrast, a properly executed dry swing eliminates these impact-related stresses, making it a safe and effective way to train.

Final Thoughts: Dry Swings Are Safe When Done Correctly

If you’re worried about injury from dry swings, rest assured: there’s nothing inherently dangerous about swinging a driver without hitting a ball. Injuries from dry swings are usually the result of:
✅ Overweighted training aids that overload the body.
✅ Rigid training sticks that force excessive strain on the wrists and joints.

If you want to increase your swing speed, refine your mechanics, or simply get in extra practice without hitting balls, dry swings are an excellent and safe option—as long as you’re using the right equipment and technique. This is why Speed Toad utilizes lighter weights and your own shaft for the most optimal and safest speed training.