Desperate for distance.

Question
Hi John; I am desperate for distance. With my 52 wedge I can be close to the pin up to 65 yds., swinging pretty hard up to 80, no more. With a 4 wood = 165 yds. I was getting yesterday.
I am very careful of my posture, and try for a full rotation, and to compress the ball into the ground. The ball flight looks straight and powerful.
Also I put in 3 hours min. most every day.

I Thank You kindly beforehand for your interest in my problem.

Regards,  Tony.

Answer
Hello Tony:  Welcome to the universal quest for more distance!  Distance is a product of clubhead speed and quality of contact.  Trying to hit the ball harder can sometimes cause the swing to occur out of sequence which actually slows the clubhead down.  You say you're careful with your posture so I'll assume it's similar to the touring professional's.  The backswing sequence begins with the hands, then the arms, shoulders, hips and feet.  The downswing sequence is in the reverse order.  When a player tries for more distance, he sometimes hits harder with the hands and this messes with the timing which can actually slow the clubhead through impact.

The key is to make the downswing sequence happen faster while keeping it in order.  The only other factor that influences distance would be having shafts with flexes that don't compliment your swing.  The most common mistake is to have shafts that are too stiff.  A good rule of thumb is if you're not hitting an 8 iron with little effort at least 150 yards, you need shafts no stiffer than regular.

Good luck Tony, I hope I've helped some.

Fairways and Greens,

John