The BIG Three Training Levels

DRVN organizes all training plans and outcomes around three clear training levels: Wellness, Fitness, and Performance. Each level reflects not only physical capacity, but also available time, goals, and the role golf plays in an individual's life.

Wellness: Building the Foundation

Wellness is the most general and accessible training level. Athletes in this category typically dedicate two hours or less per week to fitness and mobility.

At this stage, the primary goal is simple: improve how the body moves and remove barriers to movement. Training time is best spent developing mobility, stability, and basic strength — ensuring the athlete can move more efficiently and comfortably in daily life and on the course.

Sessions are intentionally short and lifestyle-based to promote consistency. Equipment demands are minimal, reducing setup time and technical complexity while allowing athletes to focus on quality movement. Simple, accessible exercises create meaningful progress without overwhelming the individual.

The mobility assessment is the primary tracking tool at this level. Over-structuring programs or emphasizing rigid performance targets often reduces adherence. Instead, coaching should focus on general improvement, consistency, and establishing positive training habits.

Fitness: Structured Progress and Measurable Gains

As athletes move into the Fitness level, structure increases. Clear goals are set, progress is tracked, and motivation is reinforced through measurable outcomes.

Training time typically ranges from three to six hours per week, allowing for the introduction of compound lifts, progressive overload, and seasonal structure. At this level, athletes begin to see clear physical improvements that translate directly to golf performance and overall fitness.

Golf itself may fluctuate week to week, but physical training becomes the consistent driver of progress. While improving golf performance remains a motivating factor, gains in strength, mobility, and overall health often have the greatest impact on day-to-day life.

The DRVN Golf Fitness Handicap™ plays a central role here, tracking physical outputs alongside the key golf performance metric: clubhead speed. Periodization, progressive overload, and targeted biomechanics are layered into the program, while mobility and recovery remain non-negotiable components. Most athletes will train three to four days per week, with structured recovery built into the plan.

Performance: Precision, Timing, and Execution

Performance training is reserved for athletes committing seven or more hours per week to physical preparation.

At this level, goal setting, data tracking, and ongoing analysis are critical. While many principles from the Fitness level still apply, total training volume is carefully managed around a competitive calendar. Training is organized into distinct phases — adaptation, event preparation, peaking, and recovery — to ensure performance is available when it matters most.

The volume of golf played, combined with practice demands, places significant stress on the body. As a result, mobility, biomechanics, and recovery become even more important. The challenge is not just building performance, but delivering it on demand while minimizing injury risk.

Coaching Perspective

Across all three levels, the mission remains the same: create consistency, build trust, and guide athletes toward meaningful progress.

DRVN gives coaches the tools to meet golfers where they are — whether they are rebuilding movement, pursuing measurable fitness gains, or preparing for peak performance. When training is aligned with an athlete's capacity and goals, commitment follows. That alignment is what allows great coaching to produce lasting results.