DRVN Studios

The objective with speed training is not to swing harder on the golf course. The objective is to build a speed reserve.

A speed reserve means increasing a player's maximum clubhead speed so that their average on-course speed rises naturally — without any increase in perceived effort.

When maximum speed goes up, average speed follows. That's the relationship we're exploiting.

What a Speed Reserve Actually Is

When you train clubhead speed directly, you are expanding the top end of what the nervous system believes is possible. Over time:

Maximum speed increases
Average speed increases
Effort perception stays the same

This is critical. Golfers do not play faster by trying harder. They play faster by raising their physical ceiling so that normal swings are faster by default.

At this point, speed feels the same — even though it isn't. That's not theory. That's neurological adaptation.

Why Speed Cannot Be Felt

Speed is not a sensation. Acceleration can be felt. Tension can be felt. Effort can be felt. Speed itself cannot.

A player swinging at 145 mph does not feel fundamentally different than swinging at 115–120 mph once the nervous system adapts. The body recalibrates what "normal" feels like.

This is why speed training must be done in a feedback environment. Only a launch monitor can tell you:

How fast the club was moving
Whether speed is actually increasing
Whether training is working

Feel is unreliable. Data is not.

Why Clubhead Speed Is the Only Metric That Matters (Initially)

During speed sessions, we focus on clubhead speed only. Not ball flight, spin rate, offline dispersion, shot shape, or contact quality. Those metrics are distractions during speed training.

If players see poor ball flight while pushing speed, they instinctively self-regulate. They slow down. They abandon the process. Progress stops. This is one of the most common mistakes golfers make when trying to get faster.

So we remove the distractions:

Turn off ball flight visuals
Turn off dispersion numbers
Turn off spin
Focus purely on speed output

This creates psychological permission to swing freely and aggressively without fear of "bad shots."

The Training Sequence That Works

Train maximum clubhead speed — This is where the nervous system adapts.
Raise average speed automatically — This happens as a byproduct — not by effort.
Return to accuracy work later — Now accuracy is trained on top of a faster baseline.

At that stage, players swing at the same effort level — but faster than before. That's the payoff.

Coaching Takeaway

Speed training is not golf practice. It is physical development.

Your job as a coach is to:

Protect the intent of speed sessions
Remove accuracy pressure temporarily
Create an environment where speed can be pushed safely and consistently

Once the speed reserve exists, accuracy training becomes easier — not harder — because the player is no longer operating at the edge of their physical limits on every swing.

That's how long-term speed gains actually stick.