Unlocking Your Potential: The Key to Speed Training in Golf

Ryan Gregnol
Jan 9
8 min read

Updated: Jan 19

This topic is likely the most important one I can cover when it comes to speed training. Some of what I've discussed in the past aligns with a "if you can, you will" mentality. However, this goes a step further to enhance that thought and also ingrain what is possible with a proper schedule. It's no coincidence that whenever I hold a speed clinic, give a lesson, or assist someone in their distance journey in person, they hit it further, straighter, and achieve personal records.

Are they trying to impress me? Maybe. Do they trust what I'm saying? I hope so. But the bottom line is that I help them get out of their own way. None of this complicated stuff that's just overly regurgitated filler that most coaches use to sound "smart" or "important." Is it a complicated sequence of events that occurs to hit a golf ball far and straight? Absolutely. But does it need to be portrayed that way to every individual without a biomechanics or physics degree? Absolutely not.

Understanding the Challenge of Speed Release

I've noticed a common theme with my most accomplished golf clients, including successful touring professionals and Class A Professionals. It's often hard, or should I say next to impossible, for them to release their speed. The reason likely lies in their desire to hit the ball precisely to their specific targets. Missing either of those targets is often considered a miss-hit or a negative thought, leading them to want to revert back to what they know. Many of them are, of course, very successful; why would you blame them? Their careers depend on it.

The easiest conversion to this model is with beginner golfers. They seek speed and distance as part of their success plan for the future. They are easier to mold since their neurological habits are not fully ingrained. They expect to miss more often than not, and we are simultaneously looking to improve them on both ends. You will notice that none of what I’ve written includes speed "tools." This is the actual reason they work; this is how you truly get faster. It’s not about swinging at air or making frivolous swings at nothing! So let's get to it.

The Holy Grail of Speed Training: Transfer Training

This is the "Holy Grail" of speed training: integrating maximum velocity into functional ball-striking. We call this Transfer Training. The challenge is that your brain has a "Protection Protocol" that kicks in the moment you stand over a ball. It wants to "guide" or "steer" the club to ensure contact, which is the literal opposite of speed.

To transform your neurological connections while hitting real shots, you must use Task-Based Constraints. Here’s how you can rewire your brain to allow 100% intent during a live strike.

1. The "Wide-Corridor" Mentality

The biggest neurological block to speed is the fear of a "mis-hit." If your brain thinks a miss is a "failure," it will never let you swing at 100% or above.

The Protocol: Go to a range or simulator where you have a massive target area (100+ yards wide).
The Mental Shift: Declare a "Speed Zone" where the only failure is a slow swing. If you hit a 40-yard slice but moved the club at your max potential, your brain must register that as a Win. This teaches the nervous system that high speed is "safe," even when the result isn't perfect.
The Awareness Model: Keep all indicators in front of you—club path, angle of attack, face to path, launch direction. If you notice your club path trending way off course, especially out/in, or your start line becoming too far left, dial back. Your kinetic sequence may be becoming out of sorts, and your ball striking will plummet. Be aware but not hyper-focused.

2. Differential Learning (The "Volume Dial")

Neurologically, your brain learns best by experiencing extremes. Instead of trying to hit it "hard" every time, you need to teach your brain to find the "Speed-Accuracy Sweet Spot."

The Drill: Take 5 balls.

- Ball 1: 60% speed (Focus on pure center-face contact).

- Ball 2: 100% speed (Forget contact, just raw violence).

- Ball 3: 80% speed.

- Ball 4: 110% speed (Try to "break" the ball).

- Ball 5: 95% speed (The "Game Speed").

The Result: By jumping between these speeds, your brain builds a more robust motor map, eventually learning how to organize the body for center-face contact even at high velocities.

3. The "Impact-Sound" Biofeedback

Since we aren't using tech aids, we use your primary senses as the feedback loop. The sound of the strike tells the brain everything it needs to know about the "quality" of the speed.

High-Frequency Feedback: Listen for the "crack" versus the "thud."
The Mental Trigger: Visualize the clubhead accelerating through the ball, not to the ball. Your "Neurological Release Point" should be 6 inches in front of the ball. If you try to hit the ball itself, the brain begins to decelerate the club early to ensure accuracy.

4. Constraint-Led Striking (The "Tee Height" Drill)

To force your brain to make neurological connections for "proper hitting" at speed, use environmental constraints rather than "swing thoughts."

The High-Tee Challenge: Tee the ball up significantly higher than normal (2+ inches).
The Goal: Hit the ball at 100% speed without "sky-balling" it or hitting the tee.
The Neurological Benefit: To do this successfully, your brain must automatically adjust your "Angle of Attack." You are forcing your nervous system to solve a complex geometric problem (hitting it upward) while maintaining maximum velocity. This builds the "Speed + Skill" connection faster than any swing thought.

5. The "Speed-Skill" Session Structure

Perform this 30-ball session twice a week. No aids, just you, the ball, and high intent.

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The Mental Cue: "Loose is Fast"

The hardest neurological connection to make is staying tension-free while exerting maximum force. When we try to hit "hard," we tend to grip the club tighter (bracing).

The Pro Tip: On your 100% effort shots, focus on keeping your jaw and forearms as soft as possible. Tension is a "speed brake" sent by the brain. A soft jaw tells the brain the body is safe to move at elite velocities.

For those of you who notice the longest hitters always being in motion, never truly just standing still, always keeping things fluid, this is exactly why. Those of you that know me, have seen me, or followed my progress, the "waggles" have a purpose.

Bridging the Gap: Practice Speed vs. Performance Speed

To ensure your new speed doesn't vanish the moment there are stakes on the line, you have to bridge the gap between "Practice Speed" (where it's safe to fail) and "Performance Speed" (where failure has consequences).

In 2026, we know that "steering" the ball is a result of the brain's amygdala prioritizing survival (avoiding embarrassment/penalty) over performance. Pressure Training forces your nervous system to accept high-velocity movement as the "default," even when you are stressed.

1. Physiological Stress Induction (The "Heart-Rate" Hack)

Under pressure on the course, your heart rate spikes, your breathing becomes shallow, and your muscles tighten. If you only practice speed while calm, your brain won't know how to access that speed when the "fight or flight" response kicks in.

The Drill: Perform 15-20 jumping squats or a 30-yard sprint immediately before stepping up to hit a driver at 100% intent.
The Goal: Hit the ball while your heart is pounding and you are slightly out of breath.
Neurological Connection: This teaches your brain that it can still execute a high-velocity, coordinated strike while under physiological "duress." It desensitizes the nervous system to adrenaline.

2. The "Narrowing Corridor" (Outcome-Contingent Training)

You need to create a penalty for "steering" the ball. On the range, we often get lazy because there is no "Out of Bounds."

The Drill: Pick a target fairway. For every shot that misses the fairway OR falls below a certain speed threshold (use your "feel" for the speed if you don't have a radar), you owe a "penalty"—like 10 pushups or losing $1 to your practice partner.
The Twist: Each successful shot at 100% speed makes the "fairway" for the next shot narrower.
Neurological Connection: This forces the brain to find "Functional Speed." You are telling your nervous system: "We must go fast, AND we must be precise. Figure it out."

3. "Randomization" (The One-Shot Protocol)

The brain learns nothing from hitting 30 drivers in a row. This is called "blocked practice," and it creates a false sense of mastery. On the course, you only get one chance every 40 minutes.

The Drill: "Play" your home course on the range.

- Hit a driver at 100% speed toward the first fairway.

- Then, put the driver away and hit the appropriate iron for the "second shot."

- Even if you hit the iron at normal speed, you must return to the driver for the next "hole" and try to summon that 100% intent instantly.

Neurological Connection: This trains the Neural Retrieval of speed. You are teaching your brain to "flip the switch" from precision-iron mode back to max-velocity mode instantly.

4. The "Go-Signal" (Bypassing the Amygdala)

When pressure is high, we tend to "linger" over the ball. The longer you stand still, the more time your brain has to send "safety signals" that cause you to decelerate.

The Protocol: Develop a "Trigger" that starts the swing. It could be a small forward press of the knees or a specific word like "Release."
The Mental Cue: Once you trigger the move, you have zero responsibility for the outcome. Your only job is to finish the swing as fast as possible.
Neurological Connection: By using a "Go-Signal," you bypass the prefrontal cortex (the thinking brain) and hand the controls over to the motor cortex (the doing brain).

The Pressure-Speed Matrix

Use this table to track your progress. The goal isn't "perfection"; it's "speed retention."

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The Final Piece: "Post-Shot Acceptance"

The most elite speed trainers use a technique called Neutral Review. If you swing at 100% and hit a terrible shot, do not react with anger. Anger creates a negative neurological association with speed. Instead, simply note: "Speed was high, face was open." This keeps the "Safety Governor" from re-engaging the next time you try to go fast.

In conclusion, yes, a plan is needed, structure is essential, and being prepared mentally must be expressed at the highest level. As I've explained in many of my clinics, you can be physically ready, but if you are mentally unprepared, will the training session still go well? Sure, it might, but in a world where time is money, and money is being spent to train, we want to make the most out of every training booked. Prepare to practice and then practice prepared.

I wasn't one of the fastest in the world by accident. Even after almost a full season off, I was inside the top 10 at the 2025 world championship in all speed categories and the oldest at 42 years of age. These aren't accidents; they are purpose-built and applied knowledge. This is a large piece of that puzzle—not all of it, but without addressing training, mobility, technique, and fitting, you could do all four of those required activities and still be missing this. This must be trained no differently than any muscle or swing pattern, weight shift, or nutrition plan, but the value of this is very near the top of the list.

Until next time,

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