Speed sells. Everyone wants more of it. Swing faster, hit it farther, snap the wrists… all claims these training aids make. Try this one and suddenly you’re a different player.

So what do most golfers do? They chase speed the way a moth chases a porch light—blindly and with zero strategy. We’re a “pill” society—looking for quick fixes instead of doing the work. The problem with the pill? It creates new problems somewhere else.

And here’s where it gets interesting. Most of the programs out there focus on the wrong thing. Speed training has become a black hole—pulling players into a race for hand speed and release drills while ignoring the engine that actually powers the swing: the body.

Think about it: you’ve seen the sticks, bands, and radar readouts. They’re all designed to get your arms moving faster. And there’s value there. But it’s incomplete.

Clubhead speed doesn’t make the ball go far—ball speed does. A faster swing with poor contact is often worse than a slower swing with center contact. I see this every day in fittings. The best ball speeds—and the longest shots—come from centered strikes. Not wild swings.

The best players in the world rotate with force, sequence with precision, and use the ground. Most speed programs skip all of that.

Where Training Aids Fail… and Succeed

Training aids aren’t the problem. But they’re not the solution either. They’re just tools. Useful—if you know what they’re for.

Most popular aids are great at one thing—tempo, transition, release. But in marketing, that’s boring. You know what sells? Speed.
So, many of these trainers also market themselves as speed tools. The result? Players misuse them, overdevelop one area, and ignore everything else.

That’s when training aids fail—when they isolate a move and ignore the system around it. Speed comes from body, arms, and club working in sync. Not in isolation.

Most golfers don’t know this. They just want more distance. They see “speed trainer” and swing it as fast as they can.

Then they hit the course and start hitting it shorter. No control. No center contact. And never once do they think, “Maybe this is what happens when I use a tempo trainer for speed work.”

You want to know what Tour players use to build speed? Personal trainers. The kind you find in a gym. It’s strength. Mobility. Rotation. And yes—hard work. Not a pill.

What Real Speed Training Looks Like – Train Rotation First

If you want to get faster—and better—it starts with training the right pieces.

Forget your hands. Train your turn.

Watch a slow-motion swing. The lower body leads. The upper body follows. The arms don’t move until they’re waist-high.
(Most trainers start from the top—not good. That keeps teaching pros busy.)
The hands just finish the motion—they aren’t the motion.

Most players focus on output, not the engine. They try to move the club fast, not move the right way. It’s like polishing the tailpipe to make a car faster. Looks good. Doesn’t help.

Tour players generate speed from rotational force—not arm speed. They use the body, not just the hands.

So train that first. Train rotation. It’s the engine. The arms just ride along.

Because if you don’t train the core, all you’re doing is polishing the tail pipe. Swinging your arms faster around your body doesn’t move the needle—at least not the right way. We talk all day about syncing the arm swing with the body. So why train them separately?
(The answer is: you don’t.)

How many times do you see a big guy who can’t crack 90 mph with a driver? He’s strong enough to bend rebar, but can’t move a golf club. Then there’s the 12-year-old kid who makes it look effortless and hits it by everyone. That’s rotation. That’s sequencing. That’s technique.

Want real speed? Build rotational strength. Train your core. Use med balls, bands, and explosive drills. Then layer in arms and club path.

Speed without structure creates chaos.
Speed with structure creates distance.

What Are You Going to Do With All Those Training aids?

I’m not telling you to throw them out. I’m asking you to think.

What is that tool really for? Got an Orange Whip? Use it for tempo and transition. Got a heavy club? Great for path. Use them right.

Want speed? Hit the gym. Build mobility. Train your core. Find someone who knows how to build an athlete. Don’t just become a DIY arm swinging, hand flipper.

Because swinging faster is easy.
Swinging faster with center contact, shot control, and pressure-tested sequence—that’s the hard part.

That’s the good stuff.
And it’s worth every bit of the work.