Top Speed Golf

The Only 5 Golf Swing Pieces That Really Matter

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Welcome to Clay Ballard's Top Speed Golf Instruction

I founded Top Speed Golf in 2015.

Here's what it's all about...

When you analyze the swings of any top player in the world -- whether it's Jim Furyk, Adam Scott, or anyone else -- there are 5 aspects they all have roughly in common:

1. Stable & Fluid Spine

2. Power Turn

3. Top Speed Lag

4. Compression Line

5. Straight-Line Release

I've found that these 5 pieces will give you 95% of your results.

My Top Speed Golf system teaches you those 5 aspects in a step-by-step, course-based fashion.

"Does it work?" you may be wondering...

Click here to get started with the 5 components of the Top Speed Golf System!

Or check out all my latest content below...

clay 11111 smallerSome of My Highlights...
Handicap: -4
Top Swing Speed: 126.8
Lowest Round: 61
Given Over 6000 Golf Lessons
Instructed Many Professional Golfers
Played Division 1 College Golf and Mini Tours
Most Consecutive Birdies: 6
Certified FlightScope Professional
Swing Catalyst Certified
T.P.I. Certified
Named by Golf Digest as a top instructor in Florida
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CD014. How Tight to Hold the Golf Club in Crazy Detail

Determining exactly how tight to hold the golf club can be really challenging and confusing for many players.

Should you hold on super tight to make sure you don’t throw the club…

Or should you use light grip pressure to ensure that the club can whip through contact?

And should your grip pressure be the same with both hands?

These are the questions I explore in this video.

You’ll learn, in crazy detail, everything you need to know about grip pressure throughout the swing.

You’ll find out…

  • How much grip pressure to apply at setup to maximize the feel of the clubface,
  • How your grip pressure changes throughout the swing, and
  • When you should reduce grip pressure with your right hand.

Watch this video now to learn in-depth information about your golf grip pressure!

SH029. How to Putt When It Is Windy

In this video, you’ll learn how to putt when it is windy.

You’ll get some great tips about what adjustments you need to make with your setup and putting stroke.

First, you’ll want to widen your stance a bit if you normally putt with a narrow stance.

A good measurement would be to have your feet 2 inches wider than your shoulders.

With a wider stance, you should have plenty of stability even if a 20 mph gust of wind hits you.

Second, if you normally grip near the top of the putter, grip down 3 or 4 inches to increase the feeling of more control.

Third, consider the distance of the putt.

If it’s within 10 feet, the wind won’t affect the break much at all unless you fancy playing a round during a hurricane (probably not a good idea).

Past 10 feet though, you may want to adjust slightly for a cross wind that’s over 10 mph.

Putting into the wind won’t affect your distance much, so don’t feel that you have to whack the putt.

This may not sound right, but remember that we’re all accustomed to hitting iron shots into the wind that lose tons of distance…

So it’s tempting to think that putting into the wind would kill our putts.

On the greens, the wind won’t affect the distance as much as you think.

Watch this video now to discover how to putt when it is windy!

HI001. 3 Rings of Golf Improvement

In this video, you’ll discover the 3 rings of golf improvement.

Now, we all know that you need to practice if you want any chance of improving your golf game.

However, the key is how you practice.

Let’s say you have 2 options to improve your swing…

  1. Spend 5 hours at the range and improve your game marginally, or
  2. Spend 2 hours at the range and make big improvements to your game.

If you can improve more with 2 hours of practice, then heck yeah, option #2 is the way to go.

But how can you possibly improve your game with less time practicing?

To answer that question, let’s start by explaining at how you DO NOT want to practice.

There are tons of players that go to the driving range and pound hundreds, if not thousands, of balls every week, yet they don’t improve much.

Why?

Haven’t we all been told that we need to work insanely hard in order to achieve our goals?

The problem is that most players that spend all day at the range (“range rats”) often practice shots that they’re already good at.

If you hit a nice high draw and you go to the range and practice high draw shots, that won’t do much to improve your fade.

The point is that you need to practice smarter with variability training.

Your goal should be to add more shots to your bag so when you need to hit a fade, you’ll think to yourself…

“No problem” and hit a good fade and stick it close to the pin.

Learning more shots will also help you develop more feel for your clubs.

Over time, you’ll get more control than you ever thought possible.

Ever wonder how top pros can hit just about any shot?

Well, they’ve practiced just about every shot possible.

They’ve hit tons of balls from divots.

They’ve hit tons of balls from uphill and downhill lies.

And practicing all these different shots has helped them develop unreal control of their clubs so that if they ever run into a truly rare shot, they can adapt quickly and pull off the “impossible” (remember some of Phil Mickelson’s crazy saves?).

This video will help you create a plan to bring more shots into your game.

You’ll learn about the 3 rings of golf improvement…

  • Comfort
  • Learning
  • Chaos

… and practice with a plan.

Watch this video now to bring more shots into your comfort zone and make huge improvements fast!

D029. How the Left Arm Works for More Distance!

In this video, you’ll learn how the left arm works for more distance.

This is a great video to add more speed to your swing so you can bust out longer drives.

There are 4 main checkpoints…

#1: Left Arm in Front of Body

In your takeaway and backswing, make sure your left arm doesn’t get stuck behind your body.

Keeping your arms and shoulders in front of your chest will help you make a mover vertical move with your club path.

#2: Take the Club High

As you transition to the top of your swing, raise your left arm vertically.

Tour players such as Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson perform this move incredibly well (you’ll see clips of them in this video).

Taking the club high helps you get a big, full swing as you rotate your shoulders back and start the downswing.

#3: Shallow the Club Path in the Downswing

As you start the downswing, shallow out your club path.

In the Top Speed Golf System, we refer to this as The Move.

This oft overlooked swing move is crucial for your clubhead speed.

#4: Don’t Forget About Your Hips

For a powerful swing, you need to rotate your hips open in the downswing.

Opening your hips will help free up your arms to whip through contact and into your follow through.

Watch this video now to see all 4 checkpoints in action…

And bust out monster drives once you know exactly how the left arm works for more distance!

G051. How to Shallow the Club with Gravity in Your Golf Swing

In this video, you’ll learn how to shallow the club with gravity.

Shallowing the club in the downswing is a big deal in golf.

In the Top Speed Golf System, we call this “The Move,” and it can really help you come in at a better angle and compress the ball.

I believe a good way to think about The Move is to simply let the club drop down with gravity.

First in the video, you’ll get an overview of what shallowing the club is and why you need to shallow your club in the downswing.

Then you’ll learn some of the physics of the downswing (in Layman’s terms).

Throughout the video, you’ll see clips of how pros such as Adam Scott, J.B. Holmes, Dustin Johnson, and Rory McIlroy shallow the club.

Lastly, you’ll get a simple 2-step drill to help you get the correct feeling of shallowing your club in the downswing.

You’ll avoid swinging with an over-the-top motion, and you’ll learn how to stop casting the club.

Watch this video now to shallow your club in the downswing like the pros!

L019. Iron Swing vs. Driver Swing | Driver Lag Tip for Max Distance

In this video, you get a driver lag tip for max distance.

You’ll get a close look at how you should release your lag at contact.

Now, there’s a huge difference between how pros release lag with the driver and how mid-to-high handicap players release lag with the driver.

Pros make contact with a spine angle that’s facing more away from the target.

They do this to launch the ball higher, which helps them get more distance.

What’s interesting is when you consider forward shaft lean.

Hitting with good forward shaft lean delofts the club (around 20 degrees for pros).

If you’re swinging with a 9 degree driver, that leaves very little loft on the clubface.

So, what do you do?

Since you want more distance (like the pros), you’ll need to increase your spine angle away from the ball in order to launch the ball higher.

Watch this video now to get a great lag tip and crush your driver like the pros!

BR007. Golf Swing Footwork | Have You Been Told the Wrong Information?

In this video, you’ll learn great golf swing footwork.

We’ve all been taught to have consistent footwork…

I’m sure you’ve heard tips such as you need to keep your feet square and don’t ever lift your left foot off the ground.

But have you been told the wrong information?

Yes… For the most part, those tips are wrong.

Here’s why…

When you take a close look at some of the best golfers in the world, their footwork isn’t nearly as stable as you’d think.

It’s OK to lift your left foot off the ground a little.

Jack Nicklaus did…

And current players such as Bubba Watson do it also.

Lifting your left heel up will help you rotate your hips for a bigger turn in your backswing.

So if you’re struggling with power and clubhead speed, then let your left heel lift up a bit.

Just keep in mind that there may be a slight trade off.

If you’re swinging with tons of power and you’d like to be more consistent, then reduce the movement in your feet.

The point is that lifting up your left foot a bit isn’t taboo.

In this video, you’ll discover the truth about your footwork…

And you’ll learn a few more sneaky tips to help you get more power and distance!

B005. Bunker Shot Made Easy | Jason Day Bunker Analysis

In this video, “Bunker Shot Made Easy | Jason Day Bunker Analysis”…

You’ll learn great tips to hit nice, soft bunker shots onto the green every time.

Here’s what’s covered in this video…

  • How much knee bend you need to shallow your angle of attack,
  • How much you need to open up your clubface (most players get this wrong),
  • How far to hit behind the ball, and
  • How aggressive you should swing.

Watch this video now to hit great shots out of the bunker like Jason Day!

Attention Top Speed Golf All Access members: In the video, I mention a few additional videos to check out. Here are links to those videos…

L017. Downcock and Lag in Golf

In this video, “Downcock and Lag in Golf”…

You’ll learn how to add tons of speed to your swing.

There’s really no way around it…

If you want to boost your swing speed, you’ll need to create more lag.

The pros create a really sharp lag angle in their swings.

This allows them to whip the club through with club head speeds of well over 110 mph (with the driver).

In the first part of this video, you’ll get a great downcock drill to learn how to properly build lag and get into the downcock position.

Many players come in way too steeply with this drill, so you’ll want to see this video to learn how to shallow the club in your downswing.

Also, focus on fully releasing the club at a 45 degree angle ahead of the contact area.

Watch this video now to build lag in your swing and whip the club through with tons of speed!

L016. Golf Swing Pressure Drill to Create Lag

In this video, you get a golf swing pressure drill to create lag.

Now, we all want to be the guy or gal that drives it 20 or 30 yards past our golf buddies.

That’s when golf’s fun.

You’ll be in a better position to take aim at the pin…

And you can toss a few comments about how your pals hit puny drives 🙂

But if you’re struggling with your distance, what do you do?

Well, one huge key to adding distance is creating more lag in your swing.

This video will help you create more lag.

Special attention is focused on the pressure you place on the club throughout the swing.

You’ll learn…

  • How light grip pressure in your takeaway promotes a wider swing,
  • Why your lag should continue to build as you start the downswing,
  • How tour pros turn the grip up to release lag.

Watch this video now to learn a great lag drill that’ll help you bomb your drives!