Today’s training is on the hamstrings, the large muscles in the back of the leg. We’ll see how they assist the glutes in the golf swing, as they help get rid of the angle created by your upper and lower body. These movements and muscle motions help with compression, lag, and power throughout the swing.
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...
"I've played professional golf for many years, and I've had instruction from some of the best teachers in the world. For the first time in my career, I understand the golf swing with clarity thanks to Clay Ballard and his Top Speed Golf website.
Clay's Top Speed Golf System is a well-planned, step-by-step system that will help any level golfer improve their game. Clay's knowledge of the biomechanics of the golf swing is exceptional!
After a 12-year absence from the game, I used Clay's Top Speed Golf System and videos to prepare for competitive senior golf. I'm happy to share with you that I recently shot a 59 at Breckenridge Park golf club in San Antonio, TX, and I finished tied for 11th at the 2016 European Senior Qualifying school in Portugal.
Thank you, Clay, for sharing your knowledge and time with me!!"
-Chris Hunsucker | August 2016
Click here to get started with the 5 components of the Top Speed Golf System!
Or check out all my latest content below...
Some 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
B001. How to Get Out of the Bunker Easily!
In this video, you’ll discover how to get out of the bunker easily.
Bunker shots are incredibly tough for most golfers.
It’s easy to leave the ball in the bunker, skull it out way past the hole, or hit the most dreaded shot in golf — the shank!
But, don’t let the bunker frustrate you or embarrass you in front of your playing buddies.
As you’ll see in the video…
I use a cool training aid called the Bunker Pro.
It’s a simple system that forces you to swing with the correct moves to get out of the bunker every time.
One of the most notable features of the Bunker Pro is the shank protector (sort of rod that sticks out from the base).
The shank protector prevents you from getting your hosel too close to the ball.
First, set the Bunker Pro about 2 inches from your ball.
Next open your club face about 35 to 45 degrees and use your normal grip.
Open up your stance slightly and have the ball slightly forward in your stance.
As you swing into your bunker shot, aim for the open area created by the Bunker Pro.
Also, let your wrists hinge on through.
You wouldn’t want to flip your wrists through a normal swing, but you should for bunker shots.
If you hit the open area created by the Bunker Pro, the ball will pop up nicely.
Watch this video to learn how to pop your bunker shots out of the bunker every time!
C004. Golf Consistency | 5 Day Practice Plan
In this video, you’ll get a great 5 day practice plan to improve your golf consistency.
Now, the very best golfers practice different shots to prepare themselves for all possible situations.
My 5 day plan is designed to help you prepare for all situations.
You’ll develop greater control of your club and you’ll improve your consistency.
Now, imagine that you just got to the course…
And your first shot of the day hooks when you were trying to hit it straight,…
Don’t worry — with the help of the drills in this video, you’ll know exactly how to tweak your swing to straighten it out.
Or maybe you find yourself in a situation that requires you to draw or fade the ball, or change the trajectory of the ball…
Again, no problem.
The drills in my 5 day plan will help you get better control of your golf club…
And will improve your consistency on the course.
If you follow these drills, you will lower your scores.
Below is a quick summary of the 5 day plan (make sure you watch the video to get all the details)…
Day 1
You’ll practice hitting shots with the club face closed and open to get better feel and control of your club face.
Finish the drill by hitting some balls straighter, but still using your club face to control the direction of the ball.
Day 2
Practice hitting shots adjusting your club path — in to out, and out to in.
Day 3
Practice hitting shots by working both your club face (open/closed) and club path.
Day 4
Practice what you learned in the previous 3 days to fine-tune your swing for perfect draw and fade shots.
Day 5
Practice hitting shots on different areas of the club face — more towards the toe for a draw and closer to the hosel for a fade.
Watch this video to get all the details of my 5 day plan.
You’ll develop a much better feel for your shots…
And you’ll improve your golf consistency!
1.3 Does Your Swing Plane Match Your Age?
In this video, “Does Your Swing Plane Match Your Age?,” you’ll get great information on the difference between a one plane swing and a two plane swing…
And find out which is best for you as you get older.
This is the third video in my groundbreaking Play Your Best Golf After 50! course…
And the goal of this video is to present the pros and cons of the one and two plane swings.
I’m often asked…
“Which swing plane is better?”
Well, that’s actually a tough question.
Matt Kuchar does extremely well with a one plane swing.
On the other extreme, Bubba Watson scores well with more of a two plane swing.
So, does it matter which swing plane you’re on?
Yes, it does.
Especially as you get older.
As you’ll see in this video, you need to consider the pros and cons of each swing plane to find out which one is best for you as you get older.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this video:
- How your swing plane affects the speed of your body rotation,
- Which swing method puts more stress on your body, and
- Why the two plane swing requires more hand-eye coordination.
Watch this video now to discover the swing plane that’s best for you!
C012. How to Get Control of Your Golf Game
In this video, you’ll discover how to get control of your golf game.
Often you’ll get on the course and hit a dead solid shot…
Or so you thought…
…because what actually happened is that you hit a nasty hook into the rough.
Hey, don’t let it bother you; it happens to all of us.
All that matters is how you bounce back from a bad shot.
Even the pros have their off days and need to make tweaks to their swings.
Pros like Ben Hogan, Bubba Watson, and Lee Trevino are well known for practicing shots with different curvatures and trajectories.
All that practice pays off when they get into trouble; they know instantly what they need to do to get back on track.
In this video, you’ll learn how to shape your shots and get back on track as quickly as possible.
First, you’ll get a few cheats that you can use to work your balls left to right and right to left.
Finally, you’ll learn how to work the trajectory of your shots.
Watch this video now to learn how to tweak your swing so you can quickly fix any problems you’re having on the course…
And get total control of your golf game!
1.2 Increase Your Speed at Any Age | 4 Keys to Finish Your Swing!
In this video, you’ll discover how to increase your speed at any age.
So tell me…
Do you ever feel like no matter how hard you swing, you struggle to accelerate through the ball?
Well, in this video, the second in my Play Your Best Golf After 50! course,…
…you’ll discover how to finish your swing with tons of club head speed, no matter your age.
There are four swing issues that many of my students that are over the age of 50 struggle with…
And you’re about to find out simple and easy fixes to these issues.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this video:
- A simple trick to let your hips open up in the downswing,
- How to let your left leg rotate for more power,
- How to prevent your right foot from being an anchor on your swing, and
- Why bumping your left hip is ineffective and dangerous!
Watch this video now to get a more fluid swing…
And increase your club head speed!
1.1 Get More Distance Over Age 50 | Secret Is in the Hips!
In this video, you’ll discover how to get more distance over age 50.
This is the first video in my Play Your Best Golf After 50! course and if you think you’re too old to crush your drives and hit solid shots…
Think again!
I’ve gotten tons of requests for specific instruction for players over 50.
As you get older, it gets a little tougher to make a full Power Turn in your backswing.
But don’t give up because I have a great lesson for you.
In this video, you’ll…
- test your mobility to see how far you can turn,
- get a few drills to improve your mobility, and
- get a couple of key exercises to help you with your power turn, back and through, so you can hit with more power and get more distance.
Watch this video now to show father time who’s boss…
And get a powerful swing that’ll make the young fellas jealous!
BH002. Avoid Getting Your Golf Club Stuck Behind You!
In this video, you’ll discover how to avoid getting your golf club stuck behind you.
Getting stuck in the downswing is extremely frustrating.
You make an aggressive swing and your arms get left behind and stuck, causing you to block your ball a mile to the right.
Sometimes it can be worse…
Your hosel can lead the way resulting in a horrendous shank!
In today’s video, you’ll learn how to eliminate getting stuck in the downswing.
There are three moves that’ll help you avoid getting stuck.
First, make sure your right elbow feels like it’s moving forward in the downswing.
Second, your club needs to be close to the same angle as your right forearm.
Lastly, you need to make sure your left shoulder doesn’t pop up way too early in the downswing.
Your left shoulder should be going down then start to move up as you come into contact with the ball.
Watch this video now to see what’s causing your club to get stuck behind you…
And learn the three key moves you need to focus on to hit solid, consistent shots!
G015. One Piece Takeaway in Golf Swing Done Right
In this video, you’ll learn how to perform the one piece takeaway in the golf swing.
If you can start off the swing on track, then you’re setting yourself up for a great swing!
Now, you may be pulling the club inside too much or picking the club up way too early.
Either of those issues will kill your swing.
But don’t worry.
This video will get your takeaway on the right path.
The real advantage of having a great one piece takeaway is that it’ll be super easy to transition into the top of your backswing.
As you’ll see in the video, the one piece takeaway is all about simplifying everything to avoid all the wasted movements that require even more effort to correct.
You’ll get a great drill to learn the one piece takeaway.
Watch this video now to get a simple and efficient one piece takeaway!
D006. Let Go of the Club for More Distance
In this video, you’ll discover why you should let go of the club for more distance.
This may sound a bit strange, but letting go is key for more club head speed.
In fact, if your right hand is too tight, it’s like you’re throwing the brakes on your swing speed.
Gripping the club too tightly with your right hand can cause you to push the club in the downswing and/or cause you to cast your club way early which kills your lag.
Now, imagine your club as a lever or a whip as the club is coming through impact.
The problem is that the club head is accelerating very quickly and the right hand really can’t keep up with the club.
So when you feel like your right hand is helping you accelerate the club through impact, it’s actually doing the opposite.
It’s preventing your club from whipping through contact like it should.
So, how do you fix this?
Well, I don’t want you to literally let go out and through your club down the fairway.
But you need to feel that your right hand is starting to let go.
You’ll even see pros let go.
Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson let their trailing hands come off the club a bit after contact.
This helps them let the club swing through with speed.
The next part of the video explains what your left hand should do in the swing.
You’ll see how your left wrist works as a hinge to let the club whip through contact with speed.
In the video, you’ll get a great one arm drill to help you ingrain the proper movements.
Watch this video now to whip through impact with tons of club head speed!
