The Drill That Unlocked Davis Lamb's Fastest Clubhead Speed Ever

When Davis Lamb came to TPI, he had the physical capabilities of a 118 mph player, but a swing that produced 110.

You can win at that number, but, as Dr. Rose put it, there’s no point in giving your opponents a one or two club advantage on approach, if you can avoid it.

Engine Problem or Swing Problem?

Whenever a player asks for speed, our first job is diagnosis. There are two primary possibilities: the body lacks the physical capacity to produce the power, or the body can produce it and the swing isn't using it effectively. Essentially, we’re trying to determine if there is an issue with swing mechanics or the size of the engine.

To determine what is limiting a golfer, we run four tests:

• Movement Screen. Davis tested well in our TPI screen. A few minor items, nothing that would cap his speed.

• Strength and Power Testing. He performed even better in his strength and power testing. Based on gym numbers alone, we’d predict his speed potential to be around 117–119 mph, possibly higher.

• Force Plates (kinetics). Davis’s force plate data indicated that he was pushing against the ground effectively. Strong numbers again.

• 3D Motion Capture (kinematics). When looking at how he transfers energy up the chain, we found his sequencing to be efficient.

His movement capabilities were sufficient; his power capacity was above average; he pushed against the ground aggressively and transferred energy efficiently.  None of these tests could explain the 110 mph clubhead speed on the launch monitor. Which led us to consider a third issue.

Removing the Governor

Many players learn golf while emphasizing control. Hitting the fairway is their priority. Unlike activities like sprinting or pitching, where max effort is trained regularly, golfers are often never asked to find out how fast they can move a club. Over years, that becomes a sort of ceiling for the nervous system.  Essentially, it’s a governor that holds the athlete below what they are physically capable of.

The Three Strike Game is designed to lift it. 

How It's Played

1. Set a baseline. Two normal "cruising" swings on a launch monitor. Davis started at 110.8. In this game, we focus on clubhead speed, not ball speed.  We aren’t worried about contact, just trying to move the implement faster.

2. Experiment first. Before the game starts, try swings with several deliberately strange ideas and watch which produces the highest number: lift the lead heel, arms as high as they've ever been at the top, the fastest backswing of your life, no set in the backswing with everything set in the downswing, the longest backswing you'd never play with. For Davis, the answer was a longer backswing: more arm path, more time to apply force to the club.

3. Play the game. Tee a ball. Swing as hard as you can using the mechanical key you found, with no concern whatsoever for where the ball goes. If the number goes up, you swing again. If it goes down, that's a strike. On a strike, stop for a full minute to reset, then go again. Three strikes and the session is over.

What Happened

Davis went six balls without a single strike, which is fairly rare, climbing through 113, 114.8, 116.9, 118.3, 119.6. He topped out at 121.6 mph (with a genuinely good ball flight). That's 4 mph past his previous lifetime best and nearly 11 mph above the first swing of the day. 

Then the exciting part. When asked to go back to cruising swing, his speed was 113.2. The ceiling had moved.  While this is largely a short-term result of the potentiation, his max speed should permanently increase if he continues to implement high intent swings.

The Takeaway

Chase speed in the right order. If the body can't produce power, train the body. If the swing leaks it, fix the swing. But if the engine tests strong and the swing is efficient and the number on the launch monitor still doesn't match, you're most likely looking at a governor.  The fix is simply giving your brain a snapshot of what fast feels like.

Do it often enough and your cruising speed rises on its own, without costing you accuracy. In our experience, it's one of the safest ways there is to add clubhead speed.

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If you're a golfer interested in a physical assessment, you can connect with a TPI Certified expert via our Find an Expert page.