Greg Smith Golf Coach

If you want more clubhead speed, you need to LOAD the club before you release it. ⚡️

Watch Rory McIlroy’s transition closely.

And before the Instagram swing police jump down my throat for analysing angles from a 2D video… 😂

This swing has been measured in 3D.

Rory’s lead wrist hinge measures 83° at the top of the backswing.

As he changes direction, that angle actually tightens to 76° just before lead arm horizontal.

That’s the important bit.

Before Rory releases the club, he loads it.

That tightening of the wrist hinge helps him apply torque to the handle, storing more potential for speed later in the downswing.

But he doesn’t HOLD it.

He releases it FAST. ⚡️

Load → Release → Speed.

Creating lag is only useful if you have the release to go with it.

And this is exactly what I show you how to train step-by-step inside the Lag & Release Accelerator, included as part of Project 120 MPH.

📍Click the link in my profile
https://greg.gregsmithgolfcoach.com/p120-signup-2

Or comment P120 and I’ll DM you the link. 👊

Gary Woodland currently leads the PGA Tour in clubhead speed at an incredible 127.55 mph. ⚡️

So where does all that speed come from?

Watch what happens as Woodland changes direction.

Instead of immediately unloading the club from the top, he loads torque into the handle in transition.

The club gets loaded BEFORE it gets released.

And that’s the key.

You can’t create a powerful release if you’ve already thrown the energy away at the top.

Load it first. Then release it at speed. ⚡️

I show you exactly how to create this move inside the Lag & Release Accelerator, included as part of Project 120 MPH.

Want to learn it?

📍Click the link in my profile
https://greg.gregsmithgolfcoach.com/p120-signup-2

Or comment P120 and I’ll DM you the link. 👊

This is how Ben Hogan created so much WHIP… ⚡️

Watch what happens as Hogan changes direction.

Rather than immediately throwing the club away from him, he loads torque into the handle of the club in transition.

That gives him something to unload.

Something to release.

And ultimately… something to create speed with.

The best releases don’t start at impact.

They’re loaded in transition.

I show you exactly how to create this move inside the Lag & Release Accelerator, included as part of Project 120 MPH.

Want to learn it?

📍Click the link in my profile
https://greg.gregsmithgolfcoach.com/p120-signup-2

Or comment P120 and I’ll DM you the link. 👊

“Keep your trail knee flexed.” 🤔

This is one piece of golf advice I’ve never really got on board with.

For one, it’s far too ambiguous.

During the backswing, the trail hip needs to move back and up as the pelvis turns on an inclined angle.

Exactly how much this happens will vary from golfer to golfer, largely depending on how much hip turn they create.

But as the trail hip moves back and up, the trail leg needs to lengthen.

And that means losing some of the knee flex you had at address.

I’m definitely not saying the trail leg should lock out into full extension.

But allowing it to gradually extend can create more room for the pelvis to turn, help the trail hip gain height and contribute to a much more athletic backswing.

So rather than thinking…

❌ “Keep your trail knee flexed.”

Think…

✅ “Let the trail leg lengthen as you turn.”

If you’d like to learn how to build more speed through better mechanics, check out Project 120 MPH.

📍Link in bio
https://greg.gregsmithgolfcoach.com/p120-signup-2

Or comment P120 and I’ll DM you the link. 👊

This is why your swing has no whip… ⚡️

Speed isn’t created by simply turning everything faster.

In fact, when the body, hands and club all move together, you can actually remove one of the biggest sources of speed from the golf swing.

Separation.

Watch what happens in the best players as they start down.

The body begins to rotate open…

While the hands stay deeper and the club works onto a shallower plane.

Those two movements are travelling in different directions.

That creates stretch.

It loads the wrists.

It applies torque to the club.

And most importantly, it gives you something to RELEASE.

That’s where the whip comes from. ⚡️

Not holding lag.

Not dragging the handle.

And definitely not just trying to swing everything harder.

Load it → separate it → release it.

Understanding this concept was a huge part of my own journey from 109 mph → 131 mph clubhead speed.

And it’s exactly the type of movement we train inside Project 120 MPH.

If you want to build more speed into your own swing:

📍Click the link in my profile
https://greg.gregsmithgolfcoach.com/p120-signup-2

Or comment P120 and I’ll DM you the link. 👊

Normal service resumed… 🏆

Scottie Scheffler hasn’t quite been hitting the ridiculous standards we’ve become accustomed to recently…

So what does he do?

Wins by EIGHT shots. 😳

When Scottie is at his best, there simply aren’t many players in the world who can live with him.

The ball striking.
The control.
The athleticism.
And one seriously good golf swing. 👏

If you’d like to learn how to build more speed into your own swing, check out Project 120 MPH.

📍Link in bio
https://greg.gregsmithgolfcoach.com/p120-signup-2

Or comment P120 and I’ll DM you the link. 👊

“Fade players don’t shallow the club…” 🤔

Watch Dustin Johnson from down the line.

He absolutely does.

The important thing isn’t necessarily how shallow the club gets in absolute terms.

It’s the change in plane from the backswing into the downswing.

Compare the shaft when the club is vertical in the backswing to when it reaches club vertical again in the downswing.

The club has moved onto a shallower plane.

And that change of direction is important for speed.

As the body starts the downswing and the club shallows, the clubhead stays behind the hands and the wrists can actually load further.

More wrist hinge.

More torque applied to the handle.

More potential to release that energy later in the downswing. ⚡️

So don’t confuse hitting a fade with not shallowing the club.

It’s not about getting the club as flat as possible.

It’s about what the club does relative to where it came from.

If you’d like to learn how to create more speed through better mechanics, check out Project 120 MPH.

📍Link in bio
https://greg.gregsmithgolfcoach.com/p120-signup-2

Or comment P120 and I’ll DM you the link. 👊

Most golfers focus on the release.

Fast players focus on what happens before it.

The biggest difference I see with high-speed players isn’t what they do at impact —
it’s how they load rotational torque in transition.

They increase wrist hinge as they start down,
create space for the club to rotate about the hands,
and then let that stored load release naturally.

That’s what drives explosive shaft speed
and why copying impact positions alone rarely adds distance.

If you want more speed, don’t chase the release.
Learn how to load it properly first.

👉 Project 120 MPH breaks this down step by step —
how to load the club, sequence it correctly, and turn that into real clubhead speed.

Link in bio. https://greg.gregsmithgolfcoach.com/p120-signup-2
Or comment P120 and I’ll DM you the link

“Keep your head still???” 🤔

I think one of golf’s biggest myths is finally starting to die…

“Keep your head still.”

But I still think most amateur golfers massively underestimate just how much the head can — and should — move during an athletic golf swing.

Watch Dustin Johnson closely.

His head isn’t remotely “still”.

There’s lateral movement.

There’s rotation.

There’s lift.

And there’s drop.

All of this is happening as the body shifts, turns and uses the ground to create speed.

Trying to artificially lock the head in one position can restrict the movement underneath it — limiting rotation, pressure shift and ultimately your ability to generate speed.

The goal isn’t to keep your head still.

It’s to allow it to move in response to an athletic body motion.

If you’d like to learn how to build more speed into your own swing, check out Project 120 MPH.

📍Link in bio
https://greg.gregsmithgolfcoach.com/p120-signup-2

Or comment P120 and I’ll DM you the link. 👊

One thing I see less and less in the modern power game…

The trail arm pinned tightly to the torso in the backswing.

Watch Scottie Scheffler from down the line.

His arms have the freedom to move away from the torso and gain height as he moves towards the top.

Why does that matter?

Allowing the arms to lift increases the radius and length of the arc the lead arm travels on.

That gives the hands more distance to travel…

More distance to accelerate…

And ultimately creates the potential for more lead arm speed and more clubhead speed. ⚡️

I’m not suggesting you should deliberately disconnect your arms from your body.

But there’s a big difference between maintaining structure and pinning the trail elbow to your side.

If speed is the goal, give the arms room to move.

If you’d like to learn how to build more speed into your own swing, check out Project 120 MPH.

📍Link in bio
https://greg.gregsmithgolfcoach.com/p120-signup-2

Or comment P120 and I’ll DM you the link. 👊