Everyone wants more distance, and these are the tools that genuinely deliver it. The speed-training systems the long-drive crowd actually use, the tempo and contact trainers that turn speed into solid strikes, the mobility kit that lets your body make the move, and the low-spin distance balls to cash it all in. No magic, just the honest path to a few more yards.
TheStack is a swing speed training system built around a weighted training club and an app developed by a respected golf biomechanist. You attach combinations of five milled weights to the club, then follow app-prescribed sessions over a six to ten week block. The app baselines your current speed, builds a force-velocity profile, and prescribes which weights to swing and how fast, adjusting as you progress. It is overspeed and resistance training done with proper structure rather than guesswork.
What's great
The personalisation is the real draw. Instead of a generic stick you swing, the app tells you exactly what to do each session and tracks whether it is working, which keeps you honest and motivated. The hardware is genuinely well made, the 30 weight combinations cover everyone from juniors to big hitters, and the structured protocols mean many golfers see real, recorded speed gains over a training block. Including a year of app access in the price is fair.
Worth knowing
This is not a buy-it-and-leave-it gadget. It only works if you commit to several sessions a week for weeks, and progress can stall if you skip the programme. The bigger catch: it does not measure your speed on its own. You need a separate speed device or launch monitor that can read swings without ball impact, which is an extra cost many buyers do not expect. After year one, continued full app access becomes a subscription. And like all speed work, the gains taper and you have to keep training to hold them.
The verdict
If you are serious about adding clubhead speed and will follow the plan, this is one of the most credible, well-engineered speed trainers available, and the app structure is what sets it apart. Just budget for a compatible speed device and go in knowing it rewards consistency, not impulse.
The Rypstick is a single 45-inch driver-length speed-training stick with weights you slide in and lock without tools, replacing the usual set of three clubs. It is aimed at golfers who want genuine clubhead speed and distance, and it earned a Golf Digest Editor's Choice.
What's great
The speed gains are real and well-documented, not marketing fluff. independent testers tracked a 54-year-old adding 11.6 mph in 30 days, and owner reports of 7 to 12 mph over a few weeks are common if you actually do the work. I rate the one-stick design: it fits in your bag where SuperSpeed's three clubs do not, and the tool-free weights (270g up to 420g) make sessions quick at around 15 minutes. It works particularly well for older players chasing lost yards.
Worth knowing
The headline price is not the real price. You really need a speed radar to train properly (gains depend on chasing a number), so budget for that on top, and the app now hides advanced levels behind a yearly subscription. It is a fitness tool, not magic: three sessions a week for 8 to 12 weeks, then forever maintenance, because the speed bleeds away if you stop (one user dropped from 130 to 115 after a layoff). Expect a few weeks of wild, sprayed tee shots while your body adapts. If your mechanics are a mess or you swing sporadically, do not bother.
The verdict
If you'll genuinely commit to the protocol and a radar, the Rypstick delivers honest, measurable speed and is the most convenient option going. If you want a quick fix or won't train consistently, save your money.
The SuperSpeed Golf Training System is the three-stick overspeed kit (light, medium, heavy clubs, colour-coded by gender set) you swing in sequence to trick your body into moving faster. Aimed at anyone chasing more clubhead speed and distance without rebuilding their swing.
What's great
The science is real and it actually works, which is more than I can say for most training aids. independent testers ran nine forum testers over 10 weeks and saw an average 8.2 mph driver speed bump, with a roughly 8 percent permanent gain being a fair expectation if you stick at it. Golf Monthly got a couple of mph in just four weeks at the first level. The sticks are well made, the Level 1 protocol is free online, and you can do the whole thing in your living room. For the price of a few balls in the rough, it's genuinely good value if you commit.
Worth knowing
The big honest catch: nothing happens unless you grind the full 8 to 10 week protocol three times a week, and most people quit. It's a proper workout, so skip the warm-up and you risk tweaking something. Three sticks won't fit in your bag, so this lives at home, not the course. And to actually see your numbers you really want a launch monitor, which is more money on top. The advanced protocols sit behind an app subscription too.
The verdict
I rate it. It's one of the few aids with real data behind it, but it only pays off if you're disciplined. Lazy buyers will end up with three expensive sticks gathering dust in the garage.
The SKLZ Gold Flex is a weighted, whippy fibreglass warm-up and tempo trainer (comes in 48 inch and a shorter 40 inch), aimed at golfers who want smoother rhythm and a bit of swing-muscle conditioning without hitting balls.
What's great
For tempo and warming up, this thing genuinely works. The over-flexy shaft forces you to wait at the top and feel the lag, so if you're a casting, over-the-top lash-merchant it'll expose that quick. Ten or twenty smooth swings before a round and your sequencing settles right down. It's cheap, near indestructible (the soft weighted head shrugs off knocks), and small enough to chuck in the car or swing in the garden. Loads of owners use it for months as a pre-round loosener and a gentle strength builder, and on that job it earns its keep.
Worth knowing
Be honest about what it isn't. It builds rhythm, not real distance, so don't expect overspeed gains. The weight feels heavy and awkward at first, and arthritic or smaller hands find the 48 inch a handful (the 40 inch suits ladies and shorter players, though some reckon it's actually too stiff to flex properly). Big one: do NOT try to regrip it. Owners on GolfWRX warn the shaft tip and grip are bonded oddly, and pulling the grip can wreck it. There's no feedback beyond feel, so if your tempo's already solid it adds little.
The verdict
A cracking little tempo and warm-up tool for the money, and one I'd happily rate for anyone fighting bad rhythm or wanting a no-balls loosener. Just buy the right length, leave the grip alone, and don't expect it to add yards.
The GolfForever kit pairs a set of resistance bands (plus a training bar and weighted ball on the fuller bundles) with a subscription app of golf-specific workouts, built around the routine Scottie Scheffler's camp made famous. It's aimed at golfers who want more clubhead speed and fewer aches, not gym rats.
What's great
The bands and bar genuinely feel well made, nylon-sleeved bands, carabiners that clip on and off fast, and testers running them hard for weeks report no wear. The whole thing packs into a bag, so you can train at home or away. The app is the real engine: it builds a plan off a short assessment and feeds you rotational, mobility and strength work that's actually tailored to golf. Owners back it up with real numbers, a few mph of clubhead speed and noticeably less back and hip stiffness after a few months, and that's the bit I rate most.
Worth knowing
The bands alone are a bit pointless without the app, and that's where it stings: it auto-renews at the yearly rate (around 199 a year), not monthly, so check your renewal or you'll get a nasty surprise. Workouts go repetitive and you can't always skip the ones you dislike, instructor quality is patchy (some find Holman a bit much), and a few folks say the "personalised" plan drifts off their actual pain points over time. You also need floor space to swing the bar safely.
The verdict
If you'll actually train and want a golf-specific routine rather than random gym work, the kit plus app is the best of its kind and worth it. If you won't commit, you're paying premium money for posh elastic, skip it and just do the free trial first.
The TaylorMade TP5 is a five-layer urethane tour ball, the soft-feel sibling to the TP5x, aimed at better players and improvers who want a proper premium ball and care more about greenside control than squeezing out every last yard.
What's great
This is genuinely one of the best balls money can buy, and I rate it. In independent robot and player testing (independent testers, Today's Golfer) the TP5 produces some of the highest greenside and iron spin of any ball going, so it bites and stops on the green instead of running off the back. The five-layer build means it does everything: fast off the driver, controlled into greens, soft and muted off the putter. Honest take, it goes toe to toe with a Pro V1 and beats it on stopping power. If you compress a ball properly, you'll feel the difference.
Worth knowing
Two real gripes. First, durability. Plenty of owners (and independent testers) report the cover scuffing on flush wedge and iron shots, and it'll shred completely on a cart path, so if you're a one-ball-a-round hacker who clips concrete, this is an expensive habit. Second, quality control: independent ball-lab testing has repeatedly flagged TP5 for off-centre cores and inconsistent layer thickness, with a chunk of samples failing. It's also a premium price, and a mid handicapper who can't compress it won't unlock half of what they're paying for. The TP5x is the better shout if you want lower spin and more distance.
The verdict
A brilliant tour ball that I'd happily play, best suited to decent ball strikers who want spin and feel over raw distance. Just go in knowing the cover marks up easily and you're paying top dollar.
Callaway's premium tour ball, the one built to take on the Pro V1. Four-piece urethane job aimed at faster swingers who want soft feel without the spin getting silly.
What's great
This is a proper tour ball, not a pretender. The feel is a touch softer than the Tour X and even the Pro V1x, with a duller, muted click off the irons that a lot of blokes love. Greenside it bites just like a Pro V1, testers genuinely struggled to tell them apart around the green. Ball flight is rock solid and it holds its line beautifully in the wind, which makes it a cracker for links and breezy days. It's also tougher than you'd expect, more than one tester reckoned it held up better than a Pro V1 against cart paths and tree bark, so it lasts.
Worth knowing
It's a firmer feel overall (compression around 87), so if you swing easy or like a marshmallow ball, this isn't it, the Chrome Soft suits you better. It's a hair slower off the driver than a Pro V1x and the Tour X, costing a couple of yards of carry, though if you've got the speed you'll never notice. And it's full whack premium money. If you're a mid or high handicapper, you're paying tour prices for performance you can't fully use.
The verdict
A genuine Pro V1 rival and one of the best balls going for fast-swinging players who want soft feel and a steady flight in the wind. If you're slower or careful with cash, save your money and look elsewhere.
A four-piece urethane "tour" ball from German direct-to-consumer brand Vice, pitched as a Pro V1x rival at a fraction of the price. This is the firm, high-launch, low-driver-spin one in the range, built for fast swingers.
What's great
For the money this genuinely punches above its weight. In independent 2025 testing it was the fastest, firmest ball in the Vice line, posting low driver spin (around 2,300 rpm) for a strong penetrating flight, yet still produced the highest wedge spin of the three Vice balls, so you get real bite around the greens. Golf Monthly rated the crisp, clicky feel off the face and reckoned it might be Vice's best ball yet. If you swing it hard and order direct, you're getting tour-level construction for roughly half what the big brands charge.
Worth knowing
It's firm, and that's not for everyone. If you like a soft, buttery feel off the putter and wedges, you'll find this clicky and a bit hard. It's genuinely built for 110mph-plus swing speeds, so slower swingers won't compress it properly or see the distance benefit. Golf Monthly also flagged the odd iron shot coming out with unexpectedly low spin and flying long, and Vice's quality control has historically been less bulletproof than Titleist's. It's also direct-order, so no popping into a shop for a sleeve.
The verdict
If you've got the swing speed and want tour performance without the tour price, I rate it, the Pro Plus is a smart, honest buy. If you swing slower or love a soft feel, I'd avoid it and look at the standard Pro instead.
