My Swing Speed Journey

[Springveldt]

My training sessions have halted just now, struggling to find the time with all the wet weather/job/family and doing it on tarmac seems to slow me down. I have been more active lately though and I've lost a stone over the last 4 weeks (loads of water weight though) and I'm still doing stretches most days.

I should be able to get the sticks out tonight but it will be on tarmac again as the back marsh is just soaked and will be even more slippery than the tarmac. Hopefully I haven't lost too much since my last session and I'm going to try a new drill that I watched on YouTube last night with Crossfield and some guy on a force plate who got stupid speed gains.

 

[Springveldt]

Anyone else do the Stack? I've also stalled.. on about 101 mph but still on the Foundation Course.

I don't do any swing training or weights.. I guess that is essential to increase speed.. doh.

I'd be interested to hear about others Stack experiences..

Keep at it and I'd think weights are only required once you have completely maxed out your current swing which is unlikely. Even then for most amateurs stretching will likely be enough to push on again before you need to start lifting weights.

I've never used the Stack but I'd trust what the app tells you and follow it. The guy who designed really knows his biomechanical stuff.

 

[FormerBigDaddy]

Here are all my spreadsheets for anyone that is interested.

Winter 2022 to 2023:
-Only the fastest regular full swings were recorded.
-You can see I started to record some drivers swings with and without ball and recording those numbers as well (white).
-I followed the protocols on this sheet with kneeling swings in yellow added in.

Summer 2023
-This is where I backed off a bit and just started to experiment with my own drills.
-Only did it 2 days a week max.
-Started to record first set of green swings vs final set.

Fall 2023 to Spring 2024 (current):
-This is now my own program and you can see drills on the top row.
-Note that up until very recently I was doing driver swings (without ball) in the first full swing set. I changed the column blue b/c I started swinging the blue stick again with that first set.
-Grey columns are driver swings without a ball
-Yellow is my highest driver (with ball) at the end of my session (minimum 4 swings but usually more).
-Wherever you see a ? it means my radar was glitching and only got 1 speed reading or no reading at all on that set. My body is still all over the place when doing the double step drill, lol.

 

[FormerBigDaddy]

After looking over all my sheets couple of things stand out... my speeds really jumped early after I added the kneeling swings. They jumped again when I started adding in sets using my driver instead of the blue stick. I still think the blue stick has value which is why I still mix that in as well... still playing with it!

 

[Springveldt]

Managed to get a session in tonight, first one in 2 weeks. Same as the last few sessions and slower than a month ago when it was the last ones on grass.

Got the green to only 118, blue 118, red 116 and final green at 123.

Looking at my spreadsheet there is a noticeable drop off in speeds on the ones I’ve had to do on wet tarmac compared to grass and even the one session on dry tarmac was quicker as well.

 

[cunnini]

i do the stack, finished Foundation and part-way through next programme it recommended for me.

@Gopher - I had few speed stalls but trend continues up - unfortunately though i've pulled a muscle in my back (not playing golf!) so having a few weeks without any swings, stack or clubs, and resting/treating it.

on the stack, in 2nd prgramme you get a few more variances in swing types, eg step swings and the like, just keep with it

good luck

 

[DeanoMK]

i do the stack, finished Foundation and part-way through next programme it recommended for me.

@Gopher - I had few speed stalls but trend continues up - unfortunately though i've pulled a muscle in my back (not playing golf!) so having a few weeks without any swings, stack or clubs, and resting/treating it.

on the stack, in 2nd prgramme you get a few more variances in swing types, eg step swings and the like, just keep with it

good luck

Hello Ian! Hopefully your back recovers quickly.

I've just done my first session in 15 days and my gosh my speeds were right up.

Had my quickest swing with no weights at 124. My quickest swing with 1 weight and then doing my baseline with two weights I hit 117mph twice and averaged out at 116. That's officially over 10mph increase since the start!

That would be a 279 carry, 297 total if I were to somehow take that to the course! Will have to do a test with real balls soon and see what numbers I'm really getting.

Keep up the good work everyone, the rewards will follow!

 

[Springveldt]

Hello Ian! Hopefully your back recovers quickly.

I've just done my first session in 15 days and my gosh my speeds were right up.

Had my quickest swing with no weights at 124. My quickest swing with 1 weight and then doing my baseline with two weights I hit 117mph twice and averaged out at 116. That's officially over 10mph increase since the start!

That would be a 279 carry, 297 total if I were to somehow take that to the course! Will have to do a test with real balls soon and see what numbers I'm really getting.

Keep up the good work everyone, the rewards will follow!

Brilliant stuff so far, that is some increase.

 

[Springveldt]

Thought tonight’s session was going to be a stinker as I could only get the green stick to 115 on the first reps but it ended up being a really good session.

In the end my fastest swings ended up being heel stomp green 124, blue 120 and red 119. Final green was 126 so hoping I can get the green to 130 in the next few weeks.

 

[cunnini]

been to the range over lunch, didn't do stack as first session after a back issue, but maybe the week/10 days off helped - was hitting it as far as i usually would - ok it's s bit warmer, but still i wasnt trying to send it.....

will start again next week on Stack

 

[Springveldt]

Good session tonight. Got the green to 129 on the heel stomp, blue to 126 (joint best ever) and red to 119. Final green was 128, was slightly disappointed as I thought I might get over 130 but it will come if I keep at it.

 

[Backsticks]

Good session tonight. Got the green to 129 on the heel stomp, blue to 126 (joint best ever) and red to 119. Final green was 128, was slightly disappointed as I thought I might get over 130 but it will come if I keep at it.

What are you real driver, real world swing at a ball ?

 

[Springveldt]

What are you real driver, real world swing at a ball ?

Last time I was on Trackman (last October) it was 106mph. My current swing speeds put me around that again based on the Superspeed charts as I’m sure I’ve lost speed over the winter.

I did manage to drive our winter hole 12 on Sunday which is 280 but you need to carry it about 250 to the top of the hill to get it there or else it just stops on the hill. It was a bit wind assisted but it was cold and it’s the first time I’ve done it all winter and ShotScope had the drive as 290 yards as I was at the back of the green.

 

[Springveldt]

Poor session tonight, probably a combination of the path being wet and me feeling a bit tired.

Could only manage to get the green to 124, blue 120 and the red a pitiful 114. Hopefully better next session.

 

[cunnini]

i did my first session for a while yesterday, having had bit of an injury. Was pleased to see the Stack has a programme specifically for returning after a lay-off, so did that - will get back continuing previous sessions next week.

 

[DeanoMK]

i did my first session for a while yesterday, having had bit of an injury. Was pleased to see the Stack has a programme specifically for returning after a lay-off, so did that - will get back continuing previous sessions next week.

I do wish I had the Stack System, the AI behind it is fantastic, I just can't justify the money.

I trained Wednesday and was below par, my wrist injury hampering me - annoyingly I'm going to have to take some time off to let it heal.

In terms of real world results, I was about one yard away from driving our 3rd hole yesterday at LB which is a short par 4, up hill and about 260 to the middle, and it was a super smooth swing.

 

[FormerBigDaddy]

Good session yesterday, was rested and body felt good... but that dang red stick is being so stubborn.

132 Green, 126 Blue, 120 Red

I think I'm going to make some adjustments to my program this june. Might go from 4 swings per club back down the 3 or maybe eliminate the blue stick all together. Starting to think I'm gassing out on my last few sets and need to save something for my last red stick set at the end. I like where I'm at with green and blue but really want to find a way to boost the red. Looking at sheets from a year ago (5 months in at the time) and pretty pleased to see that I'm consistently 4 mph faster with each stick.

 

[Gopher]

Progress is never linear, there's always peaks and troughs. Keep going and at some point you'll breakthrough that barrier and move onwards and upwards. I've seen this with my own training.

So true... I thought my progress on Stack would be linear, increasing every session. However it's not like that but comes and goes.

The main thrust is upwards though.. so far I'm really pleased with the progress, and it's given me more awareness of where the clubface is..

 

[Singlefiguregokfer]

So true... I thought my progress on Stack would be linear, increasing every session. However it's not like that but comes and goes.

The main thrust is upwards though.. so far I'm really pleased with the progress, and it's given me more awareness of where the clubface is..

Just like lifting weights. One session you are lifting PBs for fun the next you really struggle.
In the gym I’d do something different on those days. Maybe volume with lower weights. Don’t know what the swing speed equivalent is however.

 

[Backsticks]

Did a Stack session today, even though I am no sticking to its regime. Doing a couple a fast range sessions per week. Still creeping up. About a mph per 6 weeks.

Stack app has a couple of things going for it, that are more psychological/motivational I think, than technical.

One, it has a schedule and gives you a score for how well you stick to it. Mine has plummeted, as of course it is blind to my range sessions with the driver. And it is a key point, regularly pushing for speed, increases speed.

Two, it has a lot of weight combinations, and for each, a Step, Max, Full, and, a single swing and group of (5-8) swings records. It is motivational - 'I just broke a records, so I must be still making progress'. But...has so many combinations (80 ish ?), that I guess part of the algorithm can play with you to maintain a motivational illusion of progress even if its not there. But cynical in a way or not, it keeps you going.

My guess is that if you can hit 30 balls, full out against a monitor, trying to drive the number up, every 2-3 days, ideally with a slightly heavier, and alightly lighter club mixed in, then you have 95% of speed training. Differences between the various systems are minimal. Any of them, even just your driver, will give the bulk of the gains. But gain you will, if you try. Thats the real point.