Super Speed Training System - 63 year old

[hunterdog]

For what it’s worth, here is my initial review of the Super Speed trading system.
 

I’m 63, have a 4 handicap, and have been playing golf most of my life.  I am 5’ 7” and the last 6 or 7 years have tried to get more fit; work outs and cycling.  I would consider myself quite to very fit. The last two seasons I noticed that my driver and iron distance had started dropping.  Of course, the first thing I did was get fitted for a lighter driver shaft which helped a little.  After reading about the Super Speed training system I thought I would give it a try.  I bought the Speed Sticks and the PRGR launch monitor.  I have just completed the first 6 week phase.  According to the launch monitor, my beginning driver speed was 94 and 7 iron speed was 82.  Today, my measured driver speed was 95 and my 7 iron speed was 82.

 

So, after the first 6 weeks no real gain. It is true that since the beginning of March, because of COVID-19, I have not been going to a gym.  I still workout almost daily but do not have access to heavier free weights but I don’t think that would affect swing speed.  After completing the next phase I’ll update this post.  

[Rollotomasi]

I had similar flat results when I did the full 3 club protocol.
I’d be interested to hear if you will have gains in the next few weeks. 

I’ve paused my Superspeed protocols in favour of the par4success middle club system (party due to little gains and party to do with the sheer number of swings in the SS protocols). I feel I’ve gained a little more speed with the 1 club training.  Not dramatic increases, though.

 

https://par4success.com/articles/are-you-using-overspeed-correctly

  
 

[golfarb1]

 

Here are some additional suggestions  to gain clubhead speed

1. Make sure you attain sufficient hand width in your backswing. 

2. Do not take the club back deliberately  in anticipation of speeding up later. Take the club back a little faster

3.Introduce plyometrics  into your training routine. I use light medicine balls ( under 10lb) in conjunction with a rebounder. The “tornado ball”( medicine ball on a rope) simulates the golf swing with weight on a rope. 

[b_f_c_99]

10 hours ago, hunterdog said:

For what it’s worth, here is my initial review of the Super Speed trading system.
 

I’m 63, have a 4 handicap, and have been playing golf most of my life.  I am 5’ 7” and the last 6 or 7 years have tried to get more fit; work outs and cycling.  I would consider myself quite to very fit. The last two seasons I noticed that my driver and iron distance had started dropping.  Of course, the first thing I did was get fitted for a lighter driver shaft which helped a little.  After reading about the Super Speed training system I thought I would give it a try.  I bought the Speed Sticks and the PRGR launch monitor.  I have just completed the first 6 week phase.  According to the launch monitor, my beginning driver speed was 94 and 7 iron speed was 82.  Today, my measured driver speed was 95 and my 7 iron speed was 82.

 

So, after the first 6 weeks no real gain. It is true that since the beginning of March, because of COVID-19, I have not been going to a gym.  I still workout almost daily but do not have access to heavier free weights but I don’t think that would affect swing speed.  After completing the next phase I’ll update this post.  

For what this is worth.  I’m 54. 5 foot 5 or so and for years have had similar numbers as yours.  Not based off of launch monitors just distance charts I would put your driver at 220 to 225 carry. 7 iron 140 to 145. Assuming your not hot lofted on irons.  Anyway after several years of trying different swing styles etc. I pulled out my old tour tempo program and just increased the overall tempo of my swing.  Now I would say my driver is hitting lhigh 90’s to low 100’s just based off of distance.  Went from a good drive with roll being 240  upwards of 255 to  275 to 285.   I didn’t change anything other than just increasing tempo.  No low and slow junk.  Take it back quick and it comes back through quicker.

Edited November 12, 2020 by b_f_c_99

[stryper]

1 hour ago, b_f_c_99 said:

For what this is worth.  I’m 54. 5 foot 5 or so and for years have had similar numbers as yours.  Not based off of launch monitors just distance charts I would put your driver at 220 to 225 carry. 7 iron 140 to 145. Assuming your not hot lofted on irons.  Anyway after several years of trying different swing styles etc. I pulled out my old tour tempo program and just increased the overall tempo of my swing.  Now I would say my driver is hitting lhigh 90’s to low 100’s just based off of distance.  Went from a good drive with roll being 240  upwards of 255 to  275 to 285.   I didn’t change anything other than just increasing tempo.  No low and slow junk.  Take it back quick and it comes back through quicker.

 

Tempo might be the most underrated part of the golf swing.  Yes Bryson has put on a lot of weight, and presumably a lot of strength too, but what isn’t often talked about is how much faster his tempo is now, probably less than two seconds from takeaway to finish.  And probably twice as fast as his previous tempo.  (Matthew Wolff, who is also a bomber, almost exactly matches Bryson there.)  Conversely, the “low and slow” crowd can often rack up three or four seconds in the backswing alone.

 

Also, take a look at the long drive guys and girls...they’re all wicked quick from start to finish.  

 

I’m not an expert, but I hope this helps.

[b_f_c_99]

31 minutes ago, stryper said:

 

Tempo might be the most underrated part of the golf swing.  Yes Bryson has put on a lot of weight, and presumably a lot of strength too, but what isn’t often talked about is how much faster his tempo is now, probably less than two seconds from takeaway to finish.  And probably twice as fast as his previous tempo.  (Matthew Wolff, who is also a bomber, almost exactly matches Bryson there.)  Conversely, the “low and slow” crowd can often rack up three or four seconds in the backswing alone.

 

Also, take a look at the long drive guys and girls...they’re all wicked quick from start to finish.  

 

I’m not an expert, but I hope this helps.

I think you will find most tour players swings are over in around 1 second from start to finish.  Bryson’s as well as many others are even faster closer to 3/4 of a second.

[swagee]

12 hours ago, hunterdog said:

For what it’s worth, here is my initial review of the Super Speed trading system.
 

I’m 63, have a 4 handicap, and have been playing golf most of my life.  I am 5’ 7” and the last 6 or 7 years have tried to get more fit; work outs and cycling.  I would consider myself quite to very fit. The last two seasons I noticed that my driver and iron distance had started dropping.  Of course, the first thing I did was get fitted for a lighter driver shaft which helped a little.  After reading about the Super Speed training system I thought I would give it a try.  I bought the Speed Sticks and the PRGR launch monitor.  I have just completed the first 6 week phase.  According to the launch monitor, my beginning driver speed was 94 and 7 iron speed was 82.  Today, my measured driver speed was 95 and my 7 iron speed was 82.

 

So, after the first 6 weeks no real gain. It is true that since the beginning of March, because of COVID-19, I have not been going to a gym.  I still workout almost daily but do not have access to heavier free weights but I don’t think that would affect swing speed.  After completing the next phase I’ll update this post.  

I have been using the super speed training for abt 6 wks and did see a considerable change in the distance (easily +15 yds off the drive). I dont have a launch monitor so I can't vouch for the change of speed, but it works for me distance wise. 

Im in my 30s, train with superspeed 3 times/wk per recommendation and work out 3 times/wk in between. 

I hope it'll work for u in the nxt phase. 

Cheers

 

[swagee]

2 hours ago, b_f_c_99 said:

For what this is worth.  I’m 54. 5 foot 5 or so and for years have had similar numbers as yours.  Not based off of launch monitors just distance charts I would put your driver at 220 to 225 carry. 7 iron 140 to 145. Assuming your not hot lofted on irons.  Anyway after several years of trying different swing styles etc. I pulled out my old tour tempo program and just increased the overall tempo of my swing.  Now I would say my driver is hitting lhigh 90’s to low 100’s just based off of distance.  Went from a good drive with roll being 240  upwards of 255 to  275 to 285.   I didn’t change anything other than just increasing tempo.  No low and slow junk.  Take it back quick and it comes back through quicker.

Im about the same built. My ball used to roll out 250 prior to super speed training. Now it has gotten to 270 on good drives. My goal is to consistently carry 255-260 and roll out to your distance. 

That said, my take away is pretty slow comparing to my down swing. 

I will try to increase my tempo per ur advise. Thx for giving me hope.

Cheers, mate. 

[agolfman]

I think that speed training is still not really understood by those of us looking to improve.  Bryson has said a couple fo times that you have to relearn the manner in which you swing...the above comments regarding tempo are a testament to that.  You have to go all out for 30 balls was what I had heard.

 

I've boiled it down to range sessions where I swing as fast as possible and make still make contact.  I have no concern whatsoever about direction...then I'll dial a few back to "regular" tempo, which is now a bit faster than previously.  Seems to be working as I've been consistently longer/higher on the golf course.

 

And now I've added a 48" driver into the mix.  That's a little more complicated, but it's absolutely added yards...like a lot.  It also has eliminated an OTT issue.  You have to be flatter and more shallow with the longer shaft...no other way to get back to the ball.  Even if it's just incrementally better, it will also add some mph to a swing.

[b_f_c_99]

17 hours ago, swagee said:

Im about the same built. My ball used to roll out 250 prior to super speed training. Now it has gotten to 270 on good drives. My goal is to consistently carry 255-260 and roll out to your distance. 

That said, my take away is pretty slow comparing to my down swing. 

I will try to increase my tempo per ur advise. Thx for giving me hope.

Cheers, mate. 

 

I should clarify a few things before anyone runs out and torches their swing.

 

1.  I highly recommend getting the Tour Tempo app by John Novosel.  No I'm not affiliated but all this will make more sense.

 

2.  If your a 'swinger'  using loose hands, arms and the concept of them dropping into the 'slot' with no effort speeding up your swing will probably be absolute poison.  There could be some value in the Tour Tempo concept but at a slower speed rather than faster.

 

Ok, lets get into it!

 

Tour Tempo concept is based off of swing tempo,  it can be faster or slower but the tempo from the takeaway, the top/transition, through hitting the ball stays the same relative to the speed your swinging.  Taking the club away really slow and then looking for a massive speedup in transition is generally disaster.

 

What your trying to do is speed up your backswing which in turn will speed up your transition and your speed through the ball.

I was watching a video of Bryson D's swing from this year compared to last year.    He's at impact now where last year he was just finishing his backswing.  Which means he is taking the club away much faster.

Also,  I was at one of Monte Scheinblum's clinics a few years ago and people that thought their swings were to fast he would compare to tour pro  they thought had a slow tempo.  The Pro was hitting the ball before the student was halfway through their backswing.  Monte also stated he doesn't like to do the compare your swing to a pro thing.  This was the only time he would do that.

 

I realize this probably isn't for everyone,  as a disclaimer I was a 3 handicap with a pretty solid swing.  I've been as low as a 1 and that was with some of the worse putting you can imagine.  You are going to have to have a pretty 'firm' setup.  As in your can't just hold the club so loosely that it flings around when you try and take it away.  This is much more of a 'hitting' mentality than swinging.

 

Now here is what I did:

 

I grabbed a 5 iron, went into my backyard and dialed up the Tour Tempo 21/7  swing tempo and then just made practice swings with the beat/metronome thing going until I was hitting the timing that was being called out.  At first I was like 'no way is this happening'.  About 3 minutes later I was getting the hang of it.  And I was TIRED.   I also quickly realized that I had effectively shortened my swing and arm over run to accomplish this.  You just don't have enough time to be low and slow and picking your hands way up.   I did this a few times a day and within a week I noticed that 21/7 felt pretty damn slow actually.  There is a 6/18 speed that was faster so I started going with that.  Now it actually feels pretty slow as well.

 

What I have also discovered is that the the pre-set tempos aren't important.  The ratio is what is important.   You can speed it up or slow it down in your head to make a 7 iron go 140 or 165.

 

Other benefits are your body will self organize to hit the tempo points,  you will stop thinking about body positions, arm positions ect.  Your focus will become how can I get from here to there.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 12, 2020 by b_f_c_99
Spelling and context

[swagee]

1 hour ago, b_f_c_99 said:

 

I should clarify a few things before anyone runs out and torches their swing.

 

1.  I highly recommend getting the Tour Tempo app by John Novosel.  No I'm not affiliated but all this will make more sense.

 

2.  If your a 'swinger'  using loose hands, arms and the concept of them dropping into the 'slot' with no effort speeding up your swing will probably be absolute poison.  There could be some value in the Tour Tempo concept but at a slower speed rather than faster.

 

Ok, lets get into it!

 

Tour Tempo concept is based of a swing tempo,  it can be faster or slower but the tempo from the takeaway, the top/transition, through hitting the ball stays the same relative to the speed your swinging.  Taking the club away really slow and then looking for a massive speedup in transition is generally disaster.

 

What your trying to do is speed up your backswing which in turn will speed up your transition and your speed through the ball.

I was watching a video of Bryson D's swing from this year compared to last year.    He's at impact now where last year he was just finishing his backswing.  Which means he is taking the club away much faster.

Also,  I was at one of Monte Scheinblum's clinics a few years ago and people that thought their swings were to fast he would compare to tour pro  they thought had a slow tempo.  The Pro was hitting the ball before the student was halfway through their backswing.  Monte also stated he doesn't like to do the compare your swing to a pro thing.  This was the only time he would do that.

 

I realize this probably isn't for anyone,  as a disclaimer I was a 3 handicap with a pretty solid swing.  I've been as low as a 1 and that was with some of the worse putting you can imagine.  You are going to have to have a pretty 'firm' setup.  As in your can't just hold the club so loosely that it flings around when you try and take it away.  This is much more of a 'hitting' mentality than swinging.

 

Now here is what I did:

 

I grabbed a 5 iron, went into my backyard and dialed up the Tour Tempo 21/7  swing tempo and then just made practice swings with the beat/metronome thing going until I was hitting the timing that was being called out.  At first I was like 'no way is this happening'.  About 3 minutes later I was getting the hang of it.  And I was TIRED.   I also quickly realized that I had effectively shortened my swing and arm over run to accomplish this.  You just don't have enough time to be low and slow and picking your hands way up.   I did this a few times a day and within a week I noticed that 21/7 felt pretty damn slow actually.  There is a 6/18 speed that was faster so I started going with that.  Now it actually feels pretty slow as well.

 

What I have also discovered is that the the pre-set tempos aren't important.  The ratio is what is important.   You can speed it up or slow it down in your head to make a 7 iron go 140 or 165.

 

Other benefits are your body will self organize to hit the tempo points,  you will stop thinking about body positions, arm positions ect.  Your focus will become how can I get from here to there.

 

 

 

 

 

Duly noted. Will try it now while watching Tiger. 

Thx, mate

[DLiver]

I'm 65 and very fit. Years ago, I tried overspeed training and it helped me a lot. Over the last couple years, I have tried it several times again and gotten almost no results. Additionally, I screwed up my swing chasing MPH. This summer, I started working out with a very smart TPI guy. Among the interesting things he said was that your body will only let you swing as fast as you can safely slow down on the through swing. He said the science on this is indisputable (from many sports where rotational speed is important). Hence the focus on opposite side swings in speed training. this guy put a lot of muscle on my--prolly 4 lbs+- and definitely increased my swing speed. I don't have specific metrics, but I had to adjust my iron distances 5-7 yards, and my driver was getting out there as well.

 

I would like to get out and do speed training again, but I need to figure out how to do it without making a mess of my swing. It is an interesting puzzle for sure.

[hunterdog]

OP here:  I finished Phase 2 of the Super Speed training today. I have followed the protocol.  I did receive an Orange Whip training device for Christmas and have been using it daily since. 
 

Used the PRGR launch monitor for testing, as I have since beginning the training.  Today’s testing indicates that my driver swing speed has increased from 94 mph to 100 mph (average of 5 swings) and 7 iron swing speed increased to 87 mph.

 

I am going to continue the Super Speed training protocol, in combination with the Orange Whip. As I continue, I will update this post.

 

Happy New Year Wrxers!!

Edited January 3, 2021 by hunterdog

[rochestergolfer36]

Glad to see you got an increase by now.  I use a Orange Whip too and find it's a great tool.

 

I've worked with SS on and off for last 2 years, never really staying consistent.  Usually go 3-5 weeks doing both SS and some workouts provided specifically for me by a golf fitness coach.  Then I fall off as I've never made it through an entire 6 week protocol.  I just turned 32 and have 3 little ones under 5 so the last two years have been the hardest for myself to stay in shape and at a good weight.   I'm 5'9" and between 165-175lbs.  So I'm motivated this winter.

 

I restarted Protocol I at the start of December then took 2 weeks off right before Christmas due to no time with work/family and being lazy.  The last time I did SS was May/June for 5 weeks.  During this last week I just saw some big jumps in my numbers.  I've always tracked my results so I looked back at my prior sessions for the last 2 years.  I'm 10 mph above my number during most of my protocols from 2 years ago and 5mph above where I was during the first 2 weeks at the beginning of December.  I'm going to Phoenix at the end of January for a week long trip so I'm committed to finishing protocol I by the start of my trip.

 

What interests me is the 5 mph jump.  I think it b/c I had gotten a better understanding of my swing in the fall and started to play with far less tension and how to get a bigger/more full turn.  Not intentionally for speed but just improved mechanics by working with my coach.  We knew it'd also help with speed and it seemed to in the fall with my distances (hard to tell when playing in low temps).  Those first 2 weeks of SS my speed in December were higher than what I remembered before and I had played a lot golf from April through November due to a great fall here in MN.

 

So to my point, it's interesting to me to see when people see jumps in swing speed and how they are not consistent when they happen.  Sometimes people have the physical ability to swing faster  and this training lets that ability out.  But also you may already be maxed out and need to make some physical improvements whether that be swing mechanics or body improvements.  

 

The best what I've found (for both speed and a better swing) it to find a golf fitness coach who understands all this but also understands the golf swing.  TPI trainers seem to fit this bill the most.  To me it's amazing when I had my fitness coach talk to me about where they can see weaknesses in my physical abilities and then separately my swing coach has me work on something that is completely related.    

[Makuakane_Bear]

For what it's worth, my experience with Super Speed has been very positive. I have gained a significant amount of speed in my swing and last year had to relearn all my distances with my clubs.  During the training, I definitely had to reevaluate how I swing the club. I found that my fastest swings were not my hardest swings. Also, those fast swings were all made when I had followed some of the cues from my older video taped golf lessons (old habits sneak in and rob distance). The 6 week program definitely forced me to address certain habits and drove a couple new good habits in hard. Overall, I was very pleased. Haven’t really progressed past stage 2 though but really happy where I am at currently.