[MEVO (not +) thoughts 3 yrs later?]

I had the Mevo and went to the Mevo+. Different ballgames. 

The regular Mevo is fine if you:

1. Can regularly see your ball flight and won't go months on end without hitting outdoors. Being that you are in Arizona, I don't think this is an issue for you. In Michigan, it's problematic.
2. Are honest about your ball flight and are not just chasing numbers (if you use your Mevo outdoors).

I cannot speak to the Mevo inside as I never used it for that purpose. The Mevo+ is generally pretty good indoors (although since FlightScope released their PGA show updates the consistency of accuracy with anything above 140 MPH ball speed has been pretty awful for me), so I would suspect the Mevo will be similar. I think the RCT balls work with the standard Mevo as well so spin should be pretty accurate.

I specifically want to highlight point No. 2 because I fell into the "chasing numbers" trap with the regular Mevo a bit. Started trying to hit higher and higher ball speeds and did that by grooving a slinging hook and not being honest with myself at the range. That big of a draw is not playable in real life, and I still fight that today. I enjoy having the Mevo+ dispersion map as it keeps you more realistic with your outcomes.

For $250, the regular Mevo the best of the bunch in that range, in my opinion. And if you don't like it, I would assume you'll be able to get about that much back out of it.

[What Have You Bought Lately? (CHA - Club Ho's Anonymous)]

On 1/31/2023 at 8:59 PM, edingc said:

Been so busy lately I haven't been able to post!

Placed my order for the 10.5 degree Paradym Triple Diamond driver the other day, just waiting for delivery to the pro shop. Very excited to have that for this season after my fitting two weekends ago.

Putter is safe, wedges are safe, irons are safe, 4 hybrid is safe, (new) driver is safe. I'm tempted to go hit the Paradym wood line and maybe jump on one if I can find an early season cast off on eBay... 

She arrived today and is pretty.  

[edingc's Work In Progress]

Late February update, and hopefully the last before actual golf in the spring. 

This has been a successful winter. My lifts have gone up, my speed (more below) has gone up, and I'm feeling better about my swing. 

I only ended up taking a single lesson with my instructor over the winter. He gets really busy in the February-March timeframe, so I haven't bothered to try to find time to work with him again. My lesson in December was really helpful, and I've found some keys in my swing that seem to have jived with what we were working on.

I hopped outside last night with a camera and just took some smooth gap wedges following my Stack session. I'm happy about the backswing length here, and I like seeing the club face be a little less rotational past the ball.

Regarding Stack, I've four sessions into Neural Drive, which is the third program in the Stack for me since I got it. Results have been pretty good. My speed floor seems to have come up and my ceiling also, depending on how I'm feeling. Really happy with the percentiles below:

Got my membership letter yesterday. The season is getting nearer! Hoping for an early spring and perhaps some March golf.

[Why did you join MGS?]

@GolfSpy MPR's DIY SuperSpeed stick thread is what sucked me in initially. I had decided to take golf more seriously and building those were my first foray into club building.

I ended up chiming in on a few threads and creating a couple within a few weeks - the initial vibe here was much more welcoming and friendly than a few of the other golf forums I had read or been a part of at the time. I think I put in for the Ping G410 test and maybe a set of rain gear before getting selected to test the Epic Flash. The rest is history as they say.

Lots of great people along the way! Looking forward to the future as well.

 

[What/How Did You Practice Today?]

22 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Do you get into your heels at all during the swing?

Definitely a feel vs. real thing, I'm not avoiding turning into my right heel and I still finish balanced. But my habit has been too much pressure over my ankles at setup, which for me leads to bad things in the swing.

Ironically, Monte just posted something that is applicable for me: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Con2nuXjc39/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Being more "in the toes" helps me to avoid the exact thing he is calling out there.

[What/How Did You Practice Today?]

5 minutes ago, cnosil said:

From everything I read, the body tries to balance itself during the swing if you are out on your toes, you will move back toward your heels and as you saw more out to in and ball stroke more toward the toe.  If you are too far on heels you will go toward your toes and in to out  and ball strike toward the heel.  

 this is what I see when I move my weight around.  

Yeah, generally that's been my thought as well. I think for me, the "out on toes" feeling is more of balls of the feet rather than heels. It just feels way out on the toes because I've always been so far in my heel. 

Makes sense given every instructor and fitter I've ever spent much time with has said I need to "stretch out" further, which was them trying to explain I was too cramped and back on my heels. Just finally finding some good feels with it.

[What/How Did You Practice Today?]

Last couple of sessions I've been really trying to get my posture more athletic, getting weight/pressure out of my heels and more toward my toes. Fun to see how different feels impact club path and shot.

Last night I really felt my pressure towards my toes in both feet throughout the swing and it was crazy to see my path get solidly more left. Basically started hitting really nice controlled fades but with great launch and speed. Something to continue to play around with, although last night I couldn't draw the ball to save my life so maybe it was just my swing for the day? 

Dispersion keeps getting tighter and that has me really excited for this season.

[MGS Off-Season Speed Challenge]

Boom! 

Loving the warmer temperatures. Officially ready for the season to start.

Had one other at 119 and a third at 118.1. Third was a little iffy directionally but happy to see the speeds tick up.

[The Stack System Review and Progress Thread]

Finished Full Speed Spectrum on Sunday (first program after Foundation), and my progress check last night.

Not worried too much about the driver swings not progressing - the 195gram weight went up three miles per hour and that seems to correlate to the progress I saw during the two months of the program. Additionally, I tweaked a muscle in my neck on Tuesday and it was a little sore last night.

The app recommended another round of Full Speed Spectrum, but I'm going to go with program recommendation No. 2 which was Neural Drive. Specifically, I am going with Neural Drive for variety and because of the website description:

"The Neural Drive program is also effective for the golfer who struggles with the concept of maximum effort swing."

With it being a 24 session program I'm looking at finishing right around mid-April which is the beginning of my full golf season. At that point I'll probably transition to Cruiser for the season.

I will also be re-doing my baseline with the Mevo+ before starting Neural Drive. My previous two baseline and progress checks were completed with the Sports Sensor Radar and now that I use the Mevo+ for the sessions, I'd like to get all of the numbers lining up correctly.

[Speed Training- Super Speed vs The Stack]

2 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Anyone in this group try the Rypstick? Or consider it?

Had it. I've gone DIY SuperSpeed sticks -> Rypstick -> The Stack.

The Rypstick is a good product, and I had a great experience with it and their supporting ecosystem. I actually did the consultation with their personal trainer Sarah and ended up buying a few months of fitness programming from her. The Rypstick takes the negatives of the SuperSpeed system (multiple sticks) and solves that with the changeable weight design.

All that being said, the app sold me on the Stack (despite the recurring cost), and the fact that Mevo+ integration came along was a fantastic bonus. I've made more progress on the Stack than I did with the Rypstick, but a lot of that is probably my commitment to keeping my Stacking schedule pretty consistent. The app is a good motivator (grit score) and I really like the "forced" rest periods. It's really quite simple and easy to follow.

Not to say the Rypstick programming is hard (it's pretty similar to SuperSpeed's newer program - fewer swings than SS's original programs, I believe), but for those of us who do not do a good job of enforcing rest periods or staying motivated, I think the Stack is superior.

[MGS Off-Season Speed Challenge]

9 minutes ago, Getoffmylawn said:

Nice work Cody.  What kind of nutrition changes are we talking about here, and why?

Quoting myself below from a few pages back for the backstory. In practice, I started eating some plain oatmeal and a banana with my lunch, and occasionally eat a sweet potato at dinner. Took my daily carb intake from less than 50 grams to 100-150.

So far, so good, as the additional few carbs only briefly added some water weight before it came back off again. Down about 12 pounds total since the start of the year (about 4 of that was immediate water weight loss from the holiday binge).

On 1/23/2023 at 11:00 AM, edingc said:

Second, regarding my nutrition, my goal over the next few weeks is to slowly ramp up my carbohydrate intake in an effort to regain some of the 3-4 MPH I lost over the past month. I was reading a pretty interesting research summary on Stronger by Science, which highlighted the relationship of glycogen storage in type 2/"fast twitch" muscle fibers. 

I'm continuing to make some gains in the gym with weights, but the speed has stagnated/regressed a bit since the fall. Since the start of the year my wife and I have gotten back into being lower carb more seriously (we've been low carbers for over 10 years now, but splurged a bit this past fall/holiday season) and that has correlated directly with my loss of speed.

I'm hoping by introducing a few more carbs I might capture some of that lost speed while still allowing me to work on body composition. Fun little experiment to take me through the end of this challenge.

[MGS Off-Season Speed Challenge]

February check-in time for me. After not swinging all week (minus my Stack workouts) due to the cold temperatures, the garage was right around 40 and very comfortable today.

I'm very glad I played around with my nutrition a little bit over the past few weeks. It has made a big difference, combined with a few different thoughts and feels. Speed is back/trending ever-so-slightly up, and my swing is really coming along.

My three best driver swings today were 117.3, 116.3 and 116 for an average of 116.5 MPH. Roughly 2.5 MPH up from October's baseline.

I also completed my last workout of Full Speed Spectrum Stack program, and the app is eerily accurate (see below). My maxed out 6 iron neared 101 today with 140+ ball speed, and my dispersion has been getting pretty darn good as well. My main miss is still a hook when I try to crush the ball and "rip it down the third base line." I definitely have been getting more neutral overall, however, as you can see from my path and face above.

Very happy tonight.

[What Have You Bought Lately? (CHA - Club Ho's Anonymous)]

Been so busy lately I haven't been able to post!

Placed my order for the 10.5 degree Paradym Triple Diamond driver the other day, just waiting for delivery to the pro shop. Very excited to have that for this season after my fitting two weekends ago.

Putter is safe, wedges are safe, irons are safe, 4 hybrid is safe, (new) driver is safe. I'm tempted to go hit the Paradym wood line and maybe jump on one if I can find an early season cast off on eBay... 

[Speed Training- Super Speed vs The Stack]

42 minutes ago, joen said:

My wrist would always bother me during the swings, and I would get a lancinating nerve pain in that same wrist during some of the swings. I stopped and the pain never returned. 

My opinion/experience here...

The intro program does a very good job of ramping up the swings so you don't jump full on into too many at once. That being said, during the first couple of weeks of the Full Speed Spectrum program, which was the first program the app recommended after the intro, I did experience some tennis/golf elbow. Full Speed Spectrum uses some heavier weights and it took my body a while to adjust to that. No issues now, just about done with Full Speed Spectrum.

[MGS Off-Season Speed Challenge]

Phew! Big relief today as my speed miraculously is showing signs of coming back. I set a couple new personal bests during my Stack workout and my hitting session that followed was great. Saw my 6 iron sneak back up into the 99-100 range (and a little higher when I was going all out for fun). The really good news is that my driver started right around 112 and worked closer to 113 cruising during the session with my top speeds coming at 115+.

The small addition of a few more carbohydrates seems to be helping. I also PR'ed a few lifts this week and have been feeling really good (and am also down about 12 pounds from the holidays!).

I was really hoping to see 5+ MPH gains this offseason, but that was probably very unrealistic. Seeing 115 (and hopefully sustaining that) is still a small gain and I'm happy with that.

[MGS Off-Season Speed Challenge]

On 1/24/2023 at 11:02 AM, GolfSpy MPR said:

So the phone I use to Stack has no SIM card. When I connect the phone to the Mevo+ to use with Stack, there are times the Stack app tries to check something online and can't, because it has no data connection.

For what it's worth - I have the same exact setup with a SIM-less iPhone and have experienced this as well.

21 hours ago, Getoffmylawn said:

Finished Neural Drive today.

I’ve been pretty sore since I started doing some sprinting two weeks ago, consequently (I think) I never got past my peak 111 Stack Speed and didn’t finish at a peak.  But, I’ll do a progress check Monday see what the recommendation is.

That said, I’m feeling a need to rest a bit more, and I have a trip to @GolfSpy_BOS‘s second home (Disney World) coming on the 16th of Feb, so I plan to go into some Cruiser workouts until I get back from that trip.

I'm really hoping this is my next program. Three more to go in Full Speed Spectrum for me.

[What/How Did You Practice Today?]

Only had a few minutes after my Stack session last night so I pulled my mat forward a bit and didn't bother with a radar just to get some better video and work on a few things. Specifically, I've been working on my right elbow at setup (more supination, i.e. elbow pointing more to right hip than behind me) and also on posture/pressure at setup. Last night I focused on feeling my hips over my ankles. It keeps me from sitting back too much and getting in my heels during the swing. 

Have to say, this is one of the best looking swings I've made in a long, long time. Feeling really good about it.

 

[Speed Training- Super Speed vs The Stack]

5 hours ago, WaffleHouseTour said:

Have you connected it to your Mevo+ ?  Happy with that?

Yes, very happy. It does add just a bit of time to the setup process, but totally worth it. No need to manually enter speeds. 

[MGS Off-Season Speed Challenge]

5 minutes ago, JohnSmalls said:

For those of you that are having more success with a pause at the top, is this a Hideki like pause at the top instead of a fast backswing?

I really should video the two different feels l have, but for me, I tend to see better numbers when I perceive either:

1) A slower, complete backswing, focusing more on staying in balance than anything else.

or 

2) A faster backswing with what feels like a brief pause at the top.

I suspect the "brief pause" I feel at the top is likely more of my body getting synced up and finishing my backswing fully. I think sometimes the hit impulse can be greater for me with a faster backswing, and that causes all sorts of issues.

[MGS Off-Season Speed Challenge]

During my fitting yesterday I averaged right around 110 MPH swing speed (Trackman), topping out at 113.2. Well struck balls were flying with about 165 MPH ball speed.

I've remarked the past few weeks that I've lost some speed since early December as a result of trying to cut some weight I put on over the holidays.

First, as to not lose sight of the forest through the trees, I went back and looked at my Trackman fitting from spring 2019 during the Epic Flash test here on MGS. At that time my absolute all out swing went 103, with the majority of my drivers sitting under 100 MPH. My max ball speed during that fitting was 148 MPH. So I'm obviously ecstatic to have added that speed over the past four years.

Second, regarding my nutrition, my goal over the next few weeks is to slowly ramp up my carbohydrate intake in an effort to regain some of the 3-4 MPH I lost over the past month. I was reading a pretty interesting research summary on Stronger by Science, which highlighted the relationship of glycogen storage in type 2/"fast twitch" muscle fibers. 

I'm continuing to make some gains in the gym with weights, but the speed has stagnated/regressed a bit since the fall. Since the start of the year my wife and I have gotten back into being lower carb more seriously (we've been low carbers for over 10 years now, but splurged a bit this past fall/holiday season) and that has correlated directly with my loss of speed.

I'm hoping by introducing a few more carbs I might capture some of that lost speed while still allowing me to work on body composition. Fun little experiment to take me through the end of this challenge.

[Speed Training- Super Speed vs The Stack]

12 hours ago, Eric K said:

Two yrs ago I dabbled in the Super Speed Golf program. I only stayed commuted for a month or so but I did add 3 mph to my swing. Lately I’ve seen a lot of online content for The Stack. Seemed interesting. Curious if anyone had done both programs and what your pros and cons were on each. 

Cost no object, The Stack hands down. 

Couple things that haven't already been mentioned that are advantages to the Stack system for me:

• Enforced rest periods through Grit score. I'm an impatient person and with the SuperSpeed protocols I never gave myself enough rest between sets.
• The Stack app gives direct comparisons to other golfers in your age bracket.
• One stick vs. three. In combination with the Stack's speed priming workout you have a really portable and awesome quick warmup before a round of golf.
• No opposite hand or kneeling swings.
• FlightScope integration, if you have one.

[What Equipment Have You Tested?]

17 hours ago, Lacassem said:

Think you’ll hold off, wait to get to the weight ya want and maybe go back? 
blasphemous words on this site I know,,,,hold off

Blasphemy!

I dug further into the data last night. After looking back on both the standard and Triple Diamond models, my numbers with the Triple Diamond were actually better to my eyes. My concern about spin and height with the standard Paradym were re-validated after looking at landing angle and also removing a few outliers where my spin was low enough to drag the average down a bit.

I also feel that the Triple Diamond gives me a little more versatility in golf ball choice and builds in some flexibility for any speed that comes back after my cut. I think with the weights switched around I'll be at a very comfortable level of spin at 9.5, or I can play at the stamped 10.5 degrees with the weight forward. 

[What Equipment Have You Tested?]

2 hours ago, CarlH said:

Another fine writeup @edingc

1 hour ago, MattWillGolf said:

You do write the most thorough posts. They are greatly appreciated. 

Thanks!

Heavily leaning toward the 10.5 Triple Diamond, turned to 9.5, with the heavy weight in back. I texted my coach again and he was getting 200-400 more RPM with weight in back, which would put me into a very comfortable range.

Going to have to sleep on it.

[What Equipment Have You Tested?]

Had my 2023 driver "fitting" this morning. Fitting in quotes because I went in with no desire to try anything but the Paradym and Paradym Triple Diamond. I would have strayed to try the PING G430 line, but my local shop and PING are having a dispute about a pricing mistake and currently the shop can't order/sell any of the new line.

Couple good things I learned today, not regarding clubs, but rather my swing and practice setup at home:

• The Mevo+ is wickedly accurate with the latest RCT firmware update all the way up to driver now. I had suspected that the Mevo+ was misreading spin a little bit, but within 10 swings with my current gamer driver I saw the same things I see in my garage. Club speed and ball speed are right around the ball park as well.
• Regarding club speed, I'm down 3-4 MPH both in cruising speed and top end from my peak about a month ago. I attribute that to actively trying to lose some weight so far this year. The fall was spent on what would be considered a "dream bulk" and my swing speed really improved during that period.

I hit just fewer than 20 balls with my current gamer (Epic Max LS @ 9, Motore X F1 X) and saw exactly what I've struggled with in the garage. Low launch knuckleballs that create a wicked two way miss with some really bad hooks. My averages below don't look so bad, but there were eight shots in this grouping with less than 1,900 RPM spin, and my ball speed is up slightly due to the hook misses that were low screamers.

 

I've been texting with my coach who thought I should go with the Triple Diamond, I personally felt like the Paradym would be the better fit for me. While I enjoyed hitting both, I was more consistent with the standard Paradym at the expense of some ball speed. My fitter felt like it was a toss up, but he did really like my consistency with the standard Paradym model. I had a nice baby fade going on for most of the fitting.

I tried all of the stock shaft options and a few upcharge options, but nothing could match the performance of my Motore X F1. 

I didn't see improvements in ball speed, but with the 10.5 Paradym head turned down to 9.5 my launch and spin came up a bit, leading to improved carry, while also taking away some of the left miss.

It would appear, at least for me, that Callaway's story about down range accuracy is not wrong.

I wasn't all that worse with the TD, but I really gravitated to the standard Paradym. I didn't hit as many shots with the TD:

I tried a few different shafts, none of which felt as good or bested my Motore:

• Tensei White 60X and 70X
• Tour AD IZ 7X
• Kai'li White 60 X

My fitter also snuck in a TSR3 with a HZRDUS Black. It felt really good in my hands but I couldn't keep it on the planet and I wasn't all that interested in it.

All together, a successful $80 spent for the hour on Trackman. I'm a little torn on what I want to do. I know the Epic Max LS is not the best fit for me at the moment, the Paradyms were noticeably better, especially in sound/feel. The carbon sound is addicting. I do hope to see my speed return when I come off this calorie cut, so that has me debating whether the Triple Diamond is a better long term fit. I did spin some of the standard Paradym shots closer to 2,700, which might be a little high. I could change balls and shave a little spin from the ProV1x/MTB-X that I fit with. But with the additional spin comes some accuracy, which I desperately need. Though I could also flips the weights in the TD and potential add some spin and forgiveness back.

I really did like the look of the Triple Diamond. The face didn't look as open as my Max LS and the slightly smaller shaping was pleasing. Decisions, decisions!

Anyway, here's my whole dispersion for every swing today. Driver is the worst part of my game and this begins to show why.

[What equipment are you thinking about?]

9 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... Like the reasons to play golf and scoring not even on some lists, there are many reason to purchase new clubs and performance isn't necessarily one of them. One player may jump at the chance of 2.5 more yards and 5% better dispersion while the next may just hang on to their Cobra Fly Z that has served them well. But since this is an equipment forum, I think most love hearing about a new purchase and the follow up after playing it. Looking forward to hearing about your fitting! 

In my case, as I mentioned in the equipment biases thread, I am forever grateful to Callaway and the MGS forums/mods for the opportunity to test the Epic Flash driver back in 2019 as my first ever review here. Callaway (and Cobra, Maxfli, Edel) will always get preferential treatment from me moving forward. 

And who doesn't love trying new things... $80 is worth my time on Trackman alone.