The Stack System Review and Progress Thread

[jas0nmacisaac]

On 8/4/2021 at 1:01 PM, Measure2x said:

Just curious in creating a DIY version with my 3d printer. How much does the shaft/grip weigh (grams) and how much does the screw on head weigh? Obviously, without any weights on. Thank you in advance! Great thread.

It's not the club that is worth the money, if is the app/program that is worth the money. I am getting sick of 95g swings but the program knows I am weak in that area vice swinging heavy weights.

[treeleaf20]

Time for an update from my end (I'm using the red swing speed radar).

I'm through 11 sessions and the results are pretty incredible so far to be honest. Here are some numbers to show the progress so far:

I did take one lesson during these sessions which just helped with my take away and don't know if it had any impact on speeds but I've definitely made some nice gains for myself.

I don't have a trackman or haven't been fitted recently to see real gamer speeds on a radar but I did play golf this week and there were a couple holes with my driver that I hit past bunkers that I traditionally couldn't carry at all. I noticed a pretty big difference in overall length with the driver (irons weren't having a great day) compared to a couple weeks ago. So far, seems to be working very well.

[Measure2x]

On 8/6/2021 at 7:04 AM, jas0nmacisaac said:

It's not the club that is worth the money, if is the app/program that is worth the money. I am getting sick of 95g swings but the program knows I am weak in that area vice swinging heavy weights.

I totally agree with you. Just don't have the $350 at the moment, so I'm living vicariously through you guys. 

One thing I think is interesting is the Stack System seems to use weights much heavier and lighter than SuperSpeed. I haven't noticed people talking about that aspect on the various threads. I think Sasho/Jertson must be taking a different approach. I trust them more than anyone else. 

Based on my observations:

SpeedSpeed goes from ~255-262 grams (Green light stick) to 335-343g (Red heavy stick)

Stack System goes from 48g cap/152g shaft=200g with no weights all the way up to 480g (200g stick w/280g weights on). 280g is the heaviest I've seen in any of the posted protocols.

There is a significant difference between the two systems. I think that's interesting and I'd love to hear more from Sasho on why they think such heavy weights are still effective. 

Keep posting results. These are super motivational.  Attached are pics of my poor man's version. I might have to plunk down the big bucks and join the club. 

[jas0nmacisaac]

Enough said, I have had my large jumps at mid day. My sessions after work are usually lackluster. 

[Measure2x]

16 minutes ago, jas0nmacisaac said:

Enough said, I have had my large jumps at mid day. My sessions after work are usually lackluster. 

That is amazing! Congrats.

[BMart519]

On 8/7/2021 at 9:53 AM, jas0nmacisaac said:

Enough said, I have had my large jumps at mid day. My sessions after work are usually lackluster. 

Tricky bit about these numbers is the first 4 sessions of each program are at "gamer" swing. Afterwards you are instructed to swing at a maximum, which is probably around 5 mph faster than you would use on a course other than the long drive hole for your scramble. 

What is your average drive on course? I would be interested to see how these numbers "stack" up against real word performance for yourself as well as @mr.hicksta and @dlow206

I average 250 on all drives according to Shot Scope and my Performance Average on good shots is around 270. My gamer swing speed is around 100 mph versus 110 on the Stack with peaks of 115. 

[mr.hicksta]

On 8/10/2021 at 10:00 AM, BMart519 said:

Tricky bit about these numbers is the first 4 sessions of each program are at "gamer" swing. Afterwards you are instructed to swing at a maximum, which is probably around 5 mph faster than you would use on a course other than the long drive hole for your scramble. 

What is your average drive on course? I would be interested to see how these numbers "stack" up against real word performance for yourself as well as @mr.hicksta and @dlow206

I average 250 on all drives according to Shot Scope and my Performance Average on good shots is around 270. My gamer swing speed is around 100 mph versus 110 on the Stack with peaks of 115. 

Just got back from a work trip so I'll be starting Foundation round 3 today!

To your question @BMart519what I'm seeing on course doesn't match up with what I see in training. On occasion I'll put one out there 275+, but there are times when I have trouble making decent contact. Definitely something I'm still working on, but I'm sticking with the program and trusting the process so I hope to start seeing the benefits!

[BMart519]

Interesting session last night. Decided to significantly change my intention to: make a slow, wide backswing with the left arm pushing the club back as far as possible. Then almost pause at the top and plant the left heel to initiate the downswing. This is a feel that is really close to my gamer swing and was leading to good contact in my warmup. 
 

the result: set personal bests at all weights for both single swings and averages. Weather was nearly 20 degrees colder than seasonal, so that would have been working against me compared to previous fast days.  
 

Resumption of weight training on the FFG 101 program is definitely helping move past this plateau and eliminate muscle pain with 2 of my past 3 sessions being at or above previous all time bests. 

Edited August 19, 2021 by BMart519

[mr.hicksta]

Foundation round 3! Swing felt pretty free today so I’m happy with my speeds.

 

[mr.hicksta]

Still plugging along and have been back on my Fit For Golf training, too. I think the combination will yield long term results! 

[BMart519]

Routine #2 - neural drive. Not the results I was hoping for  next up is another session of foundations which did yield gains on the first go around. More weight lifting is needed to improve force output. Fatigue from playing multiple times per week, beginning weight training, as well as some deficiencies highlighted by a physio all likely contributed to the stagnation. Environmental factors like colder ambient temp in September vs start of training in July or august could also affect the results. Definitely looking forward to 2 weeks off, 24 sessions was a lot in this program. 

[mr.hicksta]

195g PR!

[mr.hicksta]

Hey y’all! Been knocking out my training and wrapped up my third time through Foundations. Looks like the app is recommending it again after a break so I’ll get back on it after 10/25. Hope everyone’s Stack’n has been going well! 🏌️

 

[BMart519]

I paused Stack training over the last 1-2 months of the season to focus on playing and improving strength through heavy compound lifts since my 2nd Stack program (Neural Drive) did not yield  anything in terms of speed gains. Over the course of my extended break, the Stack team rolled out a new program "Full Speed Spectrum" in the app which coincidentally was recommended for me. The programming in this new program has been quite different over the first 3 sessions. Session #4 will be the first time using a step drill or any non-standard swing with the Stack. 

This further illustrates the advantages of this system compared to others and justify the higher price. Not to mention the ability to access any workout I ever completed and look at every swing or notes on swing cues for the session. 

Average driver speed is up 3mph since I began in the spring, which isn't much but on course performance has seen bigger benefits due to the reps with driver during training. In 2020 I gained 0.14 strokes off the tee vs a 10 handicap and that number jumped to +1.61 for 2021 (or the equivalent of a 5 handicap) which is the strongest part of my game. It further increased to +2.38 vs 10 HCP over my last 10 rounds of the season and +0.66 vs 5 HCP (-1.56 vs scratch). 

This yielded average driving distance of 249 yards over these 10 rounds and a Shot Scope Performance-Avg of 285. The spread between these 2 numbers highlights the number of mishits to be cleaned up and also that I will regularly approach 300 yards on good drives another 5mph of club head speed . 

I am pairing a basic 5x5 weightlifting program with the Stack over the winter. The goal is to approach the targets laid out for compound lifts by Mike Carrol with Fit for Golf. At my bodyweight these are:

Squat: target 350, current 210
Deadlift: target 400, current 265
Bench: target 250, current 125 
Row: target 300, current 145

In reality, I will be satisfied if I can approach within 50 pounds of each of these for 1-3 reps vs 5 by April. 

[RobSquared]

Hi Everyone! First ever post to a forum of any kind but it was this thread and ultimately my first couple of weeks with TheStack that has compelled me to share my early results. Thanks to you all for the inspiration and sharing your comments as I was on the fence about speed training. I decided to jump right in, commit to TheStack and my Canadian offseason would be the perfect time to do it. This first post is going to be bit of a novel but if you are still trying to figure out what your position is on the value of this speed training conundrum and the various systems out there, my early experiences might help you decide.

Perhaps some of you can relate to the search for the fountain of youth as I hit 48yrs young this year. I suppose I fall under weekend warrior slash Average Joe status but I did manage 15 rounds this COVID shortened Canadian golf season (Ontario, where I am, actually suspended golf for some time and as the only place in the world I believe). I also managed a few visits to the driving range every week as well. What I found most troubling this year was that I started to believe that my Arccos sensors were shortchanging me across the board especially with driver distances as it was telling me I was averaging 243y total, carry+roll, over the year. I am of the notion that I must actually be driving the ball around 270-280y and there's something just not calibrated with my Arccos App (just like the big fish I caught that got away, I suppose). I can't really be 30y shorter, can I?

A week before my Stack arrived, my PRGR launch monitor arrived which turned out to be a good starting point and eyeopener. In my mind, I was surely swinging around 100mph maybe even 105-110mph with elbow grease. So I immediately opened the box and set up a swing mat in the living room (while the wife was out of the house of course) and began to ramp up to my course ready swings (air swings of course with no ball). The PRGR began confirming swings ramping up from 60mph, 70s then 80s, and then nearing the 90mph range. I was telling myself that I was surely still getting loose but to be honest it was already starting to feel close to full effort at 90mph. Enough of the warmup and I wanted to leave some in the tank for the ones that were going to count. I was now ready to unleash my vintage Tiger and modern day Bryson fury. GO time - I let it rip again and again and again. To my dismay, I averaged only around 95mph at full effort. On that one I swung out of my shoes on, literally with a pirouette finish,) that one somehow got me to only 103mph. Arccos and PRGR were not lying to me after all.

Lesson Learned #1: If you've never had a swing monitor/radar, you really should get one. You are never swinging as fast as you or your ego think you are.

Over that first week with the PRGR, I eventually managed to get to an air swing of 107mph. My Stack arrived a little over a week ago along with Dr. Sasho's handwritten note - nice touch! I baselined that day and matched my PB driver air swing on the Stack App at also 107mph (but also pleased to see the 10 measured driver swings at over 100mph). Here are some of the other Day 1 stats:

About my driver (and my towering 5'9" frame), I am gaming a SIM2 10.5 / Tour AD DI 7S / 43.5" Length / DriTac Lite Grip / D2ish. Let's debate driver shaft length another day (yes I know that an added inch or two in length can get you 10-20y, potentially, but if you can't consistently control that length and missing centre-face contact you could be losing upwards of 30y of distance - in my case, I know that I am not consistently hitting the sweet spot with a longer 45.5" in my hands and the shorter driver, on average, puts me in a better position more often).

Now on to the good stuff. Fast forward to today, the first 5 of 18 Foundation sessions complete, and something magical is already happening. +8mph on club head speed and +25y on distance potential per the App. Only 7 days in and 5 workouts later. After today's workout, I decided to take 5 extra swings with my driver. I registered 115mph on the PRGR on the last of those 5 swings, and yes, with that short driver I use. Just imagining the possibilities now.

Lesson Learned #2: To swing fast, you have to swing fast. To feel a fast swing, you have to feel a fast swing. For me, TheStack is not only unlocking my potential, but it's also teaching me a thing or two about feel vs. real which is critical for anyone that loves this game.

Again, sorry for the novel everyone. I promise the next one will be shorter. Just hoping this post motivates some of you as my reading your posts with your results have motivated me. Happy to share my journey and follow yours over the coming months. Happy Training! RR

[BMart519]

6 hours ago, RobSquared said:

Lesson Learned #2: To swing fast, you have to swing fast. To feel a fast swing, you have to feel a fast swing. For me, TheStack is not only unlocking my potential, but it's also teaching me a thing or two about feel vs. real which is critical for anyone that loves this game.

Again, sorry for the novel everyone. I promise the next one will be shorter. Just hoping this post motivates some of you as my reading your posts with your results have motivated me. Happy to share my journey and follow yours over the coming months. Happy Training! RR

Welcome to the club, this system was a major contributor to me improving SG:OTT by 1.5 in 2021 and picking up at least 10 yards throughout the bag. Honorable mention to DECADE for better tee shot strategy and sending it with driver whenever possible for also driving that improvement. 

The gain numbers a bit deceptive, the first 4 sessions you are instructed to make a "full" gamer swing. In session 5 and beyond you are asked to swing as hard as possible or at "max". It seems a bit deceptive to use two different effort levels to compare gains. It definitely shows potential though. 

[BMart519]

First session in 2+ weeks coming off a back strain from a deadlift mishap. Tied my all time high for ball speed which was on a warm summer day while my garage was around freezing today. (I keep my balls room temp though.)

I think rolling the dice on a AD-DI shaft could yield some gains. Although the last time I hit 158mph ball speed my same monitor gave me 281 carry…

still a good way to start off-season speed training 

 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

11 hours ago, BMart519 said:

First session in 2+ weeks coming off a back strain from a deadlift mishap. Tied my all time high for ball speed which was on a warm summer day while my garage was around freezing today. (I keep my balls room temp though.)

I think rolling the dice on a AD-DI shaft could yield some gains. Although the last time I hit 158mph ball speed my same monitor gave me 281 carry…

still a good way to start off-season speed training 

 

I know I’m not doing the stack but I got similar carry with same ball speed. 

[RobSquared]

Winding down the third week of the Stack and couldn’t be more pleased. Couple of pics to share the progress. The first showing the potential gains.

The second pic was from my 3rd set in today’s workout with just 20g of Stack weight on (representing a total weight of about 207g) where I managed 2 swings at 121mph. 3 weeks ago while swinging somewhere in the high 90s on average at best I wondered what it might feel like to swing something/anything in the 120s at the end of all this. I know it wasn’t with the driver or a simulated driver weight but seeing the number makes for believing the body can actually get to that number because it has.

The best legal performance enhancing drugs might just be a steady dose of hard work, confidence and belief! If not being dealt by the Stack then from where else has this euphoria come from?!

Happy training!

[dxdc93]

Hello!  New to the forum but I just purchased the Stack System.  Appreciate all the feedback, insights, and user suggestions.  Can someone please comment on the Launch Monitor needed?  Your input will help me in my purchase and I owe an iPhone if that matters?  Cheers from the Okanagan-BC!