MGS Off-Season Speed Challenge

[GolfSpy AFG]

In to Phase 4 of Neural Drive; think I'm finally going to earn a 100% Grit score for once.

[ejgaudette]

Great progress everyone. I have a leader board coming tomorrow as I have today off and will be heading to a Bruins game. Love to see the work. I also heard a good note from Sasho Mackenzie on the Chasing Scratch podcast to keep it all is perspective. Speed training is about the speed you will have in two years, if you gain 12 mph in 2 years that's is a big gain, but that means gaining 1 mph every two months.

So keep up the hard work, small gains are huge and will pay off in the long run.

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

Had my highest speed with the light weight today. Got 136. Not bad off of Covid and heavy gym work

[Bunkershotbirdie]

I have not checked in is a while but I am up to 95 with driver.  Hoping to crack the 100 mark by mid Feb.  My trainer is very happy with my progress.  

[ejgaudette]

Awesome updates every one. So here is our latest results and jumping out into the lead with massive gains is @GolfSpy MPR working with the stack. Next up is @THEZIPR23 followed by @Vegan_Golfer_PNW rounding out the podium here. Keep up the hard work everyone and the updates coming. We now see the new mark to shoot for and right now I would say the Stack is having a strong showing a system overall. Still thinking how we can score the systems but more to come.

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

10 minutes ago, ejgaudette said:

Awesome updates every one. So here is our latest results and jumping out into the lead with massive gains is @GolfSpy MPR working with the stack. Next up is @THEZIPR23 followed by @Vegan_Golfer_PNW rounding out the podium here. Keep up the hard work everyone and the updates coming. We now see the new mark to shoot for and right now I would say the Stack is having a strong showing a system overall. Still thinking how we can score the systems but more to come.

You can add super speed to system for me as well!

solid numbers everyone!

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

1 hour ago, ejgaudette said:

Awesome updates every one. So here is our latest results and jumping out into the lead with massive gains is @GolfSpy MPR working with the stack. Next up is @THEZIPR23 followed by @Vegan_Golfer_PNW rounding out the podium here. Keep up the hard work everyone and the updates coming. We now see the new mark to shoot for and right now I would say the Stack is having a strong showing a system overall. Still thinking how we can score the systems but more to come.

Man I have to stop messing around. Hopefully this next level push of speed training helps me gain. Gonna be hard with the heavy lifting. I’d alter but ultimate goal is staying on track for the golf seadon

[Bunkershotbirdie]

You can put Par4Success Training for my speed system.  I've been with them for a few years now and I feel great as well as getting more swing speed..

[GolfSpy AFG]

New PB’s in the Neural Drive program.  Ya’ll are in trouble now!

 

[ejgaudette]

17 minutes ago, Getoffmylawn said:

New PB’s in the Neural Drive program.  Ya’ll are in trouble now!

 

I love it and great progress.

[GolfSpy MPR]

For those competing, some good news: I'm stalling right now

I've started my second Stack program, and I still sitting just over 100mph in Stack speed. I know I have more in the tank, and that my limit is mental/technical, not physical (which is why the Stack has me in the Neural Drive program). I had a 195g swing yesterday at 106mph (definitely jealous of @Getoffmylawn's number!). For me, I have to really concentrate on a wide, full backswing, a very loose transition, and late release. When I put that together, I can jump huge amounts over my average. Just gotta find that feel more regularly.

In other news, Kirke's numbers are starting to inch up. He started his Stack at 65mph and finished Foundation at 68mph. He's now doing Full Speed Spectrum, and his distance potential is up over 170 yards. We're going into this season with the intent that, for the first time, he'll be playing from an actual designated tee (the most forward tees at our course). So he's pretty pumped at adding as much distance as he can.

[GolfSpy AFG]

39 minutes ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

For those competing, some good news: I'm stalling right now

I've started my second Stack program, and I still sitting just over 100mph in Stack speed. I know I have more in the tank, and that my limit is mental/technical, not physical (which is why the Stack has me in the Neural Drive program). I had a 195g swing yesterday at 106mph (definitely jealous of @Getoffmylawn's number!). For me, I have to really concentrate on a wide, full backswing, a very loose transition, and late release. When I put that together, I can jump huge amounts over my average. Just gotta find that feel more regularly.

In other news, Kirke's numbers are starting to inch up. He started his Stack at 65mph and finished Foundation at 68mph. He's now doing Full Speed Spectrum, and his distance potential is up over 170 yards. We're going into this season with the intent that, for the first time, he'll be playing from an actual designated tee (the most forward tees at our course). So he's pretty pumped at adding as much distance as he can.

Funny to see this reply from you; your tweet about your DM exchange with Sasho may have helped.  You talked about the competing notions of a fast backswing vs the pause at the top of the backswing to maybe help with better sequencing.  Today I experimented with allowing that pause to happen, and I uncorked these PB’s plus 2 more at other weights.  So, thanks!  It’s amazing how responsive Sasho is, had a similar experience concerning putting.

Looking forward to following Kirke’s progress this spring.

[GolfSpy MPR]

2 minutes ago, Getoffmylawn said:

Funny to see this reply from you; your tweet about your DM exchange with Sasho may have helped.  You talked about the competing notions of a fast backswing vs the pause at the top of the backswing to maybe help with better sequencing.  Today I experimented with allowing that pause to happen, and I uncorked these PB’s plus 2 more at other weights.  So, thanks!  It’s amazing how responsive Sasho is, had a similar experience concerning putting.

Looking forward to following Kirke’s progress this spring.

Yes, for those interested in the "Stack vs SuperSpeed vs Etc" debate, one plus of the Stack is that Sasho is incredibly helpful at responding to questions. Having direct access to one of the best minds in golf is a nice bonus.

[ejgaudette]

3 minutes ago, Getoffmylawn said:

Funny to see this reply from you; your tweet about your DM exchange with Sasho may have helped.  You talked about the competing notions of a fast backswing vs the pause at the top of the backswing to maybe help with better sequencing.  Today I experimented with allowing that pause to happen, and I uncorked these PB’s plus 2 more at other weights.  So, thanks!  It’s amazing how responsive Sasho is, had a similar experience concerning putting.

Looking forward to following Kirke’s progress this spring.

It is so interesting to see the differences with that quick back swing or pause at the top and how everyone responds differently with that speed wise.

[GolfSpy MPR]

13 minutes ago, ejgaudette said:

It is so interesting to see the differences with that quick back swing or pause at the top and how everyone responds differently with that speed wise.

For those who didn't see my posts on Twitter that we're referring to, I wrote this:

Quote

 

I love @TheStackSystem. But I remain convinced that the single most essential item for speed training isn't what you're swinging. The most essential item is a reasonably accurate speed measuring device. The immediate feedback as to what is and is not *actually* fast is the single most important factor in 1) pushing yourself to get faster and 2) knowing that you're getting more speed, not just more effort.

An example: had a great DM chat yesterday with one of my favorite golf minds, @SashoMacKenzie. I was puzzled by two paradoxical pieces of speed training advice:

1) Taking a faster backswing often provokes a golfer to generate more force and speed on the downswing, but
2) For some golfers, the feel of a pause in transition helps organize the downswing and produce more speed. 

What was confusing me is that, while both of these are true, they probably can't be true in the same golfer at the same time. The pause mitigates the amplifying effect of the faster backswing. So the upshot: to find out which has a better effect for *you*, you absolutely have to have the feedback that a radar provides. Swing a stick, swing a driver, swing the "infinity data, AI-powered, @chasingscratch0 endorsed" Stack.

But get feedback. 

 

 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

35 minutes ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

For those who didn't see my posts on Twitter that we're referring to, I wrote this:

 

I will say for me, when i speed up my back swing i am slower, when i pause or feel a pause is when i get my fastest speeds

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

When i was doing speed work in the gym ran into this guy today. Knew Karsten. I felt like i was amongst golf royalty.

 

http://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/golf-qa-dean-frischknecht-of-ping-american-college-golf-guide

[RollingGreens]

So I have been making steady gains each week. Orange whip is at 125 yesterday at green super speed was 109. The big question I am having is my driver speed prior was  roughly 98, which should have set my baseline at 113 I believe for the green super speed. My question is, am I making true swing speed gains or am I just reaching what my baseline should be by learning how to incorporate speed?

[GolfSpy AFG]

31 minutes ago, RollingGreens said:

So I have been making steady gains each week. Orange whip is at 125 yesterday at green super speed was 109. The big question I am having is my driver speed prior was  roughly 98, which should have set my baseline at 113 I believe for the green super speed. My question is, am I making true swing speed gains or am I just reaching what my baseline should be by learning how to incorporate speed?

I kind of think I understand what you’re asking…

Your goal and the purpose behind speed training is to raise your overall capacity for speed.  In other words, if pre-training your absolute max effort almost falling over speed is 100, and your “game speed” is 95, then the goal is to raise that max effort capacity so that your cruising game speed also comes up.  So, post-training ideally your max swing is 108 (for example) and now you can comfortably play at 102.

This is all kind of individual though; some feel perfectly comfortable playing at 95% of all out effort, some are at 80.  The point is to raise your ceiling.

Is that what you’re asking?

[RollingGreens]

2 hours ago, Getoffmylawn said:

I kind of think I understand what you’re asking…

Your goal and the purpose behind speed training is to raise your overall capacity for speed.  In other words, if pre-training your absolute max effort almost falling over speed is 100, and your “game speed” is 95, then the goal is to raise that max effort capacity so that your cruising game speed also comes up.  So, post-training ideally your max swing is 108 (for example) and now you can comfortably play at 102.

This is all kind of individual though; some feel perfectly comfortable playing at 95% of all out effort, some are at 80.  The point is to raise your ceiling.

Is that what you’re asking?

More so I’m trying to figure out if I’m making actual gains with lifting and speed training or just capturing what I already had? I am making PRs about every week Which leads me to believe I am capturing what I should have since I was significantly lower with my baseline speed with the super speed training based on my driver swing 

[ejgaudette]

6 minutes ago, RollingGreens said:

More so I’m trying to figure out if I’m making actual gains with lifting and speed training or just capturing what I already had? I am making PRs about every week Which leads me to believe I am capturing what I should have since I was significantly lower with my baseline speed with the super speed training based on my driver swing 

Yes I think some of it is that you had this speed just they at behind those internal barriers that folks have talked about but you are also helping to move past those as you train. I found the first month or so felt like just unlocking what I had and then after that I was gaining new speed.

[RichL85]

Decided to do a quick check in while I was at the range today and the weather has made things tough the last few weeks. Top speed is up a little bit to 111, so that's a positive. Took some swings at a few balls to see if raising the physical ceiling was going to affect my mental barrier and saw improvement there as well. Where I was around 95 for playing speed, I was pretty comfortable hitting in the 101-102 range today.

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

Insanity training going well. Added in some weight training the last two weeks. 
I have this 15 lb bar and have been doing some rotation core work with it. Works well in the back rotation and getting reps in trying to lift and get that extra extension. Also the initial move to the downswing. Not sure if it will help with speed but we’ll see! 

[sirchunksalot]

36 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

Insanity training going well. Added in some weight training the last two weeks. 
I have this 15 lb bar and have been doing some rotation core work with it. Works well in the back rotation and getting reps in trying to lift and get that extra extension. Also the initial move to the downswing. Not sure if it will help with speed but we’ll see! 

Looks like it'll help with getting the hands forward at impact of you rotate all the way through. I wouldn't want to whack my side with that bad boy. 

[GolfSpy MPR]

Last time I checked in here, I mentioned I was stagnating a bit, holding right around 100-102 with the Stack at 195g. (Max driver speed is typically about 10mph above Stack speed, due to the Stack being about hybrid length.)

Well, I found something my past two sessions:

EDIT:

Because looking at the before and after numbers might make even me skeptical of myself, that I sandbagged my initial baseline to make bigger progress, here were my on-course Arccos driver numbers for last season (this is my driver data, not just my "off the tee" numbers):

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

11 hours ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

Last time I checked in here, I mentioned I was stagnating a bit, holding right around 100-102 with the Stack at 195g. (Max driver speed is typically about 10mph above Stack speed, due to the Stack being about hybrid length.)

Well, I found something my past two sessions:

EDIT:

Because looking at the before and after numbers might make even me skeptical of myself, that I sandbagged my initial baseline to make bigger progress, here were my on-course Arccos driver numbers for last season (this is my driver data, not just my "off the tee" numbers):

 

[Bohnson]

Hope all is well! Hit a PR with the SS C club (140). Not sure how that translates to the driver, but fun to see. Been weight training and the SS protocol. 

[ejgaudette]

22 hours ago, Vegan_Golfer_PNW said:

 

Right if there is abetter advertisement for the Stack I am not sure what it might be

[edingc]

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.

[JohnSmalls]

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?