Stack Training System - 2023 Forum Member Review

[GolfSpy BOS]

Testers Announced! The Stack

Do have the need, the need for me speed!?  These testers do and will be putting the whole system to the test. With nearly 5k submissions it was not easy to narrow down, but we have our testers!

The Stack System was designed by Dr. Sasho MacKenzie and Marty Jertson and "allows Sasho to share his research findings and training wisdom directly with you, using the same tools, techniques, and nuances that he uses to speed train Tour players he has consulted."

This is a long term test and testers will be required to provide regular updates throughout, follow the thread and be sure to not miss a step along the way. 

Please welcome and congratulate our testers!

@hckymeyer

@twyatt700

@GregGarner

@DaveP043

@Derek Lusk

@tdroma98

[hckymeyer]

Intro

Greeting MGS!  My name is Brian Meyer and I am very excited to be reviewing The Stack System for you guys.  Like the other guys we don't have much for pictures to post yet, so instead you'll be getting a little golf and some family pics thrown in along the way.  Here's a quick family shot from this summer.

A little background on me now. I've been around this forum for almost 13 years in various roles.  Member, Forum Mod, Forum Director and for the past few years happily back to forum member.  I'm 44 years old and live in Minnesnowta but originally from Wisconsin.  I started golfing in the backyard with my dad's old persimmon clubs when I was probably 5 or 6.  Did the local junior camp in the summer in elementary school.  Played quite a bit in Jr High when I got a membership at the local muni.  I played in high school on the JV team just as something to do in the hockey off season, then hockey took over my life through college and didn't play a ton.  After graduation I played a couple times a month in the summer but for the past 10 years I've lived on a golf course and get out as much as I can.  Here's my youngest son (age 9) acting silly on the range and my oldest (age 12) doing Drive, Chip & Putt this year.  He got 1st in the putting stage at the local qualifier but no where near moving on to the next one.

The past 2-3 seasons have been pretty good for my golf game.  I'm currently sitting at a 2.5 index and I've been anywhere from a 1 - 3.5 for the past couple years.  I'm not really long, but can still get it out there 260-270 when I'm swinging well.  My strength is iron play, weakness is chipping and putting is very streaky.  I'll go days making 100'+ of putts in a round and then days when I struggle to make 20' of putts in a round and I'll miss a couple 3 footers.  

(Event called The British at my home course)

I'm very excited about testing out The Stack System.  I've been very serious about getting in better shape over the past 2 years.  My wife and I got a Peloton bike and I'm bought in to the workouts.  I love doing the rides and also the strength and yoga exercises.  I don't think all the workouts have really added much length to my game though.  I'm very hopefully that The Stack can really up my distance.  I'd absolutely love to start off next season with an extra 10-20 yards off the tee!  I'm hopeful that we have another 1.5-2 months left in the golf season here, so I'm also very curious if my accuracy changes at all while working with The Stack.  

That's about it for now, feel free to drop me any questions you have as we get going!

Last pic ... Wife and I went to Italy this spring

First Impressions

Since this is a training aid and not a club review my first impressions are going to be a little different.  I'm not going to do a traditional unboxing (it came packed well in a shaft tube) and there won't be a bunch of product pictures, but I will add those in the review.  

My first impressions of the hardware were very positive though.  You get a nice carrying case with 5 milled weights that seem very high end.  The club looks nice, grip is grippy and everything is very easy and intuitive to use.

The software app is fantastic, again pretty intuitive, lots of instructional video's and very user friendly.  I'll save the main walk through for the actual review.

In no particular order here is a list of my first impressions of The Stack and my journey in to speed training.

• Do the warm up!!!  This is probably the single most important thing to getting good results
• The workouts are quick, but also take a big chunk of time.  Once you factor in a proper warm up it's at least 35-45 minutes from start to finish for me to do a session. If I want to do a regular gym workout too then it's easily an hour plus
• Use proper swing mechanics, I went all out on some of the max swing sessions and my lower back was hurting for a day or two.  I may have went overboard
• It does a great job of teaching you what fast feels like.  Sometimes I'd swing out of my shoes and get slower numbers, then swing smooth and gain 5mph over the previous swing
• Just like good and bad days on the course, you will have faster and slower days speed training.  It's not a linear journey
• Hitting person records is addictive

That's all I can think of for now.  It's been a very fun first few weeks getting going and I'm very excited to keep going in the journey to hitting bombs!

Edited October 24 by hckymeyer

[twyatt700]

 

Hello Spies! My name is Taylor Wyatt, I have had the honor of doing quite a few tests here on the Forum and am honored to get the call for The Stack! I was off the grid on here for about 9 months from last fall to mid summer, but am glad to be back to playing some golf after dealing with some injuries and changes in my professional life. I keep busy with my family and work, but do get to play a good amount despite my current commitments.

A little bit more about me, I am in my mid 30's and discovered golf about 6-7 years ago and have been hooked since. I grew up playing baseball and play at a fairly high collegiate level for 4 years.  I started to take my golf game seriously AFTER a trip to Bandon with my buddy who does a Ryder Cup style trip with a bunch of guys he played college golf with. I was a last minute COVID sub and was hooked after going to golf's Disneyland. After getting beat up by the wind and a bunch of high level players I got some lessons and really competitive with myself. I play at around a 6 HCP and feel like a could get lower with more rounds and reps.

I live in Oregon in the Willamette Valley and play here primarily. I go over the mountain for a golf trip once a year in Bend and get to play in the desert a couple other times while visiting the in laws. Here is my father in law enjoying a round together. He doesn't play but just likes to ride a long a chat up my playing partners. 

I play between 2-6 times per month currently as am a family man with two little kiddos (7 and 5). I recently opened a new practice for my company to be able to be closer to home. I am a Certified Prosthetist Orthotist, which is a fancy way to say I see patients who need prostheses and braces for their limbs. I am a practitioner which mean I see the patients and fit them with what ever they need. It's a great job, but not the most flexible with time off to get to the course.  Hopefully once the practice is more established and being closer to home I will have more time to get out mid week. 

I really value being present with my family so I try to involve the kids with playing, as they continue to get older I hope to bring them on the course more and more. My son joined me on a family trip to play a few holes with grandma, grandpa and his uncles. He lasted 7 holes, but was thrilled to be playing "real golf". I am serious about my game but just play for fun, I have yet to play anything competitive, but would really like to play some tournaments. I made it a goal to play 2 tournaments this year, but with my new work situation I had to make some sacrifices to the golf game. 

On to the Stack!

Like I said earlier, I was thrilled to be selected for this test. I heard about the Stack through the Chasing Scratch pod and from the Matty Fitz story. I have done super speed in the past and saw some decent results, but struggled with some of the tracking and plateaued at around 105 SS. I was looking into making the investment into this system in the spring but decided to wait until after the summer for when the schedule is more consistent and viola! I get to test this bad boy out!

I will try to compare my experience with Stack vs SuperSpeed since I did that one a few years back. I am looking to gain speed, obviously, with this product. But I want to see it translate to the course. When I did the superspeed system I gained speed, but wasn't really there with my swing and was a very spinney player. I have been fit with most of my bag and have really improved with my swing in the last few years.  I have really worked on not swinging with max effort in order to get more consistent with my ball striking. So at the end of using this product I'd like to see my cruising speed increase to wear I can get those extra 10-15 yards off the tee without having to over swing. 

I have had a few hip and back injuries over the last year that has limited some mobility. I am working on it but hopefully the Stack with help some of the ROM issues in the back swing. 

Ultimately, I can't wait to test this product out because all of the great things I have heard regarding the customer support. I am a huge fan of Sasho's work in general and can't wait to be a part of something he has developed. With my background in kinesiology and with what I do for work, the way he talks about the golf swing  is right up my alley!

 

 

Wife and I at an Angel's game this year (they lost of course )

 

Also we have bunnies!

 

[GregGarner]

Howdy! My name is Greg and while I would say I'm from Texas, I now live in North Carolina. I just finished my PhD from NC State where my research focused on the expectations a consumer brings to an experience, so I'm pretty excited to be on the other side of the equation for this test! I'm a former D3 collegiate golfer but have never considered myself a particularly long hitter. I remember in high school being one of the shorter hitters on my team and getting a driver fitting on a Trackman (back before they were ubiquitous) and I was about 275 carry. Nearly 20 years later, I'm... about the same. I own SuperSpeed sticks and have done two dedicated training bouts with them, but most of the time, I use them for warming up before a round.

In my prior SuperSpeed sessions, I found I had a natural ceiling with the 'green' stick (the light one) around 120 mph and after about 2 months of training, my driver topped out around 115 mph, but that meant my on-course cruising speed was closer to 107-110. Today, however, I think my top-end is about 107 and cruising speed is around or just north of 100.

I am trying not to bring too much to the test, tabula rasa. BUT I know that my biomechanics could be improved. I have a backswing that is so short it makes Jon Rahm look like John Daly. (Here's a full-swing 5w as an example...)

The best thing about the SuperSpeed program is the simplicity. Here are three sticks at three different weights. Swing them. Fast... Faster... But the simplicity is also its downfall, IMO. For example, the SuperSpeed protocols are fixed. Everyone does the same protocols in the same order for the same amount of time. There's no consideration for how your body does or doesn't respond, no consideration for your biomechanics, and if you want any sort of tracking or analysis, it's up to you. So, heading into my testing of the Stack System, this is what I'm most looking for: I want a program that works for me. The app touts that it uses AI to modify your training program based on your prior performance. If that claim holds up and I'm able to exceed the thresholds I've always bumped up against, we'll definitely have a winner here.

So let's get Stack'n!

Edited October 1 by GregGarner

[DaveP043]

INTRODUCTION

Once again, I’m back with a review, one of the lucky few selected to review the Stack System, my thanks go to Stack for providing the equipment and guidance, and to the MGS folks for selecting me. I don't really have photos to go with this into, so to keep everyone interested I'll drop in a couple from my summer's trip to Scotland.  First is the Postage Stamp at Royal Troon

An introduction to me, I'm a 67-year old Geotechnical Engineer, living in the Washington DC suburbs. I’m easing into retirement, working only two days a week in the office, playing a bit more golf. I’m also becoming active as a Rules Official, volunteering with both the VSGA and the MAPGA.

I've been playing golf since I was a teenager, so I have something over 50 years of experience. I was largely a hacker, maybe a 15-handicap at best until I joined the club in the early 90s. Since then, with the help of a couple of lessons, a good bit of practice, and lots of play, I've become much better, currently a 7 handicap. I love to play and love even more to compete. Lucky for me, my wife is the same.

A quick equipment summary: I replaced my driver over the winter of 2018/2019. Through a fitting session at Mid South in Pinehurst, I ended up with a Callaway Rogue SubZero with Graphite Design YS-Six shaft. Irons are Titleist T200 (reviewed for MGS), with Mizuno wedges. Last Spring I added a Sub70 5-wood (see my review) and a Mizuno 7-wood. Putter is an old Ping G5i (with the blue inserts) B-60.

The lighthouse and 9th hole (to the right) at Turnberry

As I mentioned, I'm a single-digit handicap, current with a 5.6 index. I generally keep the ball in play, hit a fair number of greens. Long irons are decent, short irons are generally good, short game and putting have been pretty solid recently.

So why did I apply for this review? I'm getting older, as all of us do. And as many of us do, I've lost distance, especially over the past few years. When I got fitted for my driver my clubhead speed was in the high 90s, and I was carrying the ball between 230 and 240 yards. I've seen a significant loss of distance in my tee shots, 15 to 20 yards shorter. I wondered if equipment could help, so I attended fitting days with both Taylor Made and Callaway at my club, and found out that for $600 or so I could gain maybe 3 or 4 yards. My clubhead speed was in the low 90s at best. I want to regain that distance!

How will I evaluate the Stack System? The most obvious thing is to evaluate my play, will I increase distance? But there are a lot of pieces to this overall puzzle As part of this Review, we'll be provided with a PRGR launch monitor, so there will be a mini-review of it. There's build quality of the Stack System equipment, ease of use, difficulty of changing weights, etc. A hugely important part of this is the upload, analysis, and feedback from Stack, structuring each new session based on results from previous sessions. So how well does the interface work, clarity of instructions, etc. There will be numbers, swing speeds obtained through the PRGR, estimated carry distances, so speed gains will be quantified. But from the top of this paragraph, the most important measure will be on the courses, do I gain (or regain) distance?

And last, the view from Russacks Hotel in St Andrews

Edited September 12 by DaveP043

[Derek Lusk]

INTRODUCTION

Hello Spies!!  My name is Derek Lusk. I am in my late 40's and have been playing golf for 25 years. I live in Flagstaff Arizona about 3 hours north of Phoenix with an elevation 7000 feet.  I am a mechanic for the city of Flagstaff.  I grew up in Mesa AZ (Phoenix area) and in 2021 moved north to Flagstaff with my wife and two dogs.  My wife and I took 2022 off of work to travel.  We spent time exploring the United States as well as England and Scotland.  

Spending a few days at St. Andrews was amazing!!!  While I didn't play the course, we were able to walk around the grounds and from our room we had a perfect view of the 17th fairway.  We plan on returning to Scotland in 2025 to play some courses and hopefully at St. Andrews.  While researching how to get on at St. Andrews, I became aware that a handicap under 36 was required.  This made me become a more serious golfer and now have a handicap of 10.4.  Besides traveling during 2022, I played the most golf of my life.  It is amazing how much golf you can get in when not working.  Can't wait for retirement!!

I play at Elephant Rocks Golf Course in Williams Arizona, about a 30 minute drive from my house.  I am fortunate that my brother in law loves the game as much as I do and is able to be my full time golfing partner.  

I am so excited to be chosen for testing the Stack Training System.  I also heard about the system on the Chasing Scratch Podcast and immediately wanted to try it out. My brother in law who is also a spy,  and I have been looking into purchasing the Stack when I was chosen to be a tester.   

I last had my swing speed tested two years ago when I as fitted for my driver at a PKG store.  It was between 98 and 100 mph.  My goal with this system is to increase my swing speed and ultimately add 10 to 20 yards off the tee.  I plan on recording my swing speed at the beginning  of the testing process (I will create a chart that I will share in my weekly posts) with my swing speed at the end of the testing period.  I will know that this product is successful and will use it as part of my conditioning routine as I continue to progress towards my goals.  

My knowledge of the Stack Trainign System prior to being chosen as a tester is limited.  I have researched it online and on blogs and from what I learned on the Chasing Scratch Podcast.  I read that Matt Fitzpatrick increased their swing speed with the use of this product.

I can't wait to start!!!!! 

 

Edited October 4 by Derek Lusk

[tdroma98]

Introduction: 

Hello Spies! My name is Tom and from Orlando, FL.  Originally born & raised in Long Island, NY & a brief residence in North Central Massachusetts. The New England Winters convinced me to move south for college!  Soon to be married to the same Beautiful Lady for 42 yrs. This will be my second opportunity for testing and I'm really excited!! 

I'd like to thank MGS Staff & the Stack System Team for the Opportunity to test the Stack Training!  Talk about putting pep back in your golf step, after being selected. I've been playing golf now for 50yrs, taking up the game at age 13 (you do the math LOL) and I love the game! I love the challenges and while frustrated at times, I enjoy the learning aspect of the game. 

Last August 2022, I decided to make a change, first after a poor performance in qualifying for the Florida Senior Open & then after seeing my swing on video, which absolutely convinced me to make a swing change.  Biomechanics had sparked my interest the few years ago, followed by Swing Speed aides and this year seeing the success both Padraig Harrington & Matt Fitzpatrick have had training with "Speed" Training & Matt Fitzpatrick using this very Stack System is awesome! Think outside the box and not be afraid of change!  What an opportunity this will testing will afford. 

I've never worked with any type of Speed Training system, nor a launch monitor. Although a golf buddy has an app on his phone & my driver swing registers around 105mph.  I want to improve on that, be a better ball striker & gain some distance. Today's technology is amazing! 

The Stack System swing speed training really peaked my interest being with the developer having biomechanics expertise.  Will it help improve my swing speed at age 63?  Will I see an increase in distance? 

Once again, thank you MGS & Stack System Team! I'm looking forward to this test and sharing the results.  Now working at a golf course, part-time, I'll have plenty of opportunity for testing!!  

P.S. IT"S HERE! Delivered today by USPS!! Unboxing coming shortly! 
 

TheStack arrived in two packages, the little box contained the PRGR launch monitor. 

 

 
 

The cylinder package is TheStack Club with TheStack weights.  All items packed very well! 

the unboxing

 

First impressions of my first Stack Session was interesting! I've been fascinated with BioMechanics in golf. Never really engaged with incorporating it into my game. I think Dr. Sasho MacKenzie, the co-founder, has built  something very interesting, including the regimented workout. 

First thing to get settled in my mind is going into this training with an open mind and following their recommended warm up, prior to using TheStack.  In my opinion, the warm up is great. Have played sports, in my younger days, you would go through a warm up process, including stretching. It gets the body warm, targets the right muscles & movements.  

I've completed two sessions & used Dr. McKenzie's warm up video both times & working up a nice sweat.   The stretching & warm up routines are new (I keep the garage door closed - LOL), I've never had done the types of stretching Dr. McKenzie uses for warm up. 

Mentally, the only issue I've found is being a bit apprehensive swinging in doors.  My set up is in the garage.  Using TheStack club is getting easier to swing indoors and swinging with "full intent". However, swinging the driver indoors, with "full intent" is still a mental challenge.  First air swing with driver, Sparks Flew, LOL! OOps.

The struggle I've had along with swinging inside, concerns the swing speed being registered by the launch monitor.  Previous testings the past two years have registered my driver swing between 102-105mph.  The first speeds registered with the PRGR were between 89 to 94mph.  That was a mental challenge to overcome, disappointed & wondering if I set the monitor up correctly.  However, into my 2nd session, I tried to put those issues aside & work TheStack System.  

The interaction with the TheStack phone app and PRGR monitor is interesting and pretty cool. You make your swing, the PRGR monitor beeps with the number. You repeat the number to the app & a female voice repeats the number & enters to the app.  If you hit a new high, the system cheers & tells you hit a new high. 

I'll say this, after the first session, the following day I was a bit sore.  Legs & hamstrings felt weird.  Last evening was my 2nd session & this morning I felt much better & even hit the range at 7:30am and body was fine. 

  First Impressions: 

Wow! I've never used any type of a "Speed Training System". Coming in as a virgin, absolutely enjoying TheSpeed Sessions.  Sasho's warmup routine is a must.  It's also a routine you can take out to the golf course before you start your round with your buddies. 

I will say, I was a bit disappointed in my initial swing speed numbers, but you have to put that aside and stick to the program with an open mind. As you track your numbers along the way, you do get involved in the training system.  

Last night I did Session 9 and I found myself comparing notes to previous sessions and seeing if I was able to increase average speeds with same weight training. It's great. In addition, I'm noticing if my swing is off - over swinging, swinging over the top, balance. 
Not going to lie, I was excited about being chosen, once I got past the disappointment with initial swing speeds and change the mindset to using TheSwing Speed Training system, you look forward to the challenge! 

TheSwing Speed app is also very good & interactive.  (be careful what you say the app mike does pick up EVERYTHING! ).  

Edited October 17 by tdroma98

[MattF]

Congratulations all.

[cjeffs12]

Congratulations!!! I’m looking forward to seeing about all the details that comes with the stack. Also, who do we think is going to have the biggest gains? 

[Josh Parker]

Congrats to all the testers!  

[Dweed]

Congrats to all the testers. Enjoy, do good work. Looking forward to your discovered results.

[DGA3]

Not selected again.

 

Oh well.

 

It's kind of the feeling I get every year when the Masters tells me I didn't win the ticket lottery.

[Cfhandyman]

Congratulations to the well chosen testers. We look forward to the results and comments. Specifically, how much it will increase your swing speed and is it sustainable 

[GolfSpy_APH]

13 minutes ago, DGA3 said:

Not selected again.

 

Oh well.

 

It's kind of the feeling I get every year when the Masters tells me I didn't win the ticket lottery.

First guideline we lay out to be selected is no profile photo = no selection. 

I highly recommend reading or even skimming the "how to be a tester" thread. 

I give all the ins and outs of how we make selections and offer advice on how to better your chances at being selected. 

Bottom line is we look for active and engaged members within the community. At the end of the day the reviews are a lot of work (especially this one) and we don't randomly select members, but choose those who have contributed within our community.

[Getoffmylawn]

Congrats testers!  Really looking forward to your insights on this one.  Remember, this is more than just speed training.  Stack Putting is a big part of the app; we’ll be looking forward to your feedback on that too!

[rkj427]

Congrats. to this group of testers, looking forward to their comments and reviews long term to see how this may compare to other similar product concepts.

[TJ Hall]

Congratulations to all testers!  Interested to hear about speed gains and if there are any changes to accuracy.

[ScramblinMan]

Congratulations testers. Looking forward to your feedback/test results for the Stack system.

[Preeway]

Congrats everyone. Interested to see how the reviews compare with the SuperSpeed reviews. 

[sirchunksalot]

Congratulations testers! It looks like we've got a good group that was chosen to see if the Stack lives up to its reputation.