Stack Training System - 2023 Forum Member Review

[skraeling]

Id love to do this one, but... oooof... over $500 after discounts is a hard pass for me.

[DaveP043]

15 minutes ago, skraeling said:

Id love to do this one, but... oooof... over $500 after discounts is a hard pass for me.

I can understand that.  However, when you look at the cost for a new driver, spending a little less on a system what will increase your driving distance starts to seem reasonable.  I know I looked at Callaway and Taylor Made drivers at fitting days at my club, and couldn't gain more than 4 or 5 yards by spending $600.  On the other hand, it takes a significant effort to make Stack work, its a whole lot easier to buy new gear.

[GolfSpy SAM]

18 minutes ago, skraeling said:

Id love to do this one, but... oooof... over $500 after discounts is a hard pass for me.

Yeah, the PRGR makes the price jump pretty significantly, but if you have a radar device already, it's a little more reasonable.  Keep your eyes peeled on Facebook Marketplace or EBay for a used system, as I'm SURE they're out there - I have a RypStick system I just never used that I'll most likely offload, as I really (REALLY) enjoy the app for this so much more, that for me there's no sense in having both.  You could also (probably) find a PRGR for a good price on there, as well. 

Just a thought!

[twyatt700]

On 10/17/2023 at 12:59 PM, GregGarner said:

Would reallllllly like to see a controlled experiment studying the effects of indoor vs outdoor. The first two sessions were outdoor, green grass, wearing spikes. Then I tweaked my back but was able to get mobile enough for a set and... probably shouldn't have (102 eSpeed in the chart below). But all of the sessions after the first two have been indoor, in my garage, wearing trainers. Seemingly despite my best efforts, I am just unable to get as much speed in a confined space, on concrete. 

I'm hoping to get outside for my next session and crossing my fingers that my speeds will jump back up. 

As a side note, when I went and played last (somewhere around session 4/5), I noticed bigger drives. I didn't get a chance to warm up and my first drive was a dead-center strike, 285 down the middle. Typically, when I'm not warm and just hoping to hit somewhere on the flat part of the club, I don't expect more than 260. Hole 2 I was 310 down the middle. Hole 5 was my next driver and it was a pretty good miss, making it 295 down the right side of a dogleg right. 

Am I frustrated that my eSpeeds aren't higher? Sure. But it's pretty tough to argue with an extra 20+ yards in on-course performance.

In the intro call Sahso did say that there usually isn't a straight line up in regards to the gains. So I think you're fine in regards to the eSpeeds, but I have also noticed the same thing. When I'm in my office where I have higher ceiling and more space I tend to have better speeds than in the garage with a tighter area around me. Probably have some subconscious governors going. I also noticed that when I've been fit inside vs outside I have much higher swing speed outside as well. I too have a balky back that I'm dealing with... look at us mid thirty's guys starting to deal with the bad back

Edited October 23, 2023 by twyatt700

[skraeling]

31 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

I can understand that.  However, when you look at the cost for a new driver, spending a little less on a system what will increase your driving distance starts to seem reasonable.  I know I looked at Callaway and Taylor Made drivers at fitting days at my club, and couldn't gain more than 4 or 5 yards by spending $600.  On the other hand, it takes a significant effort to make Stack work, its a whole lot easier to buy new gear.

Good thing I have no need to get new equipment (club wise) really.  My lineup is quite set thankfully, short of something breaking.

29 minutes ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

Yeah, the PRGR makes the price jump pretty significantly, but if you have a radar device already, it's a little more reasonable.  Keep your eyes peeled on Facebook Marketplace or EBay for a used system, as I'm SURE they're out there - I have a RypStick system I just never used that I'll most likely offload, as I really (REALLY) enjoy the app for this so much more, that for me there's no sense in having both.  You could also (probably) find a PRGR for a good price on there, as well. 

Just a thought!

My neighbor might have one I can bum off him over the winter (not his mlm2).  Doubt he will part with his MLM2 though for an extended period haha.

18 minutes ago, twyatt700 said:

In the intro call Sahso did say that there usually isn't a straight line up in regards to the gains. So I think you're fine in regards to the eSpeeds, but I have also noticed the same thing. When I'm in my office where I have higher ceiling and more space I tend to have better speeds than in the garage with a tighter area around me. Probably have some subconscious governors going. I also noticed that when I've been fit inside vs outside I have much higher swing speed outside as well. I too have a balky back that I'm dealing with... look at us mid thirty's guys starting to deal with the bad back

I 100% change how I swing indoors, to the point I only work on feel chippin with foam balls I just cant take a full swing inside my house or if I do its not my normal one it feels like.

[twyatt700]

5 minutes ago, skraeling said:

I 100% change how I swing indoors, to the point I only work on feel chippin with foam balls I just cant take a full swing inside my house or if I do its not my normal one it feels like.

I get really timid when hitting balls inside- especially in my garage. I'm the same- just working on face control and ball strike location over the winter. 

[twyatt700]

Just finished workout number 9 which makes me officially half way through the program. So far I haven't gotten hurt and am slowly getting faster. I feel better swinging, but haven't been jumping up in the gain the last few sessions. I will say really like the app's interface and the ease of use. Plus the variability in weight is nice. Very impressed so far. Hopefully I will have a chance to play soon, I may just go play some screen golf on my lunch too if I can't get outside. 

[hckymeyer]

Just completed my 12th session and learned something new in the app.  From the main screen you can just start swiping right and it gives you a bunch of different screens!  Shows things like your training speeds, personal bests in each weight, distance potential, driver eSpeed, your grit scores, you self reported health and energy and your original baseline.  

Maybe this was common knowledge but I just figured it out and thought it was really cool!

[hckymeyer]

Also I just updated my review post with a few first impressions if anyone is interested

[GolfSpy AFG]

8 hours ago, hckymeyer said:

Just completed my 12th session and learned something new in the app.  From the main screen you can just start swiping right and it gives you a bunch of different screens!  Shows things like your training speeds, personal bests in each weight, distance potential, driver eSpeed, your grit scores, you self reported health and energy and your original baseline.  

Maybe this was common knowledge but I just figured it out and thought it was really cool!

Another little tidbit you may already know…on the “Personal Best Speeds” screen, tap the yellow “Speed (MPH)” button near the top and it will change to “Speed (Percentile)” and show you how your speeds compare to other Stack users in your age range. 

[hckymeyer]

2 hours ago, Getoffmylawn said:

Another little tidbit you may already know…on the “Personal Best Speeds” screen, tap the yellow “Speed (MPH)” button near the top and it will change to “Speed (Percentile)” and show you how your speeds compare to other Stack users in your age range. 

I did not know that, but very cool!  Now I wish they did that same thing with the driver eSpeed screen.  I guess I could just look at the 195g weight on the personal best screen though.

[ejgaudette]

Got through my fifth session today and I am getting back into the swing of things. I would say the first set of gains was a bit of a sugar high as I had not speed trained recently, but getting back to this speed this quickly is not something I have seen before with previous programs. I am looking forward to where this goes, the rest of the winter. If I can get this speed up a few more mph that should get me cruising on course more around 112 which was my goal, if I could go 115 on course that would be out of this world and is a bit unrealistic for one off-season. Enjoying the app, though for me the mic is not working well at all, it keeps not working for some reason, so I have had to manually type in numbers, which is fine but likely ups my rep rest a bit, oh well.

[GregGarner]

8 hours ago, ejgaudette said:

Enjoying the app, though for me the mic is not working well at all, it keeps not working for some reason, so I have had to manually type in numbers, which is fine but likely ups my rep rest a bit, oh well.

It took me a few sessions to figure it out, but I discovered what was going on with my own mic/headset issues. I had some Jabra earbuds that I was using and whenever there isn't audio being played, the Jabras were effectively turning off. Then when it gets to the 3-2-1 countdown, it would miss "3" but then I'd hear the beeps for 2 and 1. (Presumably a battery saving feature of my earbuds?) Additionally, toggling the dictation option on or off also causes some weirdness, but again, I think it's specific to my headset. I haven't tried a wired headset (hopefully for obvious reasons?) but when the iPad is just audio through its own speakers, I don't have any issues at all.

Well. Other than when a buddy walks by and says, "what's that? Oh, you swung 98 mph?" and then the app records "98." 

[Sherlock]

Thank you for the 20% code!!

[GolfSpy BOS]

7 hours ago, GregGarner said:

It took me a few sessions to figure it out, but I discovered what was going on with my own mic/headset issues. I had some Jabra earbuds that I was using and whenever there isn't audio being played, the Jabras were effectively turning off. Then when it gets to the 3-2-1 countdown, it would miss "3" but then I'd hear the beeps for 2 and 1. (Presumably a battery saving feature of my earbuds?) Additionally, toggling the dictation option on or off also causes some weirdness, but again, I think it's specific to my headset. I haven't tried a wired headset (hopefully for obvious reasons?) but when the iPad is just audio through its own speakers, I don't have any issues at all.

Well. Other than when a buddy walks by and says, "what's that? Oh, you swung 98 mph?" and then the app records "98." 

So I’m fortunate to be able to do training sessions in the house (we have a two story living room) so I can swing freely. I did a session on lunch yesterday and Mrs. BOS was in the next room over.

Well my first set called for 255g weights and I said “89” she heard the app repeats and chimes in “not so fast today huh?” 
 

I’m still not sure if it’s a good thing that she accepts my golf habit or a bad thing that she knew she could rib me so easily with that one…. You better bet I tried harder on the next one!

[JohnSmalls]

10 hours ago, GolfSpy BOS said:

So I’m fortunate to be able to do training sessions in the house (we have a two story living room) so I can swing freely. I did a session on lunch yesterday and Mrs. BOS was in the next room over.

Well my first set called for 255g weights and I said “89” she heard the app repeats and chimes in “not so fast today huh?” 
 

I’m still not sure if it’s a good thing that she accepts my golf habit or a bad thing that she knew she could rib me so easily with that one…. You better bet I tried harder on the next one!

You've got a wife and a life caddie!  

[GolfSpy BOS]

EDITED TO UPDATE FOR @twyatt700's LAST WORKOUT

 

Update after week 3 of training! 

Testing is well underway with most testers nearing the end of phase 3 of the foundations program.  Some testers are seeing fairly consistent progress while others have been more up and down between sessions.  I know personally I'm starting to see better results with the various weights but it's getting harder to set new personal bests each session.  Hopefully I'll bust through this plateau phase towards the end of the foundations course, and I'm looking forward to seeing what program is recommended next.  

 

[twyatt700]

Got PR's in all the weights today!!! Starting to see the speed tick up slowly. The eSpeed has been going up 1 MPH for the last 5 sessions, up to 111!

[twyatt700]

2 hours ago, GolfSpy BOS said:

Update after week 3 of training! 

Testing is well underway with most testers nearing the end of phase 3 of the foundations program.  Some testers are seeing fairly consistent progress while others have been more up and down between sessions.  I know personally I'm starting to see better results with the various weights but it's getting harder to set new personal bests each session.  Hopefully I'll bust through this plateau phase towards the end of the foundations course, and I'm looking forward to seeing what program is recommended next.  

 

I just finished number 10! Can you redo this lol!

[GolfSpy BOS]

2 minutes ago, twyatt700 said:

I just finished number 10! Can you redo this lol!

Depends on how high the number is.

[GolfSpy BOS]

6 minutes ago, twyatt700 said:

I just finished number 10! Can you redo this lol!

I updated for you... nice session! 

[DaveP043]

I just finished Session 14, and while I've been pretty static in my 195 g swings, I keep setting Personal Bests in both heavier and lighter weights.  Its both frustrating and encouraging, I have a feeling I'm going to see the work paying off with the eSpeed soon.  I have time to get through Session 17 just before I leave for 2 weeks in Pinehurst, I'll have to find a morning to get the last session done one morning before golf.

[hckymeyer]

2 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

I just finished Session 14, and while I've been pretty static in my 195 g swings, I keep setting Personal Bests in both heavier and lighter weights.  Its both frustrating and encouraging, I have a feeling I'm going to see the work paying off with the eSpeed soon.  I have time to get through Session 17 just before I leave for 2 weeks in Pinehurst, I'll have to find a morning to get the last session done one morning before golf.

I'm through 15 of 18 sessions in my first program.  I also keep PR'ing the lighter weights, but I figure it's because last time I did them was much earlier in the program.  I've also gotten slower the last 2 workouts in the 195g final 4 swings, but it's only a couple mph difference so i'm chalking that up to the variance in my swing from day to day.  I've also had to move inside due to winter deciding to arrive early in MN.

[GolfSpy BOS]

7 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

I just finished Session 14, and while I've been pretty static in my 195 g swings, I keep setting Personal Bests in both heavier and lighter weights.  Its both frustrating and encouraging, I have a feeling I'm going to see the work paying off with the eSpeed soon.  I have time to get through Session 17 just before I leave for 2 weeks in Pinehurst, I'll have to find a morning to get the last session done one morning before golf.

I did a session Sunday and it was hands down my worst feeling one yet.  I just didn't feel like I was swinging well, but I fought through it the best I could.  I know some days are going to be like that, so it's no big deal, but I can understand your frustrations waiting for the eSpeed payoff!  

[K8golfer]

Do any of the testers have back (or other) issues that have been helped or hindered thru the protocol? I’m concerned about back pain with swinging with the weights and yes, at 64 it could be an age issue. I do work out but it still may not be an applicable tool for 64 y/o female. Current drive 180 - 200 but really REALLY want more!! Thoughts??

[skraeling]

1 minute ago, K8golfer said:

Do any of the testers have back (or other) issues that have been helped or hindered thru the protocol? I’m concerned about back pain with swinging with the weights and yes, at 64 it could be an age issue. I do work out but it still may not be an applicable tool for 64 y/o female. Current drive 180 - 200 but really REALLY want more!! Thoughts??

I dont do it, but as with any exercise regimen where they say consult your doctor before starting?  might be worth a inquiry?   You could always take it slower and ramp up instead of just FULL TILT out the gate I suppose too.

[DaveP043]

10 hours ago, GolfSpy BOS said:

I did a session Sunday and it was hands down my worst feeling one yet.  I just didn't feel like I was swinging well, but I fought through it the best I could.  I know some days are going to be like that, so it's no big deal, but I can understand your frustrations waiting for the eSpeed payoff!  

Yeah, we look at that single factor as an indication of progress, and to some extent that's the way the software is written.  But progress at any weight is progress, I imagine Sasho would tell us that working the program properly is the most important thing.  

10 hours ago, K8golfer said:

Do any of the testers have back (or other) issues that have been helped or hindered thru the protocol? I’m concerned about back pain with swinging with the weights and yes, at 64 it could be an age issue. I do work out but it still may not be an applicable tool for 64 y/o female. Current drive 180 - 200 but really REALLY want more!! Thoughts??

I'm 67, and while I don't have back issues, I'm not in exactly the best shape of my life.  So far, through 14 Sessions in the Fundamentals program, I'm not having any injury problems, no excessive soreness, so far all is good.  But to be clear, it definitely IS a stress on the "swing muscles", so it seems logical to me that it might cause problems if you have pre-existing conditions.  

10 hours ago, skraeling said:

I dont do it, but as with any exercise regimen where they say consult your doctor before starting?  might be worth a inquiry?   You could always take it slower and ramp up instead of just FULL TILT out the gate I suppose too.

This makes perfect sense to me, if a person has concerns about potential injuries, consultation with a doctor is a great idea.  I'm not sure there's much room within the system to start slowly, we're given a specific set of weights, swings, and intensity for each session.

[K8golfer]

Thanks for great feedback - PT and Dr. both say "go for it" so enjoy following your progress! Thanks all - 

[ejgaudette]

Got back at it myself after a busy weekend. Hitting the plateau I expected given previous speed training, now to keep after it for the winter and see if I can push through this.

[hckymeyer]

15 hours ago, K8golfer said:

Do any of the testers have back (or other) issues that have been helped or hindered thru the protocol? I’m concerned about back pain with swinging with the weights and yes, at 64 it could be an age issue. I do work out but it still may not be an applicable tool for 64 y/o female. Current drive 180 - 200 but really REALLY want more!! Thoughts??

No previous back issues, but i did have some lower back pain for a few sessions a week or two ago.  I think it was a combination of heavier weight swings with max effort and poor swing mechanics.  I also think the pain was not caused by The Stack (had a few other life things I think did it) but I do think it may have caused the pain to linger a little longer than normal.

I'd say though that if your normal swing doesn't cause pain then there isn't any reason this would.  The most important thing is going to be getting properly warmed up before starting a session and then probably good to do some stretching after so it doesn't tighten up after a workout.

So far the biggest take away I have from starting this program is that i wish I would have started it 2 years ago