Swing Speed Journey

kod12

Focusing on swing speed this year. Currently at 105-107 club head speed and 146-150 ball speed. Looking to add on some club head speed onto the 113-115 mark this season and get 160s ball speed.

What work are people doing in this area. The Stack System seems to be the go to but getting it into Ireland is very expensive at around €480. Just wondering what people have used to gain speed in the off season this year. Have signed up to the Golf Strong app too.

Russman

I'm going to try to Superspeed sticks with the PRGR launch monitor this off season and see if I can pick up any speed. I've had them for a good while but never really got stuck in and did a proper 6 week bloc with them. I don't swing very fast anyway (it hovers right around 100/101) so hopefully there's good scope to increase it. I've also got the Force Pedals - I used these last winter and found them very good for helping get my lower half working better. Not sure if they added speed but I felt they helped, particularly with iron play for some reason.

TBH (and with the greatest of respect) you should be solidly in the 150s ball speed with your current swing speeds though. Your smash factor seems to be a little inefficient and there should be some ball speed gains to be had with a better strike.

callaway92

What are people using to track their clubhead speed?

Only interaction I've had is with TopTracer at certain ranges rather than Trackman and I can only see Ball Speed on the app

Driver avg. 160.75 mph ball speed

5 Wood avg. 151.25 mph ball speed

7 iron avg. 133.8 mph ball speed

Would like to track my clubhead speed to ensure the correlation is matching up correctly and I'm not screwing myself somewhere

Russman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120211351#Comment_120211351

I think the PRGR is very good and probably the best bang for buck in terms of monitors etc. It consistently gets good reviews and is generally quite close when compared to Trackman etc., certainly for clubhead speed anyway. I suppose, a bit like a weighing scales, if you use the same one all the time, it doesn't really matter if its 100% correct (in a way).

DuckSlice

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058283267/swing-speed-journey

Have your worked on your strike also? I'm around the same ball speed but only 101 swing speed. Just something else to consider with the speed work.

I follow Mike Carroll, Fit for Golf, he has some good tips and lots of free info too. Golf Strong is probably similar. and Both have demonstrated 125+ swing speed to you cant go wrong with either.

Ivefoundgod

Am looking into the stack system as well as it does seem to be very well regarded and a bit more structured/planned out than the superspeed sticks. The cost is very high though and when you add in the PRGR then on top it gets a bit silly. I just spend €550 on an R10 launch monitor so very difficult to justify the costs of the stack system now, didn't realise the R10 won't measure speeds without hitting a ball so would need the PRGR too. Will probably leave it until next year at this point as distance isn't really the issue with my game currently.

Few of us seem to have similar swing speeds, i average around 106mph with my current club that got me 153mph ball speed and carry of 250 avg. Got fit for a TSR3 recently that was pushing that up to 158-60 territory with same swing speeds. Do need to work on my ball striking though as I think I should be able to get approximately 260ish carry without increasing swing speed. Plan on a lesson for that as the trackman showed me having path issues when i did the fitting which were reducing efficiency. Launch angle needs a bit of work too.

Just on the Top Tracer questions, have heard from a few fitters and read online about those not being very accurate if not setup and calibrated correctly so if you can get to a trackman range to compare i'd recommend it, just so you know the numbers are relatively close. Top tracer would not be considered in the same ballpark as a GC Quad or Trackman when it comes to accuracy and they calculate a lot of numbers too (same as my R10). I find the R10 good for club/ball speeds and distances as those are measured but the ball flight/spin isn't overly trustworthy as its a calculation. It works for what i want though which is carry and club/ball speeds. Have found it particularly useful for getting my wedge distances dialled in on half, 3/4, full swings.

kod12

Yeah Palmerstown Trackman range is near me so its very handy to track the ball speed and height. 100% agree with the suggestions my ball striking needs work on too and find the centre more.

The Stack from the UK is 460 but with the discount codes in the US its only €317 before post and import duties. The reviews and the app are the real seller

SEORG

Where do you find the discount codes for the US site?

kod12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300498#Comment_120300498

FFG23 gets you 10% off. Anyone know how to get it to ireland like parcel motel

Kiith

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300701#Comment_120300701

Parcel Motel is gone, but AddressPal still works.

https://addresspal.anpost.ie/

kod12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300732#Comment_120300732

Cheers. Wonder how likely it is to be caught at customs and if so is it then comparable with the UK price with no fees

coillcam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300498#Comment_120300498

Lots of social media influencer types have referral codes for 10%. I don't know if there's anything better than that besides maybe a Black Friday deal.

Kiith

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300792#Comment_120300792

I'd say highly likely, if any of the stuff i've gotten delivered via anpost in the last year is anything to go by.

redzerdrog

I use to cruise around the 106/107 mph ball speed with then getting up to 110/111 with max effort on the range. Yet in the space of 3 weeks I am struggling to get about 101/103mph.

I am struggling to justify the price of the stack but if I drop below 100mph I will have to bite the bullet

benny79

Swing speed sticks is cheaper and another option

TheRoomWrecker

I picked up the stack system to fend off the onset of aging and loosing speed!

prior to starting a program I would of been mid 160s-ball speed without trying to kill the ball, 12 sessions into the foundation program I’ve picked up a decent bit of speed and can hit mid 170s on track man without trying to really go at it! (Aim at targets)

I would highly recommend the system as it does work and the app is very user friendly, it’s pricey but I think of it as an investment!

Sipper

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300923#Comment_120300923

Instagram markheinemannpga has $50 off the stack. Mark is the pro at Killarney Golf & Fishing Club, message him.

Golfgraffix

Just picking up this thread now, there seems to be a mismatch on numbers I am reading.

One post was saying a club head speed of 105 and ball speed of 145. Although good speed it’s a awful waste of energy. 105 should be delivering a ball speed of 150ish if hit well.

I am on my own speed journey but I am doing it in conjunction with some more club face control. For me that is really working on my angle of attack.

I guess what I am getting at is that for your driver, getting the smash factor as close to 150 as possible, will mean you are getting the most out of your speed. It’s a really good measure of efficiency.

For me swing speed on its own brings in lots of variable results where good Smash Factor gives a more constant result.

Foot spray on the club face is a great trick, when trying to crank up the speed.

I rarely get above 100mph but can get it out there at 270 with no issues. When I start pushing it to much, I get wayward and I can see the SF number plummeting.

This a good example from last week, speed is low but overall distance is good. For my home course, which is a links, this would be a 280 yard drive.

Funny thing is, if I can get the attack angle up by even 1 degree I am getting another 10 yards of carry, and another 10 roll out.

On Trackman my goal is to keep it in the blue.

benny79

Interesting @Golfgraffix I was just listening to a podcast this morning its actually from the assistant Pro out of Naas GC and his mate who is trying to break par. They were talking about speed. I have been using the swing speed sticks over the winter but I noticed if I miss a week my speed drops off massively and is so frustrating. They were saying the quickest way to get speed & more distance is Technique first and to be properly fitted second.. But most important is technique you dont need loads of speed to have a good smash factor as you just proved! Id be happy with them numbers consistently. I actually went to the Pro in Naas for a lesson after been listening to them podcasts and turns out my technique has gotten very poor so something I'm working on.

Its The breaking Par podcast if anybody is interested

Golfgraffix

Smash factor is really just a function of club head speed and ball speed. If you swing at 100mph and the ball is 150mph, that is a SF of 150. Which is pretty much perfect.

For driving, it is a great metric to see how efficiently you are striking the ball. Maybe why you are not hitting the ball as far as you think you should based on your swing speed.  

Scott Tenorman

Interesting discussion on smash factor. Mines are decent enough except for my 46 degree pitching wedge:

As you can see my yardage is quite consistent but my smash factor is non existent.

Also I think my launch angle is far too high.

Any advice for improvement would be welcomed! 👍

Golfgraffix

Smash factor will change significantly depending on the club, ideal is not always 1.5.

Im in no position to advise but in my recent experience, controlling the club face at impact is where it’s all at.

A range session of hitting fades, draws etc, is great for understanding the club face.

I am playing my best golf ever and I feel it’s due to me forgetting about everything other than the face at impact.

coillcam

@Scott Tenorman

Smash factor drops off as you go into the irons and wedges. This is expected due to the difference in lofts, spin and materials.

The 1.50 smash factor is essentially a perfect strike on a driver. From a physics perspective, you have efficiently transferred the maximum kinetic energy possible from your swing (clubhead speed) through the club and into the ball (ball speed).

The legal limits on ball and driver design mean that 1.50 is that magic number for a driver. If you want to get into the science. Look up the coefficient of restitution (COR). The COR limit for drivers means we can't all hit 350yd bombs and 1.50 smash is about as perfect as it gets. The faster you swing the lower the COR becomes which means it's harder to gain further distance.

Sometimes you can record a smash factor over 1.50 but it's rare.

spacecoyote

Article on it here;

https://blog.trackmangolf.com/smash-factor/#:~:text=Smash%20Factor%20is%20ball%20speed%20divided%20by%20club%20speed&text=A%20golfer%20would%20hope%20to,a%20smash%20factor%20near%201.25.

Basically it's stating 1.5 for driver, PW should be close to 1.25

Scott Tenorman

Thanks for all the feedback lads but I never said anything about expecting a 1.5 smash factor with the wedge. I already understand it is a sliding scale down from the driver.

I am trying to raise it from the 1.0 to 1.1 it is at the moment though. I should have explained better

coillcam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120306557#Comment_120306557

You swing faster than me but I'm getting slightly more distance. Had a look at my old trackman report last year for my PW. Same 46 degree loft fwiw.

The big difference is in launch angle. My launch is around 26 degrees and also my angle of attack is 5-6 degrees down.

Without any other info, I could only guess that you hit very shallow or flippy or have forward ball position. Those could increase launch angle. They're all guesses as I'm no expert tbf. Might be worth getting back on the launch monitor with your pro for a lesson.

TheRoomWrecker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120306259#Comment_120306259

100% face control is the winner! now getting that attach angle up! 😉 playing some nice stuff John fair play!!

Scott Tenorman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120307318#Comment_120307318

Thanks. I think you may correct on the ball position, I’ll try a few different setups and see if there is any difference.

My launch angle must be costing me a lot of distance.

coillcam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120309371#Comment_120309371

With PW I play the ball mid stance, with my hands leaned forward and try to shift weight forward fully on the downswing. Not as much shaft lean as say 7-8i but definitely forward and it helps with a downward strike/AoA. With GW I can only lean my hands slightly forward by a small amount as it starts to dig due to differences in bounce, clubhead and loft.

With SW and LW I never lean the shaft forward. Too easy to dig or chunk horribly. They're mostly partial or pitch/chip/bunker shots.

Golfgraffix

Another range session on Friday. 1.5 mph faster, both carry and full distance up by almost 20 yards.

Its getting speed matched with face control is the hard part.

coillcam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120320112#Comment_120320112

@Golfgraffix - nice one, well done. The face control will come. It's trickier to match it up when you're pushing hard to build speed. More reps will bring consistency to your setup, path and face angle. Soon you'll be cruising at that speed and it'll all come together.

If you're doing any other strength or fitness training with the speed work it can really help. If you're interested Mike Carroll (fit for golf) has some good content on how to balance training and speed work optimally. Ideally, you're not doing speed work when big muscles are spent and recovering. There's more to it but you get the gist.