Progress Check
I started Superspeed Training in earnest on October 20, 2020. I was working with the standard men’s set with PRGR (red eyes) Portable Launch Monitor. I performed the training as prescribed for 7 weeks. Each session would begin with a warmup of iron/wedges swings just to loosen up my body then some dynamic stretching focusing on rotation and hip mobility (my hips and pelvis are very in-flexible relative to the rest of my body). After warming up each session would proceed as follows:
- 5 driver swings hitting a ball with the intent to swing fast
- all dominant and non-dominant parts of the Level 1 Protocol (week 7 I performed week 1, Level 2 protocol)
- 5 driver swings hitting a ball with the intent to swing fast
I would record the results of each session, logging each swing in a google sheet and summarizing each session based on average speed recorded on the PRGR at each step in the protocol.
My results:
10/20/2020 | Before Session 1 protocol: 105.81 avg / 110.96 max | After session 1: 111.1 avg / 113.2 max
I completed 17 sessions over the course of the following 7 weeks and saw massive gains. I mostly attribute these gains to improvement in my sequencing as I struggle with early extension and casting the club in the downswing, coupled with a new intent of trying to swing aggressively through impact. My driver has always been difficult to control which would lead me to have more of a guided swing with my driver which didn’t result in hitting it any straighter.
After 7 weeks of the Level 1 protocols plus one 1 of the Level 2 protocols I saw my average Clubhead Speed with a Driver while hitting a ball jump to 120.1 mph on the PRGR while experiencing a Personal Best 126.6 mph.
Since 12/1/2020 I have not completed a single session of the protocols but I have utilized the light stick
and heavy stick in warming up to remind myself of these sequencing improvements.
I was very hesitant to trust the swing speed readings on the PRGR and through following @Fit_For_Golf on twitter assumed that my average swing speed was likely closer to the 114-116 mph range. Last Friday (3/19/21), I went for a Driver Fitting at my local pro shop and recorded average Driver swings of 119-120mph on the Flightscope X3 and after considerable warm-up actually recorded a swing of 125.2 mph.
This process has not resulted in a widened dispersion pattern in fact I have found my fast swings typically produce my straightest shots. I am working on centering facestrike to maximize my efficiency and expect that my ball speed gains will continue to occur while maintaining current levels of swing speed.
for reference I am a 33 year old, 13.1 handicap (been playing for 15 years) with above average fitness (thanks @Fit_For_Golf)