'I’ve Already Gained 10 Yards' – Why I've Started A Speed Training Journey And What I've Learned So Far

Getting old is a pain. It’s lots of pains actually, a new one most days. One of the biggest pains I’ve noticed in the last couple of years as I move into my late 40s is that I’ve started to lose distance on the golf course.

It seemingly happened suddenly but no doubt it crept up on me and I just didn’t notice, until it was significant enough to notice.

But I wasn’t getting past bunkers I previously wouldn’t think about. I was hitting more club into par-3s than before, despite using irons with softer shafts and a little more forgiveness.

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‘This is it,’ I thought. ‘This is old age beginning. I better get used to it and adapt.’ I was sort of alright with that – One can still make birdies hitting longer clubs into greens.

Losing distance doesn’t prevent you getting better around the greens (I certainly need some improvement there). I just reckoned on developing different skills to hitting a long ball.

A few weeks ago I played with a pal of mine, for the first time in a year or so, who is a very good player. A former professional and now a +4 handicapper. He’s always been a great swinger of the club and a long hitter.

But during our medal round, I was taken aback by how far he was striping it. The 5^th hole at my club Banchory is 366 yards on the flat. It was slightly downwind (not much,) and he drove it to the heart of the green. I (and the group ahead who were putting) were astounded.

It wasn’t a one-off – he was hitting it a long way with every club, all the way round. I was trailing miles behind and felt like a weak and feeble old mannie.

After the game in the clubhouse bar, I asked him what had happened. He seemed to have gained 25 yards off the tee since the last time we played.

His answer – The Stack System speed trainer. It’s a tool Matt Fitzpatrick used to help him gain the extra yardage he needed to become a world-beater. A number of other top pros have used it.

My pal reckons he has gained at least 10mph of ball speed with driver and is now averaging over 170mph… that’s quick enough for amateur golf!

I wondered if he had done anything else, other fitness, weight training etc. But no, nothing was changed to his routines other than using the Stack and the accompanying training programme.

I went straight home and ordered one.

I should say – this is not an advertorial. I paid for this piece of equipment and nobody has asked me to try it. There are other options on the market – Rypstick, SuperSpeed Golf… I’m sure they do the same thing… I just opted for Stack as that was what my mate had!

Have you gone through a speed training programme? Are you using a similar tool? If so, let me know in the comments box below.

Basically, the Stack is a sensor on the end of a shaft with interchangeable metal weights. As I say, there are plenty of similar weighted “clubs” on the market that either help you swing faster or gain a better rhythm, depending on their design.

The key thing about the Stack System is the associated app and the training programme that comes with it.

With the package you also get a speed radar that will pair with the app on your mobile device to send data about your swing so you can chart your progress.

The training starts with a baseline session. I’ve just been doing these in my garden – as the image above shows! I stick the speed radar and my phone on an old bucket on the lawn and just swing away in front of them! I do put golf shoes on as you need good grip, and it’s a good idea to wear a glove as your hands can get sweaty… It’s quite hard work.

You complete a warm-up – it’s 16 minutes and involves quite a bit of challenging stretching. I should say, it is absolutely crucial to the whole process. It’s amazing how much better you can swing after warming up properly…. No wonder the pros do it!

You then follow the instructions, completing sets of swings with different weight configurations to show where you are to start with. I was not impressive. A baseline driver head speed of 93mph…

I must confess, at that point, I wasn’t fully sure what I was doing so I don’t think I gave absolute commitment to swinging as hard as I could, but it gave somewhere to start.

You then begin to follow the programme, completing a session every three days or so. You go through the warmup and then do the weighted swing repetitions.

You are encouraged to give these swings (near) max intensity and sometimes to give the swing max intensity, to the point where you’re almost losing your balance.

The idea is to convince your brain that your body can move faster and, by doing so, you engrain that speed.

I’ve only been doing it for a couple of weeks, but I can already notice a difference on the course.

My numbers have gone up and after just seven sessions, my potential driver speed has increased to 104mph. My potential distance with driver has gone up from 256 yards to 280 yards… That is potential of course and, you have to take into account that, as with anything, you get more proficient at swinging the Stack itself as you do more sessions.

But - I played a match on Tuesday night, and I have no doubt I was hitting the ball a good 10 yards further from the tee. My playing partner commented on it.

I am also hitting it further through the bag… Just a little, but a couple or three yards with a 7-iron I reckon.

I can see from ball speeds at the range that I have gone from 108mph with a 7-iron to 111mph on average. That’s a pretty big jump in just two weeks.

I think there are two key reasons for it. One, the regular stretching. That obviously helps your body to move more freely and to make faster movements.

Secondly, I think swinging the weighted club encourages you to use the larger muscles in your upper body and legs. To shift the (up to 300g) weights effectively, you must engage core muscles, not simply thrash at it with your arms.

I am now standing on the tee thinking – how would I swing the Stack here. I would make a full shoulder turn back and rotate completely through it, driving the shaft and the club with my upper back, my core and my legs.

I don’t think it’s really about the weight training. It’s about convincing your body to make a powerful swing, making it feel natural to commit fully and to power through the ball.

This is my initial report, and it could just be the honeymoon period. But, at the moment, I’m convinced it’s working. It’s been proven to work by Matt Fitzpatrick, my buddy off +4 and others I’ve read testaments from online.

It makes sense – train your body to move faster and you will have the potential to hit the ball further. I’d rather spend my money on becoming physically more able to hit the ball longer distances than wasting it on “new” technologies that might (or might not) gain you a yard or too.

Later in the year, when I’ve completed more of the training programme, I’ll report back again and be completely honest about whether I have moved on from the 104mph driver potential head speed, whether that translates to hitting it further on course, and by how much… Watch this space!