The Stack Speed Training System Review

Frustrated by his ailing distance and inspired by a playing partner's booming drive, Fergus Bisset invested in The Stack System to try and increase his clubhead speed

The Stack Speed Training System Review
(Image credit: Future)
Golf Monthly Verdict

The Stack System is a highly effective way to train yourself to swing the club faster and experience tangible distance gains through the bag. The training programs are easy to follow and the weighting system allows you to progress.

Reasons to buy
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    Produces gains that can be monitored and tracked

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    Tour proven

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    Training program guides you through the optimum process

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Gains come with a notable cost

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Getting older comes with plenty of aches, but for a golfer, the absolute worst pain is watching your tee shots get shorter. Creeping into my late 40s, I realized I was suddenly hitting more club into par-3s and failing to clear hazards that used to be a non-issue.

I had almost accepted my fate and resolved to work on my short game — until a medal round at Banchory Golf Club changed everything. Playing with a +4 handicapper friend, I watched him drive the 366-yard 5th hole on the flat. He had gained a staggering 25 yards off the tee since our last game, averaging over 170mph ball speed. His secret? The Stack System.

The Stack Speed Training System

(Image credit: Future)

Famously used by Matt Fitzpatrick to find the extra gear needed to win a Major, it is a speed training system built on dynamic data. Frustrated by feeling like a feeble old man out there, I went straight home and ordered one. To be clear: I paid for this equipment out of my own pocket. While options like Rypstick or SuperSpeed exist, I opted for The Stack purely because I saw proof of its success firsthand.

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What is The Stack System? At its core, The Stack consists of a single club shaft equipped with a sensor and an assortment of interchangeable, threaded metal weights (up to 300g). However, the hardware isn't the real story here; the true superpower is the associated app and training program that comes with it.

Included in the box is a specialized speed radar that pairs seamlessly with your mobile device to track and chart your progress. The app functions as a highly intelligent personal trainer. My testing ground was my back garden, setting the speed radar and phone on an old bucket on the lawn.

the stack system in action

(Image credit: Future)

A quick tip would be to put your golf shoes and a glove on before starting. You are swinging at maximum intensity, and you need real grip to prevent slipping. Every single session kicks off with a mandatory 16-minute warm-up. It involves challenging stretching that is absolutely crucial to the process.

Once loose, the app guides you through various weight configurations. Giving these swings max intensity forces your brain to realize your body can move faster, engraining that speed into your nervous system.

I am only seven sessions into the program, but the data and real-world results have blown me away. After two weeks (7 sessions) my potential driver speed has increased to 104mph and 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.

the stack system app

(Image credit: Future)

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’ve also picked up 2 to 3 yards of carry with my 7-iron.

The regular stretching allows my upper body to rotate much more freely. To move the heavier weight configurations effectively, you cannot simply thrash at it with your arms. It forces you to engage your core, back, and legs.

It may still be the honeymoon period, but I am entirely convinced. Instead of dropping hundreds on a new driver for a heavily marketed "one or two yards" of factory technology, investing in physically training your body to move faster is the smarter play. I’ll report back later in the year to see if these gains hold over the long term, but for now, the clock on my aging game has officially been turned back.

Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.

Fergus is also a level-three qualified Rules official and referee.

He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins.

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?

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