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The Power SwingFan is renowned for increasing distance by producing maximum resistance at impact. GOLF’s Game Improvement Editor Luke Kerr-Dineen took it to the next level, making 500 exhausting swings in one week. The speed boost was worth the pain.

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The post SuperSpeed’s affordable launch monitor bundle is perfect for swing speed training appeared first on Golf.

The post SuperSpeed’s affordable launch monitor bundle is perfect for swing speed training appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Gimme That, a GOLF.com column where we’ll highlight one notable item we think you might like. Whether it’s an article of clothing, an intriguing electronic device or anything in between, we want to share these items with you because they’ve generated a bit of chatter by our water cooler (or, these days, on our Slack channel). So sit back, scroll down and keep up with the latest gear golf has to offer.

Who hasn’t dreamed of cranking up their swing speed like Bryson DeChambeau and the PGA Tour’s top stars? It’s hard not to have the need for speed these days. In golf, you can never have enough of it. That’s where SuperSpeed comes in. SuperSpeed created a training aid bundle specifically designed to increase your swing speed that includes the SuperSpeed C club and a PRGR portable launch monitor, and it’s *perfect* for home training. 

The best part? It’s actually affordable. The high price tags that come with launch monitors you spot on PGA Tour driving ranges have bells and whistles the average golfer doesn’t need. Don’t over-extend yourself. Keep it simple. 

SuperSpeed C-Stick + Launch Monitor bundle

Buy Now from proshop.golf.com

View Product

That’s what SuperSpeed does well with this bundle: one SuperSpeed club and a launch monitor that presents only the information you have to know. If you find yourself ready to expand on your speed training journey then you can always add to your SuperSpeed set. My advice is to start with this bundle and ensure that you’re committed to the process before moving on. 

This advice comes from personal experience. I have a serious lack of speed in my swing. I’d like to say it’s done intentionally for tempo reasons, but it’s all I’ve got in me. I picked up this exact bundle a few months back and it’s a reasonable process I can get behind. I’m not a golfer who wants to show up at the range with a bag full of gadgets and gizmos. What I like about the SuperSpeed C club is that I can use it in my backyard or pull it out at the driving range without feeling like a try-hard. 

As for the launch monitor, there are cell phones bigger than the PRGR. The convenient size might be a bigger plus than the price tag.

It’s a great starting package at a starter price. So, if you’re serious about gaining speed this offseason, look no further. 

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The post This pro added 10 mph to her swing speed last year. Here’s how she did it appeared first on Golf.

The post This pro added 10 mph to her swing speed last year. Here’s how she did it appeared first on Golf.

Swing speed is king in the modern age of pro golf. I feel like I’ve typed some variation of that sentence over 100 times in the past two years, and I’ll likely type it 100 more times in the years to come. But as long as the game continues trending in the direction it’s going, distance will continue to reign supreme.

Instruction

Pro golfers, with the help of advanced analytics, have only recently been able to quantify the advantages that distance provides, and those insights are ushering in a new era. Bryson DeChambeau brought the boom to the mainstream, and other pros are following suit. The quest for bombs is not confined to the PGA Tour, though. The shift is taking place from the pros to elite amateurs, and even in the recreational game.

One such golfer who’s decided adding yards off the tee will help her game is second-year pro Hannah Gregg. And in a recent Twitter post, she revealed to her followers that she’d added nearly 10 mph to her swing speed over the past year. Even better, she shared the methods for her transformation.

Check out below for her three keys for adding swing speed.

1. Mass over mobility

Gregg describes herself as a “hyper-mobile” pro golfer, so instead of focusing on added flexibility, she opted to add mass to her frame to gain those extra yards.

“I’m very flexible, so I didn’t feel like there was much “snap” to my swing- just a long, fluid motion,” she said in her thread. “We worked on building muscle (specifically glutes) & ACTIVATING muscles instead of stretching them.”

2. Adjust technique

Gregg also said she needed to change her swing in order to swing harder. She had to teach herself to use ground reaction forces better to generate more power.

“I used to be very in-to-out with very little use of the ground & my swing relied heavily on timing,” she said. “If I’d swing faster, the ball would go sideways. My swing had to improve before I could add speed, so my coach helped me make a plan to do that.”

3. Go all out

Gaining swing speed is about breaking barriers, and the best way to do that is just let loose and swing HARD. To teach herself how to do that, Gregg ended every range session with 20 balls of all-out sends.

“I do this at the end of my practice so that I’m tired to build endurance,” Gregg said. “For those 20 balls, I don’t allow myself to care where it goes or how the contact is. Strictly speed focused.”

The post This pro added 10 mph to her swing speed last year. Here’s how she did it appeared first on Golf.

The post How to add 15 mph of clubhead speed in just 30 days, according to a speed-training guru appeared first on Golf.

The post How to add 15 mph of clubhead speed in just 30 days, according to a speed-training guru appeared first on Golf.

No matter what your distance is off the tee, every golfer wishes they could hit the ball just a little bit farther. Power is king in the current era of golf and added distance correlates to lower scores.

Data and analytics experts have quantified the advantages of power in recent years, and Bryson DeChambeau has made his affinity for bombs mainstream. He used the 2020 pandemic-induced hiatus to dedicate himself — and his body — to increasing his speed, and the efforts paid off with a win at the 2020 U.S. Open.

But while DeChambeau’s tactics were undoubtedly effective, they were also a bit extreme. Videos of his speed-training and weight-lifting routines surface regularly, and the intensity is more akin to a powerlifter than that of a golfer. And that’s not to mention the physical transformation he pulled off; DeChambeau has added around 40 pounds of muscle since his college days as he’s become one of the bulkiest players in pro golf.

However, adding speed to your swing doesn’t have to come at the cost of your physique. DeChambeau’s method was unquestionably effective, but it’s not the only way to get longer off the tee. In fact, according to one speed-training expert, you can add distance to your game without getting bigger at all.

“You don’t necessarily have to get big muscles or grow in size,” says Jaacob Bowden, a Class A PGA Professional. “It’s more about strengthening and speeding up the muscles that you use from the top of the backswing down to impact, in the specific way that you’re using them in the golf swing.”

Bowden, a World Long Drive record holder and speed-training guru, invented his own speed training program that he says can add 12-16 mph of clubhead speed within the first 30 days. His philosophy is simple and focuses on two main components: train your body what it feels like to swing fast through repeated reps, and workout the specific muscles used from the top of your swing down to impact.

“I don’t think that the golf industry understands yet that [speed training] needs to be really specific to how you’re swinging,” Bowden says. “Rather than doing a bench press or that kind of thing, it would be better to get a cable machine.”

You can see an example of one of his training sessions below.

Bowden’s philosophy on speed training is based on isometrics, which are exercises in which “muscles are caused to act against each other or against a fixed object.” He applies isometrics to golf by using resistance bands and mimicking the golf swing from the top of the backswing down to impact. By gradually upping the resistance each week and repeating the training, he teaches his muscles to swing faster from the top down to impact.

“The most important muscles to strengthen are those you use from the top of the swing down to impact,” he says. “Everyone at the top of the backswing is starting at zero, whether you’re a long-drive champion or a club amateur.”

This form of training does not alter your swing at all, and instead strengthens the muscles you actually use during the swing. The only thing that changes is how hard you can swing when you go back out to the course.

“I want to take the swing you have and train that technique to raise your max swing speed over the course of training,” Bowden says. “That way when you back off to your play speed it’s faster. Much faster.”

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The post How to make speed training work for your game, explained by an expert biomechanist appeared first on Golf.

The post How to make speed training work for your game, explained by an expert biomechanist appeared first on Golf.

Speed training is all the rage, but it’s still wildly misunderstood. In this InsideGOLF exclusive from the GOLF Top 100 Teachers Summit, Dr. Sasho Mackenzie explains the fact and fiction behind the method.

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Some of the very best golf teachers on the planet are at Pinehurst Resort this week for GOLF’s Top 100 Teachers Summit. You can access all of their insight by signing up for the livestream. But lucky you, we’ll also break down some of what you missed right here. (For more on the Top 100 Teachers Summit, click here.)

If you’re going to start speed training, Dr. Sasho Mackenzie has a simple ask: forget everything you know about the Home Run Derby.

Mackenzie, a biomechanist who teaches at St. Francis Xavier University, in Canada, was instrumental in the creation of the Stack Method, one of the most well-known speed training programs in golf. Through the course of a lengthy career in sports, he has consulted with hundreds of golfers looking to bolster their speed and, with rare exception, has helped all of them. He claims to have found a “biohack” for increasing speed — one that requires both time and golfers to forget everything they think they know about adding speed.

The common concern he faces goes something like this: A golfer is considering his program hoping to add speed to their swing. They’ve struggled with distance for years, but they’re worried that by embarking on a speed-training program, they’ll beget unintended swing changes, and perhaps get worse as a result of the training. Their concern, in shorter terms, is that they’ll face their own version of the “Home Run Derby curse,” in which players struggle with hitting after changing their swing to jack more home runs for the event.

Instruction

Mackenzie argues that this line of thinking is all wrong for a few key reasons.

First off, speed training is not an exercise in technique, it is an exercise in conditioning. As Mackenzie explains, when you are speed training, you are conditioning your body to grow comfortable swinging your swing at higher speeds, not changing the way you swing in order to generate higher speeds.

The second misconception golfers have is that speed training and swinging are identical behaviors. Rather, the Stack Method is a different sport altogether, one Mackenzie calls “swing stick fast.”

“The mechanics of both swings don’t have to negatively impact each other,” Mackenzie says. “If you have a reservation that might be the case, then maybe you will. When Viktor Hovland grabs a dumbbell, you don’t see him grabbing it saying, ‘Don’t want to grip that too closely, don’t want that to creep into the swing.'”

The third misconception is the idea that players can improve their swing speeds simply by thinking about swinging faster while they’re on the course. According to Mackenzie, this is akin to thinking you’d like to become a better putter, without actually putting in the work to change your stroke.

Like anything else in golf, adding speed requires effort, but it also requires an actionable approach to improvement.

“You can hit drivers until you’re blue in the face,” Mackenzie said. “If you’re not adding any stimulus, you’re not going to see any improvement.”

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Welcome to Teachable Moments, GOLF’s weekly instruction column that will help you improve your game through the excellence and expertise of the Tour stars of the week. Class is now in session.

Squash the grape

There is no larger indicator of success in professional golf than distance off the tee. With analytics becoming more prominent in the game, it has become apparent that driving is not just for show — it is also important for making dough.

This understanding has led to a distance arms race on the PGA Tour. Bryson DeChambeau is the most prominent example of this phenomenon, but other pros have begun searching for distance as well.

Take Cameron Tringale, for example. Four years ago, Tringale averaged just over 280 yards off the tee, ranking 168th on Tour. In the time since, he’s added nearly 18 yards to his average off the tee and climbed inside the top 100 in driving distance last season.  

Part of Tringale’s speed jump came from reworking his swing to be more efficient and generate easier power. And he’s used a simple speed move to train his swing to be more efficient and add some pop to his drives. His favorite drill was shared in a social media video this week by the PGA Tour.

The theme of the drill is “squashing the grape” under his left heel on his downswing. By lifting his lead heel and imagining he’s squashing a grape underneath it on the way down, he properly transfers his weight through the ball and generates more efficient power.

“It’s more of a technique than a speed drill,” Tringale says. “But the byproduct of using my body more efficiently is more speed.”

If you’re looking to add a few extra yards to your drives, remember to squash the grape under your lead heel. Do that, and you’ll quickly see your distance soar.

Play your game

As noted above, distance is incredibly important for sustained success in golf. However, chasing distance can do more harm than good if a player gets away from their game in the process.

Celine Boutier is wise enough to know this fact, and she’s not let her lack of pop allow her to stray from what has made her a top player in the women’s game.

Short Game

The Frenchwoman averages just 256 yards off the tee this season on the LPGA Tour, but despite her unremarkable distance, she’s racked up seven top-15 finishes, including a win at last week’s Shoprite Classic.

“I feel like you have to focus on your own game. Everyone’s game is different,” Boutier said. “But it’s not my game to be bombing it and then having wedges everywhere, so I also know what to do with my strength.”

Boutier explained that while added distance would be welcome for her game, it’s not a priority for her to chase those extra yards. She knows what she does well, and if she plays her game, she can be a successful player.

“My gain in distance has definitely helped me, but I also know I’m not going to be a long hitter like Maria Fassi or Patty [Tavatanakit] or Bianca [Pagdanganan],” she said. “Any gain I can get of course is welcome, but I also know that’s not the strength of my game.”

Ready to overhaul your game? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf.

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The post Want to add some serious speed to your swing? Try this training aid appeared first on Golf.

The post Want to add some serious speed to your swing? Try this training aid appeared first on Golf.

What do you get when you pair a biomechanics professor with PING’s vice president of performance?

Swing speed. Lots of swing speed.

Dr. Sasho MacKenzie and PING’s Marty Jertson are two of the brightest minds in golf today. Thank them and their research for the distance gains realized from the Tour on down the past decade. If you’ve missed out, no problem. The pair teamed up to invent the Stack Speed System ($349; thestacksystem.com). This training club is designed to provide auditory feedback while five different weights (30 combinations in total) allow you to train at your own pace.

The Stack

This dynamic speed training formulated by Dr. Sasho MacKenzie will make you faster in no time.

$349 from Fairway Jockey

Accompanying the club is an app, which uses a proprietary algorithm to guide you through personalized speed-training workouts, produce metrics and help you set goals. Put in the work and the ball won’t know what hit it.

Ready to overhaul your game? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf.

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The post Gain massive distance off the tee with this 30-day speed training challenge appeared first on Golf.

The post Gain massive distance off the tee with this 30-day speed training challenge appeared first on Golf.

Bryson DeChambeau transformed himself into a bomber, and with a little practice you can too. With the help of our friends at SuperSpeed Golf, GOLF developed a 30-day ball-speed-boosting practice challenge designed to improve your speed and contact. This program guarantees a 5 mph minimum increase in swing speed.

Materials you’ll need

SuperSpeed Sticks

The Men’s SuperSpeed Golf Training System is the perfect way to add up to 30 more yards to your drive! Coupled with our complimentary online video instruction series on the training page.Increase the speed and power of your golf swing by 5% to 8% in as little as 4-6 weeks of regular practice.

$200 from superspeedgolf.com

The challenge will last for 30 days and you will perform a different drill each day.

1. Heel-to drill

Spray your driver’s clubface with Strike Spray. Hit one drive off the toe area of the clubface, one off the heel and one off the center (checking the face after each). Repeat three times.

2. SuperSpeed swings

Make three hard swings with each SuperSpeed Stick from both the right side and the left. Repeat with your feet together. Then, three more swings while stepping into the ball on your downswing.

3. Max out

Using your own driver along with a Sports Sensors Swing Speed Radar, hit 20 drives in a row swinging as hard as you possibly can. Break a sweat! Keep track of your fastest swing each session.

When you’re ready to get started, check out the challenge below. Your swing speed is sure to soar.

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The post Bryson DeChambeau’s quest to 220 mph ball speed appeared first on Golf.

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GOLF goes behind-the-scenes with Bryson DeChambeau as he takes us through a speed training session.

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