As a card-carrying member of Medicare Nation, swing speed is a touchy subject. Back in the old days of persimmons and balatas, I could friggin’ bomb it. I couldn’t do much else but I pounded my old MacGregor Tourney a mile and a half. In every direction, mind you, but it was definitely a mile and a half.
Father Time, however, is a thief.
And that rat bastard has stolen my swing speed.
I haven’t seen 100 mph with my driver for well over a decade. When I’m swinging well, I’m around 94.5. When I’m not, it’s the high 80s and my mind is clouded with thoughts of XXIO.
So when the folks at GolfForever asked me to take a swing speed challenge at the PGA Show’s Demo Day, I figured the only thing I’d have to lose is my dignity.
Which, as luck would have it, is a very negotiable commodity.
With that as a backdrop, here’s the story of how a 10-minute and 49-second video told Father Time to kiss my ass.
GolfForever and the Swing Speed Challenge
I’ve been a faithful GolfForever user for two years now. It’s been sporadic at times but I’ve been very consistent over the past four months and can tell you that I feel pretty spry for 65. It was a no-brainer for me to say “hell, yes” when GolfForever asked me to take part in its swing speed challenge.
The idea was simple: after walking around Demo Day and taking a good number of swings at different booths, I would visit GolfForever, take five swings and get a swing speed baseline. Then I’d go through a guided 10-minute warmup routine on the GolfForever app and take five more swings.
The expectation was that my swing speed would increase.
I had already taken a good number of swings and felt pretty loose during my pre-warmup swings. We used the new Shot Scope LM1 launch monitor and the results were pretty predictable: a steady, consistent 94.5 mph average.
Next, GolfForever Brand and Communications VP Jon Levy fired up the video, hosted by golf fitness trainer Scott Shepard, and away we went.
The value of a good warmup
The full warmup routine is readily available on the GolfForever app but here’s a slightly abridged version from GolfForever’s YouTube channel:
As you can see, there’s nothing here that’s earth-shattering or proprietary. You can use any club, although the weighted GolfForever swing trainer is a mighty handy tool. Anyway, this old man went through the paces. It’s definitely a more elaborate warmup than my normal routine which usually consists of some stretches and, by comparison, less comprehensive attempts at creating mobility.
For the voyeurs out there, here’s a snippet of what my GolfForever warmup looked like:
Anyway, after going through the program, I took five more swings. The first couple were a little bit faster but nothing that made me go whoah. The last couple, however, did make me go whoah. Here’s a look at the before and after:
That’s a 4.1-mph increase in swing speed. In just 10 minutes and 49 seconds. The stats say that much of an increase can yield nine to 10 more carry yards with the driver. Oddly, my numbers weren’t that dramatic: only three more yards of carry and two more yards of total distance.
However, you’ll notice my smash factor was down by 0.05 smashes (or whatever that unit is called). That much of a smash factor decrease can actually equal 9 to 12 fewer yards. Therefore, the added swing speed pretty much made up for the less efficient smash. Considering this all happened with an OPTM driver we borrowed from COBRA (couldn’t tell you the model or the shaft), I’ll take it.
Once I harness all that newfound and robust testosterone in my swing, I could really learn to like it. At my age, anything over 240 yards is cause for celebration.
250 and up gets a parade.
Final thoughts
Again, you don’t need to buy or subscribe to GolfForever to use this warmup or any warmup routine, for that matter. The abridged version of the routine is available for free on YouTube.
We media types get comped stuff all the time but GolfForever is one of those things I have and will continue to gladly pay for. It’s way less expensive than our local YMCA and all of the workouts are golf-specific. They’re very well narrated and explained. As long as you have someplace to anchor the resistance band, you can use it anywhere.
The basic GolfForever swing trainer package runs $349.99 and, something I didn’t know when I bought it, is HSA/FSA reimbursable. Annual subscription renewals run around $200. Again, you don’t need any of this to work out and go through a suitable warmup. My problem is that I’m the type of guy who needs structure. Without it, I’d spend my evenings holding the couch down and scarfing up bags of Doritos.
So, in the end, I’m glad to have learned firsthand what a proper warmup can do. I do not plan on going gently into that good night, and I’m glad to have a laugh at Father Time’s expense. I know that in the end, Father Time is going to have the last laugh on me.
Therefore, in that spirit, here’s a message for that rat bastard…
Pucker up, buckaroo. Get ready to plant one on my lower set of cheeks because this old man hit 98.6!
The post How I Gained 4 MPH Of Swing Speed In 10 Minutes And 49 Seconds appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
