Swing Speed
Of the remaining sports that I can still play at age 72, golf is my favorite. So recently, after golfing with my son, who had just purchased new clubs and was hitting them great, I decided to check out a new set for myself because both the elevation and distance from my current clubs weren't meeting my expectations. I can vividly recall my first set of cheap Spalding irons (odd numbers only), flat blade putter and MacGregor woods (yes, they were indeed made of wood) that I could hit a mile, albeit rather wildly, given my consistent slice.
Recall this previous blogpost about some of those exploits. Back then, I could hit a 7 iron 160 yards via a high trajectory, but now only a 140. And most hits are low liners that bounce through the green as opposed to an arching flight pattern that lands softly on the green. Backspin like the pros is out of the question!
The local golf practice center is called Carl’s Golfland and includes a training facility appropriately called the Launch Pad with all the latest Trackman technology and comprehensive club selection. So I signed up for a session with a fitter to try various clubs. Carl’s charges a fee, but if you buy any clubs, they give you a credit towards the purchase. So what’s to lose? First the fitter had me hit my current Taylormade irons I’ve had about 5 years, then try a number of other clubs including the same set my son purchased and many others.
When all done, the club fitter declared my existing clubs (white & yellow) were the best for distance, accuracy and trajectory! He claimed the laws of physics won’t allow me to hit the ball further or higher because my basic swing speed of 81mph with a driver is deficient (9th percentile). He said this is a natural aging phenomenon but can be reversed or at a minimum held in check with different exercises and drills. Oh crap - the “e” word!
A fellow golfer older than me with a lower handicap was consulted for his golfing secrets and he referred me to a personal trainer he uses to keep in shape. His name is Tom, a young guy with a nice golf game.Check out Tom’s stair drill here I made contact with him, and we've been holding workout sessions once a week right at our home on the back patio. It’s helping but it’s too early to really tell. My favorite drill is taking a 10# medicine ball and throwing it against the wall or down onto the floor.
Tom also has me use stretch bands to build upper body and core strength. But the best drills to improve swing speed according to him are doing sit ups, push ups and pull-ups. Ironically, those were the top drills coach Kremer had us do back in high school to improve or strength. Coach was an excellent golfer, always in great health and is still living at age 95. Here’s a past blogpost celebrating his 90th birthday.
My situp, pushup and pullup counts have doubled since starting, but doubling a small number is not much of an accomplishment! We’ll see how it goes. My main measure of success will be holding onto my single digit golf handicap. A friend once said, 9 handicappers are the easiest money on the course, because they really should be higher but keep stretching their game to stay single digit. My case precisely - easy money! Maybe with a little luck and perseverance, I can win a few bucks to somewhat offset the cost of the club fitting and personal trainer. We’ll see, recalling what an old friend once told me, gambling money has no home!
PS: I’ve been really impressed with the performances of two young area high school golfers, the Redskin’s Adam Ballas and the Raider’s Ross Fiessinger. Wish I had their swing speeds!
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