Jaacob Bowden's Swing Man Golf Blog

Words of Wisdom: Camillo Villegas - Part II

"I get asked a lot how I'm able to hit it so far.  I tell people that whenever I need to give the ball a little extra hit, I try to get very relaxed and free.  To do this, I flex my muscles tight, then I relax so I can feel the difference.  Trying to swing harder can make you tense up and restrict the body and club's natural movement."  - Camillo Villegas

Jaacob's Interview with the Golf Channel

Be sure to check out Jaacob's interview with the Golf Channel's Casey Bierer here.

 

Increasing Swing Speed at the Age of 81

Question:

Jaacob, I'm 81 years old and I have a 10 handicap . My driver clubhead speed was 102 mph 6 years ago but now its at 86 mph and continues to deteriorate with age. Am I to believe that you can teach me how to significantly increase my clubhead speed?

Jaacob's Answer:

As we all get older there is definitely physical deterioration that takes place.  However, the good news is that a level of this can be warded off and it's also never too late to make improvements from your current state.  Over 70% of our subscribers are over 45 years old, and over 30% are 60 and older.  Especially if you are not already doing anything for your swing, swing speed training works at any age and it is actually much easier than you might think.

Typically, I hear back from people gains of 12-16 mph (30-40 yards) in the first 30 days with the 10-minute twice-per-week Basic Program.  If you are willing to do additional strength training things, I don't see any reason why you couldn't even do better.  For example, we had a fellow start out around 95-100 mph last winter.  This past spring, he reported back that he had hit a new maximum of 139 mph and he was now competing in the Super Senior division of the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championships.  This is an extreme example, however, the point is that you can do amazing things at any age when you have the motivation.

Basic Swing Speed Training Program every day?

Question:

With typical weight training routines, I typically see "rest" days built into their program to allow muscles to recover and grow. Is there any harm in doing the Basic program routine every day instead of every other day?

Jaacob's Answer:

No, I don't see any problem with doing it every day, but if you decide to do that I would tell you to just pay attention to your body.  If you sense it needs rest, go ahead and rest. As an example, notice in my 2006 and 2007 programs that I was certainly doing more than the Basic Program by itself, however, I was still throwing in some rest days here and there because it was too hard on my body for me to do every day.

Muscle Memory and Swing Speed

by Jaacob Bowden

Regarding swing speed training, you'll all be pleased to find out that there seems to be a sense of muscle memory with regards to training done over time.

In the summer of 2006, I started out maxing at 118 mph with a 48" driver and got up to 144 mph.  In the summer of 2007, I started out maxing in the low 130s and got up to 155 mph.  I've taken off from golf since November and December and on January 3rd I resumed training in preparation for the 2008 season.  For kicks, I pulled out the my radar for several swings to see what 2 months of no training and/or working out did to my speed.  Surprisingly, I still managed to max at 136 mph...with a shorter 44" driver!

I assume these higher starting points each year will taper off, however, it's still pretty cool and I thought it'd be worth sharing as both an incentive to keep going with your training, and also to let you know to not worry about speed losses if you take time off during the winter or whenever else because the speed seems to come back quickly.

Golf Today Magazine

Check out our article in Golf Today magazine!!!

Just starting...should I wait on swing speed training?

Question:

I'm 52, just picked up the game in Jan 08. Presently shot a 90 on a par 67 and loving the game. My question is, "should I get my fundamentals down before looking into your training?"

Jaacob's Answer:

Shooting a 90 already is fantastic considering you started only 2 months ago!

I'd wait a little bit on the swing speed training, but I think the website could still benefit you even at this stage because of the additional sections like the "Shortcuts to Lower Scores".  My only reservation against it is overloading you with too much information.

Whether or not you decide to do it, I'd advise you to have fun, don't over analyze your swing too much (many golfers get caught up in this), and spend 2/3 of any practice time you do working on short pitches, chipping, and putting (as long as you can get the ball near the green in regulation, having a good short game can still get you shooting close to par - most amateurs only work on the full swing...which is why they don't shoot as low of scores).

I started out in the 90s.  I got down to the 80s making better contact and with slightly better chipping.  I got down in to the 70s with keeping the ball in play off the tee more (less penalty strokes), placing the ball in safer spots (playing smarter), and working a lot on my chipping and pitching.  I got down in the 60s from working on my mental and emotional states, aiming at less pins and going more for the center of the green, and improving even more on chipping and pitching.

The days I had my two lowest scores of 64 and 65, I was driving the ball long and in to safe spots, was putting my longer approaches on the green or where I had an easy chip, was getting my 30-100 yard pitches in very close, and then making almost all the putts inside 10 feet.  Short game makes a big difference.