SuperSpeed Golf Counterweight Trainer Review: a new addition to the Overspeed family
Get Our Free Ebook
Sign up for the newsletter and receive our free 30-page eBook on course strategy!
In recent years, SuperSpeed Golf has become one of the best-selling training aids in the entire golf industry. Their Overspeed training system has been embraced by more than 700 touring professionals and thousands of amateur golfers around the world. They have also done a lot of research into how golfers can add speed to their swings.
Recently they introduced their second product, the SuperSpeed C. The single speed stick focuses more on hand and arm speed with the help of a concept called counterweight training. It can be used alone or in combination with their traditional set, which has three clubs with different weights.
The product description on their website is:
Counterweight training changes the physics of your golf swing by significantly changing the balance point of the golf club and shifting the mass behind your hands. This ensures a considerably higher release speed of the golf club, which produces a much higher hand and arm speed in your golf swing.
Since the SuperSpeed C debuted on the 2020 PGA Show, there has been a lot of interest and questions about how it works and what makes it different from the original release. I will try to answer some of those questions in this review and give you my opinion on how it might fit for those of you who want to add serious club head speed to your game.
Why counterweights?
The idea of counterbalancing golf clubs is not new. Interestingly enough, Jack Nicklaus played them almost his entire career. His club maker, Jack Wullkotte, always added hot lead to the end of his shafts, because Jack felt that the extra weight in the handle "could stabilize his hands for steady acceleration by the ball," according to an article by Golfweek . Moreover, club manufacturer XXIO has just announced a number of clubs with a counterweight.
SuperSpeed Golf was first introduced by a colleague from the industry, John Marini. John had developed a prototype for a clip-on weight that could be attached to a bat to add weight to the handle. At first the SuperSpeed team didn't seem to make it work because there was too much total weight with their current speed training set (with weights concentrated at the end of the axle). After analyzing the swing speed, release speed and some other data, there were no noticeable gains with their traditional set of Speedsticks for men.
When they started experimenting with the lightest model they had of their women's and senior set, they then began to see some significant results. Adding weight to the handle with a very light weight at the end of the club showed more gain in arm and hand speed than they normally had in their other product. So they developed a prototype and finally brought it to the market based on those results.
The SuperSpeed-C (left) has a smaller weight than the traditional set (right)
Insight into arm and hand speed
SuperSpeed Golf has done a lot of research in recent years to understand what speed creates in the golf swing and where players lose it. To simplify things, they usually refer to this pyramid:
Their first product focuses on all three of these factors. However, what they discovered is that most golfers made more profit with soil mechanics and the order of their swing. In other words, players who used SuperSpeed usually learned to use the ground more efficiently and to turn their pelvis and trunk faster. The third element, lag, which is more concerned with hands and arms, usually did not see as large as a jump.
The SuperSpeed C focuses the hands and arms more efficiently through an additional weight in the handle and a lighter weight at the end of the axle. For players who are not as effective with that part of their swing, training with the club can help them "feel" that speed more efficiently.
A closer look at the weight at the end of the handle
Taking a few minutes to watch this video can help explain how golfers can use their hands and arms to generate more club head speed to illustrate the concept:
How they fit together, or individually
When I first heard about the release of SuperSpeed C, I had a similar response to many other people who trained with the original product – how does it fit?
I spoke with co-founders Kyle Shay and Mike Napoleon to get more clarity on that subject.
To keep things simple, the traditional SuperSpeed set and the new product are designed to work separately or together. If you go to the training protocol section of the SuperSpeed site, you can find separate training sessions for both products. There are also instructions on how to add the counterweight trainer to your current training regime with the original set.
Although every golfer could experience different results based on the speed leaks in his swing, here are some guidelines that Kyle and Mike gave me:
Both products will cover all three parts of the swing-speed pyramid
The traditional set will usually lead to more gains in soil mechanics and rotation order
SuperSpeed C will focus more on creating arm and hand speed
So in theory they made a "good, better, best" scenario. SuperSpeed C costs $ 100 and the traditional set is $ 200. There is a good chance that you will make some profit with the counterweight trainer, but perhaps not as much extra speed as with their original set. If you use them both together, you give yourself the best chance of tackling all three areas of increased swing speed. As always, it is impossible to predict how each golfer will respond because everyone's technique and capabilities are variable.
If you want to take a deep dive into the concept, you can watch this webinar that co-founder Mike Napoleon recently organized.
My impressions
I've only been able to train with the SuperSpeed C trainer for a few weeks, but I'll give you a few immediate responses.
First, it is considerably lighter than the traditional set. I follow the level 1 training protocol, which lasts six weeks. You can view the training by watching this video:
I also tracked my speed in every session using the SC200 Plus and PRGR Launch Monitors as a cross-reference tool. With both launch monitors you can follow the swing speed without hitting balls, making them great companions in your training.
OK, I have many starting monitors
In the first sessions I reached a topper of around 110 km / h, but I saw increases increase. A few weeks later my last session saw a peak speed of 124 mph. I would say that it has transferred about a speed of 1-3 km / h so far, but it is still early.
My top speed in one of my newest sessions
I feel that the SuperSpeed C-trainer certainly helps, but maybe not as dramatic as my training did with the original set. Eventually I would like to combine the two to see the multiplier effect it can offer.
One thing I have learned over the years through training with SuperSpeed is that the longer you do it, the more profit you will see and that they will stay with you longer. A question I often get is what happens when you stop using their products – will your swing speed decrease? It depends on a few things. This SuperSpeed graph is a good guideline to use:
It is no different than any other fitness regime. If you are going to lift weights, cycle or run, it takes a while for your body to adjust. If you stop early, you cannot expect too much. If you are committed and follow a smart training regime, you give yourself a much better chance of improving your fitness and strength for the long term. But in the end, if you don't use it, you lose it.
Last Thoughts
I think SuperSpeed Golf was smart to release this product. This allows people who are on the fence for Overspeed training at a lower price level to start with perhaps a less intimidating program. In addition, thousands of hardcore fans around the world can improve their current training by focusing more on hand and arm speed.
SuperSpeed sold quickly from the first series of counterweight trainers when they initially released it (they are now back in stock) – so there is a lot of interest in the market for the concept. Although I don't think speed training is suitable for every golfer, but if you are serious about adding swing speed, I don't think there is a better product.
Much of the competition consists of cheap infomercial offers that do not have a proven system that will guide you through the process. Do you remember the SuperSonic X10? Or similar products that you see on TV, well I bought one, and it didn't even work.
My advice is to stay away from this product or similar
With SuperSpeed you have access to up to two years of training protocols, and there is sufficient evidence in the golf world that their product keeps its promises (if you do the work in it). I would say that the biggest challenge is not the effectiveness of the program; it's like a golfer will stick to it.
You can buy the SuperSpeed C-trainer here on their website for $ 99. You can get a 10% discount on checkout with code PRACTICALGOLF .
