Up until a couple of years ago (right before I turned 60), I still had driver clubhead speed close to 100 mph. With a respectable smash factor, that translates into drives around 270 yards. I would take that all day long.
But in the last couple of years, that clubhead speed has dipped to the low 90s. While adequate for a senior player, I sure like hitting shorter clubs into greens (And yes, I know I can move up another set of tees). I decided to see if there was anything I could do about it. So I recently employed a product called Perfect Hands, which I checked out at this year’s PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, to see if I could regain most of, if not all of that lost speed.
Perfect Hands claims if you follow the regimen that goes along with this product, you will gain clubhead speed – 8 to 10 mph or more – and it also will create muscle memory to help your swing. In fact the first time you use it, they say it’s not unusual to see speed tick up a couple of miles per hour, probably more because it smooths out your swing motion rather than creating more speed. But again, I was definitely more intrigued by the idea of adding clubhead speed rather than fixing any swing flaws.
(Image credit: Mike Bailey)
The backstory is that Perfect Hands founder Mario Karagianis developed this product – which uses stretch bands connected to special gloves and a pivot point on a special waistband – as a way to help his own game. He went through several prototypes before arriving at the current product, which has four different resistant bands from 10 pounds to 40 pounds that connect from the strap to special gloves you wear. Once you set up, you simply make swings, without thinking about it, to build speed, strength, and perhaps muscle memory to build a better swing motion.
Each system comes with two gloves, one for the left hand and one for the right hand, so you can balance out your workout by swinging both ways. And here’s the part I really like: it only takes 10 minutes or less to get in a daily workout. And you do not hit balls with it, so you can do it anywhere you can swing a club.
I started with the 10-pound, just like the program says, and made 20 swings on each side. Then because I was at a range the first time. I hit a few shots. I might have seen an uptick of a mile or two right away – from 92 mph that I measured before I did the workout – to around 93 or 94 mph. But that might be just because I was loosened up more at that point. It’s hard to say….
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