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Can you really get faster as you age?

This week’s issue touches on a personal struggle.

Staying in shape gets harder every year. I feel it. Trust me.

I'm a middle-aged dude who sits behind a desk most of the day, and the last few years handed me two injuries that knocked me off track. Getting back has been a challenge. But I've been grinding on my fitness, and I've been doing it with the help of the team at P4S Golf. I train with them remotely, and having a fitness coach in my corner has been huge.

It's helped my golf and it’s helped me feel better day to day, and at this point in life that is a massive game changer.

One thing I really love is they test me on a regular schedule. As a data guy, that's everything. If you want to improve something, start measuring it. When I see a number move, I keep grinding. When one stalls, that lights a fire too. Honestly, the regular testing, along with regular guidance from a coach that adjusts my program as my body continues to change are the biggest reasons I've stuck with it.

I am not always motivated to work out, but when you have a trainer that is there for you combined with regular testing to see how your strength and mobility are changing, that keeps me motivated like nothing else I’ve ever tried.

So let me walk you through two of those tests, because the data behind them is super interesting and there's a real lesson in here for your game.

The seated medicine ball throw

This one measures upper-body and core power. You sit on the floor, hold a 4-pound medicine ball at your chest, and throw it out in front of you as far as you can. That's the whole test.

Across the P4S Golf database, every 7 inches of extra throw distance lines up with about 1 mph of added club head speed. That holds across every age group.

The vertical jump

You stand tall, dip down quickly, and explode straight up in one smooth motion. Pushing off the ground plays a big role in where club head speed comes from.

The finding is that every additional 1.25 inches of vertical jump gives you roughly 1 mph faster club head speed. Again, this holds across every age group.

Now the data nerd in me has to add a caveat. These are correlations, not guarantees. P4S Golf has more than 15,000 golfers in their database across every age and skill level, so the pattern sits on a serious pile of data. It's a very strong signal, but not a promise that throwing a ball 7 inches farther hands you a free mph of club head speed.

Work out and get faster

The average person who starts training with P4S Golf gains an average of 3 mph of club head speed in their first 12 weeks. That's purely from getting stronger and more athletic. They hadn't even started actual speed work yet.

Every 1 mph is worth roughly 2.5 yards with the driver, so 3 mph is around 7 to 8 yards. Layer some speed training on top of that and 10+ yards is well within reach.

Why care about 10 yards? Because I've run the on-course numbers, and they will get your attention. A while back I looked at Arccos players who gained at least 10 yards off the tee from one season to the next. Here's what happened to them:

• 81% improved their scoring

• 65% improved by at least 1 stroke per round

• 44% improved by 2 or more strokes per round

More than four out of five golfers got better. Almost half got better by at least 2 shots per round. That's a HUGE return on a few yards. Distance helps nearly every golfer score lower, and it's something you can work at. And the BIGGEST benefit of working out isn’t just getting faster and playing better golf, it’s just feeling better every single day.

But, as you know, shooting lowers scores on the course is a lot of fun! Speed is a skill. Strength is trainable. You're not stuck with the body or the distance you have today, even if (like me) you've got a couple of old injuries and a few more candles on the birthday cake than you used to.

If you want to see where you stand, P4S Golf will run you through a free assessment. You can grab it here: http://par4success.com/data.

I do all of my work with them remotely, and it's been one of the better calls I've made for my game and my health!

Go get measured. Then go to work!

 Finally...

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  Have a great week!