Subconsciously Altered Distance – SAD
Subconsciously Altered Distance – SAD
by Dr. T. J. Tomasi
Keiser University College of Golf Senior Faculty and Director of Research
I’ve written before about the phenomenon I call Subconsciously Altered Distance, and now I have the science from the Golf laboratory at Keiser University to back it up.
To review, it doesn’t take the brain long to realize that the ball will fly farther off line with a clubhead speed of 100 mph vs. 80 mph (error at impact is magnified by velocity); so, over time, your tendency is to unknowingly drop your swing speed to increase accuracy.
Basically, our study revealed that as the lost balls and wasted strokes pile up, clubhead speed drops to dangerously low levels. This is known as Subconsciously Adjusted Distance or SAD, and it comes like a thief in the night to steal your distance.
But here is the good news – all golfers in the study who were told how their power was being pilfered were able to intervene and recapture the lost yards.
The Study
Researcher and Keiser University Professor at The College of Golf, John Callahan, PGA, and I showed that SAD can be defeated by [1] understanding what is happening and [2] using a special intervention technique called Windshield Wipers (WW).
We studied three groups with an average handicap of 12.4: (1) a control group (N=9), (2) a group instructed to use maximum power, but with no training (N=9), and (3) a group that received special WW training (N=9) along with an explanation of SAD.
The purpose was to determine if golfers could, while maintaining golf balance and swing plane, ramp up their driver swing speed until it reached a 10% increase over their current baseline speed.
All ball flight measurements and calculations were done using a radar system called TrackMan and a V1 motion capture system.
The Training Intervention:
To beat SAD, you must get the feel of your golf swing at different speeds by reproducing three settings, like your car’s windshield wipers – slow, normal and maximum.
Our suggestion is that you do the following drill at the beginning and end of each practice session.
Using a seven-iron, make three rehearsal swings using your normal swing length for all three.
Calibrate the first swing at a speed designed to hit the ball 50 percent of your normal distance (aka half-power); the second swing should be at the normal speed for your seven-iron; and the third swing should be at the speed that would send the ball 10 percent longer than normal.
Simply rotate the three speeds until you can reproduce them and their distances on call – then switch to driver and do the same.
The hardest one is the ½ speed with the driver, but keep at it until you can hit it straight but short.
A student of mine bombs it off the tee, averaging ~309 yards, so he hits his 50% driver about 155 yards – it should be low but straight. On the other side of soft, his max driver is about 340.
Note: for all the teachers looking at this, from 90 degrees-face-on, the clubface always looks more shut than it is– so be careful to take this into consideration when using video/photos from this angle.
Study Results:
As a group, the average swing speed of the control group stayed essentially unchanged (+ 0.2 MPH); while in the no-training group, the average swing speed went up (+ 1.4 MPH), with a distance increase of +2.7 yards, and a decrease in accuracy of 1 yard.
In the group who trained with the drill, the average swing speed went up plus (+ 3.0 MPH), which produced a distance increase of 10.5 yards with a 6-yard decrease in accuracy.
Takeaway: The drill will train you to swing hard the right way; i.e., you can ramp up without ruining your power sequence; aka no more SAD.
If you enjoyed this golf tip, here’s how you can get even more. Contact Keiser University College of Golf about a golf management degree.
