Rypstick – Swing Speed Training Platform

• The Rypstick is a new training aid for golfers looking to increase swing speed.
• Its streamlined design leverages a single stick instead of three.
• The Rypstick platform includes optional coaching and fitness programs.
• Retail price is $189.

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To build a better mousetrap. It’s one of mankind’s greatest motivators.

In this iteration of the metaphor, the mousetrap is golf swing speed trainers—most notably the Super Speed system. In the eyes of RypGolf founder Luke Benoit, his “better mousetrap” is the Rypstick.

The Rypstick may be relatively new to the market but Benoit has all the bona fides you’d want from someone entrusted with helping you get more out of your golf swing. He’s been named one of Golf Digest’s Best Young Teachers 10 times. He’s the Director of Instruction at the famed Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minn. He’s also earned a Ph.D. in motor control and learning.

Helping golfers play better is what Benoit does and, at the risk of mixing my metaphors, building a better version of this particular mousetrap doesn’t exactly require reinventing the wheel.

The quantifiable benefits of overspeed training are pretty well established but Benoit felt he could design a more efficient model and bundle it with a higher level of service that would ultimately provide golfers with a better system for gaining swing speed, hitting longer drives,  and shooting lower scores.

For many golfers, the efficient design piece of the Rypstick story could be reason enough to choose it over the competition.

Rypstick – 1 vs. 3

Instead of three progressively weighted sticks, the Rypstick is a single self-contained offering. The tip of the Rypstick swing speed trainer houses three removable weights. That gives you the flexibility of four different weight configurations that can be achieved by quickly adding or removing weight plugs. The included removable counterweight effectively gives you four more.

In that respect, a single Rypstick replaces at least six other sticks. That may be part of the reason it was the only swing speed training tool to win a Golf Digest Editor’s Choice Award.

Train on the Road

For some, the one stick versus three thing may not be of any consequence. Some may no doubt prefer grabbing a different swing stick over moving weights but if you travel frequently (and like to take your training clubs with you) or live your life on the road like tour professionals do, the one-stick approach is a huge advantage, especially if your golf bag habitually flirts with your airline’s 50-pound limit.

Tour players clearly are finding benefit in the Rypstick design. In December of last year, as Rypstick was ramping up full production, there were already about a dozen PGA TOUR pros using the system. In the three months since, that number has grown to more than 45 and includes several names you’d know, including a two-time Masters champion with more than 100 professional wins.

Benoit says his team is fielding calls from the PGA TOUR pros on an almost daily basis so it’s reasonable to expect that Tour adoption of the Rypstick will continue to grow.

The Rypstick Platform

The better part of the argument for Rypstick is that, for those who want it to be, it’s just one piece of a larger golf improvement package.

It’s premature to describe the Rypstick platform as “Peloton for your golf swing,” but Benoit’s growth plans include the development of a golf training ecosystem that will eventually address nearly every aspect of your game.

Like competing systems, a series of training videos will guide you through escalating levels of golf swing speed training. Access to the videos is free with your purchase of the Rypstick. Technically, the videos are free even if you don’t buy a Rypstick. Watching a few of them will give you a sense of the drills and whether the larger program might be right for you.

The differentiating factor is that the Rypstick training program takes a more hands-on approach to helping you improve.

Rypstick – Free Swing Evaluation

To that end, your purchase of the Rypstick golf swing speed trainer includes a free swing evaluation. Upload you video and Benoit and his will be able to predict your swing speed potential with a high degree of accuracy. The team will provide an assessment with an eye for power leaks—those swing glitches that cost you speed.  If you just want to swing the club faster, the Rypstick team can give you a program for that. If you want to take a more holistic approach to your golf game, well then, you’re right in the Rypstick wheelhouse.

With Rypstick, speed training is part of the package but the ultimate goal is lower scores.

“We want people to be better at golf,” says Benoit. “We’re not going to give them things to hit it crooked. Want to pick up speed without hitting it off the planet.”

Fast is good. Lower scores are better still.

Out of the gate, the team will give you a couple of targeted drills and specific areas to focus on during the primary speed training. If you see improvement after the evaluation and want to keep working with Benoit and his team, the optional coaching program is $ 99 a month which includes three virtual lessons.

Rypstick – Train Your Body

Your second value-add is the included fitness evaluation. The Rypstick fitness team will take the information from the swing assessment and work with you to identify root physical causes and give you two to three exercises to address those areas.

Again, you have the option of continuing with fitness training. Plans start at $49 a month and include a custom program and weekly virtual sessions with your trainer. An $89 “Pro Plan” is also available. Both include a TPI workout plan.

A scoring and course strategy module is in the works as well.

For the Rypstick team, it’s all about going the extra mile and tailoring everything to the individual.

“We go to the nth level to win your business,” says Benoit. “It’s got to be custom. That’s how it works best.”

Does it Work?

As I mentioned, there’s a growing body of evidence that overspeed training can add significant miles per hour to your swing. The question is: how many?

According to Benoit, the typical user will gain 5-7 mph in six weeks. Some golfers will get more, sometimes significantly more. Others will likely get less. Typically, it’s strong golfers with a bad sequence who have the most to gain when swing speed training is paired with some swing adjustments.

“And we’re really good at fixing motor patterns,” Benoit adds.

Speed is definitely part of the endgame but, for the Rypstick team, it starts with functionality.

Rypstick Options

The Rypstick is available in five different lengths from 38 to 45 inches. While the recommendation is to choose the Rypstick closest to the length of your driver, it does provide plenty of options to cover men, women and juniors.

Retail price is $189. An initial swing evaluation and fitness assessment are included with your purchase.

For more information or to order yours, visit Rypstick.com.