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Well ask a question will ya? Great points!!! I guess I would start by saying that joint health is key and you obviously get that. I will just go down the list and give you the benefit of my "opinion". Just know that the proper, best, most effective training technique varies from individual to individual and also changes with the circumstances of the individual. What is necessary one period may be redundant in another. So . . .
***Do you find there is significant gain in performance (distance, endurance, etc.) when training with a heavy club (Momentus, etc.)?
Training with heavy club will definitely raise your threshhold. When I go on primitive hiking excursions I train for six weeks with a heavy back pack to better prepare my body for the assault of carrying all my gear. But when I played women's basketball I found that training with a weighted ball hurt my game more than helped it because I would tend to overcorrect with the regular ball and it threw off my game.
***Do you find it better to practice with slow motion type movements, or with dynamic speed? I am concerned that swinging at fast speeds with a very heavy club may cause joint and back problems.
I'm a big believer in slow, deliberate motions and visualization. If you're going to do speed drills they are safer and more effective with lighter weight. You are really just trying to increase the firing mechanism in your reaction time in ballistic training.
***What about the FAN type device, that uses wind resistance?
Are there others that some of you like?
I am basic, basic, basic. I don't go much for the 'toys'. (I do like that break-away club that collapses when you go off plane, sorry don't know the name of it) I think if you keep your body balanced and strong you have your best tools. The draw to the toys will, however, often inspire more practice and more patience and more attention just because of the learning curve in using them. Sometimes this is illuminating. I wouldn't invest a lot of money.
***Would the OVERLOAD PRINCIPLE in training apply when using a heavy club, or would swinging when the muscles are tiring promote poor swing habits?
Overload can be in terms of resistence (weight) or endurance. Again, I think some controlled training with a weighted club could be helpful but only if you are being very deliberate in your program.
***It SEEMS that swinging would strengthen the golf specific muscles better that any other activity.
practice make perfect.
***I have also heard that training this way from the opposite side is beneficial.
I have all my people swing with their 'opposite' side. It creates some interesting neurilogical responses and promotes balance in the whole body. I really believe that bringing a sound balanced body to each shot is the secret to longevity in your drive and in your game.
To close I would most like to say that there's not much in the way of gadgets that get my attention. There is no real substitute for good lessons and good intentions. I went with a client to his 'pro' a few weeks ago and between what 'we' do and what I learned as the pro was instructing we refined our workouts to better facilitate his swing. There were just things I couldn't know that the pro was . . . well . . . professionally adept to expose. Oh, I love video's!!
Hopefully some of your professional golf instructors will chime in and give you the benefit of their experience. I am a bit of a purist when it comes to the body and the game.
Great post though, looking forward to learning from more responses.
Vik
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