Instruction
What Flightscope and Trackman can tell you (and me)
I have worked with all the technologies that have come along in my 20 years as a golf instructor in an effort to make my job much easier.
In the beginning I only used my eyes. Then digital video came along, followed by 3D Motion analysis that showed me every nuance of the body during the swing. And now Doppler radar launch monitors like FlightScope and Trackman can show me the actions of the club and ball flight. I have always loved technology and the data it produced, and have thoroughly enjoyed my time using my Trackman. But I try not to teach in a numerical or technical way, because I get asked what this number means or what that number means. I love that many of the students I teach want to know everything, however, 99 percent of the time I will not explain the numbers during a lesson because I don’t want to confuse them. My job is to make things simpler, not more complex!
In this article, I thought it would be neat to explain to golfers what each of the numbers that Doppler radar launch monitors tell me about a golfer’s overall motion. I am going to explain MOST of the numbers, but not everything that systems like FlightScope and Trackman can show me. For more detailed and/or scientific definitions of the terms below, please see Trackman’s website.
Different instructors like to see things a different way, and thus they set their home screens up accordingly. With the help of Michael Pinkey, Trackman’s PGA Tour and LPGA Tour rep, I have set my data parameters up as shown below.
Attack Angle
Angle of attack shows whether golfers are hitting up, level or down on the golf ball at impact. Amateur golfers usually have attack angles that are more up with drivers, and down with hybrids and irons for the most part. A golfer’s angle of attack is a big key because it can help golfers get more distance with their driver (most players hit too much down), and correlates with the swing’s direction. That shows a golfer his or her true path at impact. The more golfers hit down on a golf ball, the more it skews their path to the right. The more golfers hit up on a golf ball, the more their path will move to the left. This is one of the most important instructional discoveries in golf to date.
Swing Direction
This is the general “direction of the swing,” and shows whether the club is moving from in-to-out, down-the-line or out-to-in through impact. However, it is NOT a golfer’s swing path! Swing direction correlated with a golfer’s angle of attack determines the “true swing path” during impact.
I use a golfer’s swing direction to see how much he or she tends to swing in or out, because most people have a tendency to swing one way or the other. It tells me how a golfer’s angle of attack must change, or how much a golfer’s aim must be adjusted in order for the golfer to zero out his or her path. It also helps me to understand why a golfer’s angle of attack is what it is. Usually, the more exaggeration a golfer has within his or her swing direction, the more that golfer must alter his or her angle of attack.
Club Path
Club path is a golfer’s “true path” at impact. It takes into account a golfer’s angle of attack and his or her overall swing’s direction. The ONLY way to accurately gauge a golfer’s true swing path is to be able to see this correlation! Contrary to popular belief, divots do not show a golfer’s true swing path. In fact, divots are basically useless, as they also do not show golfers the starting direction, curvature or angle of attack. They are also not an accurate gauge of lie angle. I use a golfer’s club path coupled with his or her face angle to understand why the golfer has the curvature on the ball they do. Provided a centered hit, the ball will bend AWAY from the path. Remember, path does not determine a golf ball’s starting direction: face angle does.
Face Angle
A golfer’s face angle is where the face is pointing when he or she impacts the ball. Face angle determines roughly 75 to 80 percent of a golf ball’s starting direction, and it correlates with a golfer’s club path to curve the ball by tilting the ball’s spin axis right or left. The correlation of a golfer’s face-to-path ratio (as we will see below) is how the ball’s curvature is controlled. If golfer’s face angle is right of the path (provided center contact), the ball will curve to the right. And if a golfer’s face angle is left of the path, the ball will move to the left.
Now, here is where it can get tricky. If a golfer hits the ball off-center, gear effect will take over. If I see shots that that curve the opposite directions to the above rules, I know a golfer has hit the ball off-center.
Face to Path
The face-to-path relationship that on that all golfers want to master. Simply stated, the closer a golfer’s face and path are correlated to one another, the lower the spin axis will be with centered contact. Professionals strive to keep their face-to-path ratio very low so the ball does not curve too much either way, however, they understand how to change the relationship so that they can curve the ball more when they need to. When the face and the path diverge to any great degree, a golfer will generally hit shots that curve one way or another a great deal. Thus, I try and help my students understand this relationship so that they can control the curvature of the ball at all times.
Most amateurs tell me that their goal is to have the club path move from the inside to the outside slightly with the face OPEN to the target-line, but CLOSED to the path in order to create a slight “push draw.” The most common flaw is to have the face too closed relative to the path, thus creating a “pull draw:” a ball that starts at or left of the target and curves away from it.
Spin Axis
Every ball a golfer hits has some degree of backspin. The only way a ball can curve is to tilt its backspin on an axis that can be either “right” or “left.” The greater this “tilt” or spin axis, the more the ball will curve. This number tells me to what degree a golfer has tilted a golf ball’s “spin axis” and how much the ball should curve with everything else being equal.
Swing Plane
At address, each club has a certain lie angle that fits a golfer’s swing and body type (if they have been correctly fit) at impact. Changing this lie angle can influence impact points and/or the fitting of a golfer’s clubs if not taken into account. If a golfer returns the club shaft to a much higher angle than it sat at address, he or she will tend to leave the face open and hit the ball off the toe. If a golfer’s swing plane returns into the ball on a much flatter angle than what was established at address, then he or she will tend to hit the ball with a closed face off the heel.
Changing the address swing plane to a great degree at impact tends to be more of a swing issue rather than one that can be fixed by a fitting. However, if you have not taken the time to get fit, I would suggest you do so ASAP! See Golf Digest’s 100 Best Clubfitters for more information.
Spin Loft
A golfer’s spin loft is the difference between his or her angle of attack and the dynamic loft of the club delivered at impact. The greater the difference is between these numbers, the more the ball will spin (up to a certain point). The smaller the spin loft, the more exaggeratedly the D-plane will tilt, making a golf ball curve more. This is the reason why it’s easier for a golfer to curve a driver than a 6 iron. “Compression” can also measured by the spin loft of the club a golfer is using, as there are ranges that each club should fall into. The smaller the spin loft number, the greater the compression.
For those of you who desire more spin on your wedges, please instructor Andrew Rice’s story on how spin-loft affects your wedge play.
Smash Factor
A golfer’s smash factor is the correlation between the club-head speed he or she delivers at impact and the subsequent speed imparted to the ball when the it leaves the club. This gives a rough estimate of how “efficient” a golfer is at impact. Every 1 mph of club-head speed would allow a golfer to gain 1.5 miles per hour of ball speed with a driver in a perfect world. However, the higher a golfer’s spin loft, the lower his or her smash factor will be. Thus, shorter clubs tend to have a lower smash factor than the 1-to-1.5 ratio that a driver can have. I check this number more often when someone hits with longer clubs, while I focus more on spin loft for the shorter clubs.
Club Speed
Club speed measures how fast the club moving at impact. I’d like to see a golfer use the most club-head speed he or she can handle while keeping the same sequencing within the swing as it pertains to the kinematic sequence. When the club reaches an in-line condition with a gofler’s forward arm, the club begins to slow down. So if a golfer “casts” the club, his or her fastest club-head speed usually occurs well BEFORE impact. Basically, the faster a golfer can swing the club the more likely he or she is going to create more ball speed.
Ball Speed
Ball speed measures how fast the golf ball leaves the club. Factors that can influence a golfer’s ball speed can be simple things like impact point, swing direction and low-point control. Ball speed can help me to see how consistently a golfer delivers the club in efforts to maximize distance with a driver or control and distance with his or her irons. On a very rough scale with a driver, the average amateur has a ball speed of 115-to-125 mph, club pros have ball speeds of 155-to-160 mph, tour pros have ball speeds of 160-to-170 mph and long-hitting tour pros have ball speeds of 170 to 185 mph. The long drive guys can get into the 190-to-220 mph range, just to give you some perspective.
Spin Rate
A golfer’s spin rate shows me how much backspin her or she is imparting on the golf ball when it leaves the club. It is greatly influenced by spin loft (described above). Golfers should aim to see lower backspin values with their long clubs relative their wedges because that allows them to get more distance with the long clubs and more stopping power with their wedges. Sometimes I want to see golfers create more spin, other times I want to see them create less.
Launch Angle
Launch angle is a measure of the angle that a golf ball leave the club after impact. A good way to think about it is to relate it to the spraying of garden hose: you don’t want the water to come out flat, nor do you want it to come out too high. A golfer’s goal is for the water to leave the hose at an angle that allows it to carry the farthest distance possible. This is the same way the ball should leave the club for most shots.
My job is to ensure the ball is launching off the club correctly, i.e. correlating with the loft of the club, so golfers can maximize their distance output. One of the most forgotten aspects of launch angle is impact point and vertical gear effect. If golfers hit the ball too high on the face, vertical gear effect will increase launch angle and create less spin. Hitting the ball lower on the face will launch the ball lower with less spin.
Dynamic Loft
While it is important to launch the ball with certain conditions, golfers must also have control of the club face as it pertains to the actual loft that they deliver to the ball itself. If golfers have a sand wedge with 56 degrees of loft and “lean the shaft back” 10 degrees at impact, they have now created a golf club with 66 degrees of dynamic loft. Distance is a problem for most average golfers, and these type of golfers tend to add loft to their irons through impact by “flipping” their hands. Yardage is reduced accordingly. Coupling launch angle and dynamic loft helps me to determine if golfers are getting what they need from their driver and irons in the way of trajectory and yardage control.
Carry Distance
Everyone golfer needs to know how far the ball carries in the air, as well as their total distance output. It’s the most basic requirement of top-level golf. Amazingly, most golfers have no idea how far they carry the ball, and do not even come close to understanding what their limitations are. That’s why they tend to come up short on the golf course so often.
Professionals know to the half yard how far their clubs go, and they learn to play within those yardages. If they did not, they would never be able to manage themselves around the course optimally. Accurate carry distances have helped players improve their wedge play, because if golfers cannot control their launch angles, dynamic lofts and spin rates they will never have consistent distance control.
Launch Direction
Launch direction tells golfers if their ball began left, at, or right of their intended target. A golfer’s initial launch direction is controlled by the club face, NOT the club’s path. I like to use this number to understand what the face is doing relative to the path at impact. I also like to know just how far off target the ball begins so that I can correlated the aim, face and path of my student in efforts to create the shot shape and curvature amount the golfer desires.
Everyone has a shot they like to “see.” Some golfers want more curvature, while others want less. By monitoring the ball’s initial starting direction, I am better able golfers create the shot golfers are confident playing under pressure.
Side
The “side” number alerts me to the exact amount in feet that the ball finished right or left of the intended target. Some people like to see total curvature, but I am only interested in where the ball finishes. That’s because every player has a different amount they like to see the ball move in the air. If I can help my students hit the ball a certain distance, as well as control their side-to-side movement of the ball, then I am confident I can lower their handicap. It’s always nice to see if better positions and numbers actually cause the ball to go straighter.
Landing Angle
The angle at which the ball lands on the ground can make the ball stop dead or cascade forward. With the irons, most golfers desire more stopping power. With the driver, golfers mostly desire the ball to run after landing. The higher the descent angle, the less the ball will move forward after hitting the ground (with backspin being the same). Different course conditions require different set make ups, and a golfer’s landing angle is a huge part of how the ball reacts after landing that golfers need to know.
Conclusion
I hope by now you understand the true power of what FlightScope and Trackman tells me within one swing. As I have said previously, it’s not about “pleasing the machine,” but finding optimal parameters that golfers can use to play their best.
I love to say that the orange box is not watching you, it’s watching ME, making sure that I am doing the right thing in order to improve your swing. If I tell you the “right” thing, your numbers will improve, however, you will be the one that tells me if you can actually play from there. Thankfully we have some latitude as instructors to change your swing in different ways. The FlightScope and Trackman systems make sure I am always moving in the most efficient direction possible.
Read more about how launch monitors are changing the game, by Tom Stickney:
Looks or numbers: What makes a better golf swing?
Understanding the “NEW” ball flight laws
Using Trackman has made me LESS technical as a teacher
To use video, Trackman or both?
Hitting hooks and slices? Here’s how to control your ball’s curvature
The three things that need to correlate for more driving distance
Like to hit it low with your driver? You must like shorter drives
Charting the putting stroke differences in different handicap golfers
There may be no more painful affliction in golf than the “yips” – those uncontrollable and maddening little nervous twitches that prevent you from making a decent stroke on short putts. If you’ve never had them, consider yourself very fortunate (or possibly just very young). But I can assure you that when your most treacherous and feared golf shot is not the 195 yard approach over water with a quartering headwind…not the extra tight fairway with water left and sand right…not the soft bunker shot to a downhill pin with water on the other side…No, when your most feared shot is the remaining 2- 4-foot putt after hitting a great approach, recovery or lag putt, it makes the game almost painful.
And I’ve been fighting the yips (again) for a while now. It’s a recurring nightmare that has haunted me most of my adult life. I even had the yips when I was in my 20s, but I’ve beat them into submission off and on most of my adult life. But just recently, that nasty virus came to life once again. My lag putting has been very good, but when I get over one of those “you should make this” length putts, the entire nervous system seems to go haywire. I make great practice strokes, and then the most pitiful short-stroke or jab at the ball you can imagine. Sheesh.
But I’m a traditionalist, and do not look toward the long putter, belly putter, cross-hand, claw or other variation as the solution. My approach is to beat those damn yips into submission some other way. Here’s what I’m doing that is working pretty well, and I offer it to all of you who might have a similar affliction on the greens.
When you are over a short putt, forget the practice strokes…you want your natural eye-hand coordination to be unhindered by mechanics. Address your putt and take a good look at the hole, and back to the putter to ensure good alignment. Lighten your right hand grip on the putter and make sure that only the fingertips are in contact with the grip, to prevent you from getting to tight.
Then, take a long, long look at the hole to fill your entire mind and senses with the target. When you bring your head/eyes back to the ball, try to make a smooth, immediate move right into your backstroke — not even a second pause — and then let your hands and putter track right back together right back to where you were looking — the HOLE! Seeing the putter make contact with the ball, preferably even the forward edge of the ball – the side near the hole.
For me, this is working, but I am asking all of you to chime in with your own “home remedies” for the most aggravating and senseless of all golf maladies. It never hurts to have more to fall back on!
Over the last couple of decades, golf has become much more science-based. We measure swing speed, smash factor, angle of attack, strokes gained, and many other metrics that can really help golfers improve. But I often wonder if the advancement of golf’s “hard” sciences comes at the expense of the “soft” sciences.
Take, for example, golf instruction. Good golf instruction requires understanding swing mechanics and ball flight. But let’s take that as a given for PGA instructors. The other factors that make an instructor effective can be evaluated by social science, rather than launch monitors.
If you are a recreational golfer looking for a golf instructor, here are my top three points to consider.
1. Cultural mindset
What is “cultural mindset? To social scientists, it means whether a culture of genius or a culture of learning exists. In a golf instruction context, that may mean whether the teacher communicates a message that golf ability is something innate (you either have it or you don’t), or whether golf ability is something that can be learned. You want the latter!
It may sound obvious to suggest that you find a golf instructor who thinks you can improve, but my research suggests that it isn’t a given. In a large sample study of golf instructors, I found that when it came to recreational golfers, there was a wide range of belief systems. Some instructors strongly believed recreational golfers could improve through lessons. while others strongly believed they could not. And those beliefs manifested in the instructor’s feedback given to a student and the culture created for players.
2. Coping and self-modeling can beat role-modeling
Swing analysis technology is often preloaded with swings of PGA and LPGA Tour players. The swings of elite players are intended to be used for comparative purposes with golfers taking lessons. What social science tells us is that for novice and non-expert golfers, comparing swings to tour professionals can have the opposite effect of that intended. If you fit into the novice or non-expert category of golfer, you will learn more and be more motivated to change if you see yourself making a ‘better’ swing (self-modeling) or seeing your swing compared to a similar other (a coping model). Stay away from instructors who want to compare your swing with that of a tour player.
3. Learning theory basics
It is not a sexy selling point, but learning is a process, and that process is incremental – particularly for recreational adult players. Social science helps us understand this element of golf instruction. A good instructor will take learning slowly. He or she will give you just about enough information that challenges you, but is still manageable. The artful instructor will take time to decide what that one or two learning points are before jumping in to make full-scale swing changes. If the instructor moves too fast, you will probably leave the lesson with an arm’s length of swing thoughts and not really know which to focus on.
As an instructor, I develop a priority list of changes I want to make in a player’s technique. We then patiently and gradually work through that list. Beware of instructors who give you more than you can chew.
So if you are in the market for golf instruction, I encourage you to look beyond the X’s and O’s to find the right match!
Most pros take months, even years, to win their first tournament. Lottie Woad needed exactly four days.
The 21-year-old from Surrey shot 21-under 267 at Dundonald Links to win the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open by three shots — in her very first event as a professional. She’s only the third player in LPGA history to accomplish this feat, joining Rose Zhang (2023) and Beverly Hanson (1951).
But here’s what caught my attention as a coach: Woad didn’t win through miraculous putting or bombing 300-yard drives. She won through relentless precision and unshakeable composure. After watching her performance unfold, I’m convinced every golfer — from weekend warriors to scratch players — can steal pages from her playbook.
Precision Beats Power (And It’s Not Even Close)
Forget the driving contests. Woad proved that finding greens matters more than finding distance.
What Woad did:
• Hit it straight, hit it solid, give yourself chances
• Aimed for the fat parts of greens instead of chasing pins
• Let her putting do the talking after hitting safe targets
• As she said, “Everyone was chasing me today, and managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots”
Why most golfers mess this up:
• They see a pin tucked behind a bunker and grab one more club to “go right at it”
• Distance becomes more important than accuracy
• They try to be heroic instead of smart
ACTION ITEM: For your next 10 rounds, aim for the center of every green regardless of pin position. Track your greens in regulation and watch your scores drop before your swing changes.
The Putter That Stayed Cool Under Fire
Woad started the final round two shots clear and immediately applied pressure with birdies at the 2nd and 3rd holes. When South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim mounted a charge and reached 20-under with a birdie at the 14th, Woad didn’t panic.
How she responded to pressure:
• Fired back with consecutive birdies at the 13th and 14th
• Watched Kim stumble with back-to-back bogeys
• Capped it with her fifth birdie of the day at the par-5 18th
• Stayed patient when others pressed, pressed when others cracked
What amateurs do wrong:
• Get conservative when they should be aggressive
• Try to force magic when steady play would win
• Panic when someone else makes a move
ACTION ITEM: Practice your 3-6 foot putts for 15 minutes after every range session. Woad’s putting wasn’t spectacular—it was reliable. Make the putts you should make.
Course Management 101: Play Your Game, Not the Course’s Game
Woad admitted she couldn’t see many scoreboards during the final round, but it didn’t matter. She stuck to her game plan regardless of what others were doing.
Her mental approach:
• Focused on her process, not the competition
• Drew on past pressure situations (Augusta National Women’s Amateur win)
• As she said, “That was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win. So definitely felt the pressure of it more there, and I felt like all those experiences helped me with this”
Her physical execution:
• 270-yard drives (nothing flashy)
• Methodical iron play
• Steady putting
• Everything effective, nothing spectacular
ACTION ITEM: Create a yardage book for your home course. Know your distances to every pin, every hazard, every landing area. Stick to your plan no matter what your playing partners are doing.
Mental Toughness Isn’t Born, It’s Built
The most impressive part of Woad’s win? She genuinely didn’t expect it: “I definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first event as a pro, but I knew I was playing well, and I was hoping to contend.”
Her winning mindset:
• Didn’t put winning pressure on herself
• Focused on playing well and contending
• Made winning a byproduct of a good process
• Built confidence through recent experiences:
- Won the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur
- Missed a playoff by one shot at the Evian Championship
- Each experience prepared her for the next
What this means for you:
• Stop trying to shoot career rounds every time you tee up
• Focus on executing your pre-shot routine
• Commit to every shot
• Stay present in the moment
ACTION ITEM: Before each round, set process goals instead of score goals. Example: “I will take three practice swings before every shot” or “I will pick a specific target for every shot.” Let your score be the result, not the focus.
The Real Lesson
Woad collected $300,000 for her first professional victory, but the real prize was proving that fundamentals still work at golf’s highest level. She didn’t reinvent the game — she simply executed the basics better than everyone else that week.
The fundamentals that won:
• Hit more fairways
• Find more greens
• Make the putts you should make
• Stay patient under pressure
That’s something every golfer can do, regardless of handicap. Lottie Woad just showed us it’s still the winning formula.
FINAL ACTION ITEM: Pick one of the four action items above and commit to it for the next month. Master one fundamental before moving to the next. That’s how champions are built.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” on RG.org each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more Tips!
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Tom Landis
Mar 3, 2015 at 9:38 pm
Kudos for this article. Can’t wait to get fitted with Trackman! I know it will take a knowledgeable professional, like yourself, to decipher the numbers and help with the swing. I spent a couple of days with a golf master instructor, Peter Croker, a few years back. I was thinking Tiger could use his help. Comment?
Brian Stowell
May 3, 2014 at 8:18 am
Tom,
Great article. I am fortunate enough to own my own Trackman. As a golf junkie, it helps me get through New England winters. I was confused by by the stats represented in the first graphic to the point I didn’t think they were possible. With a 1.48 smash and 3,657 spin rate the ball still carried 249? (I know the swing was 97 MPH.). And achieved normal height despite a spin rate that was a good 50% higher than desired? And despite having a face that is closed to the path the ball ended up fading? Not trying to be a “know it all” as nothing could be farther from the truth. Just really confused! Thanks for clarifying! Final note, I have shared my Trackman with almost 40 friends, employees, and golf buddies. They LOVE it. Really helps them see cause and effect.
Matt
Sep 24, 2014 at 9:46 pm
In the example, face and path with a centered hit would produce a “pull draw.” However, I will next look at spin axis. Spin axis opposite of shot shape suggests “gear effect” and this had to be a “healed” shot. Now, the player gets a high smash with a heal hit. That tells me his club has a nice spring effect in the heal. Really amazing the stuff you can interpret from the numbers without ever needing to see the swing, player or equipment.
Todd
Apr 1, 2014 at 12:41 pm
Tom, Great article. Thank you for sharing.
Question, how do carry distances vary hitting off of turf vs grass? TM I have access to is set up in a hitting bay with turf. I need to get exact carry distances but wasn’t sure if they would be “accurate” off the turf.
Thanks!
tom stickney
Apr 11, 2014 at 5:03 pm
should be very close…always audit on the course after the fact
Bryan Savage
Apr 22, 2014 at 3:36 pm
If you’re hitting to an open range, where the ball lands before hitting any obstruction, it’ll be accurate in either scenario.
TM/FS track the ball until it lands. That’s not a function of what surface you hit off of.
JH
Mar 20, 2014 at 8:56 pm
I understand the benefits of doppler in regards to instruction and the golf swing, but what about in retail/club fitting applications? What are the benefits/shortcomings of doppler systems vs camera systems?
tom stickney
Mar 31, 2014 at 10:27 am
All fitting applications would benefit from using TM.
Nick
Dec 4, 2013 at 1:17 am
How does swing path not determine where the ball starts? And how does club face determine that? That defies common logic. If I swing left with an open club face my ball will start left and cut. If I swing right with a closed club face I hit a push draw. Keep it simple!!
tom stickney
Dec 4, 2013 at 6:52 pm
Sorry to burst your bubble Nick, but those ball flight laws have been proven to be incorrect.
I would suggest reading up on the D-Plane on the internet and see James Leitz youtube video on understanding the new ball-flight laws.
You owe it to yourself to learn more so you can make your practice sessions more productive.
Good luck
Martin
Dec 2, 2013 at 5:45 pm
Great article! I did a fitting of a new 5wood and I really got good numbers according to the fitter on the trackman. My swingpath (I believe it was) was around 2-3 (he said that was a sign of me coming from the inside) and my face angle was 4-6 and it produced a nice draw. He said that the launch angle was a little low, I think it was 10-11, but I noticed that the smash factor was really close to 1.50(on the last shot it actually was 1.50. After reading your article I wonder how my low launch still “is the correlation between the club-head speed he or she delivers at impact and the subsequent speed imparted to the ball when the it leaves the club. This gives a rough estimate of how “efficient” a golfer is at impact”.
tom stickney
Dec 4, 2013 at 6:57 pm
If your path was 2-3 in to out and your face was 4-6 open you should have hit a cut…did you hit the ball off the toe.
You are forgetting to factor in the angle of attack. Spin loft measures compression, while, smash factor just talks about the energy transfer between the clubhead speed and ball speed only.
If you hit the ball low it could come from several different factors, so I can’t determine how it happened. Could be low on the face, an overly high aoa etc
Martin
Dec 5, 2013 at 8:53 am
When I come to think of it was the face angle that was 2-3 and the swingpath 4-6. I did have some minus on the angle of attack. Thats correct. I think he mentioned that, so maybe thats whats causes the low launch. Thanks a lot for your information!
Rus
Dec 1, 2013 at 10:02 am
Great article Tom… As a Pro at a high end club in Dallas we are in the process of adding a TM to our club fitting and teaching arsenal. Thanks.
Tom Stickney
Dec 1, 2013 at 12:22 pm
Do it ASAP! My members love it.
Corrie-Lynn's Dad
Dec 1, 2013 at 2:51 am
take that brandle ! good article
Dave Hewitson
Nov 29, 2013 at 3:41 am
Great article and very interesting to read the comments of others. My club has just committed to buying a FlightScope over the GC2. The amount of data you get via the iPad app is just mind blowing!! If you use this info in the right way there is no reason why every player you teach cant improve or fit players for the right clubs. I can not wait for our FlightScope to arrive and start fittings.
Tom Stickney
Nov 30, 2013 at 11:22 pm
Fs over gc2 was the right decision at this point; the Gc2 on the right track but needs more time to perfect their club data
Manny Guzman
Nov 23, 2013 at 10:49 am
Tom… Fantastic article. Wish I had read this prior to taking my Flightscope certification exam. Really explains and clarifies alot of questions. Just one for you… Do you use the shaft acceleration profiles for determining player shaft choices?
Tom Stickney
Nov 24, 2013 at 10:43 am
Thank you; I only have a trackman…
Carlos Carvalho
Nov 20, 2013 at 12:21 pm
Great article. You got all my respect. You really know what you are saying. I love to hear “Spin Axis” and your statement “The only way a ball can curve is to tilt its backspin on an axis that can be either “right” or “left.”. There are tons of pros that say ridiculous things like “side spin”, “hook spin”, “slice spin”. Every time someone says “side spin” I think Einstein spins inside his coffin. I would love to have you as my swing teacher. Congrats.
Tom Stickney
Nov 20, 2013 at 3:07 pm
Thank you!!!
Jim Johnson
Nov 19, 2013 at 2:09 pm
What about the consumer that can’t afford a Trackman or a Flightscope? Is there a more affordable launch monitor out there?
Tom Stickney
Nov 19, 2013 at 3:18 pm
Foresight is reasonable but I’m not sure of its price point
Heather
Nov 21, 2013 at 1:32 pm
That is a GREAT question.
Yak
Nov 23, 2013 at 2:58 am
http://ernestsports.com/ernestsports-es12/
there ya go, Jim
O
Nov 18, 2013 at 9:10 pm
I would like to know if it is also possible to capture the MOI as the ball is hit along with the amount of deflection caused by the friction of the ground that forces the face angle to change thereby causing spin in the direction that it was re-routed.
tom stickney
Nov 19, 2013 at 1:38 am
Seriously, I believe there are studies being done on the ground/club/ball reaction with the Phantom camera that the military uses in some RD Lab. Gear effect is very interesting to say the least. I had no idea just how much it was in play (other than the very exaggerated off center hits) until I had Trackman.
Lgolfer54
Nov 18, 2013 at 3:11 pm
This sentence spurs a question regarding vertical gear effect(One of the most forgotten aspects of launch angle is impact point and vertical gear effect. If golfers hit the ball too high on the face, vertical gear effect will increase launch angle and create less spin. Hitting the ball lower on the face will launch the ball lower with less spin.)So if you were hitting into a 20-30mph wind would it beneficial to purposefully hit the slightly higher or lower of center to engage the vertical gear effect and drop the spin rate which would allow it to travel further into the wind? Or would the decreased ball speed of a lower smash factor basically cause you to hit it the same distance or teeing it at normal height and hitting it in the center of the face?
tom stickney
Nov 18, 2013 at 6:09 pm
Great question….I think it’s up to the player to decide what tends to work best for them under pressure. Some things work perfectly in theory but have issues when brought into practical application
tom stickney
Nov 18, 2013 at 6:13 pm
I also know that some players hit the ball in different parts of the face for just that reason on the Tours…I don’t know if most people could do so but it’s cool to have that option if you can do so
Lgolfer54
Nov 18, 2013 at 2:50 pm
Tom, given the context of the paragraph did you mean to say Amateur or Pro golfer’s in the sentence below: Amateur golfers usually have attack angles that are more up with drivers, and down with hybrids and irons for the most part. Thanks!
Zeeraq
Nov 18, 2013 at 9:24 pm
I would say it’s correct. The average AoA with the driver on tour is actually about 1-2 degrees down (not exactly efficient, distance-wise). If you look over at the ladies, who have distance-driven swings, you’ll see that AoA move into the positive range.
jeev
Nov 18, 2013 at 12:43 pm
Nice article. Well done, Tom.
Dieter Wiedmayer
Nov 18, 2013 at 11:29 am
As an instructor and fitter, what key factors made your decision Trackman over Flightscope.
Thank you.
tom stickney
Nov 18, 2013 at 6:11 pm
In regard to TM vs FS…I will leave that up to the reps of each company to help you make your decision. Far better to have either rather than neither in my opinion
Tom Stickney
Nov 18, 2013 at 11:01 am
Thank you for your comments; I’m glad you enjoyed the article. All the best.
Steve H
Nov 22, 2013 at 11:20 am
Tom –
Great information for the masses that have never been through a lesson or a fitting on Trackman. The science of golf and being able to share data with players of every level makes what works and what does not VERY clear.
Tom
Nov 18, 2013 at 10:49 am
Well this article explains a lot and terminology is useful for future reference. Thank you for the great information.
Mark
Nov 18, 2013 at 9:46 am
Like the other guys have said, that is a great article. Very good information and now I want to get on a Flightscope/Trackman to see where I can improve!
Dave
Nov 18, 2013 at 5:55 am
That was a great article. Very informative and I now have amuch greater understanding of how lauch monitors can be used in teaching.
Thank you
Keith keep
Nov 18, 2013 at 2:11 am
Great article, very informative and really helps out a ton!