As with any technology there are better software updates and new advances that makes our job easier as teachers and fitters… One of the best I have seen to date is TrackMan’s Shot Optimizer that helps me to understand just where you are losing efficiency, and instantly shows what I need to do in order to optimize your ball’s flight.
Let’s take a sample swing I made this morning, and see what we need to do in order to help me hit the ball a touch more effectively.
Club Head Speed 101.0
Not bad for the first swing of the day
Ball Speed 150.4
Very slightly low as I hit this ball a touch low on the face
Attack Angle -0.2
Basically level with the ground
Spin Rate 2828
A touch high due to my low vertical impact point
Dynamic Loft 11.4 and Launch Angle 9.6
Low due to impact point
Carry 245.0
About 15 yards shorter than my normal oiled up swing
Height 69.0 feet
Low once again due to impact point
Landing Angle, 31.0 degrees
Very flat landing angle due to poor launch
Total Yardage, 273.0
Hope it’s dry conditions so it will chase out
As we examine what TrackMan is telling me, you will notice the following things
Spin Loft 11.8
Was on the low end of the spectrum
Ball Speed 150.4
Was on the upper end of the range
Launch Angle 9.6
Was out of the range completely
Spin Rate 2828
Was just above average
Height 69 feet
Was out of the spectrum as well
The final optimization would be the following
My Carry: 245
My Total: 273
Potential Carry: 250
Potential Total: 277
So what does this sample shot tell me as the teacher?
- The Clubhead Speed and Ball Speed are about normal for my swing when I hit the first few shots in the morning without being warmed up, so this is not an issue
- My Spin Loft and Launch Angle are too low – Attribute this to reduced dynamic loft at impact… This could be attributed to factors such as:
– Static loft of my current driver could be set too low
– Vertical gear effect as I hit the ball a touch low on the face
– Improper shaft fitting causing the club to have too little loft at impact - Spin Rate is a touch high at 2828, I would say this could be the ball I was hitting which was a more “spinny” ball than what I usually play and/or vertical gear effect stemming from a low face impact
- Overall height was about 10-12 feet too low…could be a dynamic loft or vertical impact issue
Now armed with all the data, here is what changes I would suggest in order to optimize this shot.
- Check impact point on the club-face with Dr. Sholls to see if the low dynamic loft, low launch, and high spin is a gear effect issue
- If so, fix the low impact point
- If gear effect is not the issue the we must raise the dynamic loft at impact by increasing the static loft of the club
- If this doesn’t change things then I would suggest altering the shaft so that the club doesn’t lag so much through impact reducing dynamic loft
- If we still don’t get the results we’d like then we know it’s a combination of loft, shaft, and a swing issue causing a lower dynamic loft at impact
Changing the impact point and dynamic loft will increase the spin loft, launch, and height, as well as, reduce spin… This will give me more overall carry while still maintaining a low descent angle so the ball runs out when landing!
