To those pondering a 2013 Driver - Trackman Optimal Launch Data

[InHartWeTrust]

Thought I would post this up for anyone that might find it useful in their quest to find a driver for 2013. I will either be paying a visit to a Callaway Fitting Center or Taylormade Performance Lab within the next month or so, and I plan to take a print out of this in and hand it to the fitter while saying "Please use the Trackman and help me find the numbers in green with selecting a head, tuning, and shaft".

My apologies if this has been posted before.

 

[ArmyGolf]

Thats a great printout, its just missing the 110ish SS and 163ish ball speed. I am happy to see that with a Launch angle of 10-12* that you do in fact want to be around 2800-3000 spin, as I have always found that to give me the best results.

 

[JTnumbers]

So wait, hitting down on a driver creates distance? I thought it creates spin, which nobody wants.

 

[arydolphin]

IHWT, I'll give you some more data. Tom Wishon has this data on his website at this article: http://wishongolf.com/how-to-use-a-launch-monitor-to-improve-your-game/

It's a PDF file, but I've taken that PDF and made it into JPEG files and posted them here. They are broken down into 5 mph increments for swing speed, and list optimization for carry distance AND total distance (aka carry + roll).

 

[InHartWeTrust]

Thats a great printout, its just missing the 110ish SS and 163ish ball speed. I am happy to see that with a Launch angle of 10-12* that you do in fact want to be around 2800-3000 spin, as I have always found that to give me the best results.

See above, ary delivered!

So wait, hitting down on a driver creates distance? I thought it creates spin, which nobody wants.

Not everyone hits up with a drive like they should, that is just showing the clubheads relative path angle at impact. You are 100% spot on that it does create more spin (see the figures, spin goes up and distance down)...but it is saying "if you are one that hits down, this is how to optimize that as best as you can".

 

[InHartWeTrust]

ary, that is phenomenal man! Thank you for adding that in...I am on a Trackman data kick right now after reading thepete's post from earlier this week on the 10 Fundamentals.

 

[arydolphin]

So wait, hitting down on a driver creates distance? I thought it creates spin, which nobody wants.

Positive value for attack angle = hitting up on ball. Hitting down on the ball does not create more spin, for what it's worth.

 

[arydolphin]

ary, that is phenomenal man! Thank you for adding that in...I am on a Trackman data kick right now after reading thepete's post from earlier this week on the 10 Fundamentals.

I'm always on a Trackman kick, I love learning about this stuff. Learning that you have to swing differently to hit up on the driver than what you do in every other club in the bag was a revelation for me. I haven't totally been able to make the swing changes yet that I need to in order to be more efficient with my swing, but now I know which way to go.

 

[ArmyGolf]

It shows pretty clearly that hitting down on the ball gives you more spin with a non-existent launch angle, or am I reading it wrong? I LOVE this info!

 

[Vegan702]

The last column, dynamic loft represents what?

 

[CharlieMoy]

Positive value for attack angle = hitting up on ball. Hitting down on the ball does not create more spin, for what it's worth.

All of the negative attack angles carry more spin. Hitting down does create more spin which is bad for carry.

 

[CharlieMoy]

The last column, dynamic loft represents what?

Dynamic loft represents the loft at impact. Attack angle and lag/release affects that.

 

[InHartWeTrust]

The last column, dynamic loft represents what?

In the Trackman Fundamentals, it does state that hitting down on the ball doesn't increase spin...but the numbers in these charts seem to suggest otherwise. The PDF says that as you hit down more, the dynamic loft changes and offsets the additional spin created by hitting down on the ball.

 

[arydolphin]

It shows pretty clearly that hitting down on the ball gives you more spin with a non-existent launch angle, or am I reading it wrong? I LOVE this info!

The last column, dynamic loft represents what?

All of the negative attack angles carry more spin. Hitting down does create more spin which is bad for carry.

Wrong, according to Trackman. From the 10 Fundamentals article that thepete posted:
"For iron shots, TrackMan has seen that spin loft (the difference between angle of attack and dynamic loft; SPIN LOFT = DYNAMIC LOFT – ANGLE OF ATTACK) remains virtually constant for a particular golfer, given club loft and club speed, no matter what the attack angle is. This means the myth that “hitting down on the ball creates more spin” is not true. For example, Moving the ball back in the stance generally creates a more negative attack angle, but the dynamic loft will be offset by a similar amount, resulting in an unchanged spin loft and thereby unchanged spin rate."

See above for definition of Dynamic Loft as well.

If you want to see a REALLY good presentation of Trackman relating to the Ball Flight Laws, go here: http://www.trackman.dk/download/UserConfEU11/Ball Flight Laws I.pdf

In the Trackman Fundamentals, it does state that hitting down on the ball doesn't increase spin...but the numbers in these charts seem to suggest otherwise. The PDF says that as you hit down more, the dynamic loft changes and offsets the additional spin created by hitting down on the ball.

Keep in mind that they are trying to go for OPTIMAL numbers here. The lower launch values with negative attack angles mean that the ball needs to spin more in order to stay in the air, so that is what is reflected in the numbers.

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

Thanks for the info man, I will be getting a proper driver fitting from taylormade when the tour rep comes to town, they usually bring some sort of launch monitor system. Plus they have all their driver heads lofts and shafts so I know I will get the best driver for my game

 

[mrmcgovs]

great info. thanks for posting.

 

[InHartWeTrust]

Wrong, according to Trackman. From the 10 Fundamentals article that thepete posted:
"For iron shots, TrackMan has seen that spin loft (the difference between angle of attack and dynamic loft; SPIN LOFT = DYNAMIC LOFT – ANGLE OF ATTACK) remains virtually constant for a particular golfer, given club loft and club speed, no matter what the attack angle is. This means the myth that “hitting down on the ball creates more spin” is not true. For example, Moving the ball back in the stance generally creates a more negative attack angle, but the dynamic loft will be offset by a similar amount, resulting in an unchanged spin loft and thereby unchanged spin rate."

See above for definition of Dynamic Loft as well.

If you want to see a REALLY good presentation of Trackman relating to the Ball Flight Laws, go here: http://www.trackman.dk/download/UserConfEU11/Ball%20Flight%20Laws%20I.pdf



Keep in mind that they are trying to go for OPTIMAL numbers here. The lower launch values with negative attack angles mean that the ball needs to spin more in order to stay in the air, so that is what is reflected in the numbers.

Very good call out, dude. Nice catch...I wasn't thinking about it that way. I can't wait to check out the link you posted.

Thanks for the info man, I will be getting a proper driver fitting from taylormade when the tour rep comes to town, they usually bring some sort of launch monitor system. Plus they have all their driver heads lofts and shafts so I know I will get the best driver for my game

That is the absolute best way to go about it, Uriel. Good luck and enjoy it brother!

 

[TripleBogieTim]

Thanks for posting this....I really need to work on getting my ball flight down...my launch angle on my driver is 16-19* right now so I lose distance and get less roll out because of it.

 

[hokiegolfer]

Good stuff, appreciate it guys

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

Very good call out, dude. Nice catch...I wasn't thinking about it that way. I can't wait to check out the link you posted.



That is the absolute best way to go about it, Uriel. Good luck and enjoy it brother!

Thanks man, I need it, because my club pro uses his eyes instead of a launch monitor to fit people, they really don't encourage proper fitting enough here, seriously some of these hackers in my area would play so much better if they knew that a proper fitting could make a huge difference on their game

 

[tgtt]

Those charts must be figuring roll out on an airplane runway.

 

[InHartWeTrust]

Thanks man, I need it, because my club pro uses his eyes instead of a launch monitor to fit people, they really don't encourage proper fitting enough here, seriously some of these hackers in my area would play so much better if they knew that a proper fitting could make a huge difference on their game

IMO it is one of, if not the most, overlooked aspects of successful golf. Not just being fit, but moreover being properly fit with a LM. With the technology available today, you are doing yourself a disservice IMO by not paying the money to have a proper LM fitting (especially if it is a Trackman, with a trained rep), assuming you can afford to do so. When you can find this for free at a demo day, it is a win win situation.

For me, it looks like a Woods only fitting on the Trackman is going to run me $75, which seems to be about average, although I have seen others that got this much cheaper. Knowing how much I am going to be dropping on the woods/shafts, that extra $75 is more than worth it to me to ensure I have the equipment that will give me the best chance for success.

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

IMO it is one of, if not the most, overlooked aspects of successful golf. Not just being fit, but moreover being properly fit with a LM. With the technology available today, you are doing yourself a disservice IMO by not paying the money to have a proper LM fitting (especially if it is a Trackman, with a trained rep), assuming you can afford to do so.

For me, it looks like a Woods only fitting on the Trackman is going to run me $75, which seems to be about average, although I have seen others that got this much cheaper. Knowing how much I am going to be dropping on the woods/shafts, that extra $75 is more than worth it to me to ensure I have the equipment that will give me the best chance for success.

Exactly my point, luckily, the city I am going to medical school at has the only GolfTEC In the state so I know I will get a pretty good fitting from them

 

[oiler3535]

Thanks for posting this....I really need to work on getting my ball flight down...my launch angle on my driver is 16-19* right now so I lose distance and get less roll out because of it.

I have the opposite problem. I hit down with my driver and launch around 8-9 degrees. I kind of like the low ball flight I get, but if I could fix my swing I'd gain a ton of distance for my 103ish ss.

 

[golfinFF]

Thanks for the charts fellas, I'll be print them and taking them with me to my fitting on tuesday