Launch angle with each iron?

I'm sure it does to a degree, but when comparing the same club in the same players hands at different speeds it's a minor contributor compared to other factors.

But in practice, I'm sure there are plenty of golfers whose swing changes when the try to swing faster or harder. That could lead to changes in launch angle for sure.
 
This chart is from June 2014 and generally regarded as the standard:

pgatourstats.png


The LPGA version:

lpgatourstats.png

Kinda funny... I always thought I hit the ball on the low side til seeing this chart. The last launch monitor session with a 7 iron launch angle average was 16.4* and average spin rate was 6400. Guess I'm not as much of a lowball hitter as I thought. lol
 
Ok this is great! This what I was going was out there.

To understand my thought process. I was in a fairly deep fairway bunker (left) and need to get the ball up fast as I am 5' from the lip and I need to carry it into a cross breeze to a back right pin. I can't use a 7iron so I went with an 8i and really got after it. The ball launched high left of the green and as it dropped it moved right and ended up 12' from the hole.

I wondered at that money what was the launch of my iron on a stock swing vs a hard swing. Would my stock swing have gotten out of the bunker. This is the moment I started to think about launch angle with each club with a standard swing. I know there are tons of factors and swings. But if we thought of it as stock or standard then we would have a benchmark to start with.

I think most don't utilize their true launch because of the their swing and nuances in the swing. I'm trying to think of a way to get people to think stock and allow the club do what it was designed to do.

Funny thing about launch angle for me the easier I swing the higher my LA is when I get after it my LA drops several degrees. This is due to being in a better position at full swing speed vs sorta flipping at it at partial swing speed to square the club face
 
Funny thing about launch angle for me the easier I swing the higher my LA is when I get after it my LA drops several degrees. This is due to being in a better position at full swing speed vs sorta flipping at it at partial swing speed to square the club face

Lost of actually loft because he arms outrage the hips. But I'm beating if they are in sync you'll have more distance and higher launch
 
but if all in sync then (according to this thread's info) he wouldn't have higher launch but the same launch with either the easier or faster swing. The ball would top out higher and travel further simply because of its speed from the faster swing but still at the same launch angle.
 
That's the way I understand it.
 
That's the way I understand it.

makes good sense to me. Angles are angles. If launch changes with the same given club then its only (or mostly) due to a change in the clubs angle at contact.
 
That's the way I understand it.

Yeah I'm just try to understand with solid info. I've put some calls out to see what else I can dig up. Thanks for the info you've given. I'll let you know what I come back with.
 
I think its just physics. The way I see it...and not a dictation here but just how it makes sense to me.
A given object/club (iron in this case) with its permanent fixed factors will have to send the ball up at a given same angle as long as it hits the ball at the same angle regardless if its moving 80 mph or 87 mph. At least without any usable enough of noticeable difference. If ones LA changes it would have to be mostly all due to them striking the ball with a different angle which might unintentionally happen enough when one changes his swing speed. Basically the player is then doing something (contacting the ball) just a little bit different (even if unintentional) besides just swinging faster. The ball then traveling further would be the only biggest difference that comes from the ss. Tops out higher and has a longer flight but leaves with the same LA.
 
Kinda funny... I always thought I hit the ball on the low side til seeing this chart. The last launch monitor session with a 7 iron launch angle average was 16.4* and average spin rate was 6400. Guess I'm not as much of a lowball hitter as I thought. lol
High is overrated imo assuming you can get the ball to stop on the green where it lands. I get silly high numbers peak height wise when I let my self get a little flippy. 120-140 feet peak height sucks in the wind.
 
High is overrated imo assuming you can get the ball to stop on the green where it lands. I get silly high numbers peak height wise when I let my self get a little flippy. 120-140 feet peak height sucks in the wind.
I have always found spin is really the big negative in the wind, not so much height. I am hit a high ball with lower spin into the wind and not lose so much, but a spinner will get eaten up.

Also I'm no physicist, so I won't try to explain it, but I certainly get up faster when I get after a ball vs an easy swing. Assuming I make clean contact on both swings.
 
High is overrated imo assuming you can get the ball to stop on the green where it lands. I get silly high numbers peak height wise when I let my self get a little flippy. 120-140 feet peak height sucks in the wind.

Unfortunately most non low cappers (and even probably enough of them too) will depend more on a nice steep angle of descent via a high flight to keep the ball form running out then they depend on spin. Not too many of us imo are generating a whole lot of stopping spin with lower trajectory shots especially with mid and longer irons. Must be nice to stop a ball dead with a 5iron...lol. So for now I will take the height and the soft landing.
 
I am actually interested is seeing info on how spin effects height after 50-100 feet, I have massive issues starting the ball low under trees but getting high enough to get through a hole in the tree canopy.
 
I have always found spin is really the big negative in the wind, not so much height. I am hit a high ball with lower spin into the wind and not lose so much, but a spinner will get eaten up.

Also I'm no physicist, so I won't try to explain it, but I certainly get up faster when I get after a ball vs an easy swing. Assuming I make clean contact on both swings.

I assume you mean getting up steeper. But is it really? . If the ball is moving faster due to the ss it will certainly go faster, higher and longer and that could make it seem/feel that its getting up at a different angle while it may not actually be. If it is actually leaving at a different (higher) angle than it must mean you are hitting the ball at a different angle with your faster swing vs your normal swing. The angle you attack the ball at contact would have to be a bit different. I would speculate the possibility that seeing a ball top out higher and getting there faster leads to an incorrect thought that its leaving at a higher angle. Interesting to think about imo.
 
Back
Top