Ideal launch angle and spin for given ball speed

mohdds

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First of all, let me thank everyone in advance for any help or insight you can give me. I apologize for the long post but I think the details are important in order for one of you experts to provide a meaningful answer. The members of this forum really helped me in the past with quick responses regarding equipment questions and really appreciate everyone's help.

I just got back from a Bridgestone Golf ball fitting session (performed in a mobile trailer hitting bay at a Roger Dunn). I am trying to recuperate my game after a back injury sustained in an auto accident a couple of years ago and wanted to get some numbers on a launch monitor and get fitted for a ball since I knew I lost a lot of clubhead speed (just how much was depressing). I currently use a 10.5 degree SuperTri with the stock regular shaft (purchased some time after the accident to accommodate a slower swing speed and the progression of age, lol!). Shaft is set to Neutral and MWT weights are set to draw configuation. As I currently utilize the yellow Z-Star (again age), this is what was used as the initial test (they provided a white Z-Star). I also have some yellow E6's but these were not tested for.

My now meager clubhead speed was 89.9 mph. Ball velocity was 124.9 mph (more on this later) with a launch angle of 16.1 degress, backspin of 2393 rpm and sidespin on -7 rpm. Distance was calculated at 211 yards. Bridgestone calculated the ideal launch conditions for a 89.9 mph clubhead speed to have a ball speed of 133.1 mph, with a launch angle of 13.9 degrees, and a backspin of 2594 and a distance of 232 yards. The rep running the test stated that my launch angle was too high and my spin rate was too low for optimum distance. He did state that I consistently hit a straight shot down the middle with a very, very slight draw. This high launch and shot shape is normally what I see on the course (although I have lost quite a bit of distance I have gotten my game almost to where I used to be prior to my accident with rounds consistently in the low 80's and high 70's).

The rep suggested that I consider either the RX330, RXS330, or the e7. His reasoning for the e7 was that it had a lower launch angle to give more distance (distance on the monitor was 217 yards but ironically, the launch angle (at least on the measured swings) was even higher at 18.0 degrees, and the backspin was even lower at 1577 rpm, and ball speed was 1 mph higher. We did not have time to test the RX330 but he said his recommendation for the RX series was made primarily based on my low clubhead speed and the fact that I put very little side spin on the ball, so he suggested the RX if I liked the feel of the RX or RXS. The results with the e7 could have been just a fluke but it leads me to my questions:

1) What can I do to get my launch angle and spin closer to the ideal for my limited clubhead speed of 89.9 mph?

2) My ball speed seems to be low for my clubhead speed according to the Bridgestone calculations (not hitting it flush?) yet I get very little side spin, and relatively low back spin despite a high launch (I would think that if i was losing ball speed by chopping down on the ball, thus getting a high launch angle that my backspin would be high, not low). I seem to be hitting the ball with a reasonably square club face and path (as far as I know anyway with my limited knowledge) as evidenced by very little side spin and a relatively straight ball flight down the center line. Club face contact is just above the center of the club face. Are there any specific swing changes I should consider to improve the smash factor?

2) Are there various combinations of optimal launch angles and backspin rates for a given ball speed? That is, for a ball speed of 124.9 mph (my current ball speed given my poor smash factor) or 133.1 mph (Bridgestone's ideal ball speed given my limited clubhead speed), what is the relationship between launch angle and back spin to give the optimum distance? and does anyone have this data? In otherwords, for any given ball speed does optimum backspin rate go down as launch angle goes up, or is there only one optimum combination of backspin rate and launch angle for any given ball speed?

3) Finally, given my actual monitor numbers, can anyone suggest any equipment (including ball, loft, shaft, weight configuration) changes that could help decrease launch angle (apparently significantly) while increasing backspin (slightly?) to make the most of my poor swing speed?

Again, any help is greatly appreciated as I feel I have reached a plateau in scoring improvement due to my limited distance off the tee compared to where I used to play my second shots from. I really have to scramble more now to score compared to when I had shorter shots into the green - I know, "the older I get the better I was", ha! Anyway, thanks to all that can help me out.
 
I'm no good at recommending ideal spin rates and such...however, if you decided you'd like to give the B330rx a go, shoot me a pm. I bought 3 dozen used at the end of last season, and I could donate a few to see if they perform better for you on the course.
 
The fitting was dead on. I would definitely be looking at the e7 out of the line to bring the flight down and provide some closer to optimal numbers. Before you go out and try to fix the numbers with equipment purchases, I would try that only and see what kind of results you are seeing.
 
War_Mongering:
Thanks for the generous offer and quick response (this forum has always impressed me with the quality of its participants). I will try to sort out some of the particulars with another more indepth monitor session (this time at GolfTec) before infringing on anyone's generosity. Again, thank you.
 
JB:
Thanks for your quick input and reply (and thanks for a great forum). The irony is that when I hit the e7 (again probably just a fluke), although my distance marginally increased (at least according to the computer simulation from 211 to 217 yards) but my spin went down even further (from 2393 to 1577) and my launch angle went UP (from 16.1 to 18.0). According to Bridgestone's parameters, I seemed to be worse (as far as the launch angle and spin goes) despite gaining a very slight increasae in distance (0.9 mph increase in ball speed) which may be responsible for the slight yardage increase. Given these numbers I am a little confused as to the algorithm utilized by the Bridgestone simulator. Also, in my research, I have found some other launch/spin numbers (one posted at a Roger Dunn and another posted at a GolfTec) suggested as ideal for my ball speed that are significantly different from that suggested by Bridgestone. The ones at RD and GolfTec suggest a higher launch (about 16 degress) and more spin (in the 3800 range) compared to Bridgestone's suggestion of 13.9 degrees and 2594 spin rate. Hence my confusion. I guess I will have o research this more. Again, thank you for everyone's input. Please chime in, particularly those experienced in club/ball fitting.
 
Isn't there a point where the ball just falls out of the air due to too little spin? On the other hand, if the launch is high enough, the angle of decent might be too steep to get any roll. No idea where that balance is with 130mph ball speed.
 
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