Instruction
Yet another reason to use a launch monitor: Trackman’s Shot Optimizer
In the golf world, there are always new technologies and software updates that make the jobs of instructors or club fitters easier, faster or both. One of the best I have seen to date is Trackman’s new Shot Optimizer, which helps me to understand just where my students are losing efficiency and what I need to do in order to optimize their ball flight.
Let’s take a sample swing I made and see what we need to do in order to help me hit the ball more effectively.
Club Head Speed: 101 mph. Not bad for the first swing of the day.
Ball Speed: 150.4 mph. That’s slightly low, as I hit the ball below the center of the face.
Angle of Attack: -0.2 degrees. That’s basically level with the ground.
Spin Rate: 2,828 rpm. That’s a touch high due to my low vertical impact point.
Dynamic Loft: 11.4 degrees (9.6-degree launch angle). Those launches are low due to a low impact point.
Carry: 245 yards. That’s about 15 yards shorter than my normal oiled-up swing.
Height: 69 feet. That’s low once again, due to the low impact point.
Landing angle: 31 degrees. That’s very flat due to the low launch.
Total yardage: 273 yards. I hope it’s dry so it will chase out more!
As we examine what Trackman is telling me, you will notice the following things:
- Spin loft, 11.8 degrees, was on the low end of the spectrum.
- Ball speed, 150.4 mph, was on the upper end of the range.
- Launch angle, 9.6 degrees, was out of the range completely.
- Spin rate, 2,828 rpm, was just above average.
- Height, 69 feet, was out of the spectrum as well.
The final optimization would be the following:
Carry yardage: 245 current shot versus 250 possible.
Total yardage: 273 current shot versus 277 possible.
So what does this sample shot tell me as the teacher?
The club head speed and ball speed are about normal for my swing without a warm up, so this is not an issue. My spin loft and launch angle are too low, however, which I attributed to the reduced dynamic loft at impact.
This could be attributed to factors such as:
- The 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.
My spin rate was a touch high at 2,828 rpm. I would say this could be the ball I was hitting, which was a more “spinny” than the ball I usually play, and could also be a product of vertical gear effect from my low impact point.
My Overall height was about 10-to-12 feet too low. That could be a dynamic loft issue or vertical impact issue.
Now armed with all the data, here is what changes I would suggest in order to optimize this shot.
- Chart impact point on the club face with Dr. Scholls 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, then 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 and reduce dynamic loft.
- If we still don’t get the results we’d like, then we know it’s a combination of loft, the shaft and a swing issue causing a lower dynamic loft at impact.
Improving 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.
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My golf learning began with this simple fact – if you don’t have a fundamentally sound hold on the golf club, it is practically impossible for your body to execute a fundamentally sound golf swing. I’m still a big believer that the golf swing is much easier to execute if you begin with the proper hold on the club.
As you might imagine, I come into contact with hundreds of golfers of all skill levels. And it is very rare to see a good player with a bad hold on the golf club. There are some exceptions, for sure, but they are very few and very far between, and they typically have beat so many balls with their poor grip that they’ve found a way to work around it.
The reality of biophysics is that the body moves only in certain ways – and the particulars of the way you hold the golf club can totally prevent a sound swing motion that allows the club to release properly through the impact zone. The wonderful thing is that anyone can learn how to put a fundamentally sound hold on the golf club, and you can practice it anywhere your hands are not otherwise engaged, like watching TV or just sitting and relaxing.
Whether you prefer an overlap, interlock or full-finger (not baseball!) grip on the club, the same fundamentals apply. Here are the major grip faults I see most often, in the order of the frequency:
Mis-aligned hands
By this I mean that the palms of the two hands are not parallel to each other. Too many golfers have a weak left hand and strong right, or vice versa. The easiest way to learn how to hold the club with your palms aligned properly is to grip a plain wooden ruler or yardstick. It forces the hands to align properly and shows you how that feels. If you grip and re-grip a yardstick several times, then grip a club, you’ll see that the learning curve is almost immediate.
The position of the grip in the upper/left hand
I also observe many golfers who have the butt of the grip too far into the heel pad of the upper hand (the left hand for right-handed players). It’s amazing how much easier it is to release the club through the ball if even 1/4-1/2″ of the butt is beyond the left heel pad. Try this yourself to see what I mean. Swing the club freely with just your left hand and notice the difference in its release from when you hold it at the end of the grip, versus gripping down even a half inch.
To help you really understand how this works, go to the range and hit shots with your five-iron gripped down a full inch to make the club the same length as your seven-iron. You will probably see an amazing shot shape difference, and likely not see as much distance loss as you would expect.
Too much lower (right) hand on the club
It seems like almost all golfers of 8-10 handicap or higher have the club too far into the palm of the lower hand, because that feels “good” if you are trying to control the path of the clubhead to the ball. But the golf swing is not an effort to hit at the ball – it is a swing of the club. The proper hold on the club has the grip underneath the pad at the base of the fingers. This will likely feel “weak” to you — like you cannot control the club like that. EXACTLY. You should not be trying to control the club with your lower/master hand.
Gripping too tightly
Nearly all golfers hold the club too tightly, which tenses up the forearms and prevents a proper release of the club through impact. In order for the club to move back and through properly, you must feel that the club is controlled by the last three fingers of the upper hand, and the middle two fingers of the lower hand. If you engage your thumbs and forefingers in “holding” the club, the result will almost always be a grip that is too tight. Try this for yourself. Hold the club in your upper hand only, and squeeze firmly with just the last three fingers, with the forefinger and thumb off the club entirely. You have good control, but your forearms are not tense. Then begin to squeeze down with your thumb and forefinger and observe the tensing of the entire forearm. This is the way we are made, so the key to preventing tenseness in the arms is to hold the club very lightly with the “pinchers” — the thumbs and forefingers.
So, those are what I believe are the four fundamentals of a good grip. Anyone can learn them in their home or office very quickly. There is no easier way to improve your ball striking consistency and add distance than giving more attention to the way you hold the golf club.
More from the Wedge Guy
- The Wedge Guy: Golf mastery begins with your wedge game
- The Wedge Guy: Why golf is 20 times harder than brain surgery
- The Wedge Guy: Musings on the golf ball rollback
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Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?
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This is a classic drill that has been used for decades. However, the world of marketed training aids has grown so much during that time that this simple practice has been virtually forgotten. Because why teach people how to play golf using everyday items when you can create and sell a product that reinforces the same thing? Nevertheless, I am here to give you helpful advice without running to the nearest Edwin Watts or adding something to your Amazon cart.
For the “scoring clubs,” having a solid connection between the arms and body during the swing, especially through impact, is paramount to creating long-lasting consistency. And keeping that connection throughout the swing helps rotate the shoulders more to generate more power to help you hit it farther. So, how does this drill work, and what will your game benefit from it? Well, let’s get into it.
Setup
You can use this for basic chip shots up to complete swings. I use this with every club in my bag, up to a 9 or 8-iron. It’s natural to create incrementally more separation between the arms and body as you progress up the set. So doing this with a high iron or a wood is not recommended.
While you set up to hit a ball, simply tuck the towel underneath both armpits. The length of the towel will determine how tight it will be across your chest but don’t make it so loose that it gets in the way of your vision. After both sides are tucked, make some focused swings, keeping both arms firmly connected to the body during the backswing and follow through. (Note: It’s normal to lose connection on your lead arm during your finishing pose.) When you’re ready, put a ball in the way of those swings and get to work.
Get a Better Shoulder Turn
Many of us struggle to have proper shoulder rotation in our golf swing, especially during long layoffs. Making a swing that is all arms and no shoulders is a surefire way to have less control with wedges and less distance with full swings. Notice how I can get in a similar-looking position in both 60° wedge photos. However, one is weak and uncontrollable, while the other is strong and connected. One allows me to use my larger muscles to create my swing, and one doesn’t. The follow-through is another critical point where having a good connection, as well as solid shoulder rotation, is a must. This drill is great for those who tend to have a “chicken wing” form in their lead arm, which happens when it becomes separated from the body through impact.
In full swings, getting your shoulders to rotate in your golf swing is a great way to reinforce proper weight distribution. If your swing is all arms, it’s much harder to get your weight to naturally shift to the inside part of your trail foot in the backswing. Sure, you could make the mistake of “sliding” to get weight on your back foot, but that doesn’t fix the issue. You must turn into your trial leg to generate power. Additionally, look at the difference in separation between my hands and my head in the 8-iron examples. The green picture has more separation and has my hands lower. This will help me lessen my angle of attack and make it easier to hit the inside part of the golf ball, rather than the over-the-top move that the other picture produces.
Stay Better Connected in the Backswing
When you don’t keep everything in your upper body working as one, getting to a good spot at the top of your swing is very hard to do. It would take impeccable timing along with great hand-eye coordination to hit quality shots with any sort of regularity if the arms are working separately from the body.
Notice in the red pictures of both my 60-degree wedge and 8-iron how high my hands are and the fact you can clearly see my shoulder through the gap in my arms. That has happened because the right arm, just above my elbow, has become totally disconnected from my body. That separation causes me to lift my hands as well as lose some of the extension in my left arm. This has been corrected in the green pictures by using this drill to reinforce that connection. It will also make you focus on keeping the lead arm close to your body as well. Because the moment either one loses that relationship, the towel falls.
Conclusion
I have been diligent this year in finding a few drills that target some of the issues that plague my golf game; either by simply forgetting fundamental things or by coming to terms with the faults that have bitten me my whole career. I have found that having a few drills to fall back on to reinforce certain feelings helps me find my game a little easier, and the “towel drill” is most definitely one of them.
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Bill Schmedes III
May 16, 2014 at 7:11 pm
Nice article Tom. Amazed with some of the responses. The tool is there to help a player improve faster without all the guessing. If your a golfer not sure why would you would want to see anyone without a tool like this to help the process. Keep up the great work!
Tom Stickney
May 17, 2014 at 1:21 am
Thx sir…people often criticize what they don’t fully understand.
Cameron Prine
May 16, 2014 at 12:49 pm
I will be the first person to attest to Trackman on this forum, because it sounds like a lot of people do not believe in using it. For a bit of background on me, I am a +2.7 handicap when playing well, and I’m at about a scratch right now since I live in Ohio and have not had the chance to play or practice much this year. Over the past 4 months while using Trackman at an indoors facility, I have gained 22 yards carry on my driver and about 10 on all of my irons, by learning to manage my attack angle, and how to use that to change the shape of my shots. I went from attacking down 4 degrees with the driver, to only down half a a degree and my carry went from 274 to 296, and instead of 283 total I am averaging 311. If you are serious about getting better, invest some time and money into using one of these devices.
Tom Stickney
May 16, 2014 at 1:02 pm
They are remarkable tools for all levels of players whom are interested in getting better results from their instruction/practice time. I taught on both sides and couldn’t agree more with your experiences. It’s not just applicable to the better players…
Peter mill5
May 15, 2014 at 4:55 pm
Can’t help agreeing with @leftright. I don’t think the average hobby golfer has the time, inclination, money or patience to work on 400rpm here or 1.5º there. We’re getting into the “baffle them with facts” area for most golfers – no disrespect meant – just the experience from coaching “normal” golfers for more than 30 years.
Tom Stickney
May 15, 2014 at 6:17 pm
I’m here to help anyone who what’s to get better; not saying the beginning golfer has no other options but trackman. However it’s my duty to help people stay in the game not leave due to frustration due to poor performance.
Mike
May 15, 2014 at 9:54 am
I can’t believe how negative the responses to this teaching method have been. This is the future of teaching and although you can go about fixing a swing in many ways, video and launch data are the easiest way to quickly diagnosis problems.
Great write up, Tom! Keep it coming!
Tom Stickney
May 15, 2014 at 10:14 am
Thanks…
Gary Mackintosh
May 15, 2014 at 8:06 am
Tom, the one thing you didn’t do is adjust the AOA. I’m a fitter and I find that if I get my customers to get their path in to out and get a positive AOA(4 to 6*), they greatly increase their swing speed and vertical launch. I myself picked up 2 to 4 mph and 20 yards of distance. I know that sounds crazy and I’d never believe it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes(and Flightscope). I’ve always been a high spin player(steep AOA). With the help of my Launch monitor, I’ve dropped my spin to the mid to upper 2000’s. Of course, to be fair, most of the spin reduction came from lowering the static loft of the club which increasing the AOA allowed me to do.
Tom Stickney
May 15, 2014 at 10:16 am
AoA is a huge key as well…thx.
Neil
May 15, 2014 at 1:59 am
Tough crowd.
Tom Stickney
May 15, 2014 at 10:17 am
I’m just glad people are reading and commenting…I like hearing everyone’s thoughts positive or negative.
leftright
May 14, 2014 at 8:29 pm
Tom, I am sorry but I can’t buy into all the crap. My cynicism knows no bounds. I’ve been playing for 45 years and participated in all major amateur events and played in a few regional/local pro events over my lifetime. I know how well I have played and got the best out of my limited talents. If someone cannot recognize their limitations then no amount of teaching or money is going to change it. I know, it is all about expanding the game but I see a lot of misery out there. I see a lot of hope and I just shake my head because what are we to do, just let them fail or try to save them form their own mediocrity. I hope golf grows by leaps and bounds to levels unheard of but marketing fraud is against my principles and plays on someone’s mentality and could damage their psyche. To tell someone they can do this when you konw they will never be that good is teacher malpractice. When people start suing, maybe it will stop.
Tom Stickney
May 15, 2014 at 12:24 am
I can only help you to reach YOUR goals but I’m brutally honest when your reality doesn’t match your talents or dedication. I’m not a miracle worker nor do I claim to have the magic dust. Not everyone can be a good player and I understand this fact, but I can help EVERYONE enjoy the game more.
Ben Mutz
May 15, 2014 at 9:49 am
http://www.CantPutt.com
Lowering your putting stroke average by learning to
Master your Distance Control
Take the words Feel and Touch and flush them down the toilet
Tom Stickney
May 15, 2014 at 10:20 am
Ben…I’d appreciate it if you’d respect this forum and comment on the story that I wrote.
golferjack
May 16, 2014 at 8:07 am
I wonder if leftright is a lawyer? I have to agree with a couple of Points he makes but as a Pro teacher I can say that a launch Monitor is of help to a wide range of Players if for nothing more than to help them understand how far they really hit the ball in comparison to how far they think they hit it. Also matching a set of Clubs based on fact and not just feel is useful and can in many cases save Money by giving someone a set with less rather than more that they don’t need.Jack and co didn’t have forged Composite heads and graphite shafts either. They also didn’t have to compete with Bubba and co. who would bomb it past them on their best day. This is not to disrespect the guys, they were all great Players and I’m sure that they would be great Players in any era. The world doesn’t stand still, but there is also still a difference between Clubs as there is a difference between cars. I guess leftright isn’t driving a 70’s car. Like your articles Tom, they are often thought provoking.
leftright
May 14, 2014 at 8:22 pm
Pureing, $45 a shaft, Trackman $50 and hour. It is all about the money. I think scratch golfers can be helped but not the masses and the yardage gain is negligible as best. Technology takes the “ideal” into consideration, not the non-talented average golfer. I am scratch but pureing did absolutely nothing for my iron game and 7 of the 9 shafts required no adjustment. The trackman was a waste of time. I had a Driver pured once and it was actually made worse, I had him put it back like it was and I regained my driver, go figure. Marketing is trying to make everyone a low handicap golfer and sorry folks, that niche is reserved for about 2% of us and no amount of practice, trackman’s, pureing or lessons is going to change it. If you don’t have it just enjoy the game. This is no different than a 3 who want to play to 0, he might not have the capacity, though usually I find it a mental obstacle rather than ball striking.
Tom Stickney
May 15, 2014 at 12:27 am
I never spoke about puring shafts. Just maximizing your talents. At the scratch level improvements take a ton of time and most players never get much better than this. When you’re an average golfer your improvements come in leaps and bounds through technology. Sorry but you’re 100% wrong on this one.
paul
May 15, 2014 at 9:26 pm
I agree Tom. What a load of &*$#. I have been average at all sports in life ( not an athlete) But with a bit of dedication and a launch monitor it is easy to improve quickly. My friends were disgusted when I improved 10 strokes over the winter with a few small technique changes that helped me get good numbers on a flight scope. I am hitting laser guided balls with my irons right now. All my clubs are hitting balls within a yard or two of what I expect, thank you trackman. If only I could putt I would have broke 80 on Tuesday.
leftright
May 14, 2014 at 8:14 pm
Ben didn’t have one, neither did Byron or Sam. Walter and Bobby never heard of a launch monitor and Arnold was in his 70’s before he even knew one existed. Jack was in his 60’s and Tom in his 50’s. Too much confidence in technology has ruined more golf games than it has helped and marketing is the primary influence…period. Get good clubs, make sure they are lofted and lied correctly and swing away. All the clubs are good these days, golfers today would play a $15 a dozen golf ball if it miraculously appeared in 1990 because it would be better than the best Titleist of the time..of course this is balata era. You still have to swing the club and a launch monitor is useless for anyone more than a 5 handicap. Some guys can’t even hit the ball unless they produce 3500 rpms of spin. Spin is what keeps the ball in the air. I have seen these mythological launch angles and spin rates put more balls in the lake people “used” to carry. It ain’t all about roll out folks. Some courses dont’ set up for the ball to roll out, especially some Dye courses. If the fairways are hard and fast there is negligible difference between 2500 and 4000 rpms on the drive and how it finishes. You play a set course with low rpms and optimal launch angle and you will be behind the high spin guy all day.
leftright
May 14, 2014 at 8:16 pm
I meant “wet” course.
Tom Stickney
May 15, 2014 at 12:34 am
Fitting is all based on the player and their course conditions. Sometimes higher spin is better while other times lower spin is the answer. There is no right answer for everyone. As stated before lower handicaps get some advantages from fittings but also can adapt to poorly fit clubs while higher handicaps cannot thus why fitting is important
Tom Stickney
May 15, 2014 at 12:36 am
If technology was useless then why does every good player on tour use it?
paul
May 15, 2014 at 11:01 pm
Ha ha Tom.
Jamie
May 14, 2014 at 1:28 pm
Tom, with all due respect, I am not a golf pro or teacher, but I disagree with your approach to the info. I recently purchased a Foresight HMT and GC2 as my choice and couldn’t be more thrilled with all the data at my disposal. Different numbers will impact different peoples approach to their practice and training. Having all the numbers to see incremental improvement is key to enjoying the game more and each golfers approach to practice. I’d be upset if I knew you were not giving me all the data for me to make the choice on what I do and don’t want to assimilate after you educate me on what each readout means and how it relates to my swing and game. Just food for thought. All GPS/radar tracking devices are great learning tools.
Tom Stickney
May 14, 2014 at 3:17 pm
Some people can handle information productively while others cannot…
GMR
May 14, 2014 at 11:06 am
While I don’t doubt the usefulness of this tool, this particular example strikes me as a bit of paralysis by analysis. How bout instead looking at the numbers, realizing you lost only 5 yards of carry and 4 yards of overall distance from the “ideal” strike, and smiling to yourself that your results were as good as they were on an off-center hit?
Tom Stickney
May 14, 2014 at 11:33 am
Because as a teacher I’m paid to make sure you (the student) is as efficient as possible. Secondly the student never sees this information so they can’t become overly informed on my watch.
GMR
May 14, 2014 at 11:57 am
Fair enough, but if you know that the student is hitting it low on the face, what incremental information are you getting in this example that is going to improve your instruction. Sorry to play Devil’s advocate…as I mentioned I think there are scenarios this could be quite useful. Just am failing to get my head around why it might be in this specific example.
Rob Rashell
May 13, 2014 at 9:27 pm
Tom,
Been amazed how useful Trackman is with teaching, I notice players I work with trying hard to take in everything Trackman has to offer, do you notice players doing the same with you? Do you slowly introduce parameters, optimizer, etc.? Thanks for the thoughts.
Rob
Tom Stickney
May 14, 2014 at 12:27 am
I don’t allow my students to see the tm output…I control what they see as I don’t want them to get in too deep. Helping them focus only on what I want keeps me in control of their lesson. Thx for the note sir.