When you go through a professional golf club fitting, you can get overwhelmed with the numbers a launch monitor can spit out. We are going to break it down to the most important club fitting numbers and how they affect your distance, accuracy and consistency!
Before I dive into the numbers, I do want to clarify that we believe the shaft can make THE most significant difference in performance. The proper length, shaft weight, shaft flex, trajectory, spin and swing weight will help you cut 2 to 20 strokes off your game!
We use TrackMan for our club fitting so we will use their terminology to be consistent. TrackMan has 36 different parameters but we will only use the 12 most important numbers based upon our thousands of fittings. We will assume a right handed golfer in these notes.
Attack Angle
This is the upward or downward movement of the club at maximum compression. Ok, you must swing up on a driver and putter to get optimum spin, but swing down on all other clubs (fairways, hybrids, irons and wedges) to get maximum compression for distance. A good Attack Angle for a driver is +1 to +5 degrees. For Irons, a good range is -2.5 to -5. In general, a positive attack angle increases height and reduces spin, which is a great thing for a driver, but not so good for irons.
Club Path
This is the angle the club is moving in relation to the targe line at impact. An in-to-out path is measure a a positive number, i.e. 2.5 degrees while an outside-to-inside path is negative. Good numbers for club path are under 3 degrees in either direction. Path, however, is not as important as Face Angle in determining shot direction. Depending upon the club shaft, an inside-to-outside Club Path can create a shot that goes right of target or a draw or hook that goes left of target. An outside-to-inside Club Path can create a shot that goes left of target or a fade or slice that goes right of target. Club Path is probably the most consistent parameter we see in club fitting.
Club Speed
This is the speed of the club at maximum impact, typically measured in miles per hour. In theory, the faster your Club Speed the more distance you can create. However, face impact, launch angle, spin rate and attack angle can dramatically affect distance, which is why a club fitting is so important. Each mile per hour in club speed can create 2 to 2.5 yards more distance as long as it creates more Ball Speed. Driver club speeds can range from 50 mph for junior golfers to 117 mph for PGA Tour players. Most average golfers have club speeds in the 80-95 mph range.
Face Angle
This is the angle of the face relative to the target line at impact. A positive or open face angle will create a shot right of target while a negative or closed face will create a shot that starts left of target.
Ball Speed
This is the parameter most golfers are focusing on. Increase your Ball Speed and you get more distance, as long as Smash Factor, Spin Rate, Launch Angle, Height and other factors work together. We focus a lot on improving Ball Speed while optimizing accuracy and consistency. This can be done with the proper head (loft, spin, design) and shaft (weight, flex, trajectory, spin).
Smash Factor
This is the efficiency rating that determines how much energy you are transferring from the clubhead to the ball. It is determined by dividing ball speed by club speed. The highest Smash Factor is 1.5 which is the optimum for a driver. In general, Smash Factor will decrease as the loft of the club increases, however, we are seeing some very high Smash Factors for fairway metals, hybrids and players distance irons. Smash factor can be influenced by impact location, Club Path, Face Angle, Attack Angle and other factors. We always seek to get the highest smash factor in our fittings for every club we are fitting.
Spin Rate
This is the rate of back spin of the ball immediately after impact. TrackMan measures Spin Rate and Spin Axis (the angle of tilt) rather than back spin and side spin. We look to optimize spin rate for every club in your bag. Drivers should have a Spin Rate under 2,500 rpm while irons will be roughly 1,000 times the number on the club (6 iron of around 6,000 rpm, for example). Too low of spin and the lift created may not be enough to get proper height and distance. Too high of spin can cause wind to adversely affect ball flight and potential loss of distance. We do testing with different golf balls to also make sure you are using the correct ball for your game.
Carry Distance
This is the distance the ball carries through the air. Typically we measure that with the landing elevation the same as where the ball was hit. When doing iron fittings, we want to look at carry distance, shot dispersion, spin rate and landing angle. With the proper fitting, we should be able to get a very tight shot dispersion (5 yards max width at 180 yards) with a landing angle that minimizes roll out. For driver fittings, we work with our customers to optimize both carry and roll out so that they have the proper carry distance for the courses they play.
Total Distance
This is the Total Distance the ball goes from launch to carry and roll out. Total Distance can vary by Landing Angle (shallow gives more roll out), Spin Rate and Landing Ball Speed. We also determine the proper ball to optimize Total Distance based on the above factors. Depending upon the golfer, Carry Distance can be more important than Total Distance.
Height
Height is the apex of the ball flight relative to the elevation from which it was launched. If you look at the TrackMan reports for both the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour, each club in your bag should peak at the same height! For PGA Tour players that is roughly 100 feet while for LPGA Players it is roughly 75 feet. Height is determined by Ball Speed, Spin Rate and Launch Angle. For players that do not generate very high ball speeds, we make sure to optimize Height, Spin Rate and Launch Angle with the proper Loft, Shaft Trajectory and Club Design to optimize Carry and Landing Angle. It is no uncommon for very strong players to have very high total Height. In those cases, we optimize the club loft, shaft tip stiffness, spin rate and ball selection.
Launch Angle
This is the vertical angle the ball take off relative to the horizon immediately after leaving the club face. Launch Angle can be affected by club loft, attack angle, impact location, spin rate, shaft trajectory and shaft flex. We use launch angle in conjunction with these factors as well as Height and Landing Angle to determine a proper fitting for every club in your bag.
Landing Angle
Landin Angle is the angle between the horizon and the ball as it lands. The higher the loft of the club, the higher the landing angle will be. For more Total Distance you want a lower landing angle which what we shoot for in a driver fitting. For tighter control and accuracy, we will shoot for a higher landing angle, typically for scoring irons and wedges. Again, the proper shaft trajectory, spin and flex can have a profound affect on the fitting results.
In Summary…
These twelve parameters are the most important, in our opinion, for determining the best fitting. Our fitting goals are to reduce your shot dispersion by 50% and potentially give you more distance. You may not agree with us here, but you do have a relatively consistent swing when you come in for a fitting. Specifically, your Club Path will not vary much during the fitting. By optimizing all of the other parameters, specifically with the proper head and shaft, we are confident that you will have more consistent performance and will be able to Play Better Golf…Faster!
If you want more detailed explanation of these and other TrackMan parameters, go to www.trackmangolf.com and sign up for a TrackMan account!
Dan Sueltz
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