# Trackman data - what does it mean?



## woody69 (Sep 26, 2013)

So these are my stats with a 6iron averaged over 6 shots only

ATTACK ANG: -3.5 - I believe this means I have hitting down on the ball?


CLUB PATH: 8.7 - This means my swing is "in to out"?


FACE TO PATH: -4.8


CLUB SPEED: 67.6 - "This is fairly slow? This is probably a consequence of my shortish backswing


BALL SPEED: 93.3


LAUNCH ANG: 13.6


SPIN RATE: 3763 - "I assume this is a little on the low side and should ideally be up around the 5000 mark?


SWING PL: 55.9

Anyone tell me what this actually means and what the numbers "should" be and how I can get to those numbers?


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## Region3 (Sep 26, 2013)

ATTACK ANG: -3.5
The vertical angle the club approaches the ball at. -ve is hitting down.


CLUB PATH: 8.7
The horizontal angle the club approaches the ball at. Can't remember if -ve is in to out or out to in.

FACE TO PATH: -4.8
Club face relative to club path. Again, not sure which way round -ve is.

CLUB SPEED: 67.6
Self explanatory?

BALL SPEED: 93.3
Self explanatory?

LAUNCH ANG: 13.6
The angle relative to the ground that the ball leaves the club at.

SPIN RATE: 3763
How much backspin is on the ball is rpm's

SWING PL: 55.9
Not sure on this one.


Depending on which way round the negative numbers are in club path and face to path, it looks like either a nice fade or nice draw.
Club and ball speed hint that you don't hit it very far (apologies if I'm wrong).
Launch angle would be about right for a driver. 6 iron ought to be closer to 20Â°.
Spin also looks quite low. 6i from memory wants to be around 6,000rpm.

Maybe softer or high launch shafts might help?


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## Region3 (Sep 26, 2013)

You edited while I was typing lol.

As for ideal numbers, I think the ones to do with the direction you swing the club look good. To get better numbers on the other ones you either need to hit the ball harder or get more help from the clubs.


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## pbrown7582 (Sep 26, 2013)

What was smash factor?


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## woody69 (Sep 26, 2013)

Region3 said:



			You edited while I was typing lol.

As for ideal numbers, I think the ones to do with the direction you swing the club look good. To get better numbers on the other ones you either need to hit the ball harder or get more help from the clubs.
		
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Ha, yeah sorry! 

According to the simulation the natural shot was a draw. You are absolutely spot on that my distances are a bit weak caused by the low launch angle and slow swing speed. These are actually from my recent club fitting so the suggestion was an increase in loft to help with spin and launch angle, but I decided against buying them.

What can I do drill wise to improve my swing speed and launch angle, or is that a bit of an impossible question to answer based on just this data?


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## woody69 (Sep 26, 2013)

pbrown7582 said:



			What was smash factor?
		
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Not provided in the report, but I could work it out I suppose? My maths is terrible, but this is the formula apparently:


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## duncan mackie (Sep 26, 2013)

looking at this I would focus solely on increasing the club head speed initially.

that alone, in isolation (but of course it never happens that way ) will increase the spin rate which will increase the launch angle, the ball speed and therefore the carry you achieve.

the figures suggest that you aren't loosing clubhead speed because of an early release (common) so it will be down to a video to get any real understanding of probable causes.


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## One Planer (Sep 26, 2013)

When I got fitted earlier this year, The shaft that gave me the best compromise of launch, carry and dispersion was True Temper Dynamic Gold R300.

They only launch at between 16Â° and 18Â° for me. Although since having lesson earlier in the year, it's probably nearer the 18Â° more consitently now.

I tried they Dynalite R300, in fact, this was the recommended shaft for my swing (Mizuno Swing DNA). These lauched between 20Â° and 22Â° (More emphasis on the 22Â°) with the same club head, but the flight went so high at its peak I was losing around 12 yards of distance when compare to the regular R300.


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## Region3 (Sep 26, 2013)

woody69 said:



			Not provided in the report, but I could work it out I suppose? My maths is terrible, but this is the formula apparently:






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Smash Factor = Ball Speed / Club Speed

So 93.3 / 67.6 = 1.38, which is pretty decent for a 6 iron.

I assume you were using proper golf balls rather than range balls?


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## woody69 (Sep 26, 2013)

duncan mackie said:



			looking at this I would focus solely on increasing the club head speed initially.

that alone, in isolation (but of course it never happens that way ) will increase the spin rate which will increase the launch angle, the ball speed and therefore the carry you achieve.

the figures suggest that you aren't loosing clubhead speed because of an early release (common) so it will be down to a video to get any real understanding of probable causes.
		
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I honestly think (and I could be wrong) but my slow swing speed comes from the fact I tend to only have about a 1/2 to 3/4 swing so simply don't give myself enough time or space on the downswing to generate the speed. I don't know how I can lengthen my swing because when I try to do it I tend to lose control. I had a look at a Ben Hogan video where he slides against a mirror, as I assume I'm just not turning my hips enough, but it was causing me to slide my hips too far to the left on the down swing meaning my angle of attack was even shallower creating all manor or issues.



Region3 said:



			Smash Factor = Ball Speed / Club Speed

So 93.3 / 67.6 = 1.38, which is pretty decent for a 6 iron.

I assume you were using proper golf balls rather than range balls?
		
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Yeah they were premium balls hit into a net


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## pbrown7582 (Sep 26, 2013)

region3 said:



			smash factor = ball speed / club speed

so 93.3 / 67.6 = 1.38, which is pretty decent for a 6 iron.

I assume you were using proper golf balls rather than range balls?
		
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that is pretty decent with 1.4 the suggested target


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## woody69 (Sep 26, 2013)

pbrown7582 said:



			that is pretty decent with 1.4 the suggested target
		
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What does that actually mean though in real terms? My ball flight is relatively low so it's not necessarily because I'm striking it better?


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## Region3 (Sep 26, 2013)

pbrown7582 said:



			that is pretty decent with 1.4 the suggested target
		
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I think 1.4 is the figure bandied about to represent a decent hit with the driver, which has more of a trampoline effect than irons do and also less loss of energy due to club direction vs ball direction (the more loft on the club the less energy is transferred).

Here's PGA Tour averages...


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## Region3 (Sep 26, 2013)

Region3 said:



			the more loft on the club the less energy is transferred
		
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Before the physicists (sp?) get on my case, the same amount of energy is transferred but the higher the loft, the more of it is rotational (spin) and less ball speed.


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## duncan mackie (Sep 26, 2013)

Region3 said:



			Before the physicists (sp?) get on my case, the same amount of energy is transferred but the higher the loft, the more of it is rotational (spin) and less ball speed.
		
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but then again, that rotational energy can contribute to positive aspects of the ball's trajectory and carry (as well as control on landing etc ) 

that's can, not will ...


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## duncan mackie (Sep 26, 2013)

woody69 said:



			I honestly think (and I could be wrong) but my slow swing speed comes from the fact I tend to only have about a 1/2 to 3/4 swing so simply don't give myself enough time or space on the downswing to generate the speed.
		
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happy to bet that it's more to do with timing and shoulder turn on the downswing...but without video (or simple observation) it's impossible to know for sure.


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## Snelly (Sep 26, 2013)

Trackman data - what does it mean? 

It means you have unnecessarily spent yet more money on golf and are still no better a player.  Invariably, it also means you have new clubs but the same handicap.


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## woody69 (Sep 26, 2013)

Snelly said:



			Trackman data - what does it mean? 

It means you have unnecessarily spent yet more money on golf and are still no better a player.  Invariably, it also means you have new clubs but the same handicap.
		
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You cynic you. Not quite, no new clubs... yet.


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## Foxholer (Sep 26, 2013)

Snelly said:



			Trackman data - what does it mean? 

It means you have unnecessarily spent yet more money on golf and are still no better a player.  Invariably, it also means you have new clubs but the same handicap.
		
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:rofl:

And the fact that the question in the OP was asked means the results mean lettle/nothing to him either!

Though haven't you acquired a 'new' set of irons this year? 

@OP. Swing speed does seem quite low. Even my somewhat wimpy one is 80-85! To increase it is quite difficult. Everything that is in sync now has to be kept in sync, so everything has to happen quicker - at least on the donswing - so quite difficult to achieve.


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## woody69 (Sep 26, 2013)

Foxholer said:



			:rofl:

*And the fact that the question in the OP was asked means the results mean lettle/nothing to him either!*

Though haven't you acquired a 'new' set of irons this year? 

@OP. Swing speed does seem quite low. Even my somewhat wimpy one is 80-85! To increase it is quite difficult. Everything that is in sync now has to be kept in sync, so everything has to happen quicker - at least on the donswing - so quite difficult to achieve.
		
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I was more asking what the "optimal" figures would be and how I could improve the ones I had.


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## Foxholer (Sep 26, 2013)

woody69 said:



			I was more asking what the "optimal" figures would be and how I could improve the ones I had.
		
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'Optimal' varies.

However, the obvious one is to increase Swing Speed.

Does seem you may be coming just a bit too much from the inside though.


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## JustOne (Sep 26, 2013)

Not bad numbers, as others have said you could do with more swing speed.



BTW: The swing plane is the angle of the shaft thru impact. If you raised your hands more it would be 60 degrees and 50 if you lowered them.


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## SGC001 (Sep 26, 2013)

woody69 said:



			So these are my stats with a 6iron averaged over 6 shots only

ATTACK ANG: -3.5 - I believe this means I have hitting down on the ball?


CLUB PATH: 8.7 - This means my swing is "in to out"?


FACE TO PATH: -4.8


CLUB SPEED: 67.6 - "This is fairly slow? This is probably a consequence of my shortish backswing


BALL SPEED: 93.3


LAUNCH ANG: 13.6


SPIN RATE: 3763 - "I assume this is a little on the low side and should ideally be up around the 5000 mark?


SWING PL: 55.9

Anyone tell me what this actually means and what the numbers "should" be and how I can get to those numbers?
		
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http://trackmangolf.com/company/newsletter

Check out some of their newsletters for explanations.


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## woody69 (Sep 26, 2013)

Any tips/drills to increase swing speed?


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## Snelly (Sep 27, 2013)

woody69 said:



			Any tips/drills to increase swing speed?
		
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More Weetabix.


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## woody69 (Sep 27, 2013)

Snelly said:



			More Weetabix.
		
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You're Colin Hunt aren't you?


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## Snelly (Sep 27, 2013)

woody69 said:



			You're Colin Hunt aren't you?






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I'm sorry.  I am not familiar with his work...


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## woody69 (Sep 27, 2013)

Snelly said:



			I'm sorry.  I am not familiar with his work...
		
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He's a wit and entertainer.


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## mab (Sep 27, 2013)

Those numbers look pretty good to me. You:

- are hitting down on the ball and not scooping
- are swinging in to out
- have a slightly closed face at impact to promote a slight draw
- have a good smash factor

You obviously have a slow swing speed, so could try to get that up a bit... no doubt a half swing won't help. To up that swing speed, you may wish to think about developing the ability to play a 3/4 or full swing and that would certainly help.

If you choose to keep your swing as is, then lighter / more flexible shafts would help to increase your launch angle and spin rate (and lighter shafts may assist clubhead speed if you're currently playing a heavier shaft).


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## woody69 (Sep 27, 2013)

mab said:



			Those numbers look pretty good to me. You:

- are hitting down on the ball and not scooping
- are swinging in to out
- have a slightly closed face at impact to promote a slight draw
- have a good smash factor

You obviously have a slow swing speed, so could try to get that up a bit... no doubt a half swing won't help. To up that swing speed, you may wish to think about developing the ability to play a 3/4 or full swing and that would certainly help.

If you choose to keep your swing as is, then lighter / more flexible shafts would help to increase your launch angle and spin rate (and lighter shafts may assist clubhead speed if you're currently playing a heavier shaft).
		
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Cheers Mab, most helpful.

I think I'm more of a 1/2 to 3/4 swing. Trying to get to full is the key, although how I have no idea...

I have been told the shafts I use are already on the light side at around 90g. I tried some graphite shafts and lost all control with my swing path etc (although I didn't really give it much chance). There is something fundamental with my swing that causes me to have a low launch angle as it is the same across all my clubs and it is something I want to increase to try and get more height in the flight of the ball. I *think* it is because I'm sliding my left hip to the left too soon, or pushing with my right side thus effectively delofting the club or perhaps it's just down to my lower swing speed, which is why I can sometimes hit it much further when it all comes together (albeit very rarely...). It's why the custom fitter suggested increasing the lofts, but that felt like a way to cover up the problem rather than treat it.


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## woody69 (Sep 27, 2013)

JustOne said:



			Not bad numbers, as others have said *you could do with more swing speed.*



BTW: The swing plane is the angle of the shaft thru impact. If you raised your hands more it would be 60 degrees and 50 if you lowered them.
		
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Any tips?


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## woody69 (Oct 6, 2013)

Had a lesson at the weekend and talked about the low flight of my shots and talked about my suspicions of either a low swing speed or sliding my hips too much to the left too soon so he said he'd take a look. After 2 shots he said my left arm seems to be moving away from my left side a little too much before contact, so he got me to hit a few with one hand, half swing, using my right hand to grab my left bicep and keep it locked to my left side until after contact. I then hit one full swing with both hands trying to concentrate on keeping my left arm closer to my left side and... well, it sailed higher than I've ever hit before and the flight looked amazing (well for me at least!). Felt like a massive break through! Feels very weird, so need to practice, but I'm so pleased he seems to have pointed out a potential fault that was affecting the flight of the ball.


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## JustOne (Oct 6, 2013)

If it works for you then that's great. He saw your swing and no one else did.


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## woody69 (Oct 6, 2013)

JustOne said:



			If it works for you then that's great. He saw your swing and no one else did.
		
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Yeah, of course. Was just such a revelation to me though that suddenly I could hit that nice high shot.


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## JustOne (Oct 6, 2013)

Are we talking irons, driver or both?


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## woody69 (Oct 7, 2013)

JustOne said:



			Are we talking irons, driver or both?
		
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All clubs


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