Launch monitor

[Howla]

Hi all,

I went to a local golf pro yesterday to have some analysis carried out on my wayward drving.

I spent a hour on a launch monitor and the information you get from that is very informative. However although I was told that my swing path was a little steep which caused a high slice on my drives I was told to try alternative clubs that could help rectify the problem.

I tried various drivers and setups and the new Taylor Made Burner Tour seemed to come out top for me as it did not produce as much back and sidespin than my current R7 SuperQuad. Resulting in straighter drives and a lot more carry.

Can anyone tell me how accurate the launch monitor is. I mean have you purchased a club on this evidence to find that it was no better or little improvement?

If I am going to spend another £200+ on a replacement club I want to ensure I don't have the same mistake as the R7 I bought 4 months earlier.

Thanks,

Howla

 

[USER1999]

I have used a launch monitor to check my existing driver against a selection of others. The data is very informative, as I have often found before that it is hard to know whether one driver is better than another.
I find it interesting that the club fitter I was talking to viewed the Superquad as a low spin head.
I am not convinced that just hitting a driver on a range will tell you much without a monitor, as what looks and feels fantastic might not actually be any good at all.

I still feel that in your case, you would be better off having lessons than just buying a new driver to work around a swing fault which is causing you problems, ie: a steep swing path. This is going to kill your drives stone dead. Why not fix this?

 

[TonyN]

TBH the shaft is mostly responsable for spin so a A superquad head with 2 different Aldila shafts in could play totally different.

Now, As for the launch monitor yes they are excellent. Ath the end of the day, they are pure science, and you can't agrgue with that.

I have bought my Driver FT-5 with an aldila NVS and my titleist 3 wood. I used to have the FT-I and when I compared it with the FT-5, the 5 blew it away. But the fitter was convinced by the first lot of ball flights that there was a better setup, and he was right. Rather than change the club, he changed the shaft. The monitor told him I was launching at a really good angle, but the ball was bombing out of the sky very quickly because the backspin was too little. Obv he knew that a softer tipped shaft would promote more spin so thats what I tried, and it did. The results where a good 40 yards better within 15 mins of the session.

We tried other setups aswell with the same characteristics in different clubs and shafts to make sure there was nothing better out there but there wasn't. So it was back to the FT-5 with the NVS shaft just to confirm it was right.

There isnt a single round I ever doubt i have the wrong driver in my hand or that there is a better one out there for me. The taylor made burner I tried was excellent and easier to use but it went to high and lost me about 10 yards of each drive.

Same with my 3 wood, went through all the above and nothing was as good as it. I couldn't use it at first and doubted the vector, but the pro took me back in for another session (free of charge) and actually gave me a lesson to prove it was the club for me.

I havn't had my irons fitted but i will when I change them.

I will never buy anothe club (excluding putters obv) with out being fitted, its like buying clothes without trying them on. If your going to fork out all that cash, you want to make sure you have the best bit of kit to suit your game/swing.

The only problem is, if you do not have a decent swing and you have flaws causing a fade/slice or pull/hook, being fitted for a new driver is not going to solve your problem in the long run, it will just lesson the effect of your mistakes, untill you make new ones.

The answer is lessons. Go get checked by a pro and groove in something solid, something repeatable. Then go get fitted for something when you have that new swing that works.

If you end up taking lessons after you have bought the new kit then it may not suit you. For instance if the pro gives you a shallower swing then you may end up hitting the ball to high and need a club/shaft that promotes less back spin. Then you would have to go back again and be fitted out for a different club/shaft to suit the new/better swing

 

[USER1999]

Tony, my point about the S/Quad being a low spin head was that it was a starting point for then trying to find a low spin shaft to mate it to. There was no point in me trying a Cobra L4V (which was what I fancied), because there isn't a shaft on the planet that could work for me with that head. It is made with the weight low, to generate back spin and get the ball in the air. For me, this just balloons.

We are agreed that lessons / swing changes are the answer to Howla's probems though, and not new kit.

 

[TonyN]

Yeah agreed on the lessons, but I wasn't disagreeing with you on the head/shaft debate, I just meant the shaft was a bigger factor than the head in relation to spin. I just didn't explain it clearly enough.

 

[Howla]

Gents,

I agree, I have had a lesson and I was just getting a 2nd opinion on my swing. However, the R7 SQ is not a low spin head, that is what I thought when I bought it. The pro said that a low spin head such as the Burner Tour will help with my problem but not correct until I address my swing plane.

I am going to work on my swing path as when I seen it on the launch monitor screen it made sense and when I as going round more than up and down the drive was 100% better.

I spent £25 for a hour on the launch monitor and tried a variety of clubs, and I get the £25 off any club I purchase within 3 months of the visit.

I am going to try fix my swing plane with my driver and see if I can get my R7 SQ to work but it is a fact that the club generates more back spin than others which is something I can never get away from.

Another final point is I hit my Ping S58 irons without any slice or problems and I have the same swing plane, how does that happen?

Thanks,

Howla

 

[USER1999]

The swing plane with irons tends to be steeper because the shaft lengths are shorter, and you are more over the ball. With a driver, unless you are amazingly tall, and using a childs shaft, you have to swing slightly flatter. You also take a divot with an iron, so you need to hit down on it, where as you should sweep a driver away. Difficult if you hit it with a descending blow.

 

[Howla]

Good point,

I was struggling to get my head around that. I am not that tall 6ft 1". I will go and give my driver a go at the range again, however I know three other people with R7 SuperQuads who all have the problem of skying the same driver.

Is this a mind over matter and does anyone else have a problem with the R7 SQ?

 

[USER1999]

One of my mates has one, and he hits it out of sight. Unbelievable how far this goes in the right hands.

I hit it ok, just not as well as my Titleist 907D1.

I am sure that you can hit this driver. They have sold loads of them, so they can't be that bad.

 

[Howla]

Aye mate I guess your right, I will just get my head down and practice. I have a few pointers that I can work on and I will try and get things going with that.

Thanks for you help guys its appreciated.

 

[RGuk]

Howla.....stay calm.....avoid those shiny new things and think about it - you've already said you've stepped away!
I first went on a L_M many years ago and t.b.h. I trust the information 100%.
The trouble with modern kit and L_Ms/C-F etc. is that almost any golf club can be bought that can "improve" your game instantly because a good fitting (head/shaft/lie) can help control (or minimise) the bad s*** that's going on. I approve of this EXCEPT in the case of hard-working players keen to improve themselves.

I got C-F for a driver less than 10 rounds into starting again, and if it wasn't for the fact that I'm using it again, it would have been a waste of money....big time....
I got a draw model driver (FT-3), which according to the L_M was the best thing to do because I wasn't squaring the face. However, 2-3 months down the line, I had to put it away for a straight faced (neutral) Ping G5. I'd started playing better, improving all the important elements and was beginning to hook loads of drives with the FT-3. The Ping solved this overnight.
However, since then, I've had some lessons and made some big changes which co-incidentaly have altered my swing plane/path and led to the odd slice returning. I'm not overly happy (because I've got a lot of work to put in) but in a lucky way, I've been able to go back to the Callaway again. But.....there's a lot of chance involved.....and for the time being I'm going to stick with the 2 I have and play with the one that suits my game at the time.
So, what does all this have to do with you or anyone in a similar predicament?
Well, i.m.h.o. work hard on your swing, have your lessons, iron out problems like overly-high launch and once you are done, and hopefully playing better, ask yourself if you are where you want to be (realisticaly) THEN fill your bag with C_F clubs and go and enjoy.
If you flatten your swing (which sounds like the thing) and start catching your drives in a different way, then the driver you have may end up being just fine. If you were off 6 or less, I'd say give it some thought, as it is, there must be some high-payback stuff you can improve with your swing, which could then negate the need for new kit.
f.w.i.w. I know dozens of players who hit almost every club pretty straight (between scratch and 18??) but struggle with the big dog.....that's golf and that's drivers.
I do feel your pain though.....it's so frustrating to be hitting it well, nearing single figures, but feeling somehow your driver isn't giving you the best chance. Once a pro has told you your swing is pretty sound and you can feel it in the quality of your irons etc. check your driver technique, and if that's decent too, then maybe make a change.
I know there will be some on here that will scoff at you being good enough for this all to make a difference, but I know where you are at....I've been there....
Good luck.

 

[USER1999]

Cracking post Dave. Well put.

 

[vig]

I agree with the above, It has to be technique, Interestingly I went to get a driver last year with draw bias. I went to AG (I know they get some stick, but always been sound with me) and spoke with the head honcho, He talked me out of a draw driver as he said when you get you're swing right you're stuck with it and it made sense. He sold me a second hand driver with adjustable weights and saved me £100. He had a point in that if you're swing is right it shouldn't make a massive difference with the trajectory or spin (slice)

 

[Howla]

Dave,

I totally agree, I guess I was just keen to get a quick fix with captains day this weekend, but I am going to give it my best shot and practice with my driver and try and get change my swing plane.

Really appreciate all you help and posts guys. Time to roll them sleeves up and get some practice in.

Another interesting point the pro mentionend whilst on the LM was that I should not use Titleist Pro V's and go with a ProV1x's instead as there is less spin and it would help until I can get my swing plane sorted, any ideas on that one, as I love the feel of Pro V1's for putting?

Thanks again,

Howla

 

[TonyN]

I dont see that much difference with the putting between the two, Although I must admit the Prov1x's really suit my driving and go alot longer than most balls!

 

[RGuk]

Another interesting point the pro mentionend whilst on the LM was that I should not use Titleist Pro V's and go with a ProV1x's instead as there is less spin and it would help until I can get my swing plane sorted, any ideas on that one, as I love the feel of Pro V1's for putting?

I'm not an expert on balls, but i.i.r.c. the 1x are lower spin off woods.....if this means less back-spin and side-spin, then, sure....this is very sensible.
I can only compare it to the old days of spin vs. distance balls. Everyone loved a spin ball around the greens and under 100 yards, but slices/hooks off the driver were SO costly, hardly anyone over single figures played with them.

I play with W/S Dx soft a.t.m. seems a good blend......

 

[Howla]

Guess who has just got 2 dozen Pro V1's for his birthday!

 

[TonyN]

Guess who's birthday it is in 3 weeks if ya dont want them