Trackman Comparison - Feb '20 to Nov '22

[Orikoru]

This could be a long post, so if you're not into data and numbers I'd exit now.

Last night I went and did an indoor Trackman gapping session. The last time I did this was February 2020 (a happier time, never imagined what was to follow just a month later..) when I must have been around 16 handicap I think. The results of that were shown here:
https://forums.golfmonthly.com/threads/yardage-gap-testing-tonight.104216/#post-2114816

And here are the numbers from last night - they issue it now in a customisable fashion rather than a PDF which is nice:
https://mytrackman.com/system/dynam...8&sgos[]=665aac92-0bfd-4545-adab-c15adabb686c

Admittedly I filtered out a handful of bad ones last night, whereas the first time I went I didn't know you could do that.

Since the reports are pretty big, here are just the 7 iron numbers.

Feb '20:


Nov '22:



So the club speed is slightly up, although maybe due to the new irons I got recently. The loft is stronger on the new iron as well. But the biggest positive here I think is that on the old data, my low point was consistently before the ball and the angle of attack was a positive number. In the new data I now have the low point after the ball and a negative angle of attack. Bit annoying that the dispersion left & right isn't shown on the old report so can't compare that. But Face to Path varied more in both directions on the old data - so my consistency there has improved a little bit as well. All quite positive I think.

Driver Feb '20:


Driver Nov '22:


Driver numbers are a bit more of a head-scratcher maybe. Speed is almost 2mph quicker on average but not really resulting in any more distance, particularly if you take out the dodgy ones from the old data. Not sure what to conclude from that.

Another plus is that I can hit a 6 iron ok now; back in Feb '20 I couldn't hit it at all, and it wasn't in the bag for around two or three years. It's a bit unfortunate that there's only 5 or 6 yard gap between that and my hybrid now, but it's still useful to have a hybrid from different lies and situations of course.


Anyway, as always, any and all comments welcome. ?

 

[Albo]

Looking at your Dr numbers the one that stands out to me is attack angle, it’s lower now than 20. That may result in less carry?

 

[fundy]

Do you not have spin numbers on each shot? An average of 19 yards of run and a max of 31 yards with a 7 iron! What conditions was trackman set to?

Good to see some improvement in speed and distance Maybe work on improving the consistency of face to path more (if you plan on practising?)

 

[Backsticks]

Very interesting. This gear gives very useful information to guide improvement and show trends over time
2mph would be well within normal variation I think, and wouldnt worry about it too much. You might be a mph higher than the old data if you tried again today.

I have good days, better days, for no real reason. Driver head speed can some days be 88-91, other days I seem to be able to get 93-96, and it isnt that I am really pushing on the higher days, and going easy on the slower days.

 

[Backsticks]

Change the hybrid to stretch out the gap from the lower iron would be worthwhile I think. 2 degrees lower or so might give you a more useful 12 or 15 yd gap.

 

[Orikoru]

Looking at your Dr numbers the one that stands out to me is attack angle, it’s lower now than 20. That may result in less carry?

I've just remembered that I most likely had my loft at 11.5 back in 2020, whereas now it's on 10.5 standard loft. I wonder if the 11.5 is actually better suited to me and getting me more carry? 10.5 was working well in summer though with a bit of roll. I wish I'd remembered this last night when in the studio and I could have adjusted the loft to compare the difference.

Do you not have spin numbers on each shot? An average of 19 yards of run and a max of 31 yards with a 7 iron! What conditions was trackman set to?

Good to see some improvement in speed and distance Maybe work on improving the consistency of face to path more (if you plan on practising?)

You can turn it on off in the report of the new data - 7 iron average was 3747. I already know that's considered low. Not sure what I would do about that. Plenty of them were closer to 4000 but that very first strike that randomly went absolute miles was 2101 and is bringing the average down. ? I don't know much about spin rates though, not going to lie.

Change the hybrid to stretch out the gap from the lower iron would be worthwhile I think. 2 degrees lower or so might give you a more useful 12 or 15 yd gap.

That would then encroach on the 7 wood which doesn't go much further. And the hybrid was actually the most recent purchase before the irons so ideally wouldn't want to get rid of it already. ? I don't think it's a huge problem, as I say, the hybrid may just be more of a situational club. There are plenty of lies where I'd have more confidence hitting a hybrid than a 6 iron.

 

[fundy]

I've just remembered that I most likely had my loft at 11.5 back in 2020, whereas now it's on 10.5 standard loft. I wonder if the 11.5 is actually better suited to me and getting me more carry? 10.5 was working well in summer though with a bit of roll. I wish I'd remembered this last night when in the studio and I could have adjusted the loft to compare the difference.


You can turn it on off in the report of the new data - 7 iron average was 3747. I already know that's considered low. Not sure what I would do about that. Plenty of them were closer to 4000 but that very first strike that randomly went absolute miles was 2101 and is bringing the average down. ? I don't know much about spin rates though, not going to lie.


That would then encroach on the 7 wood which doesn't go much further. And the hybrid was actually the most recent purchase before the irons so ideally wouldn't want to get rid of it already. ? I don't think it's a huge problem, as I say, the hybrid may just be more of a situational club. There are plenty of lies where I'd have more confidence hitting a hybrid than a 6 iron.

When I last saw Alex I think he used to advise take 1 off the club number then multiply by a 1000, so for a 7 iron youd be looking for around 6000 spin level, albeit I expect that may have been with more loft than you have on your 7 iron, below 4,000 does seem very low and might be costing you some yardage. Was this discussed in your iron fitting?

You thinned the first one didnt you?

 

[Orikoru]

When I last saw Alex I think he used to advise take 1 off the club number then multiply by a 1000, so for a 7 iron youd be looking for around 6000 spin level, albeit I expect that may have been with more loft than you have on your 7 iron, below 4,000 does seem very low and might be costing you some yardage. Was this discussed in your iron fitting?

You thinned the first one didnt you?

No we didn't talk spin numbers, it was more about peak height as well as the fact they went further and straighter than all the others. If you're trying game improvement irons like me then perhaps spin numbers will always be lower.

Not even a thin would go that far - when I thin one with an iron it tends to drop out of the sky rather than go too far. It was some kind of hooded hook I believe. Notice how the face to path was way more negative than most of the others.

 

[Whereditgo]

Do you know where your face strike tendency is? Would be interesting to see the spin rate with driver too, looking at those numbers for the driver it appears that you could do to be hitting on the up a bit more........and a bit more speed wouldn't go amiss

 

[Orikoru]

Do you know where your face strike tendency is? Would be interesting to see the spin rate with driver too, looking at those numbers for the driver it appears that you could do to be hitting on the up a bit more........and a bit more speed wouldn't go amiss

Well I like to get good use out of them - paid for the whole club after all. ? A lot of them were high on the face last night actually but the mat was probably quite spongey.

 

[Whereditgo]

Well I like to get good use out of them - paid for the whole club after all. ? A lot of them were high on the face last night actually but the mat was probably quite spongey.

Good point

I was more meaning with the driver, with irons high on the face would suggest your ground contact/low point is before the ball.

Edit: Though your low point figures suggest not - maybe that face strike being high was just a feeling?

 

[Orikoru]

Good point

I was more meaning with the driver, with irons high on the face would suggest your ground contact/low point is before the ball.

Edit: Though your low point figures suggest not - maybe that face strike being high was just a feeling?

Not a humblebrag but I hit driver quite well and tends to be somewhere near the middle - if not then sometimes I hit it a bit low on the face which obviously would cost me some distance.

The trackman shows you the point of contact, I wouldn't have thought the irons were high on the face until I saw it there on the screen. As I say, I think the mat was very spongey so it was easy to dig into and catch the ball higher up the face.

 

[adasko]

if you hit the ball first not the mat you want hit it high on the face regardless if the matt is spongy or not