Back on Track (Man)

A golfing friend and I spent the day at Columbia Edgewater CC today split between the par 3 course and using TrackMan on the range. It had been about ten days since I had a chance to get TrackMan out there due to the week long trip to Atlanta and a few rainy days, and was nice to get some new numbers. I’ve changed my swing quite a bit since the last time I did a session on the machine and it was pretty evident that those changes are paying off.

For one thing, I am now consistently hitting either up on the ball with the driver or at the worst 1-2 degrees down on it. When I really keep my head and weight behind the ball I am striking it 2-3 degrees up on the ball which is a huge improvement from the 4 degrees down I was hitting just a month ago. It’s amazing how you can change when you have the right feedback.

But, even with an ascending blow in my driver swing I am producing about 4,000 rpms of spin, which is way too high. Optimal spin with the driver is between 1,500 and 2,000 rpms. Having an additional 2,000 rpm takes about 20 yards off of the ball carry and eliminates any chance for roll. I was wondering why my ball was either straight plugging or actually checking up and rolling backwards when I hit driver and now I know why. The club/shaft combo that I have been playing is not the right fit for me.

The plan is to play around with a number of different drivers and shafts over the next month to see which combo is the right gamer for me to play this summer. As my practice partner today pointed out: there is a specific driver out there for everyone. The task is to find the perfect fit for your swing.

Looking back, I was hitting this driver/shaft combo at the end of the summer along with a Nike 20XI-S ball which is a high spin ball, that combo was producing about 4,500 rpms which is a crazy amount of spin and knowing that my swing was/is still a work in progress, any time that I put too much side spin on the ball my errors were hugely amplified by the gear. So instead of a slight hook my ball was powering into the trees with every missed shot.

I’m not saying that a new driver will be magic in correcting for missed shots, just that having the right gear can make a big difference in both distance and confidence. I like my current driver, but think that it’s time to explore and find something that produces less spin for better distance and overall control.

For the record, my current driver is the TaylorMade RBZ 10.5 Pro with the Rul 60 gram Stiff shaft. It’s a good combo that is a great fit for someone’s swing, just not mine right now. I have still never swung any driver outside of a couple Nikes and TaylorMades. There is a giant world of gear out there and it’s time to do a bit of exploring.

If you want to see the hard data of my current driver, check this out: http://thedanplan.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/driver-January-7-2013.pdf

It’s pretty enlightening once you know both what your numbers currently are and where they should be. I averaged 3,899 rpm of backspin over 28 swings with an attack angle of -2.2 and a swing speed of 105.6mph. Today my speed was a bit lower (hip a bit sore so wasn’t swinging 100 percent) and my attack angle was less down on the ball, but the spin rate was the same.

How does everyone out there make sure their gear is right for them? Who’s done a TrackMan session?

14 Responses to "Back on Track (Man)"

Neil Murphy says:

February 12, 2013 at 8:21 pm

Hi Dan. I recently had clubs fitted using Trackman. With my irons, I went for the best dispersion figures. I felt that this would enable me to hit more GIR.
With my Driver, I went for a combination of distance, dispersion and smash factor.
My average AoA was +4 degrees.
For your CHS and smash factor numbers, if you increased your launch angle to around 13 degrees, with a reduced spin rate of 2000-2500 rpm, you would carry the ball around 265yds and may reach 300 yds total distance.
I opted for Titleist AP2 irons, with stiff Project X 6.0 shafts.
My Driver is a Ping Anser 9.5 degrees with a stiff Mitsubishi Diamana shaft.
By the way, good job with your average path and ace angle numbers. That should give you a subtle draw.
Carl Hoffman says:

February 13, 2013 at 12:09 am

Hello Dan!

Been following you since Autumn 2010, as that is when I started to golf. It´s been great fun comparing stats and achievements with you, but now I am starting to fall behind (with the long winters of Finland… such a shame). All the best to the continuation of the project, I wish you well and will be following the journey!

On topic: I´ve done a few fittings with FlightScope and they have provided plenty of valuable information to me – mostly about my swing, but some on equipment too. My results thus far have provided that the biggest “gear” effect comes from mental image – you trust your fitted, sweet looking and awesome equipment and thus swing better as a result. My swing speed on driver is very close to yours (average 103,8 mph, topping at 109 mph), my average AoA is +2 deg and I was just blasting the **** out of a Titleist 913 D2 with a 70g (shafts real weight around 75 grams) Aldila RIP Phenom Stiff at my last fitting … above all the heavier shaft made me feel that I had to let go everything on the swing, but the numbers told me that everything was exactly like my gamer, except average spin came down to 2650 rpm from the 3100 rpm on the lighter Fujikura Motore F1 50g Stiff in my current gamer which provided me with a lower ball flight (wanted) and extra roll (also much wanted).

My opinion is that you should try to find the equipment you trust, but not become too tangled with it – I think every golfer has met that one guy on the course that plays some horrible old clubs and absolutely beats the ball – it is definitely a PLAYER, not a gear, sport. Nice gear does make me happier though and thus play better.
JT says:

February 13, 2013 at 5:10 am

I’ve heard a lot of people complain that those RBZs are spin machines with most of the stock shafts.

Have you been playing the stock 45.75″ length? Ever consider chopping it down a little? That’s something that worked wonders for me – my longest drives are only down about 7 yards, but my average drive has actually increased due to making better contact.

I was also able to lower spin quite a bit by cutting some from the tip section (I don’t play an RBZ, but a Titleist 909 with the same problem, where the head/shaft combo was too spinny). If you think you’re gonna trash your current driver anyways, it might be something to try.
Dan says:

February 13, 2013 at 7:30 am

Dan, are monitoring quality of strike when you do these tests? Strikes further down on the clubhead are going to add spin.
Ric says:

February 13, 2013 at 7:37 am

Your challenge will be increasing your launch while also lowering spin. Your launch angle with a 10.5 head is pretty low, so going to a lower loft to reduce spin will likely hurt you. That leaves you with shaft, head design, and swing changes. That shaft is not helping you.

The PING Anser and Cally Razor Fit Extreme are two low spin heads. Add a good shaft and you’ll see better numbers. Launch may continue to be an issue.
Dave says:

February 13, 2013 at 8:37 am

I’m in Maryland, and have used Wade Heintzelman (Golf Care Center) for fittings in the past. He’s got great credentials (working with tour players, etc), but works well with all levels of player. He’s brand agnostic. He gets paid and does not make his money selling the clubs (although they do have a shop and will order for you ). He’s not inexpensive, but much cheaper than trial and error club purchases. His fitting has been one of the best lessons I ever got. I’m sure there must be somebody like that out in your neck of the woods.
Taylor says:

February 13, 2013 at 10:58 am

Dan, fellow lefty and have been following for quite awhile now.
I think a Cleveland Classic could be your answer. Very low spinning head and a pretty darn forgiving driver. Miyazaki shafts are great, and a stock shaft offering from them.
Ping Anser is another low spin head as well.
You will find that perfect match for you dude
Double Bogey says:

February 13, 2013 at 6:17 pm

Dan, Check out the new Callaway Razr Fit Extreme, and the Nike Covert with an Oban Devotion 6 shaft, and you will be ready to rock and roll. Key is to find a low spin head, low spin/stable shaft, and then up your loft to 10.5 or 11.5 even
3foot1 says:

February 13, 2013 at 7:18 pm

To state the obvious, to get the best equipment for your game you need to find the best fitter. Because there are so many variables in the shaft — stiffness, torque, tip softness, length of tipping, PURing — off the shelf stuff simply won’t do. But because your swing is still changing, an optimal setup may last you only for 3-6 months. I don’t know what your arrangement with Nike was, but at this point I’d choose whatever company is willing to tweak your setup regularly.

I personally think that the equipment itself matters almost nothing and the correct fit (including lie, length, loft, gaps, bounce, grind, etc.) matters a LOT. Asking your fans how we choose clubs will generate interest and posts, but we can’t provide you with any good suggestions — unless, of course, companies aren’t willing to support you.

If that’s the case, two of the best independent fitters in the country are Dana Upshaw of Warner Robbins, Georgia (now retired) and Jacques Intriere of Greenwich, Connecticut. As far as equipment, if the major companies don’t want to help, two of the most regarded “boutique” lines (and less expensive that the biggies) are Tom Wishon and Ralph Maltby. Surely the big name companies will help you, though.
Richard Chen says:

February 14, 2013 at 6:06 am

Offhand, hitting down at impact is having the hands in front of the ball at impact, usually, by having the shoulders closer toward the target with the leading shoulder in front of the ball, and with the trailing shoulder also closer toward the target (That’s why most golfers place the ball more toward the center of the stance for short and mid irons, so that the leading shoulder is way in front of the ball during setup to encourage hitting the ball with the leading shoulder way in front of the ball to get the hands way in front of the ball at impact with short and mid irons.) When the hands are in front of the ball at impact, the top end of the club will be in front of the bottom end of the club at impact creating a forward leaning club shaft at impact resulting in the clubhead still going downwards at impact to hit down on the ball.

Page 191 of Woods book shows his leading shoulder is not in front of the ball at almost impact. The outer edge of his leading shoulder is about even with the ball. This prevents to the hands from getting too much in front of the ball, if any, at impact for the driver. His trailing shoulder is also kept fairly back (both from the target, and from the target line) to help keeping the hands from getting too far in front of the ball (if any) at impact. For trailing-hand-dominant players (players swinging from their natural side,) the pros keep their trailing shoulder back, and from swing to far out (coming over the top) by turning down.

The shoulders are turned to slightly opened during the final release to pull the leading arm in to clear the path for the trailing hand, and forearm to swing through, and to swing the arms and hands up to the impact position, but the shoulders do not open too much (nor sway toward the target to much) to cause the hands to swing too much in front of the ball.

Conforming to the physics Law of the Conservation of Linear Momentum, most pros do sway slightly toward the target at the beginning of the downswing in shifting their weight back to the leading side. After that, they “sway” slightly back during the final release. According to this law of physics, the body “sways” in opposite directions to the arms, hands, and club to “balance” out the forces to center the swing.
Michael says:

February 16, 2013 at 4:51 pm

Hey Dan, if you like Trackman you should check out @trackmanmaestro on twitter, he is Brian Gay’s golf coach and I’m pretty sure he’ll be a massive name in instruction in the coming years. He is always looking to increase his following on twitter so perhaps you could pool resources and he might give you a free lesson in return for a bit of exposure. I’d love to see him give you a lesson on one of your course vlogs!

All the best!
Jason (UK) says:

February 17, 2013 at 2:17 pm

Dan, there’s a very strong negative correlation between swing speed and smash factor in you stats. It’s obvious to me that you need to NOT try to smash the skin off the ball as this is killing your smash factor and reducing the lengthnf your drives. I’m in the same place: swing speed of 107.9mph but a low smash factor of 1.42 which I’m now working to improve. I also had a negative AoA but have corrected this by making sure my centre pivot stays behind the ball at impact and consciously aiming to hit out and up. You must continue to initiate the downswing with the forward move of the hips or roll of right ankle (left in your case I guess) towards the target. Let us know how you progress.
Justin M says:

February 20, 2013 at 11:15 am

Try checking the loft on the club face. If you’re getting that much backspin your shots must be going very high or ‘ballooning’. I’m an exceptionally hard swinger myself ~120mph, and with ball speeds in excess of 155mph and up, having that much backspin will just make the ball go higher and higher. I was recently fit for a driver (I’d been swining a 10.5 degree loft as well) and was able to reduce my backspin off the tee on ascending attack angle drives by almost 1000rpm. At your swing speed you should be in the 8-10 degree loft range.
A Man says:

February 22, 2013 at 12:10 am

You’re killing yourself in this current setup. With a swing speed of 105 and ball speed of 150 you could easily be hitting it 290 consostently with the proper setup. Increase your launch, decrease your spin and you’ll see instant results. In this case I would say a proper shaft would make a huge, immediate difference for you. I am speaking after viewing your Tracman numbers. Do you own your own Tracman? That must be awesome if you do. I have to pay hourly access to one, which isn’t cheap.

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