Performance Coaching Video Blog

driver angle of attack is crucial

May 21, 2014 | , , , , , , ,

In our world of golf, we finally have some proof of what most of us have thought for years….the key to lower scoring is distance, not putting!  There is a great book out by Mark Brodie, a statistician, who has evidence that the correlation to your position on the PGA Tour’s money list is linked closer to Driver Distance rank than to putting rank.

The last 6 winners of the Straightest Driver on the PGA Tour… lost their Tour Card the same year.

We need to use our knowledge about Angle of Attack to help us maximize our driver distance.  The following is a sample of optimum Launch Angles and Spin Rates that correlate to 3 different Angle of Attacks, -5, 0 & +5… with -5 equating to hitting the ball on a path that is 5 degrees downward.  Zero would be flat and +5 is hitting the ball on the upswing.

If you’re going through a driver fitting, it’s imperative that the fitter knows your angle of attack.  As you can see from the graph above, the launch angle for 85 mph varies from 9.3* up to 14* while the corresponding spin rates drop from 3,110 to 1,964.  This is a huge variance that needs to be taken into account.

maximize potential with spin rate

May 8, 2014 | , , , ,

In the great quest for more distance and control with the driver, a closer look must be given to spin rate and the accompanying launch angle.  There are many different options of spin rates and launch angles that will vary, not only based on ball speed, but also on your angle of attack.

When the testing begins, we must first look into the head and loft that fit the best.  This will give us a launch angle between 9 and 17 degrees.  This wide window is based on the ball speed and angle of the player being tested.  Generally speaking, higher speeds need lower launch angles… generally…

After the launch angel has been selected in the optimum window, a much closer look is paid to the shaft and the hosel settings to ensure the spin rate matches the launch angle, ball speed & angle of attack.  The factors attributing to this decision range from shaft weight to tip stiffness to kick points and player preferences.
The ball flight we are looking for must not take off low like an airplane and then rise into the sky as this only produces a steep angle of descent which will decrease the amount of run the ball has as it hits the ground.  Having not enough spin will produce a flight that takes a nose dive into the turf after a very short carry.  Our flight should take of with a high launch, then flatten out at the peak and turn downward, hitting the ground with a shallow angle of descent to maximize carry and roll.

Bubba Long or Bubba Wrong?

Apr 23, 2014 | , , ,

The technology craze in teaching with high speed video with ball & club launch data has driven some to seek the ‘perfect swing’… honestly, people have been searching for that much longer than since the techy side vamped up.  The newest tech stuff only made it easier to find out what is right or wrong!  

Take an honest look at all the players on any tour around the world and you will find that there are many different ways to make a living…albeit, some of them uglier than others, I would still love their golf game & their bank accounts! 

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Bubba’s win a The Masters was exciting, different than his 1st, but fun and refreshing to see someone do it his Own way.  Obviously, he begs some soul searching for teachers like myself around the globe to ponder what swing is best to teach amateurs & professionals….  The answer?  Every person has their own swing signature that must be taken into account.  

The key is to make minor adjustments so that the impact zone fits into the necessary ranges, for all touring professionals are within a range of numbers at impact.  This is where today’s technology can help tremendously as the naked eye can not see what is really happening at these speeds.

The Masters Wedge Shot

Apr 10, 2014 | , , ,

The players this week at The Masters will be faced with many difficult shots, however, the trickiest of them all will be the lofted pitch around the greens.  Why tricky?  Extremely tight lies with the grass mowed/grain going towards the player or away from the hole.

This delivers a sticky situation where, too often, the club can grab the turf before the ball.  Worse yet, is the next time we face the same shot an scoop it just enough to catch it dead in the forehead of the ball…looks more like bowling than golf!

The trick to this shot, same as many others, is the club’s angle of attack.  Shallow is the name of the game as anything steep will garner a tiny margin of error.  A fraction behind the ball will result in the dreaded chili dip, and a fraction after gives us the skull. 

Our goal is to create a flat spot at the bottom of the arc that is 3-5 inches long.  This will allow the club to make great contact anywhere in the 3″-5″ space which is clearly a very large margin of error.  In fact, when looking at a great shot on High Speed video, we can even see the club coming in contact with the grass before the ball!  You will be amazed at how far behind the ball you can make contact with the turf while hitting high quality shots!

Smash Factor & Contact = Distance

Apr 5, 2014 | , , ,

PictureWatch this video!

Want to get longer without changing your swing or technique?… Read on & watch the video…

What is Smash Factor?  The measure of ball speed divided by clubhead speed gives us the best indicator of the transfer of energy from the clubhead to the golf ball.  If your ball speed is 150mph and clubhead is 100mph, your Smash Factor will be 1.50, which is about the maximum.  
Although many factors can be attributed to a high smash factor, like technique & ball type, contact location on the clubface is the biggest indicator.  Testing has shown time & time again, that adjusting smash factor from 1.30 up to even 1.45, will produce of 40+ yards!

Contact low on the heel can create the lowest smash factor and the shortest tee shots.  This is due also to the launch angle & spin rates created in this section of the clubhead.  If your current contact occurs low on the face, you stand to gain the most!

.To improve your smash factor, pick up a can of Dr. Scholls Odor-X in the foot aisle of your local pharmacy… I know, it sounds like a stinky idea!  Spray this on your clubface to leave the white dust that will give you clear impact marks.  Then use the eraser from a pencil to clean up a vertical and horizontal axis on the club face and practice making impact in each quadrant.  
You will gain far more by practicing random area contact than you will ever gain by trying to hit the sweetspot!