Optimal Driver Numbers on TrackMan
May 30th, 2012 | 
Author: 
The TrackMan Screen
With so many questions after my two most recent posts I thought it would be enlightening to show you what we see when using TrackMan. This particular driver was hit by Rick Hartmann – my boss and the Head Professional at Atlantic Golf Club. Rick played on the European Tour for ten years and is a fantastic driver of the ball. This is a good drive, but not anything unusual for Rick (it was into a very slight headwind). These particular numbers are very close to optimal and should be something we should all be working towards regardless of what our club speed might be. Of course that is if you happen to like high, long draws…
If you want to be efficient with your driver here is an explanation of what I look for:
- The Attack Angle (0.9 degrees up) is positive – a good sign for maximum efficiency as an upward hit is better than a downward hit (if you want to hit it as far as possible).
- Notice how (because the Swing Plane is very close to 45 degrees) that the Attack Angle + Club Path = Swing Direction. Not unusual really, this is a helpful indicator in understanding what factors effect the club path.
- The Spin Loft is close to 11 degrees – a solid number that seems to work for most golfers. Spin Loft = Dynamic Loft - Attack Angle. Think of spin loft as a measure of ‘ball compression‘.
- In order to hit good draws the face must be open relative to the target at impact and here you see how the Face Angle is open (2.7 degrees) with the Club Path being further to the right (3.5 degrees). Couple that with a centered hit and you’ve got lovely push draws.
- A centered hit is vital and that’s why I like to keep Face to Path alongside Spin Axis. If the hit is in the heel the face angle would be closed ( a negative number) and the spin axis would be tilted to the right (positive) and vice versa for a toe hit. Here you see how with the face slightly closed to the path, you should get a baby draw, and that’s exactly what we got – all from a centered hit.
- Club Speed and Ball Speed are fairly self explanatory, but if you divide the club speed into the ball speed you will get 1.48 which equals the Smash Factor. Smash factor is merely a measure of how efficiently you translated club speed into ball speed and is not purely a measure of how well you struck the ball. The maximum smash factor for a driver 1.53. (I have seen 1.54 twice!)
- The Height of the shot, which is measured from flat and not necessarily the ground, is right where I’d like to see it for this particular club speed. PGATour average swing speed is 112mph and they hit all their clubs 90 feet in the air. At around 108mph I think 88 feet high works very nicely.
- Launch Angle and Launch Direction are largely influenced by the club face and I like both here. I look for draws to launch to the right of the target (positive) and the launch angle to be somewhere between 10 and 16 degrees depending on the players club speed.
- The Spin Rate for this shot is a touch high, but I would attribute that to a shaft that is softer than what the golfer should be using. I’d like to see the spin rate at this club speed be somewhere between 2000 and 2200.
- Side Total indicates that this ball is straight down the center and finished less than 4 feet right of the intended target line – just another ho-hum 280 yard drive down the pipe.
Somewhat advanced I know, but after the response to my last few posts I know there are thousands of golfers out there who are looking for a better understanding of what really happens at impact and what they should be working towards for maximum efficiency. If you can duplicate these numbers you won’t need me for much…at least not for the driver.
Posted in Long Game, Swing Philosophy | 
Tags: 280 yard drive, atlantic golf club, attack angle, ball compression, ball speed, centered hit, club path, club speed, face angle, face to path, good draws, height, high draws, launch angle, launch direction, long draws, push draws, rick hartmann, smash factor, spin axis, upward hit, what height
Andrew, a quick story about Rick Hartmann. When I was in college (15 years ago) I fore-caddied for Rick and two other very good players at Galloway National Golf Club. All I did that day was sprint down the middle of the fairway and the then run to the green and watch beautiful shot after beautiful shot. A 3 hour loop and some great golf. He was one of the best players I’ve ever seen up close.
Anyhow- do you find it common to see top players like Rick +3 with their path on Trackman? My uneducated thought would’ve been that most of them are closer to zero on their path.
Hi Jeff – thanks for the story. If you like to hit baby draws then +3 is pretty sporty! Zero would be good for straight.
Andrew,
Enjoyed it. Keep up the great work.
JG
Andrew,
Question about AoA, Club Path and Swing Direction. The AoA is .9 which indicates it’s slightly on the upswing. If the ball is hit on the upswing, it’s then starting to travel back to the inside, correct? So then, why do we get a swing direction 4.4 instead of 2.6 (-.9 + 3.5)? The path is to the right, but he’s hitting up on the ball thus the club starting to travel back to the left. I’m obviously incorrect here, I just don’t know why I’m incorrect.
Also, quick question along this same topic: We know it’s optimal to hit up on the driver. Stats seem to indicate that optimal is around +5 degrees. So then, if we’re hitting up +5°, would we then need to change our body alignments to aim to the right of our target so the path is more right? Or else if we aim squarely at our target and nothing funny happening in the swing to compensate, hitting that far up we will have no choice but to hit fades? I guess I’ve never truly understood how we can swing to the right AND hit up on the ball since the swing is on an arc, so I only can assume we need to change our base alignments more right. Same with an iron, how we can hit down yet swing to the left to zero out the path? If we’re hitting down, we’re swinging out, so I assume that means a simple adjustment of our alignments to the left?
Thanks
The swing direction is the baseline where the swing is being directed. The path is ‘less to the right’ than the SD because the ball was hit 0.9 on the up, thus 3.5. With a swing plane of around 45 degrees the AoA + CP = SD.
If you hit 5 up and want straight shots (a zero path) you’d need to have a SD that is 5 degrees to the right – correct! Straight aim and 5 up would result in a -5 CP which would fade the ball – correct! Your thoughts on the alignment are spot on.
Thanks John!
Thanks, Andrew.
I think I need to ponder this some more before I understand it. I’m sure I’m over-thinking this. It makes perfect sense that the club path is less than the swing direction because the AoA is up (and thus to the left). Thanks for clearing that up.
What I can’t seem to grasp is why you add the AoA and Club Path together to get the Swing Direction. It seems that it makes it appear that the swing direction was further right than it really was with the club traveling up and in at impact. (at least in my mind it does…)
Thanks again.
Looks like we going to have to get a college degree to understand all this stuff.
ANOTHER great post Andrew.
Not having Trackman (or a job for after Pebble!) it is great to see all of these numbers and link it with my knowledge of ball flight. Seeing it all there, it was good fun to try and work out all the numbers for myself and make sure my thinking was right and then with your commentary and the comments also there for clarification.
Please could you send me a few of these screenshots for a few different ball flights to look over if you have them? Thanks.
Will do Andy! I will find a really great shot with an iron and post it in a few days….
Graham – if I can get this you can too mate! Just stick with me and keep an open and attentive mind…..
Hope SA and your Mum were good?
Andrew,
How would these numbers change if the AoA was say -4 instead of .9. Would the club path then have to change as a result or could it still be 3.5 to the right? Reason I ask is I’m still trying to wrap my head around why you add the AoA and Path together to get Direction. Assuming it was a -4 AoA and a 3.5 path (if that’s even possible?) then the swing direction would be -0.5 which would indicate a slight outside-in swing direction, correct? That can’t be right as we know the player was hitting down and the path was to the right. What am I missing here?
Assuming it was a -4 AoA and a 3.5 path (if that’s even possible?) then the swing direction would be -0.5 which would indicate a slight outside-in swing direction, correct? That can’t be right as we know the player was hitting down and the path was to the right. What am I missing here? The swing direction would be -0.5 and the path would be +3.5 – that is entirely correct.
The SD is the ‘overall’ swing plane and the AoA and CP are the ‘portions’ of the SD that you are using to hit the ball with. For example if you were to change AoA to -4 and keep the SD as original, then the path would +8.4….
We getting there yet?
Thanks, Andrew. I believe I understand it now (made that more difficult than it needed to be). I had to grab a hula-hoop to visual see it before the light-bulb when off in my mind. In the example above, the swing direction is 4.4 to the right because the player was aligned right of the intended target. He was hitting up on the ball .9 (so slightly up and to the left) which then means the club path will be left of the Swing Direction, thus 3.5 to the right of the intended target? Correct?
I wasn’t making the connection that the player was aligned right of the target. All my mind kept thinking was “up equals in” so if it was .9 up, then how could it still be to the right? Paralysis by analysis I guess…
Now you’ve really got it!
Good morning Andrew. My Clubhead speed on my driver was recently clocked indoors at around 100 mph. My handicap is currently 4, have been lower and want to get it back down. I was fitted last year by Titleist with a 72 Gram Diamana shaft for the driver and a 10.5 degree D2 Driver. also S400 irons. I know it is hard to make a recommendation without seeing my swing but does this fitting seem correct to you? I am having trouble hitting my long irons, more than likely a swing issue than a fitting issue? Can you help?