A good drive will come off the driver with a low amount. David toms was the most efficient driver on the pgatour in 2012 and at 100 mph he would have averaged 278 yards per drive very good for an average. I always get emails asking me for the lowest spinning driver heads and the wedges with most spin but nobody has ever asked me about spin when it comes to fairway woods. They use a driver which has insufficient loft for their club head speed. Its a frequently asked question and one that will vary from person to person and depend on a number of factors that could get very technical and indepth. The idea launch angle and spin rate numbers are crucial to achieving the optimal. Ok the one number that really stood out to me was the smash factor. Sure there are ideal launch conditions for that, but why would you want to. In golf, the launch angle is the initial trajectory of the ball relative to the ground, according to pga pro mark blakemore. You need to find the best compromise between raw distance, accuracy, and enough spin to. With the increased awareness in golf periodicals and television coverage, plus the recent advent and access to affordable, portable launch monitors, launch angle is getting much.
What that means for you is, while you may have an ideal backspin number proposed for you, if youre making squared, centered contact on the ball, managing your misses, and shooting lower scores, who cares if the backspin numbers with your driver arent what some consider to be ideal. For every velocity there is a optimum launch angle and spin rate. Take the spin rate, ball speed and launch angle and thats it. Typically, ideal is the number on the bottom of the iron. If you know your club speed, you can determine what loft driver optimizes distance for your. Hitting a driver with too much backspin will cause the ball to balloon up in the air and land. If youre wondering where to strike the ball on the face the above photo is just about perfect a touch above center for higher launch and less spin.
Aug 21, 2019 ideal launch angle backspin driver download subscribe and get the latest insights. My experience has shown that golfers tend to be fairly consistent when it comes to club speed and this illustration shows us just that there was a change of less than 1 mph between the. If you launch lower than the 14 then the back spin rate needs to. Values for driver swings tend to be somewhat flatter than the static lie angle of the club.
Its the only club in the bag without a distance or a speed limit on it. Desirable spin rates for irons clubs, grips, shafts. If youve never heard that before, it is the backspin rotation of the ball moving against the wind helping it get in the air. I got on the launch monitor at a local shop to figure out my baseline numbers with my current clubs and it seems like im launching low, spinning high, and my landing angle is. Everyone who plays golf knows that the driver hits the ball the farthest of any club.
If you went out and bought a new driver, with that fancy lowspin shaft, did you bother to check the roll. Apr 29, 20 everyone who plays golf knows that the driver hits the ball the farthest of any club. According to the pga, the average male golfers swing speed is about 85 mph. The big difference when it comes to hitting a golf ball is spin.
Of course a driver fitted for you can help with impact. Optimize your launch angle by getting tested on a launch monitor golf swing speed distance calculator. However, before you get wedded to a certain ideal backspin. Optimize your launch angle by getting tested on a launch monitor.
Less than 300rpms at any aoa between a 75mph swinger and a 120mph swinger. However, this is usually the launch angle of a pitching wedge, which certainly doesnt carry the ball as far as a driver. Start the downswing by turning your hips toward the target. The keys to maximizing driver distance are high launch and low spin, and now you have a more indepth picture of how this is achieved. This angle of attack, this club head speed and this ball speed dont create enough spin to keep the ball in the air long enough to go anywhere. Then to optimize their distance acquiring the ideal launch angle will be the icing on the cake in terms of achieving their optimum distance. Compared to his peers, zach johnson does not swing his driver exceptionally fast. This calculator has been updated to include carry distances and total distances for drivers of different lofts and different club speeds. When it comes to the ideal launch angles and spin rates on irons, as a fitter, i always liked to show an individual what we consider to be ideal, but pair that with the flight a player likes to see. Hey all, long time, no post i just went through an iron fitting a few weeks ago, and was curious about ideal spin rates and launch numbers. Optimal spin rate and launch angles for ap2s golf tips.
The average golfers problem is not so much a lack of ability as it is a lack of reliable feedback and then knowing what should be done. It is amazing to me how many golfers that tell me they have had their clubs custom fit to them, but were really fit the oldfashioned way. For instance, if you hit the ball extremely low on the face the vertical gear effect creates more backspin and a much lower launch angle than if you hit it higher on the face. How to determine which loft you should get on your driver. So you max out your distance by minimizing spin and proceed to not be able to hold any greens because the ball just rolls off the back.
Zander says the average players launch angle off the tee is about 9 degrees and he hits the ball with at least 3,700 rpm of backspin. We have placed this at the top of our list because backspin is one of the most important numbers in modernday club fitting. The loft on your driver is a key factor that helps determine the success of your tee shots on longer holes. They go to a location that has a bag of demo clubs, hit a few on the driving range while the club fitter watches their ball flight, and then make a selection based solely on length of the club, lie angle, shaft type, and grip size. The ideal place to contact the ball is on the upper half of the face, in the center, so that if the ball were to leave an imprint, youd see the. Ideal launch angle backspin driver download subscribe and get the latest insights. As a basic rule, all golfers should get properly fitted for their driver, and a launch monitor is the only way to do this correctly. Oct 17, 2019 ideal launch angle backspin driver sportsrec is the 1 source for all things sports. The purpose of this article is to get you to start believing it. Many golfers fail to get maximum distance with their drivers. The ideal launch angle for you is going to depend on a number of variables. At the same time, balls dont tend to roll as far when theyre hit with a high trajectory. Jun 09, 2016 rickie fowlers spin loft numbers are a big part of his ball striking prowess.
This is due to the drivers longer shaft and the more sweeping swing motion associated with the driver swing. Regardless of what our swing speed is we are all capable of this highly. With the driver in hand, fitters are often wanting to get players to produce high. I went on a launch monitor the other day with my titleist driver, and had numbers like 104 club speed, 150mph ball speed 1415 launch angle and 4000 spin. Increased launch angle also means youll get more carry on your drives for more distance. Generally speaking, too much backspin causes the ball to balloon up and lose distance, too little backspin limits carry distance and spin, and sidespin the ball spinning on a tilted axis in relation to the horizon creates a slicing. Desired launch angle, spin rates change based on driver speed. Macdonald and hanzely7 used the bearman and harvey coef. Jan 23, 2020 ideal launch angle backspin driver download this is the shaft i currently use in my driver, and i have several of my students who have switched to it with great success. Other launch characteristics include the balls initial velocity on impact and the amount of backspin it possesses. Aside from being one of the most popular players in golf, rickie fowlers recently revamped golf swing has also turned him into one of the games strongest players from tee to green. Of course, golf is anything but simple, and there is no one answer to this question.
Female players, on average, swing the club at 65 mph. Ideal launch angle backspin driver khayyam drivers. You can use clubhubs angle of attack parameter to achieve your optimum launch angle and greatest distance. Amateur golfers commonly hit down with their drivers, like an iron shot. Amount of ball spin right after impact this measurement influences curvature and distance. If you got a driver with a high roll number compared to your old golf driver, youll still risk more backspin, because there isnt as much vertical gear effect. Optimal driver numbers august 24, 2015 andrew rice. Ive just recently switched from the titleist 915 d2 to the 917 d2. Ideal launch angle backspin driver download while slower swinging golfers need the spin to keep the ball in the air longer, the faster swingers out there would lose a ton of distance simply be using. Fairway woods launch and spin tourspecgolf golf blog. Golf writer steve newell quantifies the launch angle as the balls trajectory over its first 20 yards. Other launch characteristics include the balls initial velocity on impact and the amount. Iron launch angles and max height apex brian manzella golf. Hitting a driver with too much backspin will cause the ball to balloon up in the air and land with no.
Apr 16, 2014 gain 40 yards with the correct spin loft. Club speed ball speed launch angle carry yds total yds 65 mph 96 mph 16. The 917 d2 seems to launch the ball a bit lower than the 915 d2. Spin rate and the driver october 16, 2014 andrew rice. Buying a driver with launch monitor feedback and clubfitter input takes a lot of guesswork out of the process and offers a clearer path to a more enjoyable golf game. Consequently, the average male player typically sees a ball speed of 120 to 4 mph, a spin rate of 2,800 to 3,500 rpm and a launch angle of 12 to 16 degrees, according to shengolf. Jul 16, 2019 the keys to maximizing driver distance are high launch and low spin, and now you have a more indepth picture of how this is achieved. We want low spin with the driver off the tee and as much spin as we can get around the greens with our wedges.
By contrast, the typical pga tour players tee shot features a launch angle of 11 degrees, with 2,200 rpm of backspin. Because a driver is a lowlofted club, lie angle does not have a significant effect on starting direction. Keep in mind that the above numbers are achievable, but only in a best shot type scenario. Ideal launch angle backspin driver sportsrec is the 1 source for all things sports. This video looks at whether different driver lofts actually make a difference to performance. Searched the forum, and couldnt find much on iron launch angles and max height.
From a physics perspective, any players ideal driver spin rate is determined largely by launch angle and clubhead speed. Learn why, and what you should do about it, at the source for golf green lantern golf. Until you get to the 110 mph and above range, you need to focus on launching the ball as high as possible with the optimum spin rate. Best driver for 90 mph swing speed in 2020 golf sidekick. We know that youre getting too much backspin on some. They use a driver which is too long for them to consistently make contact with the sweet spot of the club.
However, this assumes ideal launch angles and certain ball speeds. Can someone please tell me if there is an ideal backspin rate for a driver at a 14 degree launch angle with a 105 to 110 mph swing speed. Ideal launch angle backspin driver download this is the shaft i currently use in my driver, and i have several of my students who have switched to it. Hitting a driver with too much backspin will cause the ball to balloon up in the air and land with no roll, resulting in lost distance.
Understanding your launch angle basics for longer drives. As you have likely seen in some of my recent posts in the forum on driver fitting, with 105 mph of clubhead speed, you are looking for about 14. This is how far pga and lpga tour players hit it with. Maximizing driver distance using a trackman or flightscope. Most fitting and launch monitor locations have a reference table of optimal launch conditions for a given ball speed posted somewhere. Thats going to give you the best combination of launch high, spin low, and ball speed. For a driver, a club speed of 94 mph, attack angle of 0 degrees, and. My preferred order is sweet spot launch angle club head speed. For instance, if you hit the ball extremely low on the face the vertical gear effect creates more backspin and a much lower launch angle than if you hit it higher on.
A low spin loft value will help you minimize back spin and aiming the spin loft up in the air will create a high launch. When you think of all the time spent obsessing over spinkilling shafts and driver heads on internet golf forums. To maximize how far his tee shots fly, he needs to send the ball high into the air. The total distance of flight produced by initial launch condition. With both set to 12 degree loft and around 95 mph swing speed, i launch the ball at 18 degrees using the 915 d2 and the 917 d2 at 16 degrees. One was the relatively small variation in optimal backspin for widely different swing speeds. So lets make up some numbers, lets say 140mph, 14 launch angle, 3000rpm is optimal. If golf were a simple game, we would be able to provide you with the ideal launch angle for your driver and you could head off to the range to work on finding it. I always get emails asking me for the lowest spinning driver heads and the wedges with most spin but nobody has ever asked me about spin when it. Drivers made for pros are finely tuned to produce the ideal launch angle and spin rate based on how fast that particular player swings. Finding the optimal trajectory for your driver one of the more discussed topics involving clubfitting is about what launch angle is best for any given golfer.
Sep, 2016 from a physics perspective, any players ideal driver spin rate is determined largely by launch angle and clubhead speed. Launch angle deg carry yards club speed mph 75 80 85 90 95 166 178 187 176 187 197 199 211 223 215 228 239 243 244 256 total yards driver fitting chart. Go ahead, admire the distance that dustin johnson, justin thomas and bubba watson generate, knowing that the drivers they are using probably would not work nearly as well for you. Jul 26, 2017 if golf were a simple game, we would be able to provide you with the ideal launch angle for your driver and you could head off to the range to work on finding it. If you know your club speed, you can determine what loft driver optimizes distance for your swing. Use your driver club head speed to find your optimal launch angle from this chart. You may have heard that with a driver you want to launch the ball high and spin it low.
1398 705 1359 946 483 189 639 1623 1074 1146 1367 1037 629 962 1597 1285 593 1322 361 376 769 909 1211 1433 966 372 1312 1415 4 536 430 682