Ideal metrics for distance

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By Don O

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  1. Don O

    Don O
    Madison, WI

    Until I can get to my local premier fitter and coach (50 miles away), I'm wondering if anyone can suggest what they would consider an ideal launch/height for distance. There have been some that have checked their Trackman tables to answer here. The local driving range uses "Top Tracer" so I'm missing spin rates. Ball speed - 126 mph, launch 16-18 degrees max height 97-100 feet, 36-42 degree descent (naturally using battered range balls), and a 200 yard carry.. I'm curious as my drives seem to go much higher than the others on the range. Not that they have been fit for maximum benefit but I'm curious if I'm maxing my drive for my ball speed. These are strikes above the center but well below the crown. The TS2 is set to 13 degrees so I can both dial that back and how much I set up to hit up on the ball. With only snowblowing for the next 3 months, I'm just using the range for practice and will be waiting to late January to set up times to work with my coach for next season. In the meantime, just curious.

  2. Dan Ruder

    Dan Ruder
    Augusta Georgia

    Military
    Don, ... noticed that no one has replied yet so I'll take the leap. I tinkered with a similar problem and had some assistance with making corrections (using a launch monitor). Would love to read later what your fitter does to help you out. My guess is that a 36-42 degree descent is probably on the steep side -- maybe causing extra backspin on the ball (less carry if ball speed is a constant). A strike point on the lower part of the face (hitting up) is better for me than a strike point on the top part (if I didn't hit center) - helps me to reduce the ballooning and better roll-out.

    I swing a 9 degree driver head but my launch angle was reading 13.5 -- adding on average 4.5 degrees of dynamic loft even though my strike point was mostly around the center of the face. In reality my shots never really rolled out as far as the launch monitor generously estimated. But I was always told to add 1 - 2 degrees of dynamic loft to whatever the number on the driver was. After making some corrections, good numbers for me with same 9 degree driver head: launch angle 10.5 - 10.8 degrees; descent angle averages 36; avg ball height peaks 87-101 ft, carry averages 253 with typical ball speed around 146 mph. Most drives roll out to 265-270. ... can whip the club at 150+ mph but I hate hitting into someone else's fairway. =)
  3. Don O

    Don O
    Madison, WI

    Thanks. The descent angles and ball height are very similar (end of comparative results). My fitter uses a Trackman indoors so I'll need to schedule an hour to determine dynamic launch, launch angle, and see if the height and descent are optimal for my slower speed. And see if which Pro-V or AVX work best with my swing. Even the heated ranges lose value now that wind and below freezing temps are here for the winter.

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