TW


vol. 1, number 5

In This Issue
USGTF Training - "Trust"
What You Deserve From Launch Monitors
One More Thing!




Golf Digest image
Game Improvement Golf Newsletter

Information to improve your golf game (June 2011)

Greetings!

Keep it going, Scott!

 

A lot of you I am sure already know this, but I am a Scott Stallings true-blue supporter and watcher.  Scott, many of you know, is an Oak Ridger who is playing on the PGA tour this  year for the first time.  Lots of us here are pulling for him, and he has made terrific progress so far toward winning enough money to keep his tour card for next year.  

 

Some of you, however, may not know that he is quite a writer.  He writes a weekly (or at least most weeks...) BizNet blog on the ups and downs of being a first year PGA tour player, and this is a great read.  Rather than putting a link into this newsletter, if you are interested in reading it you can Google "Scott Stallings Blog."

 

He is playing with more and more confidence  every week - and this year, with so many first time winners.....................why not? - do it Scott!

 

USGTF Training - Building "Trust"

 

A number of my Assn. of Golf Clubfitting Professional (AGCP) friends convinced me that getting some formal training on golf swing fundamentals could help me improve the value and effectiveness of my club fittings.  So on June 11-14, I attended the Level II U.S. Golf Teaching Federation (USGTF) class held in Ft. Pierce, Florida.  Yes it was HOT in Florida!

 

The USGTF started in 1989 with 12 members, and it now  has about 25,000 members world wide.  More than 25% of USGTF members are PGA members.  Bob Wyatt taught the class.  Bob has had a 41 year career in golf, started teaching at age 20, and says that Bob Toski (as well as others) has had a major influence on his teaching philosophy.

 

Just as important as what I learned from Bob was what I learned from some of the attendees.  There were eight of us in the class, including a female 1984 Olympic Marathon hopeful, and a male player  whose lowest score was 58 (wow!).

 

In my "engineer brain" mentality, I made lots of notes during the training (um, 64 bullet points....).   But one of them particularly struck me -  "There's Nothing Like Trust."  Most of what I learned in the class revolves around that phrase and how great golf instruction and effective practice can work to build that trust.  Here are some things I learned that can hopefully be of value to you and your games.

  • Our instructor noted over and over to us that he believes that focus on the key elements of the Swing Setup - Grip, Ball Position, Alignment, and Posture -  are hugely important for a good golf swing.  He said  that Bob Toski believes that working with Tour Players  is largely "refining the fundamentals."  So - for the rest of us - this is a huge opportunity for improvement.  Be sure we focus on these fundamentals when we practice, and use training aids (like "Tour Sticks") to help with alignment.
  • Watching Chris (Mr. 58) practice was eye opening.  He is just starting to play again, after taking a few years off from competitive golf.  First, it was instructive to see how detailed and intense he was in practicing.  Most interesting to me, though was how he talked about LOVING to hit short game shots.  Knowing sometimes when he hit a pitch or putt that - right away - it was going in.  He got his love for short game shots from "playing" around greens when he was young.  So all of us with grandkids - maybe put 9 irons and wedges in their hands and play with them?
  • For me - in addition to what I learned about golf swing fundamentals - this was an opportunity to spend time improving my own sand game and chipping and pitching.  As a result of this week and focus on simple fundamentals, my trust  in these shots is 100% higher.  So - for you - why not make a commitment to -  through the right instruction and effective practice - improving that one area of your game that increases your scores the most?
  • "There's Nothing Like Trust" - what a great thought, and maybe even worthy of focusing on!

 

What You Deserve From Launch Monitors - The Basics

 

The level of technology available to help golfers identify the right golf  clubs for  them simply keeps getting better and better.  There is a range of sophistication of Launch Monitors that are being used successfully today.  Many of you have heard of  the Track Man, it is the cadillac of  launch monitors.  There are others available that can be used to perform custom club fittings - some of the better ones available include Flightscope, Vector Pro, and Vector X.

 

Many of you will either take the opportunity to have a custom fitting where a launch monitor  is used, or to participate in a Club Demo Day where a launch monitor is available.  Here are some things you should expect to see in terms of  the kinds of information that a good launch monitor can provide.

 

What do Launch Monitors Measure?  Some of the basic data that you should expect to see when you have access to a Launch Monitor include:

 

a.  Swing and ball speed,

b.  Launch angle,

c.  Ball spin

d.  Shot carry distance and total distance,

e.  Shot path (for example, straight, starts left and curves right, etc.)

 

A key piece of additional information that can be obtained from the above data is Power Transfer Ratio - PTR - which is:

 

     PTR = 100*(ball speed/swing speed)

 

PTR is a measure of how effectively your golf club and swing transfer energy from your club to the golf ball.  For example, the maximum PTR that can, in most cases, be obtained with drivers is about 150.

 

These data alone are lots of goodies!  And appropriate interpretation of this information can help you find clubs that can provide MEASURED improved performance for you.

 

What SHOULD Launch Monitor data do for YOU?  The kinds of results you should hope to see if you have a fitting based on Launch Monitor data, or if you are viewing this kind of data at a Demo Day, are these:

  • First of all, does the Launch Monitor  actually calculate your shot distances and ball flight?  If you know your typical 6 iron travels  150 yards when you hit it well, the Launch Monitor  should  show carry results of about 150 yards.   Same with shot dispersion - if you  hit left to right shots the data should show  you are hitting left to right shots.
  • Another "self calibration" that you can do relates to - again using drivers as an example - the predicted driver carry distance for your swing speed.  The maximum driver carry distance you can achieve is about 2.5 times your swing speed - so no matter what you do, if you swing at 100 mph you will carry your drives  no  more  than 250 yards.  Launch monitor data should  be consistent with this  maximum.
  • When you are sure you are getting meaningful data, then the fun can begin.  When comparing drivers for example, you can see if a combination of a driver head and shaft can lead to launch angle, ball spin, and PTR data that could  result in longer driving distance.  Similar things can be done with different combinations of  iron shafts and heads - finding combinations that produce more distance, or in some cases for example finding combinations that produce lower or higher ball flight and/or lower or higher ball spin as might be desired.

Launch monitors are great tools (in the right hands!) to truly help you find the golf clubs that can give you the best results.

 

 

One More Thing! - "Strong Hybrids"

 

There was an excellent Game Improvement suggestion in the June 3 issue of Golf Week magazine.  For some golfers, hitting a hybrid club is easier than hitting a fairway wood.  So Why Not consider putting say a 15 degree hybrid in your bag to replace your 15 degree 3 wood?

 

As always, any ideas for future newsletters always welcome!

 

The Fit Is IT!

 

Tony Wright

GAME IMPROVEMENT GOLF

Oak Ridge, TN

tony@gameimprovementgolf.com

www.gameimprovementgolf.com