John Graham Golf» Trackman

Trackman vs Flightscope 2

John Graham — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 03:11:15 +0000

Trackman Launch Moniter

Almost exactly a year ago, I did a blog post called Trackman vs. Flightscope where I talked about my experience with testing the two machines. You can follow the previous link the read my initial review. Basically, it states the Trackman is just more accurate. This is especially true when it comes to the angle of attack.

I’d heard that Flightscope had come out with some new software and wanted to see how the two compared again. One of my twitter followers sent me some results from a side by side comparison of the new Flightscope Prime with the new software and Trackman.

I am in the process of loading the data onto my server and will post it here when complete. Data is located at the end of the post.

Until then, I will tell you what it shows. For the most part, the two machines tracked the flight and launch of the ball almost exactly.

Flightscope Prime

Some shots had variables in spin but not enough for me to say that one is worse than the other. This test composed of a sand wedge, 6 iron and a driver. Once again, the issue with Flightscope was the angle of attack. Driver comparisons were pretty close but when it came to the 6 iron and sandwedge, the Flightscope was way off. In 8 of 10 shots, Flightscope returned a positive angle of attack for a club professional. This is just way off.

We all know that we are supposed to take a divot after the ball with an iron shot. The only way to accomplish this is with a downward angle of attack. Not only is the angle of attack incorrect but because it is incorrect, the club path numbers are inaccurate. The angle of attack has a direct impact on the 3d club path. Downward angles of attack create a more rightward path relative to the swing and upward angles of attack create a more leftward path relative to the swing. So when Trackman says 2 degrees down and Flightscope says 2 degrees up, we have a major difference in club path.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. Flightscope would work very well as a fitting tool but if you want a fitting tool and a teaching tool you need a Trackman. Just remember Flightscope is about $8000 and Trackman Pro is about $28000. Accuracy is what you get for that extra $20000.

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Update: I had some questions regarding the set up of the test so here’s a picture of the set up:

Trackman vs Flightscope Set Up

Here is the Data and screen shots from the 6irons in question:

Trackman Screen Shot for 6 Iron Data

Flightscope Screen Shot for 6 Iron Data

Here are the screen shots to show that this data is from the newest version of software and firmware that Flightscope offers:

Flightscope Firmware Version

Flightscope Software

Golf Lesson – Trackman Confirms

John Graham — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 06:31:21 +0000

This Golf Lesson post is going to discuss a topic I feel hurts more golfers than any swing technique I can think of. The funny thing is it usually doesn’t start showing symptoms until the golfer has reached a high level of skill. The your swing looks weird so let’s make it look better disease. This is where Trackman can level the playing field. I tend to not get caught up in a lot of swing techniques with my students. I wonder if that makes me look like I don’t know what’s right or wrong. Or maybe it makes me look like I just don’t care.

To me, impact and ball flight are what I work mostly with. I look at the whole swing as series of events that lead to a collision with the ball and how they interact with each other gives me clues as to what ball flight will happen when they’re off. I have one student currently playing on the Gateway Tour that has an incredibly strong grip that he off sets with a ton of lag. Every time I see him, he comments on his grip or tells me stories of other pros commenting on his grip. I continually have to reinforce him that his grip works for him.

A few months ago, he went and hit on a trackman and gave me his data sheets. This data was the most powerful piece of confirmation I could give him. Here’s a piece of technology telling us both that his grip produced a clubface angle that was repetitive and useable. This is where trackman pays huge dividends for the unorthodox swinger. It compares impact and ballflight to impact and ballflight. it doesn’t care what your swing look likes and neither should you.

Here’s a look at his swing:

Here’s a look at his numbers with 6 iron:

Trackman Club Data

2009 PGA/LPGA Tour Trackman Data

John Graham — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:14:14 +0000

Here’s some information that was provided in the January 2010 Trackman Newsletter. I thought some of you would be interested in this info.

2009 Tour Averages

Things to take notice of include carry distances and Max Height. A properly fit set of clubs should roughly max out at same height. When it reaches that height and the angle of descent will vary but as you can see, it is within a few yards of each other. Angle of Attack is another key variable to look at. Most fittings will recommend an upward Angle of Attack for driver. Remember that a positive AoA is designed only for distance. There is some that believe that an upward AoA can be harder to control or that swinging more right to make an upward AoA work is just too hard to repeat. This is because they have a negative AoA with all the other clubs.

It’s possible that they just haven’t been doing it (swinging up) long enough to be comfortable. It’s really hard to say either way but you can see that LPGA pros are hitting up because they want the distance benefit. Follow me on twitter @johngrahamgolf and give me your opinion.

Trackman-For Serious Teachers

John Graham — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:26:05 +0000

Trackman

What does Trackman have that other ball flight monitors don’t? First, they have accuracy. Second, they have tour presence. Third, they have the most measured club delivery parameters.

It is also a fantastic piece of equipment for fitting and gapping. It’s real time flight and spin data allow experienced club fitters to tweak your club choice to find the best piece of equipment for your swing. The gapping feature is critical for checking if your clubs have appropriate spacing in the distance they fly and it can help explain when it is time for a hybrid or fairway wood.

This machine has confirmed the d plane formulas presented by Theo Jorgenson in his book the Physics of Golf. It states how he ball will start it’s flight as well as some other items. It has helped teachers understand how off center hits effect ball flight on drivers and irons.

Trackman allows the tacher to remove guesswork and be able to answer the question, “What happened there?” At real speed, it is very difficult for a teacher to know what is occuring at the ball with respect to the club’s path and it’s face angle. It also shows the teacher how changes are effecting the players path and face. This gives the teacher and the player a greater understanding of how things work instead of relying on how they look.

For me, trackman is just too powerful to ignore. It will teach the teacher and help the teacher help the player. It is for serious teachers.

Gear Effect with Irons

John Graham — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:46:42 +0000

Let’s start with a chart from trackman. Basically, what this chart shows is how off center hits effect the flight of the ball. Trackman determines a theoretical ball flight based on the d plane and it’s impact conditions it measures. Based on the actual flight of the ball, trackman computes where the ball must have hit the face to create the actual ball flight relative to the theoretical flight that should have occured.

This chart from trackman has encouraged me to ask some serious questions about it’s validity and accuracy. Depending on the iron head, the location of the cog and a few other factors the amount of gear effect should change.

To simplify into a one size fits all system seems below trackman, so I’m going to dig for answers.

I’ve started an extensive research project with some of the best in the world. A club fitter from the UK, an engineer, a trackman employee/teacher from the UK and myself. I’ll keep you posted on what turns up.

I’ll keep you posted.

Trackman Chart with Gear Effect on Irons