Launch Angle

[SRT4SS]

I was at Golftown today looking for a driver to increase my launch angle and made a unexpected discovery. I started with a FT-9 with prolaunch red stiff shaft and 11° of loft and had a LA of 9-10° so I upped the loft to a 13.5° G10 with TFC regular shaft and had the same 9-10° of launch, finally I tried a G10 7.5° driver with a prolaunch red x-stiff shaft and to my surprise I had the same 9-10° launch angle. My swing speed was around 105mph. Can someone please explain how this is possible?

Thanks Scott

[jvincent]

If you were using the simulators then don't trust any of the measurements they give you. They are not accurate at all.

[SRT4SS]

If you were using the simulators then don't trust any of the measurements they give you. They are not accurate at all.

Even the newer ones that show you club path, backspin and launch angle?

[Goshawk]

Your best bet is to get onto a launch monitor, not a simulator. Launch monitors (Vector, Trackman, etc.) will give you an accurate reading of launch angle, ball speed, spin, etc. because it's taken from the spot where the ball is struck, not passing through a set of "sensors" between you and the screen.

[downhillslider]

Your best bet is to get onto a launch monitor, not a simulator. Launch monitors (Vector, Trackman, etc.) will give you an accurate reading of launch angle, ball speed, spin, etc. because it's taken from the spot where the ball is struck, not passing through a set of "sensors" between you and the screen.

All very good points from Goshawk here. There are a few others to consider also.

The fact that you are hitting these shots in a non golfing environment will affect the way your are swinging the club.

You don't know what the exact loft of the club is your are hitting.

Where you make contact on the face will have an affect also.

You need to establish what your angle of attack is at impact.

The ball you use will affect launch angle and spin rate, although spin rate alone is a minor contributor to lanch angle and total ditance.

The lenght and total weight of the club also plays a significant role.

Your swingspeed reading is only a small piece of information needed when performing a proper fitting.

Most of all, when all the required numbers are gathered from the launch monitor, the person interpreting them has to know what to do with them in terms of applying the readings because these #'s are nothing but #'s unless a full proper fitting is performed.

Basically, all you ended up doing at GT was hit balls into a simulator that spits out #'s for the average shmuk who truly beleives he just got custom fitted for a highly marketed, over priced piece of golf equipment.

[Goshawk]

Slider, you are so right. What really bothers me is that quite a few (not all) of the sales people who use simulators have really no training in actual "fitting" when someone comes in to try out a club.
I look at simulators as giant video games because they can be "setup" for a lot of different end-result values. The sales person can set the "boost" on a lot of them to show more yardage than the buyer is ever going to get when they hit a ball outdoors. I went into one recently to try the Burner driver and was getting 290 yard carries with a swing speed of 110mph. NOT! I haven't hit a ball past 260 since I had back surgery!
Simulators can be fun, but they are "simulators".

[Chieflongtee]

When going to Gt sims can you hit a ball out of bounds?

[Goshawk]

Only if you aim for the corner!

They don't pick up slices very well. I've tried hitting fades and draws and the "ball" barely moved. I've also had the occasion where I've really tagged one right on the screws and had it disappear to the right.