Importance of club data

[kwantfm]

Hi,

I'm wondering what everyone here thinks about the importance of club data for working on your swing with a launch monitor/simulator? Assuming you have own a monitor with good accuracy for ball data (either a good doppler system or a good camera-based one) then how much marginal benefit do you think you get from club data?

Thanks,
T

[bubba22]

Depends on your desires. I personally like the club data. I like knowing what my club face is doing at impact and what my path is doing. You can debate till the cows come home what is more important club data or ball data.

[Stonebattle]

For swing improvements, I like club data. To me, it provides an easier path to improvement. Trying to figure out what the club is doing with only ball info is sometimes/often a struggle for me.

Having said that, having ball information is no question better for simulations.

I've taken my P3pro to my course's driving range several times now and it's very interesting to see the actual ball flight and what the P3pro reports for swing path, face angle, heel/toe heights, angle of attack and ball impact position on the face. I've gotten more than few surprises and I don't think I personally would have or could have worked out the swing parameters based on ball flight alone.

[bubba22]

So was the ball flight accurate Stonebattle?

[mjbcfc]

With a handicap in the low/mid 20's (and a slicey swing) club data is very important for me to help improve my game, however I must admit the main reason why I just recently purchased a sim was for the enjoyment factor of playing a virtual round of golf so ball data is also important therefore weighing up between club data and ball data was difficult so I've gone for the GSA Ccam (for club data) with a potential future purchase of either the LX (if/when produced) or Hcam/Vcam for the added accuracy of ball data.

As Bubba said though this could likely be debated indefinately so it really boils down to your preferences and what you're looking for in a golf sim.

[northgolf]

My preference is for ball data.

[Stonebattle]

Bubba22
I've been taking some lessons and have changed my grip, stance, swing path and it seems like every other thing in my swing to make it look more like the pros. I'm beginning the think I should have just worked on my putting.

In any case, I have not recently been comparing the ball flight shown by the P3pro to actual of late. What I have been doing is looking at swing path, face angle, heel/toe heights, angle of attack and ball impact position on the face and see what the ball is actually doing. Impact tape is good, but does not show all the other info the P3pro does.

By the way, impact tape and the P3pro show similar ball impact results if the clubs are taped accurately. As you know, P3pros translation from the above data to ball path is less than optimum. For example. thin shots, or punch shots often show a nice high trajectory when the actual ball flies low.

Of late I find it very interesting the effect of heal/toe shots on trajectory and distance. I don't think I would have worked that out just from the ball flight.

[syhlif32]

According to one of Trackman's newsletters the heal/toe impact offset has more influence on ball path than previous assumed.
Do not think that any of simulator software got the math for that right/ included?
So yes I too like to see club data.
But by using impact tape you could eliminate the shots that isn't center hits in your evaluation of the ball path.
I have changed both grip, setup and swing (trying) the last 3 months but am real happy with the progress.

[Stonebattle]

syhlif32
I looked up the Trackman newsletter #8 on the importance of center contact. Good artical and very interesting.

I am not having the results you are with my swing changes. It seems everything is different. Not much, but taken together, that is grip, setup, swing path and ball position, it feels very different. The results are many off center hits for me.