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Lv 7
? asked in SportsGolf · 1 decade ago

What can I learn from this launch monitor shot?

Using a 9.5 degree stiff shaft, with 107 MPH club speed; the shot went 310 yards with 5,500 RPM backspin. Do any of these numbers look out of line to you?

Update:

300-320 is my norm, albeit with a 9-degree driver

I'm thinking I really should have used my driver for more real-life results, but it was 5 minutes til closing so I just grabbed the club in the monitor room..... The backspin RPM number was the one I was interested in. Thanks for everyone's input.

3 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    In Jeff Sheets' book "The Perfect Fit", there's a chart that shows the averages of every swing speed from 50mph to 120mph, in 5mph increments. This is based off of "tens of thousands of drives collected on launch monitors using golfers of all abilities" (p. 107).

    Obviously, 107mph is in between 105 and 110, so I'm going to show you both...

    105mph: average total distance-266.7y; Ave. Distance of 10 best shots (AD10B)- 295.3y; Launch Angle of 10 Best- 16*; Spin Rate of 10 Best- 2362rpm; Longest Drive for each SS (LDSS)- 303.5y

    110mph: ATD- 277.9y; AD10BS- 305.6y; LA10B - 15.2*; SR10B- 2505rpm; LDSS-320.5y

    As always, individual results will vary, and this is just Sheets/Golfsmith's collected data. Also, there's a difference between accelerating into impact and decelerating into impact; if two people had 100mph swing speed and one accelerates into impact (good) and the other decelerates into impact (not good), their results will be significantly different.

    Based on the obvious, the RPM number is alarmingly off. As others said, the ball would just fall out of the sky... Was there a "boost" feature? Some monitors/simulators use a boost feature to make people think they're hitting it farther, to increase the chance of a sale. That may be the cause of the crazy BS number. It's either that, or the LM needs reflective tape/black Sharpie marking on the club and ball to give truly accurate answers (the LM used on "The Golf Fix" is one such monitor). Very strange, though...

  • JD
    Lv 5
    1 decade ago

    The numbers look out of line. There is a measure called "Smash Factor" which basically equates ball speed with clubhead speed. A smash factor of 1.5 is considered perfect. With 107mph swing and perfect contact (1.5 smash factor) you should have ball speed of 160.5 mph.

    There are a few ways to estimate distance based on ball speed, and the RPM is a factor, but realisticaly you would expect a 107mph swing to generate a driving distance of 260-285, maxed out 100%. 310 is really off the charts.

    Second, 5,500 RPM is insanely high at that ball speed; the shot would balloon straight up and lose distance, not go longer than expected.

  • mbl
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    310 yards with only 107 mph sounds way off.

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