What Data Can a Launch Monitor Show You?
Posted: July 10, 2022
When it comes to improving your golf game, useful data and real-time feedback are king. As Tiger Woods says, “Knowledge is so valuable in the game of golf, and my Full Swing KIT launch monitor provides me with all the data I need to keep progressing.”The Full Swing KIT Launch Monitor offers golfers the chance to incorporate a state-of-the-art training device into their practice routine (either at home or on the range) that provides a helpful collection of data they can track and apply to each swing.
Whether you’re looking to watch a high-resolution replay video of your range session or analyze the data behind how you hit each club in your bag, the Full Swing KIT Launch Monitor is here to break down each and every swing.
The Full Swing KIT Launch Monitor’s innovative radar technology captures 16 different points of data every swing. With so much data to take in, it’s important to understand what each data point means to effectively implement it into your practice (and of course, track your progress along the way).
Carry Distance
THE DISTANCE THE BALL TRAVELS THROUGH THE AIR BEFORE TOUCHING THE GROUND.
What it means: How far your ball will travel in the air, the key baseline to use and adjust on-course based on conditions, to decide on your club selection.
What it means to you: Just like Tiger Woods, this may be the most important number to dial in for your club distance consistency on course.
Total Distance
TOTAL DISTANCE THE BALL TRAVELS AFTER IT COMES TO REST (CARRY PLUS ROLL).
What it means: After your ball has landed, how far it will roll before coming to rest.
What it means to you: Depending on spin, ground conditions and other factors, you can work to optimize ball-flight based on the shot you need for the situation.
Spin Rate
THE AMOUNT OF REVOLUTIONS OF THE GOLF BALL GENERATED INSTANTLY AFTER IMPACT.
What It Means: The higher your spin rate, the more extreme the effect on the ball flight
What It Means to You: This is a significant factor in the flight, height, and rollout of your golf shot.
Spin Axis
THE ANGLE OF THE AXIS OF THE BALL ROTATING RELATIVE TO THE HORIZON.
What It Means: The amount of curve on your shot, Negative spin will curve left, positive spin will curve right
What It Means to You: If you are a right-handed player, -2 degrees is a slight draw and -6 degrees is a hook, +2 degrees is a slight fade and +6 degrees is a slice.
Face Angle
THE ANGLE YOUR CLUB FACE IS POINTED RIGHT OR LEFT OF THE TARGET LINE AT IMPACT
What It Means: This will affect where your ball flight will start directionally.
What It Means to You: Positive value means your club face is pointed right of the target line, negative value means your club face is pointed left of the target line.
FACE TO PATH
THE DIFFERENCE OF FACE ANGLE MINUS CLUB PATH
What It Means: Is your club face “open” or “closed” to your path at impact
What It Means to You: Positive value means your club face is pointed to the right of the path and negative value means your club face is pointed to the left of the path.
Attack Angle
THE AMOUNT THE CLUB PATH IS MOVING VERTICALLY UP OR DOWN TOWARDS THE BALL
What It Means: If you are “hitting up” on the ball, you will see positive attack angle. If you are “hitting down” on the ball you will see negative attack angle.
What It Means to You: More of a negative attack angle down is going to create more spin, more of a positive attack angle is going to create less spin.
Launch Angle
THE INITIAL VERTICAL ANGLE OF THE BALL AFTER IMPACT.
What It Means: Are you hitting a ground ball (too low) or a pop up (too high). This will vary by club particularly.
What It Means to You: Combined with your spin and ball speed, this will impact your ball’s carry and total distance.
Ball Speed
THE SPEED OF THE GOLF BALL IMMEDIATELY AFTER IMPACT.
What it means: A key element to your distance is determined by ball speed, that is optimized by proper impact.
What it means to you: Create the most ball speed by a combination of club speed and proper impact to have the best result.
Club Speed
THE SPEED THE CLUB HEAD IS TRAVELING JUST PRIOR TO IMPACT.
What it means: The faster your club speed, the further potential for distance.
What it means to you: Work on gaining clubhead speed while maintaining control of your clubface to maximize your best possible result.
Smash Factor
EFFICENCY RATIO CALCULATED FROM BALL SPEED DIVIDED BY CLUB HEAD SPEED.
What it means: A ratio showing how efficiently you’re transferring energy from club to ball.
What it means to you: On hitting your driver, 1.5 is a great goal.
Club Path
THE HORIZONTAL DIRECTION OF THE CLUB HEAD’S CENTER PRIOR TO IMPACT (IN-TO-OUT OR OUT-TO-IN)
What It Means: Positive Value means face is moving right of target (RH Players= In-to-Out, LH Players= Out-to-In) & Negative Value means face is moving left of target (RH Players= Out-to-In, LH Players= In-to-Out)
What It Means to You: In-to-Out is needed to hit a Draw and Out-to-In is needed to hit a Fade. The higher the number, the more extreme the shape.
Horizontal Angle
THE INITIAL DIRECTION THE BALL STARTS LEFT OR RIGHT OF THE TARGET LINE
What It Means: A negative value means you are left of target, a positive value means you are starting right of target.
What It Means to You: If you “push the ball” right or “pull the ball” left and start your ball off-target, the larger the number, the further from the target line your ball will start
Apex (height)
THE MAXIMUM HEIGHT THAT YOUR BALL REACHES DURING FLIGHT.
What it means: There are a variety of factors that lead to the maximum height your ball will reach, including ball speed, launch angle, attack angle and spin.
What it means to you: Depending on the shot shape you are trying to create, you will use this metric to help determine the optimal carrying & landing angle.
Side Carry distance
TOTAL LEFT-RIGHT HORIZONTAL DISTANCE FROM THE TARGET LINE WHEN IT TOUCHES THE GROUND
What It Means: The greater the distance, the further from your target that the ball has landed.
What It Means to You: Continue to shrink this number to have more accurate shots.
Side Total distance
TOTAL LEFT-RIGHT HORIZONTAL DISTANCE FROM THE TARGET LINE
What It Means: The greater the distance, the further from your target your ball has come to rest.
What It Means to You: Continue to shrink this number to have more accurate shots.
Each data point is helpful in its own unique way, but together, these 16 points can take your golf swing from good to great if you practice with a purpose. Follow along with our future blogs to learn how to get the most out of each of the data points that KIT can show you.