Doppler Radar session

[RASWING]

I have a few questions please help make sense of it.

How does the iron shaft help/aid in improving Launch angle on iron shots?
Softer stepped shaft deflects at the bottom base on a certain swing type? Or
does club head design help more?

How do you effect dynamic loft with optimizing driver total yardage? I
noticed it has to be lower than the carry optimized driver swing with similar launchconditions? Lower lofted driver? Or more forward shaft lean while hitting up
on the driver...?

How do you effect AoA with the Driver to be positive? More forward in the
players stance...high tee and swinging more out to right field for a right
handed golfer?

Thanks a million

Trackman / flight scope is awesome but I need to know best ways to affect the numbers to
optimizer the total yardage . I have been looking at things from
the
back end landing angles... to see waht the ball is doing ?



Very respectfully
RA

[Michael Jacobs]

I have a few questions please help make sense of it.

How does the iron shaft help/aid in improving Launch angle on iron shots?
Softer stepped shaft deflects at the bottom base on a certain swing type? Or
does club head design help more?

How do you affect dynamic loft with optimizing driver total yardage? I
noticed it has to be lower than the carry optimized driver swing with similar launch conditions? Lower lofted driver? Or more forward shaft lean while hitting up
on the driver...?

How do you affect AoA with the Driver to be positive? More forward in the
players stance...high tee and swinging more out to right field for a right
handed golfer?

Thanks a million

Trackman / flight scope is awesome but I need to know best ways to affect the numbers to
optimizer the total yardage . I have been looking at things from
the
back end landing angles... to see waht the ball is doing ?



Very respectfully
RA

Ra,

Great series of questions, ultimately most of these questions pertain to the coach/teacher's job to make adjustments to the golfer's style to improve upon their ball/club contact and optimization of the golfer's launch conditions.

Lets start with your first question which is more of a general question pertaining to golf club design. When it comes to iron shafts there is much less deflection {bending} than with a driver. There will be the tendency for the shaft to have a 'lead deflection' at the bottom of the swing. What I mean by a 'lead deflection' is that since the center of gravity of the club head is behind the shaft, the mass center of the head will seek to line up with the shaft giving the golf club a 'Leading' bending mode with the head forward. {I am on the road researching so I don't have access to pictures to post here to help you see this, so I hope you are able to follow the description}

The more 'lead deflection' that is created will result in increases in the dynamic loft. The more offset the club head's mass center is away from the shaft the more it is going to deflect in line with the grip end and create even more of a bend mode in the shaft. So irons do have this taking place, obviously a driver does this much more than the iron.

Shaft selection is a trial and error process where 'golfer feel' plays a huge role. Shaft weight is a big one! Bend Points? Well, bend points in the shaft just give golfers different sensations but ultimately have little to no effect on speed created but a lot of effect on dynamic loft and also a phenomenon called 'Dynamic Closing.' I will get into the subject here if someone would like to discuss but it will be a heavy duty chapter in the published book. Let me know what more I can help you with on this topic?

Next question was the dynamic loft of a drive manipulation...

I would definitely try and strike up on the driver, I definitely would not try and deloft the driver. Many people would tell you to try and deloft it or have more shaft lean like you asked in the question.... I say - BAD IDEA, I would never try to do it and never ask a student to forward lean a driver shaft cause it is not going to happen!!
Ways to hit up and effect dynamic loft:
Body center well behind the ball
Swing Direction Well Right
Aim Body 5-25 yards right at address depending on how much you hit up
{I aim 22 yards right}

If your swing direction is left, your chances of hitting up are nil! So make sure you are adjusting your set up's initial aiming to help you promote the hit up!

Hope that helps, let me know how to assist you further!

MJ

[RASWING]

MJ,

Thanks great info for me to chew on.... I am truly learning and understanding so much more that it makes more questions pop up... Thanks a million
V/R
RA

[RASWING]

MJ,
As I thought about what you said as far as the driver aim I dont know iif everyone else is having a tough time with the proper aim but i find it challenge for me to aim properly to the right for the resulted path of the corrct driver swing...
it feels as if i am going to hit a big hook so i do some hold off type thing.... so if yo could explain the proper procedure to the aiming part so that i may work on it...
I always was a aim square or a bit left type of guy but with the new hit up swing that I have been working on I start the ball way left of my target then draws unless I hold on to hit what looks like a push. i have spent a bunch of time on the TM and FS so now i know my numbers and all but can figure out the 12 to 15 yards right i need to aim for a 260 yard driver shot. I have the aimy thing with the numbers but i cant see it with the eyes to be able to excute it properly..... my AOA is 3 degrees up my VSP avg has been good at 46 degrees and my path was 2 degrees to the right. I even have a 2 degree open driver head that I thought would help. please explain the aim right piece is that off the fairway on the right side if the 150 marker was the center of the fairway? Or is that even off the fairway all togther?

V/R
RA

[dannyc]

if your path with the driver was 2 degrees right, you don't need to aim to the right.

[Michael Jacobs]

Aiming your body to the right leads to the ultimate goal of having a swing direction right to offset the upward strike.

Aiming left or right gives different perspectives at different distances, the further the distance the more it is going to appear you are adjusting your aim.

If you are zeroing out your path with correct swing direction and angle of attack, I would keep doing the same thing like dannyc said above.

[RASWING]

Ok guys makes sense...

Thanks MJ and DannyC

Never thought about it that way the swing was already right so there was no need for extra aim right to add to the path.... which caused the extra right to left flight....

So guys if I am zeroing out my iron swing and with a 6 iron my AOA was -4 degrees and the path was 2 degrees right and the face was -1 degree left/closed then thats why I am missing left at 170 yards ( because I am aiming left thinking thats what I need to do but in fact with my irons I should actually aim a bit right of my target? or aim straight and get the face to be 1 degree right/open and play a draw shot with that AoA and swing path ) Does it make sense? Am I on the right track?

I always tried to hit a cut shot which I thought was a straighter shot( with my release action and I know there is no true angle hinge but my AI and I back in the day worked on an angle hinge for me and it is so hard to change, right arm and hand under the left at follow through) but it takes me to have to back up my hips to swing left enough...

Light bulb moment !!! when I went to see Bmanz last month he talked to me about draw players and he had me on trackman aimed at a flag in the distance but told me to start the ball between the flag pole in the distance on the right side of the flag stick and to my eyes it looked say 4 yards right of the actual flag stick and my ball was landing just say a yard left of the flag or right on it long or short but at it.... He told me that

" if he had a tour guy that played a draw hit shots at that target; that they would start the ball at this flag pole and hit say 100 balls and the one they hit that started left of that flag pole in the distance would be a bad swing because the shot would fall to far left of the flag and for them a ball hit a bit right of that flag pole they wouldnt be as upset because the ball still would draw at the flag on the green "

I guess my avg numbers produced more draw shots when we got my hip action and pivot correct in the session...

My Start direction with my iron was is O.7 degrees left or 1.7 degrees left with my 6 iron.. started left of that flag pole in the distance and the same thing was happening when I went for a trackman session last week.

[dannyc]

if you want to play the draw, keep the same setup/path and get the clubface 1 degree open instead of closed.

to hit it straight, have the clubface around 0 and aim a little more LEFT.

[RASWING]

Dannyc,
Thanks for the help.... also today I took your advice and hit some really really good drives and didnt hit one hook all where nice soft draws and a few straight flight then fall right a bit shots.... but I was aiming down the center of every fairway today just to see what flight I would get and I could just let it go and I hit a few nice long drivers for me....

Now my iron play was something on the other hand I miss right all day.... I hit a few good irons but I hit a bunch of straight right push shots today.... meaning path and face where matched up to the right of my target same degrees right for the path and face....
I will keep working at it !!!
V/R
RA

[dannyc]

that's good news!
sounds like you just need to aim more left with the irons...