TrackMan analysis: what the numbers say about your swing

A TrackMan analysis in golf can be an eye-opener or a headache. The radar displays dozens of numbers after every shot, and many amateurs leave a session more confused than when they arrived. I use TrackMan every day, for my own game as a touring pro and for my students. In this article, I explain in plain terms the data that really matters, and above all how I use it to set two or three priorities, not twenty.

TrackMan in golf: what is the radar for?

TrackMan is a radar that measures both the clubhead's movement at impact and the ball's flight. So you get two families of data:

• Club data: what your club is doing at the moment it strikes the ball (speed, direction, angle).
• Ball data: what results from it (ball speed, spin, height, distance).

The benefit is huge: you no longer guess why a ball goes right, you see it. But a number on its own means nothing. What matters is the relationship between the data and what you're trying to produce on the course.

Speed data: club speed, ball speed and smash factor

Club speed

This is the speed of the clubhead just before impact. It determines your distance potential. The higher it is, the further you can send the ball, provided you strike it well.

Ball speed

This is the speed of the ball just after it leaves the clubface. It's what creates distance, far more than club speed.

Smash factor

It's the ratio between ball speed and club speed. It measures how efficient your strike is. With the driver, TrackMan says you can expect a smash factor close to 1.50; with a pitching wedge, closer to 1.25. A low smash factor with the driver often points to an off-centre strike. For an amateur, improving strike quality often gains more distance than trying to swing faster.

Direction data: club path, face angle and face to path

Club path

It's the direction the clubhead is travelling at impact: from inside to outside or from outside to inside the target line.

Face angle

This is the direction the clubface is pointing at impact, relative to the target.

Face to path

It's the difference between face angle and club path. It's the number that explains the ball's curve. According to TrackMan, with a centred strike, the ball curves towards where the face is pointing and away from the club path. A positive value means the face points right of the path: the ball curves to the right. A negative value means the face points left of the path: the ball curves to the left.

In practice, a slice for a right-hander is often a face that's open relative to an out-to-in path. Correcting only the path, without dealing with the face, can sometimes turn a slice into a push. That's why you should always read these two numbers together.

Attack angle, spin and carry: ball-flight quality

Attack angle

This is the vertical movement of the clubhead at impact: downward (negative value) or upward (positive value). With irons, you generally strike the ball on a descending path, compressing it before taking the divot. With the driver, many players gain distance with a neutral or slightly upward angle of attack, with the ball teed up high.

Spin (spin rate)

This is the ball's rate of rotation just after impact, in revolutions per minute. With a wedge, plenty of spin helps stop the ball on the green. With the driver, too much spin makes the ball balloon and lose distance.

Carry

This is the distance the ball travels in the air, up to the point where it comes back down to the height it started from. It's the most useful number on the course: it tells you how far you need to carry the ball to clear a bunker or reach a green.

How I use TrackMan to set 2 or 3 priorities

The risk with TrackMan is drowning the player in data. A player thinking about ten numbers during his swing stops hitting the ball. Here is my approach:

• I watch the ball flight first and the dispersion, without commenting on the numbers. Where are the balls going? What's the pattern?
• I look for the main cause in the data: is it a strike problem (smash factor), a direction problem (face and path) or a trajectory problem (angle of attack, spin)?
• I choose two or three priorities maximum, the ones that will have the biggest impact on your score, not the ones that would make the prettiest swing.
• I translate every number into a feeling or a simple drill. You don't need to remember “face to path of +6”, just to know what to feel to close the face.
• I measure again to check the change is working, and I give you your real carry distances for every club.

This last point is often the one that saves shots the fastest: many amateurs overestimate their distances and regularly come up short of the green. Knowing your real carry changes your club selection from your very next round.

Doing your own TrackMan analysis

The best starting point is a 90-minute assessment, in Marrakech or Paris: we analyse your swing and your data, and you leave with your priorities and a clear plan. If you want to go further and turn those priorities into results over several days, the progression camp in Marrakech lets you alternate radar work with putting it into play on the course.

And for ongoing support, my online golf coaching works with you week after week, using your videos and your stats. To go further, also read my article on the pre-shot routine: it's what lets you take what you've worked on at the driving range onto the course.