There’s a problem with launch monitors. The best launch monitors – and we’ve tested a lot of them – are absolutely fantastic for so many reasons, but we do have an issue with a certain number that they all display.
And this problem is so big and so “dangerous for golfers” that Golf Monthly’s Kick Point hosts, Dan Parker and Joe Ferguson, have dedicated a whole 10 minutes to it in one of the latest podcasts (watch in full below).
This episode is not to be missed, especially if you’re a beginner, because you could be making this game a lot more difficult than it is already.
WATCH: Dan and Joe from Kick Point: The Golf Gear Show discuss the issues surrounding total distance measurements (from 19:18)
Dan and Joe might not always agree on everything, but when it comes to total distance, both believe that this number is near “pointless” at best.
Total distance. It’s the number that a lot of us are guilty of gravitating towards when we’re at the range or on a launch monitor because, basically, it’s a nice big number and many mistakenly assume this is what we should be taking note of.
If someone asked you how far you hit your 7-iron, what are you going to tell them?
A lot of golfers – and again, especially those who are new to the game – go by the total distance. Not good.
“I see why launch monitors have it, because they want to give an overall projection of where the ball might end up,” says Joe, a former playing professional and custom fitter.
Launch monitors are clever. Very clever. They’ll generally use the descent angle, what angle the ball is going into the ground, how much spin it has, and how much ball speed there is at that point to predict how much further the ball will travel.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Granted, thanks to the quality of hardware and software that goes into producing these devices, the prediction is pretty darn accurate. So, while total distance is a nice number to keep an eye on and is useful in some scenarios, it certainly isn’t a number amateur golfers should prioritise.
At this point, Joe picks on his dad, although Ferguson Senior probably represents about 70% (a bit more guesswork there) of recreational golfers.
Let’s say Joe’s dad has been down the range and Toptracer (or whatever technology…
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