ball launch angle = club loft + attack angle????

[Jim]

I bought the p3pro simulator which can give me the attack angle for each shot. I guess the ball launch angle is just the club loft + attack angle?? I need to work on my irons launch angle this winter, the ball flight is too low compared to standard.. 

Jim

[Cwebb]

It's close, but the head's COG and how the shafts characteristics blend with your release are also a factor.

[BigLeftyinAZ]

 Lets say you have a 10.5 loft head.With a level swing with a neutral shaft,you would produce the same 10.5 launch.If you increase you angle of attack you will gain launch angle and reduce spin.Visaversa with a downward angle,reduce launch and added spin.

Now, lets take the first idea 10.5 with level attack ,but add a low kick point shaft-you will gain launch angle and depending of shaft could also increase spin.If you give that same club to an upward angle of attack you would gain even more launch and that upward attack will reduce the spin.

The irons having a decrease launch compared to loft of club would mean you are hitting with your hands out in front and delofting it.Can be a good thing as well as a bad thing.Does this affect your long irons too much?
Hope this is clear,without getting to technical ?

[Jim]

delofting doesn't really affect my long irons, or fairway woods too much.. I still get good distance. but when the course is dry, with mid irons, most of time, ball rolls too much on the green..  and many ppl saying low flight is bad. in slow motion, I see my hands are too much forward out in front.

so I guess I can use this formula to practice my swing indoor? do you know what is best attack angle for irons?

Jim

[matt mohi]

delofting doesn't really affect my long irons, or fairway woods too much.. I still get good distance. but when the course is dry, with mid irons, most of time, ball rolls too much on the green..  and many ppl saying low flight is bad. in slow motion, I see my hands are too much forward out in front.

so I guess I can use this formula to practice my swing indoor? do you know what is best attack angle for irons?

Jim

Your last post makes a bit more sense as to what goes on with irons.  Driver is a completely different story because of how the shaft bends and because the ball is airborne.

Angle of attack with irons doesn't tell the entire story because you can have a downward angle of attack, but be adding loft at impact....that happens when your arms are moving downwards and the left wrist has broken down at impact.  The scoop move.  I know it well....

What it sounds like you are doing is de lofting the club at impact and that is what is producing the lower ball flight.  Changing this is no easy feat.  Equipment won't do it unless the change results in you getting to a different impact position.  Some times this can happen with different weight shafts, but it won't happen with changing to a softer shaft or one with a different bend profile because an iron head simply doesn't bend the shaft as much as a driver head will and create a higher dynamic loft.

If you can't change your impact position, then the best option for raising your ball flight would be to start with a higher loft either by bending the clubs weak, using a higher loft design, or making your 7 iron to 6 iron specs for length, lie etc.

The golf ball has two ways to stop on the green-one is spin and will work well on certain turf conditions and shot shapes.  The other is what is called "angle of descent"....Like launch angle, but in reverse.  Landing angle is also another term for it.  Steeper falling shots have less forward momentum so they stay closer to their pitch mark.  They might also have less spin by the time they land compared to a lower shot, but the will still hold the green better for most golfers.

[Jim]

hi Matt, thank you for suggestion. I was wondering the same thing. I could really hit down with irons without delofting. My problem is not the equipment, it's my swing. My attack angle is too steep, and my hands are too much forward at impact. This is why ball launch angle is too low with irons. I just wondered if I should get the launch angle package with the simulator. I thought if the attack angle + loft = launch angle, there's no point I should get this package. I plan to fix my swing indoor this winter with this simulator. It tells if I swing outside-in or inside-out, and clubface at impact, attack angle, distance, etc.

Jim

[chtw]

Everyone launches it differently, but I'd bet that if we put you on trackman, the dynamic loft you put on your irons would be very low.  There's really no IDEAL numbers for the dynamic loft you should be achieving on each of your irons, though there are some guidelines - e.g. we know that if your dynamic loft is close to the actual loft of the club, you aren't delofting it at all.  I hit a lot of 7 irons on trackman, and my average dynamic loft is around 22.  I have a mid-high ballflight with my irons, and I take medium sized divots.

Driver is whole different animal, where we know that attack angle ideally needs to be 0.0 or positive.  A negative or downward attack angle produces quite a bit of spin.  The average person that comes through usually has a negative attack angle in the 2-4 degree range.

[Jim]

ok. my 7iron launch 19 to 20 degree. the sales told me it's good launch. the other day, some other sales told me it's too low.. he said it should be round 24 degree. that's why I'm confused on this. for the driver, so sad I still have nagative launch angle, sometimes, I hit the ball really fat.. left skymarks on driver. I don't understand why I can't hit driver. I hit ball straight with 5 woods, 2 hybrid, irons good. I can get 220-230 with my 2 hybrid. I still can't use driver and 3 woods.. why?

[Cwebb]

It sounds like you're using a downward angle of attack with your driver and 3 wood.

Practice with just a tee, no ball, and work on being more level through impact so you just clip the top of the tee.

[Jim]

ok. thanks. any drills to practice hitting more level?

[Cwebb]

Take the club back low and slow to promote a wide arc.  Then try to just clip the the top of the tee through impact, without brushing the ground at all.  Keep it simple and see if it helps.

[Jim]

ok. I will try it today. thank you!