Home
Order Golf Tips  
Great Golf Gifts  
Mental Game  
Golf Fitness  
Ask the Expert  
FAQ  
Contact Us  


Ken Tannar, PGI Creator

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Try my Driver Distance Calculator

Input speed, mass, loft, etc.

 

If you're a visitor, Subscribe to the Probable Golf Newsletter, or, sign up a friend. He/she will be sent a verifiation to opt in email.

First Name:
Last Name:
Email:
Handicap:

 

 

Probable Golf Instruction
Welcome

Thanks for supporting Probable Golf Instruction. This is the last of my series on Distance & Technology. If you have any specific questions related to the topic that you'd like answered, join my PGI Member Select Club. I'll answer all your golf questions related to your own, unique golf game in a prompt, thorough fashion.

May PGI Contest

During the month of May, any newsletter subscriber that makes a purchase from my site will be entered into a draw to win a copy of the book, Swing Machine Golf, a $60 value. Download any of my PGI Golf Tips or Reports. Buy a copy of the CD, Hit Down Dammit! or a supply of Stinger Tees.

You owe it to your game to make the best of your abilities; become " Master of Your Own Game". Stand out and improve, without hitting any balls!!

Here's to a long lasting life of great golf!

My latest study is finished. See some of the details of the reports HERE.

A Brief Message        May 3/04

  • Ken here from Probable Golf Instruction. In my last newsletter, I explained how golf ball technology changes have affected distance. Review the newsletter here.
  • In this issue, I'll continue the discussion with emphasis on backspin effects.
  • About 5 weeks ago, I received a copy of Swing Machine Golf. The author, Paul Wilson, uses a unique teaching method with his students. He has been featured a number of times on The Golf Channel. He models his teaching swing after the machine, Iron Byron. His emphasis is on simplicity. I think it is an excellent book (one of the best I've read). I think you'd be impressed, too. Take a look at it here, Swing Machine Golf
  • Have you played any matches yet? Do you find you are at a real disadvantage on some holes because you don't get a shot or have to give away a shot? It could be your holes' difficulty rankings do no reflect reality of how golfers play them. Find out your course's true hole rankings here.
Distance & Technology Part 7: Golf Ball Spin Distance

Read other Parts from this series here, Archives.

If you'd like one on one explanations about the topic, sign up for the PGI Member Select Club and I'll answer all your questions in a prompt, thorough fashion. Now on to this week's topic.

VII. Golf Ball Spin & Distance

     If you've been a Probable Golfer long, you know that most of the analysis that I do is using a golf ball trajectory computer program that I have written to simulate golf ball flight. The most difficult things to factor in are the changing drag and lift forces that occur on the ball. Both are dependent on ball speed and backspin. They are ever changing. I have accomplished this task by using a spreadsheet. My model agrees very well with experimental results. To see more, go here.

     With my computer model, I can change certain quantities and keep others constant. In this case, I varied the amount of backspin on the ball (simulating different types of balls: low spin, high spin, etc) and calculated carry and total distance for different driver speeds. The results are tabulated below. The values assume a 10 degree lofted driver and a 12 degree launch angle.

Backspin (rpm)

Club speed 80 mph

Ball speed 115 mph

Club speed 100 mph

Ball speed 143 mph

Club speed 120 mph

Ball speed 172 mph

1200
134
176
199
241
261
299
1500
139
179
205
243
266
302
1800
142
181
208
245
270
304
2100
146
182
213
247
274
306
2400
150
182
216
248
275
306
2700
153
186
218
249
277
306
3000
155
186
220
249
277
305
3300
157
187
222
250
277
304
3600
158
187
223
249
276
301
3900
160
187
223
248
275
299
4200
161
187
222
246
273
297

     For the 80 mph clubhead speed, total distance is optimized with a high backspin of about 4000 rpm while carry distance is optimized at an even higher backspin. For 100 mph, carry is optimized at about 3800 rpm and total distance at 3300 rpm. for 120 mph, carry is optimized at 3000 rpm and total distance at 2400 rpm. Basically, the higher your clubhead speed, the lower spin you want, thus you should be playing a low spin ball. A low clubhead speed player should be playing with a high spin ball (as has been discussed in previous newsletters, a low clubhead speed player should be playing with a high loft driver).

     It should be noted that realistic backspin values for a Driver are in the range of 2500 to 3500 rpm, the most significant determiner being the loft of the club. Matching this range with the table values above, it can be observed that there is really no significant difference in distances. You cannot really change significantly your driver distance by using ball manufacturers' "low spin" balls or "high spin" balls. What is more important is the correct loft of the driver to match your swing speed (discussed in a previous newsletter).

     What about when playing in the wind? Take a look at the computed results for the 100 mph clubhead speed with a 11 mph wind. Note that the effects of backspin are a little more significant. You might consider using a low spin ball for hitting into the wind and a high spin ball for hitting with the wind.

Learn your perfect swing while attached to the "Dream Swing."

 

Backspin (rpm)

Club speed 100 mph

11 mph head wind

Club speed 100 mph

No wind

Club speed 100 mph

11 mph tail wind

1200
195
226
199
241
200
253
1500
205
243
1800
203
228
208
245
211
259
2100
213
247
2400
207
229
216
248
219
263
2700
218
249
3000
208
226
220
249
226
267
3300
222
250
3600
206
222
223
249
231
269
3900
223
248
4200
201
215
222
246
233
269

Purchase my Longest Golf Ball Report (over 230 sold so far) in which I statistically analyze distances of over 70 different golf balls with differing constructions. The balls were hit using a mechanical hitting machine.

Take a look at the results of Equip2Golf.com, an independent golf testing company. They have tested many of the new golf balls using golfers and launch monitor equipment. Below is a sample of their results.

Play with my Driver Distance Calculator. You can input such variables as loft and clubhead speed to determine the optimum loft. I'll be adding to it soon so that you can input different golf ball parameters such as speed and spin.

A list of resources that have been used to produce this newsletter can be found on my website here.

The next newsletter's topic will begin a series on the short game. From putting to chipping to bunker play. If you have any questions ahead of time, send me an email.

The focus of my site is to utilize science and math to lower your score. New technology is one way to achieve this, but to be honest, the technology is one small piece of the puzzle.

To actually improve significantly, we all need to:

1. Improve our swings using CD Interactive, Hit Down Dammit!

2. Learn how to swing simpler like the Iron Byron with the great coffee table book, Swing Machine Golf!

3. Improve our physical fitness and strength.
The Golf Trainer Power Performance Program™

4. Improve our mental games. Golf Mind Software

5. Improve our Probable Golf games. Learn how to make better choices on the course through knowing how shot patterns and reading the elements and course better.

Click on the links above to take a look at ways that I personally use myself and recommend you try as well.

Hope I provided some useful ways for to become better prepared for you best golf season ever.

Ken Tannar

 

If you'd like to opt out of this newsletter, send me an email with the subject "opt out, please"

 
Copyright © 2004 [Probable Golf Instruction]
Website designed by: Dan's Web Templates / AllWebTemplate.com