SwingModel Equipment Research Effort
In golf, the performance of the equipment used to strike the ball is dependent on the
three components involved; the clubhead, the shaft, and the ball. Given the number of
available heads, shafts, and balls on the market, there are well over one million
combinations for the Driver alone. With this in mind, what are the odds that any golfer
can find the equipment combination that will best fit their game.
With the quality of information that is currently available on equipment, the number of
fitting options, and the typical fitting process, the answer is “pretty slim”.
Information
In 2006, Dr. Ralph Mann began the research effort to attempt to understand the
performance characteristics of golf equipment. The effort was divided into two major
areas; mechanical testing and human testing.
Mechanical Testing
To be successful, the research effort had to be able to determine the individual
contributions of each of the three components (clubhead, shaft, and ball). In addition,
the human factor needed to be included in the testing if it was a major contributor.
These requirements quickly eliminated one major testing method, as well as one of the
three components from this process.
Although the mechanical swing machines like Iron Byron are used by some to evaluate
equipment, those most familiar with their operation recognize their limitations. To a
scientist, the fact that it uses all three equipment components at once, is difficult to
reproduce results day after day, and has infinite swing settings makes it an unreliable
research tool. Perhaps more important is the fact that the swing machines grip the club
with an inhuman metal grip, and swigs the club on a path no human follows, further
disqualifies their use.
The one equipment component that does not lend itself to mechanical testing is the golf
shaft. The golf clubhead and ball do not care how the golf swing occurs; they only
respond to the impact conditions when the head and the ball collide. The shaft, however,
will perform differently due to differences in the swing path. Thus, if two golfers
produce the same clubhead speed at impact using the same shaft, the shaft will respond
differently if their swing paths are different.
Due to these conclusions, the mechanical testing was confined to cubheads and balls.
Moreover, the mechanical testing was performed using a ball cannon. This device fires
golf balls at a stationary clubhead, eliminating the problems inherent in the mechanical
swing machines.
Using a rigid research process, SwingModel in conjunction with
UST,
has used the ball cannon to identify the performance characteristics of the top balls and
clubheads in golf.
With this information, the last component, that of the golf shaft, was the only factor
left to determine. For this, human testing was the only viable avenue.
Human Testing
The golf shaft is the wildcard in the equipment fitting process. Of the three components,
it has the greatest complexity. From weight, to torque, to flex, to length; the shaft
can be the greatest contributor to a successful equipment fit. These same factors,
however, makes the shaft the most difficult to research.
Because the golfer, and how they swing, directly affects how the shaft behaves, all
research was done using human subjects. Working closely with
Baylor Medical Center,
UST,
and
TPT Golf,
the four groups brought together the resources needed to measure the complex interaction
between the golf swing and how it affects the golf shaft.
Whereas the mechanical testing was straight forward, the complexity of the human testing
was a much more difficult process. However, with a cooperative effort, the effects of
golf shafts to swing performance was identified.
Application
With the individual characteristics of balls, clubheads, and shafts determined, the
process of using this information to fit equipment was the next goal. In recent
collaboration with
TPT Golf,
SwingModel has integrated this equipment research into the first true
component based golf equipment fitting system.
Applying the fitting techniques developed by Bill Choung of TPT Golf has produced a
fitting process that will provide golfers with the ability to select the best components
for their individual swing.
Continue Tour
or
Return to Teacher Tour Home