Our Launch Monitors provide some great information to aid in the constant improvement of your swing. On the side wall in every bay is the QED software which provides all of the detailed metrics of your swing. Check out our Technology section for more information. The picture below provides a sample of what you may see on the screen.

Club Speed

This measures the speed of your club upon impact. In general, faster club head speeds yield faster ball speeds which ultimately result in a ball carrying further.

Note: to gain access to your swing metrics in our facility you need to select the Sticker Off option (in the picture above Sticker On is currently selected).

So, how do you gauge your club head speed? See the table below for relative club head speeds for a Driver.

Now you have something to strive for.

Ball Speed

This is the speed of the ball measured after club impact. Higher ball speed, generally leads to more distance.

Smash Factor

This one sounds cool!! The smash factor is a measure of how efficiently your are hitting the ball – i.e. how close you are to the sweet spot of the club. Smash Factor is Ball Speed / Club Speed – you can see it is direct calculus of how your swing translates to ball speed and distance.

Hitting the ball in the sweet spot should be the focus of your swing. It optimizes your club’s delivery and maximally utilizes all that effort to…get….to…95mph.

Club Path

This is the swing path of the club relative to your target line.

This metric will tell you if you’re swinging “out-to-in” or “in-to-out.”

A positive number means you have hit a shot in to out which typically gives you a draw shape. An out-to-in shot club path would be a negative number and typically sees you hit a fade or a slice

Face Angle

Face angle is the direction that the face of the club is pointing when you strike the ball. Only when you combine control over your swing path with control over your face angle will you be able to predictably send the ball in the right direction over and over again.

An open club face points to the right of your target, while a closed club face points to the left of your target.

Face To Path

Face to Path is the combination of your club path and face angle. The closer to 0 that your Face to Path is, the closer to the “sweet spot” and straighter your shot is going to be. Analysing your Club Path and altering your Face Angle on impact can result in a some positive results for your swing.

Back Spin

The amount of spin on a ball and the axis the ball rotates around will have tremendous effects on distance, height, and shot shape.

Golf clubs with higher lofts should generally have more spin. Higher club head speed should also lead to more spin, assuming the same club, delivery, and impact.

Optimal spin rates are player-dependent and have a lot to do with your swing speed. For example, golfers who swing their driver 105 mph or more should usually be around 2,000 rpm, while the average golfer or even slower swingers could be better suited to 2,500+ rpm. 

Launch Angle

The ball’s spin, the speed of the ball, and launch angle determine how high and how far a ball will travel. A Driver will have a lower launch angle than irons. Here’s a great link to club lofts which ultimately determine the launch angle of the ball.

Side Angle

This is the angle which the ball is rotating around resulting from the face to path offset. The spinning on the axis yielded by this side angle determine the side spin.

Side Spin

The amount of side spin on the ball resulting from the side angle. A positive number shapes the shot with a curve left to right ) so those of us righties who slice to the right you will have a high number when this occurs). Conversely, a negative number shapes the shot from right to left.

Now you know how to execute a draw and a fade ;-)…

Carry

This is the distance the ball would travel in the air. It’s the end result of all the other metrics. There is the total distance but this is subject to the algorithm used. At our facility you will see a difference between the QED software and the TGC Driving Range because of different roll characteristics of the two algorithms.

This is really apparent when you are playing a course and you hit a ball with a lot of force but not cleanly. It may not result in a far shot on the course because you hit berm or hill. But on the QED wall monitor you will see the actual shape of the shot and how the course algorithm altered its trajectory. As a self proclaimed propellor head I think it’s pretty cool and yet frustrating at the same time – but that’s golf!!