Simulator Weirdness

[Larry The Golfing Doc]

I game a 2016 M1 430 and hearing good things about the 2017 M1 440 decided to head to Dicks to check one out today. I was the only one in the golf department at the time so the clerk there asked if I wanted to hit a few on the simulator. Does a dog like to be petted?? No brainer there so sure!

 

My gamer is cranked down to 7.5* and I have a heavy x-flex in it. He couldn't find a tool so we left the new M1 set up at 9.5* and it had a light weight S flex shaft in it. I hit it a few times and my clubhead speed was averaging about 108. I was also hitting some high spinning sky shots so I asked if I could run out to my car and grab my gamer. Sure. I bring it in and immediately am swinging to my average of about 114 SS. I had a few drop down to 110-111 but most were 113-116. I got after a couple on purpose and they were 120 and 124. Only one of which was a semi decent strike, I just wanted to see if I could still. I put up my club and grab the 2017 and got after one. 110. I try again. 111. I grab my club again and am back in at 123 getting after one.

 

I repeat this with the M2, Epic Subzero, Ping g400. I averaged 10mph less with all of these clubs with stock stiff shafts than my gamer with an X. Based on those swings I should be using a stock stiff shaft. I'm kind of in between anyways. I like the X because I don't like to feel excessive shaft bend, not so much that a 114 SS really needs it. I swung out of my shoes with every other club I hit there and couldn't hit hit 115 with any of them. I'd grab my gamer and be in the low to mid 120's. Other than the flex being a little stiffer in mine and other than the M1 being 440, the others were all 460cc, I can't fathom a reason for this. It wasn't just my get after it swing either, my normal swing was about 8 mph slower with all others on average with none approaching it at all.

 

I also spin the ball well over 3k on well struck shots and crap strikes have me over 4K. My lowest spin on any shot was 2650. My launch numbers are good otherwise. I have about a 2* POA on average with an average launch of 14* or so (with my gamer).

 

Any clues on what was going on with the swing speed or how to tame the spin? Do I need professional help? The only thing I can think is that I wasn't wearing a glove and maybe subconsciously I didn't want to throw their club but was ok seeing mine fly? If my normal swings were off I could attribute it to that, but I swung as hard as possible at least a few times with each and still was 10 off.

 

I will say that the Epic Subzero is one helluva a clubhead. I don't like the way it looks but I had some crap strikes at 10mph less than my gamer and they carried almost as far. The Ping felt really good too and was plenty forgiving. All of them were great except the M2 which I hit at 10.5*. It carried as far as the others but the trajectory might have put a hole in the ozone layer so I couldn't game that for sure. Maybe at 6* I could but I don't think that's an option.

 

Help! Thanks

[SuperSwede28]

My first hunch is that the launch monitor didn't measure club head speed, only ball speed and uses a fixed smash factor to calculate club head speed. If you were consistently striking your gamer well the ball speed will be high and the calculated swing speed will be high for that club. If you weren't hitting the other clubs as well and the shafts were a poor fit the resulting ball speed will be lower and calculated club head speed lower.

[Pigems]

My swing speed is near identical to yours and I saw the same thing happen at golftown with the M1and Epic at their demo event a few weeks back. I didn’t bring my gamer in to test against them but the drop in SS was really odd.

[mac4pres]

I know Golf Town's in Canada use the Gc2 launch monitors which don't measure club head speed unless they have the HMT connected (never seen one in a golf town) so the club head speed is an estimate like explained above.

[Larry The Golfing Doc]

Ahhhh... thanks! That makes a TON more sense. The only thing I don't get from that equation is that after every shot it would show the club head in relation to the ball at impact. I can tell you that from many years of making crappy contact, it was pretty realistic. I rarely hit my gamer on the screws yet it still registered higher clubhead speed throughout. Thinking about it a little further, I don't think that was the case RE: ball speed as some of the lower swing speeds had the same ball speed as the higher ones on the same strike (I was very consistent in hitting it low and on the toe, lol!). I only hit one the entire session where I said "wow! Perfect strike!" Most of the others were "ehhh, decent but not great". I'm not talking a big miss, 1/8" or so but you can tell when you dead nutt one. At least I can. Not surprisingly that one dead nutt flew an impressive length, at least for me at 304 carry-336 total.

 

While it made sense at first, my lowest SS was with the Epic. I flew a couple with it that were really good but not perfect contact with a SS just over 100 that carried 255 or so. I chalked it up to the club being really good, but it also throws the ball speed=swing speed argument out. I think it was actual for both based on this.

 

I'll still proclaim the Epic as the best performance. I'll never buy it since it just doesn't look right to me, but I had a couple REALLY bad strikes with it where I'd laugh about it and they'd end up in great shape. Very forgiving, best by far. I'd love to hit a few with my normal shaft in it and hit one on the screws. That could be very interesting.

 

Still don't know how to tame the spin. I thought that firm and heavy shaft and positive angle of attack should be golden. It's not as I'm over 3k almost every time.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

When I was testing out a shafts during a recent fitting for my G400, one of the first shafts I was given was a Hzrdus around 75g in weight. That actually produced the highest balls speeds, about 3mph higher than the Tour 65S that I eventually went with. The fitter and I wondered if it was because I was subconsciously swinging harder because the shaft was heavier and stiffer.

But I don't think that would explain the larger difference that you saw.

[GoIrish17]

We've found a winner for the passive brag award. Dropping 115-125 swing speeds like it's nothing. Dick's always uses the most accurate machines as well. Carry on.

[apprenti23]

Sounds like a good thing that you play the 430cc driver and at 7.5*! Gosh Love WRX

[Typhoon92]

I work with these Sims almost everyday and FWIW, white or partially white heads give a lot of bad reads.

[Larry The Golfing Doc]

Thank you typhoon92! That would make a ton of sense. I didn't set out to brag, and why I posted speed and distances because something wasn't jiving. I could not replicate that swing speed with any other driver, even when I swung out of my shoes. I also only swung the M2 about 3 times because at the 10.5* it was set up at I knew it wasn't for me. It still carried well but I'd probably have to go behind me if I was hitting into a stiff breeze to catch the ball, it ballooned so high. The M1 was the first club I hit prior to being warmed up too so it's no wonder why it wouldn't have had a high SS. I literally stretched for 30 seconds, took two practice swings, then went at it. Started at about 100mph first swing and topped out with that M1 at 108 average or so 6-8 swings later. Jogged out to my car to grab my M1 and then saw increased speed, which I couldn't replicate with anything else.

 

It's probably a combination of hitting strange clubs, the monitor not picking up data correctly, and me not being comfortable swinging with a new club. Wasn't meant to brag that's for sure. If I would have I'd have just stated that my club was all in the 120's and only mention the 304 yard carry dead center strike. I also wouldn't mention that I don't know how to tame the spin. I seem to have everything going for me that should limit it based on what I know and I still spin over 3k. I bought dad a series of lessons for Christmas, maybe I'll do the same for me. I hit some impressive drives at times, at least for me. I'd like to hit them more than once in a while and be able to hit adequate drives into a decent breeze.