CaveTips Extended – Using the TrackMan Optimizer
One of the great things about TrackMan is its versatility. If you want to keep it simple, you can just load it up, hit the practice range, or play a virtual round. There is no advanced technological knowledge required, and it’s approachable for everyone who knows how to use a computer. With that said, you can dig deeper into the technology to extract even more value if you choose. One feature that you can explore is called the Optimizer, and that is the focus of this blog post. Let’s take a look at where the Optimizer is found within TrackMan, what it does, and why you might want to spend some time with it on your next visit to GolfCave.
Finding the Optimizer
Within TrackMan, look to the bottom right portion of the screen. You should see a small icon that says “Optimizer”, and you can select that option. Once you click on it, the Optimizer screen will appear on the right side of the screen. With the Optimizer screen displayed you are going to see some interesting data. Everything within this screen is going to be based on the club you are hitting and the speed at which you are swinging the selected club. The idea here is to demonstrate how much distance you could be getting out of that club without changing your swing speed. In other words, if your swing speed stays the same, but you “optimize” everything else about the swing, how far could you hit the ball?
A Few Important Variables
Getting the most out of the swing speed you already have is one of the most important and valuable parts of using technology in golf. You can’t necessarily swing faster overnight, but you can change some of the other dynamics of your swing to get better outcomes. In the TrackMan Optimizer, you’ll see highlighted blue ranges for a number of shot metrics. If your results are outside of those ranges, you can work on making adjustments to get better measurements and extract more distance out of your shots. Some of the metrics include the following:
- Attack angle: Going into the ball from too steep or too shallow of an angle will rob you of distance, so this is one of the most important variables to dial in.
- Ball speed: Of course, club head speed and ball speed are closely related, but if you aren’t making clean contact in the center of the face of the club, you might not be getting as much ball speed out of your swing.
- Spin rate: The rate of spin on the ball when it leaves the club face plays a huge role in the flight of that ball and how far it will travel. Too much spin causes the ball to climb high in the air and fall short of its distance potential.
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