Medicus Powermeter...what do you think?

[bunkerputt]

I got curious today and bought one of these at Golf Galaxy. If you don't know, it's a little 4 inch device that wraps around the club shaft right below the grip. I think it uses solid-state accelerometer technology to make two measurements:

1. If the acceleration is smooth then it records the highest speed, i.e. your free-swing speed, or the maximum at some point in your swing.
2. If it detects a sharp drop in acceleration like when you hit something (a ball?) then it records the speed at the impact.

This would ostensibly give you some idea if your maximum speed is occurring at the ball or not. I would think that your free-swing speed would always be greater than or equal to your speed at impact.

You have to put in the shaft length and your height and it tells you what your swing speed is when you swing the club. The feedback is immediate so you can just swing over and over very quickly, seeing what makes any difference without having to re-tee a ball like on launch monitors.

I'm curious if you guys have tried it out and have some comment on its accuracy. I set mine on my height, 75" and club length, 45" and my normal free-swing speed was around 116. On launch monitors it's around 112 which seems pretty close since my contact isn't always perfect and I think the LMs figure out clubhead speed from ball speed. I also leave some mph on the table because I don't always time my release right. I also tried my "90mph driver swing" which I've been working on (I've got it to about 89-91 mph) and it said it was right around 90 somewhere, which was encouraging because it seemed consistent.

Regardless, the device seems consistent swing to swing so that, even if the numbers are off, they are only off by a linear factor, which tells you when your speed is consistent. This is really what I wanted so I can improve my distance control.

I was also curious about those early evening, after work in the backyard swings where I unload the truck just to see what happens. The PM said around 124-125 with the highest being 128.

If this thread takes off, I'll post some video of different swings and what the meter says.

Share your thoughts!

[Dub]

I've seen the adds for the things and was hoping that one of my buddies would get one so I could use it a couple of times.


I didn't realize it gave you both your max and impact speeds for each swing. This, to me, says that the tool has lasting value, not just something to mess with every so often.

I'd love to try one and see.

Post the swings if you have time....cool to watch it work in real time.

[bunkerputt]

I got curious about it because I really liked the idea of putting something small on the club to take measurements. It's way more convenient than a radar you place on the ground. The only downside, if you're a real stickler about it, is it alters the weight of the club, which may alter your release slightly. The product isn't very heavy though, so I think this effect is negligible. I was a little skeptical about it and wanted to try before I bought one, so I went down to Golf Galaxy and the guy let me try one out in the launch monitor. It seemed to always read slightly higher than the LM, but I think this is because of the ballspeed-clubhead speed conversion issues I talked about in my last post. When I hit the ball nearly perfect, both numbers were really close (+-1 mph). I'm personally glad I bought it, which I've never said about any other electronic measurement device. They almost uniformly seem cheaply made and don't last long. This thing seems pretty stout for what it's being used for. The one gripe I have is that it can be a little difficult to get the rubberized c-clamps on the shaft without folding them over, since they are so soft. I think this is fine, though, since the softness grips the shaft a little better and keeps it from sliding down. The one I demoed seemed like it had had quite a bit of use. It was much easier to get on, but it slid down about an inch over the course of about 30 swings. Products like these (made in China electronics gizmos) typically last about a year or two, maybe more if well cared-for. It seemed worth it to me to get the immediate feedback for $80. Stuff to consider...

[Wisco-Kid]

This thing sounds really cool. (it is $89.95 at Golf Galaxy and 72.99 at Amazon)If it truly is accurate I think this could be a long lasting, simple tool to use. It would be really cool to know what your swing speed is say at the end of the season vs. the beginning etc...
Here is a pic

Very cool thanks for the post. Keep us updated, I would like to hear some after you use it a little longer. Also some vids would be cool.

[bunkerputt]

I'll try to get some video tonight.