hit some irons on launch monitor today

[ScottL]

i have never really played on the launch monitor too much at stores. I was at Golf Galaxy yesterday hitting some 7 irons (Titleist AP2 and Mizuno MP-62). I was actually hitting them both about the same. On good solid hits I was carrying them about 150 and roll out to around 160-165.

But the most interesting thing to me was the ball and club speed. My club speed was about 75mph on average and the ball was around 105mph.

I have never really paid too much attention to this stuff in the past. But I always thought 100mph was a good club speed? Is that for drivers Im assuming? Is 75mph on irons a good speed?

[kfowler]

The shorter the club, the lower your swing speed.

[anthonykim3]

yep grab some regular shafts and your good to go

[ScottL]

yep grab some regular shafts and your good to go

all mine are stiff

[kfowler]

What's your driver SS? Shaft flex depends on several factors including swing speed and tempo.

[ScottL]

i honestly dont know, didnt hit a driver. im curious though now

[Kcas77]

yep grab some regular shafts and your good to go

Hes right 15 yards of roll is way too much with a 7 iron

[ScottL]

well those were rough estimates, each may vary a little. but how accurate are those things anyway

[iPutt]

I don't really trust anything but distance in a launch monitor, and even then it's questionable. They don't take slices or hooks in effect, just off line shots (for example my slice starts straight enough but about 100 yards out is where it gets messy). So in theory I could swing as hard as I can in a launch monitor and, as long as I hit the center of the screen, I'm sending it right down the middle of the fairway. In real life however, a swing like that would send the ball 150 yards out and 150 yards to the left.

Also for some reason my swing speed never changes on certain clubs no matter how light or hard I swing. I don't know exactly why this is, but I think it may be because the swing speed can only be judged on ball contact so the computer is estimating the swing speed base on your ball speed. The launch monitor i use also doesn't give me any roll on my driver. I think it's because the roll is based on trajectory and how high it hits on the screen. So if I hit a "higher" drive, it doesn't give me the roll I would really get.

Now this monitor may be in the minority, but I never trust what the results in there are. I think that they're somewhat of a marketing ploy to sell clubs. Just like the putting greens in shops all break towards the holes and the lips slope inward.

[max power]

I don't really trust anything but distance in a launch monitor, and even then it's questionable. They don't take slices or hooks in effect, just off line shots (for example my slice starts straight enough but about 100 yards out is where it gets messy). So in theory I could swing as hard as I can in a launch monitor and, as long as I hit the center of the screen, I'm sending it right down the middle of the fairway. In real life however, a swing like that would send the ball 150 yards out and 150 yards to the left.

Yeah-they're fun, and certainly give you more info than hitting into a net, but far from completely accurate or representative of what your shot would be on a golf course. They love to read a bunch of backspin into my drives, and while it's usually relatively accurate on full iron shots, my distance disappears when I go to lower lofted woods/hybrids, at least in comparison to my real-life distances.

[right handed phil mickelson]

I don't really trust anything but distance in a launch monitor, and even then it's questionable. They don't take slices or hooks in effect, just off line shots (for example my slice starts straight enough but about 100 yards out is where it gets messy). So in theory I could swing as hard as I can in a launch monitor and, as long as I hit the center of the screen, I'm sending it right down the middle of the fairway. In real life however, a swing like that would send the ball 150 yards out and 150 yards to the left.

Ha. I don't know where that store is but it sucks. None of the stores like Golf Galaxy, or Alfs, or The Golf Guys have anything near that crap. The launch monitors aren't 100% accurate, or even 90% accurate. But, they do give a good estimate that lets you know where you're standing in factors such as swing speed, ball speed, spin rate, launch angle, and carry distance. Those are key factors in determining the type of club you want.