Question about launch montiors and hitting drivers in store.

[darkhunter139]

I went to dicks sporting goods today and tried out the TaylorMade 2.0 superfast driver.  The first thing I noticed was the launch monitor seemed way off, it was saying I was only hitting the ball 210 yards even when I felt like I hit it good and with a club head speed of 93 mph. Which brings me to my first question,

Is it common for these machines to give incorrect numbers if they are not setup right? I plan on getting a fitting at a reputable golf shop around here but I am going to wait until the winter when their rates drop.

Second question: The driver sounded weird to me when I hit the ball, it did not have that aluminum ring to it (if that makes sense) and sounded more like a pop.  Is this just because I was hitting it indoors with an echo?

[Shorty]

What makes you think it should be more than 210? That would be about right.Certainly not "way off".

[LankyLefty]

93 mph with a 10 degree club perfectly flush should net about 225 on flat ground.

EDIT: To add a little explination.

Distance is a combination of 3 factors: swing speed, spin, and launch angle.

The more spin you have the more height you have the les air resistance affects the ball.

To little spin results in those sort of dead shots that seem like decent contact but go nowhere.

Too much spin results in moon shots that soar up in the air and dont roll hardly at all when they land.

The higher your swing speed the more spin you impart on the ball, likewise slower swing speeds impart less spin on the ball.

A swing speed of 93 is roughly average and in general is not going to generate enough spin to really carry the ball. In fact at 93 your driver and 3 wood should have very similar distances as your 3 wood will impart a more optimal amount of spin.

[checkrd past]

I am sure glad with the advent of the gps,now all friends that thought the were driving 280 are now stopping the cart at about 230,such ego s

[darkhunter139]

What makes you think it should be more than 210? That would be about right.Certainly not "way off".

Well I hit it like 220ish with my 3 wood and I have measured this with gps before. My driver does not really go any further than my 3 wood though which is kind of weird. I just figured I should be hitting it further with a driver. Just read leftys post! I guess that explains why I hit my 3 wood just as far. I guess I should just ditch the driver all together until I can swing a bit faster. I actually feel like I get more distance out of my 3 wood on a good swing.