Can new and improved tech improve your score?
Even the most casual of golf fans will notice how much technology in golf has changed. But, how can you use that technology to help lower your scores?
Club tech become prevalent in the early 90’s when Callaway introduced Titanium to driver heads. Now drivers are not only bigger, lighter and stronger but they can also be fine-tuned to fit every individual.
Interchangeable shafts make finding the correct weight and flex a matter of a couple snaps. Weights within the club head design allow the fitter to move the center of mass around to better shape ball flight to your liking, all of this with in a very short amount of time. A knowledgeable fitter can custom build you a driver in a matter of 2030 swings. And what does a custom driver give you over a generic store bought club? Simply: Confidence, it is scientifically optimized for your specific swing, more distance, and more forgiveness.
Most club fitters now will use launch monitors to help see your launch angle, spin rate, and distance, but that same technology has come into the golf instruction world in a big way.
Companies like Trackman and Flightscope utilize the same technology that the military uses to track missiles to now track the golf ball and the club to within tenths of a degree. Don’t think you’re good enough to have to worry about this tech? Wrong. A good instructor won’t bog you down with all the numbers, instead they will utilize this tech to help you discover the proper swing changes you need to make.
A good example of this is swing path, most amateur golfs hit a slice or a ball that curves away from them. This is caused by a club head path that moves from outside and goes in as it makes contact. Your instructor should inform you that your path is X and they just want you to try and make it do the opposite. The player can then try to feel the proper changes they need to make in their swing on their own. Studies have found this can be the quickest way to change a pattern that someone has done for a long time.
Technology in is not something to shy away from instead finding the right ways to apply that technology can help lower your scores quickly. I always like to use the analogy with my players that you don’t see many people walking around with flip phones anymore. The reason is the technology in a modern smart phone can make our lives easier. Same goes for the tech new tech in golf, it is there to help you play better and enjoy the game more.