This post was written by our Trackman-certified Touring Professional Freddie Lawrence.
I was a plus-3 handicap golfer, who had been fortunate enough to compete in prestigious amateur events such as the St Andrews Links trophy amongst others.
Fast forward 5 years and I’m now a Trackman-certified professional golfer (Professional Level 1 and 2). I wholeheartedly believe that Trackman helped me accelerate my rate of improvement, and I’d like to explain to you why.
But firstly, let’s get one thing straight; I was already a skilful golfer without using Trackman on a regular basis and there is no doubt in my mind that you too can also become an accomplished golfer without it.
I’m not here to argue the contrary.
However, I do believe Trackman is a tool that can help you precisely dial-in many aspects of your game and, consequently, help you improve at a faster rate.
Take for instance the ‘club speed’ metric. This number is a measurement of how fast the club is moving just prior to impact with the golf ball. For those golfers interested in hitting the ball further, increasing your club speed is an absolute necessity.
Now suppose you’re going to go to the driving range to practice hitting your driver further without a Trackman. How are you going to measure your improvement?
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with either approach. It’s all useful practice!
However, in both examples, there is one thing I can guarantee you: your local range will NOT measure your club speed.
Large scale driving range launch monitor systems rely on tracking the flight of the ball to generate their data. They do not track the motion of the club and swing.
This is where Trackman enters the equation because Trackman is an excellent tool for tracking both ball and club data. In short, Trackman tracks everything!
Therefore, for golfers who are serious about their improvement, Trackman gives you all of the information you need to become more skilled.
For the specific example of attempting to gain more distance from the tee, Trackman will tell you how fast you swung the club. Precisely.
It could be 100.1mph, it could be 90.7mph. But at the end of the session you will possess a specific number that was your best of the day. And furthermore, tomorrow you will have the opportunity to return and strive to surpass that number regardless of the weather conditions.
Your local driving range might be playing into the wind tomorrow. How will you be judging your potential improvement in distance at that time if those range balls are suddenly flying short of that 200 yard sign? Did you get shorter? Or can we simply not compare the two days?
When using Trackman at an indoor venue such as the Centre of Golf Excellence in St Andrews, the external variables are controlled, allowing you to compare your data from day-to-day so you can track your improvement in an incremental fashion.
If my club speed was 117mph yesterday and 118mph today, I have empirically improved my club speed by 1mph. It is not a subjective measure. The swings are swung under consistent conditions and accurately measured. And tomorrow I will aim for 119mph. Your journey of improvement gains clarity when it’s rooted in data.
The immediate, accurate and precise feedback outlined above is why I truly believe regular use of Trackman promotes faster improvement.
There is no guesswork involved, and the detailed feedback prepares you for improving the very next shot. It gets a golfer to pause throughout their range session, evaluating the merits of each individual shot, and creating a productive environment for reflective and purposeful practice.
Every shot will be struck with a singular purpose in mind: to produce an improved number compared to the last shot. Do this over an extended period of time and, certainly in my mind at least, a golfer is going to become more thoughtful, more competent, and have an increasingly detailed understanding of their own golf game.
If you believe a Trackman session could work for you, then maybe it’s time to give it a go. I gave it a try and I’ve not looked back since!
Contact us today to book a Trackman bay for practice.
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