During Monday and Tuesday practice rounds on the PGA Tour, it’s almost strange to see a player at this point without some sort of launch monitor device carried around to measure each shot.
On this week’s episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipment, Trackman’s Harry Shih explained what numbers pros and their caddies actually focus on when they’re on the course using a launch monitor.
Shih said he runs a practice run every Tuesday with Xander Schuaffele to help capture the data from all his shots.
“It’s really carry and spin rate are the two things we look at,” Shih said. “Especially for someone like Xander, who is quite low maintenance when it comes to change.”
That’s not only helpful for Schauffele, but perhaps even more helpful for his caddy, Austin Kaiser.
“For Kaiser, he wants to be able to refine his judgment of the wind, which he says to “But then also just looking at maybe some different things on the golf course, spin rates, how it comes out of a first-cut lie versus a fairway lie, differences in ball speed, differences in spin rate.”
Schauffele isn’t one to change gear much, but if he does, Shih will let Kellen Watson and the rest of the Callaway team take the helm.
This work mainly takes place on the driving range and matters such as peak height and gapping are examined. When they’re on the golf course, it’s more about hitting shots and being able to rely on numbers.
“Does it perform the same on the golf course as it does on the course?” Shih said. “Can we take it off a little bit? Can we turn it up a little bit? That kind of thing. But it’s really, hey, the spin rate and carry where we might need it that week.”
For more from Shih and Fully Equipped co-hosts Johnny Wunder and Jake Morrow, listen to the full episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped hereor watch it below.
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