Graham Averill is turning 50 this year and he’s crazy. Instead of buying a motorcycle or getting a tattoo, he’s decided to try to get really, really good at golf. He started this project as a 13-year-old handicapper, trying to reach zero in one year. He is now 10.7. Welcome to his midlife crisis.
I’m not a numbers guy. The most advanced math I can do is add 15 plus 8 at the Vegas blackjack table (bust again). Even finding the tip after dinner stresses me out. Thankfully, math wasn’t a big part of my life as a writer … until I started playing golf. Now, I have numbers running through my head all the time because this game is all about data. Strokes gained, swing speed, spin speed, percentage of greens hit in regulation…all this hard data is collected to tell you a story about your game. And even though numbers don’t come naturally to me, I’ve become obsessed with them in hopes that numbers can help me improve at golf.
Since starting this project, I’ve been experimenting with a number of different tools to put together a variety of figures, tracking each shot of each round in the process. I have used Field of fire sensors AND Garmin watch and the new one Arcos Air during different rounds. At the range, I’ve incorporated free launch monitors to reveal the cold, hard facts about my movement so my coach can help me make the right moves.
Can all this data help me improve at golf? I think so.
Here’s a look at the device I’m using to track every aspect of my game, some of the hard numbers I’ve put together, and how I think it’s getting me on the right track to getting started.
Data in the course
Like I said, I’ve used a few different devices to track each round, but I’ve settled on relying on the Arcos Air as the primary tool that tracks my shots and guides my progress. If you’ve used club sensors before, Arccos Air collects the same type of shot data, but without the use of sensors. It learns your steps and tracks your shots and club choices through a small device in your pocket.
There is a learning curve to this. I found that I had to edit the clubs I used for most shots for the first 10 or so rounds until he learned my distances. And you need to set the dowel and set the distances for most of the holes after you’re done too. I have made a habit of looking at each hole after I finish to make sure all the data collected is correct. The more I use it, the more it learns my game and the less I have to modify.
And I really like how Arccos breaks down the data and tells you exactly which aspects of your game are on fire and where you need to focus your attention. This may sound redundant – you know if you’re chipping your wedges and hitting your driver a mile, right? But Arcos it removes all emotional bias from game evaluation. For example, before using the Arccos Air, I thought my driver was the club holding me back, so I spent most of my practice time hitting buckets of drivers on the range. But after analyzing the data, the driver is actually the strongest part of my game right now. It’s my putting and approach shots that are killing me. AND Arcos Air it gets really specific about what aspects of my approach and placement game are lacking. Specifically, I need to work on approach shots in the 100 to 150 meter range; I’m losing an average of 2.2 strokes per round to scratch golfers just that distance in my last three rounds. And the placement? My putting is okay, but shots between six and nine feet are my kryptonite. I’m losing 1.4 shots per round at that distance. I’ve lost track of the number of six-foot birdie putts I’ve missed, but that’s okay because Arcos Air tracks those absences for me. And then it tells me what I need to do to start playing like a scratch golfer by suggesting specific drills.
For the six skirts I keep leaving on the table, Arcos suggests that I do the internship in the course. During my next nine-hole round, after I finish each hole, he suggests I hit a ball from five to eight feet to simulate a birdie putt on the course I play most. The goal is to simulate the pressure of a game and make four of nine of those extra strokes during the round.
Dialing in Swing
Club specific data Arcos collection is also useful. Over time, it learns your average full swing with each club and determines your distribution rate. Right now, I have a 29-yard dispersion rate with my driver and almost an equal chance of missing to the left or right of the fairway. But because I’m obsessed with the data aspect of this project, I decided to take a small launch monitor with me on the course during one last round to collect the movement numbers on the course.
I’ve tried two different mid-priced launch monitors, the rhapsody AND Garmin Approach R10and I like both. The Rapsodo has a video component to it, so you can get an image of your swing and ball strike, but the Garmin gives you more data, such as rotational speeds in each direction. It’s also a little smaller, so it’s easier to slip into your bag and I feel less like a fool when I swipe it at a distance.
It takes a few minutes to set up for each shot, so I don’t use it often on the course and haven’t collected data on each club yet. But I’ve scored enough swings on the course to help inform a future club match. I also discovered that I have a strange anomaly in my swing speed.
I have very good swing speed with my irons (90-92 mph with the 7-iron and iron) but my driver swing speed is lacking. It tops out at 102 and I’m usually in the 98-99 mph range. Driver speeds are usually 20 mph faster than iron speeds, but that’s not the case here. I’m getting a good distance from my driver so it’s not high on my priority list to address right now. I have to spend most of my time on the putting green. But I would like to know why I can swing my irons at high speed but not the big club. Usually, it’s the opposite. Is there a snag in my driver technique? Am I just being too careful in the box of goods? My trainer thinks it might be a bit of both.
And that’s why I’m obsessed with collecting this kind of data. Golf is hard and overwhelming. There are so many aspects of the game that an amateur like myself needs to work on, but numbers can help guide us through the wilderness and illuminate what we need to focus on the most. At least, I hope it will.
