In Monday and Tuesday’s practice rounds on the PGA Tour, it’s almost uncanny at this point to see a player without a type of launch monitor device that is carried to measure each stroke.
On this week’s episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped, Trackman’s Harry Shih explained what numbers the pros and their caddies are really focusing on when they’re on the course using a launch monitor.
Shih said he walks the practice round every Tuesday with Xander Schuaffele to help record data from all his shots.
“It’s really carry and then spin rate are the two things we’re looking at,” Shih said. “Especially for a guy like Xander who is pretty low maintenance when it comes to change.”
This is not only useful for Schauffele but perhaps most helpful to his caddy, Austin Kaiser.
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“For Kaiser, he wants to be able to perfect his wind judgment, what he says to Xander in the practice round, ‘Hey, I think that’s a 180 ball,’ and if it actually goes 175, then he knows maybe if his 5-yard calculation was right,” Shih said. “But then just looking at maybe some different things on the golf course, the spin rates, how it’s coming off a cut first lie versus a fairway lie, changes in ball speed, changes in spin speed.”
Schauffele is not one to change gears muchbut when he does, that’s where Shih will allow Kellen Watson and the rest of the Callaway team take over.
This work is also mostly done on the driving range and they are looking at things like tip height and gap. When they’re out on the golf course, it’s more about hitting shots and being able to trust the numbers.
“Are you performing the same way on the golf course as you are on the range?” See said. “Can we take it off a little bit? Can we hit it a little higher? Things like that. But it’s really, hey, it’s the spin rate and the carry where we need it for maybe 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 see below.
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