2 weeks ago I was in Orlando for the Trackman Users Conference.  There were about 100 Trackman users and guests in attendance and it was a GREAT learning experience.  The highlight for me was watching PGA Tour player Kevin Streelman hit balls with his coach Darren May.

They explained how they use Trackman to help Kevin with his game.  Using parameters they have measured when Kevin is playing well, it is easy for them to figure out what they need to work on.  Kevin hit a few balls and worked his way up to the driver.

Kevin’s main issue is that he tends to fire his right hip out towards the ball causing him to lose his spine angle at impact.  This move causes his hands and the shaft to raise up as he comes through the ball.  This leads to a flippy release at the bottom and shots that can go both left AND right.  They don’t use video to look at this, they rely on the numbers that they get from Trackman.

The number they were looking at was the Swing Plane number.  This is basically the angle of the shaft in relation to the ground as the club contacts the ball.  A higher number would be a more vertical shaft position (90 degrees would be straight up or perpendicular to the ground) a lower number would be a flatter angle (0 degrees would be parallel to the ground).  About 45 degrees would be good for a driver.  When Kevin is playing well, his Swing Plane with the driver is 44 to 46 degrees.  When he starts to lose his spine angle, his Swing Plane number gets up to 49 or 50 degrees.  I have a swing of Kevin’s on Trackman and his Swing Plane is 46.1

The day we were at the conference, Kevin’s Swing Plane was in the 48 – 50 range.  He had not worked with his coach in about 3 or 4 weeks, and he got away from what he was working on.  Knowing what his numbers are gives him a clear picture of what he needs to work on.  They were heading to the range later in the day for a 4 hour practice session.

What a great and simple way to stay on track with your game.  Most people take lessons when they are playing poorly.  How helpful would it be to take a lesson when you are playing your best and document your numbers.  You can see what your parameters are when you are swinging well and then if you get away from that you will clearly see what you need to fix.