Todd Dugan
New
Impact Information from "unnamed source" who worked at Taylor Made in the 90's
I spoke recently with a colleague of mine who did consulting work with Taylor Made Golf in the 90's. He is a teaching pro, but he will remain nameless for now. I knew that he had some interesting findings about impact from measuring many Tour pros. Seeing the information coming from Dr. Zick, through Brian, I called my colleague to see what he could add or confirm. Here are the main points:
1. I asked him how much the Clubhead Path and Attack Angle change during collision. He said "hardly at all". This is consistent with with the .2* change that Brian has shared.
2. He claims that virtually every Tour pro measured, rotates the clubface 2.5*, relative to the clubhead's arc, for every 1 inch of travel through the impact zone. With the ball on the clubface for 3/4 inch, the clubface rotates about 1.9* while the ball is on the clubface. Obviously, not every pro will exhibit the exact same rate of clubface rotation. But he said that not one pro came close to holding the clubface square to the the arc. Just in case it wasn't obvious, opening the clubface, reverse-rotation, on the plane, is prety much an impossibility.
3. He said that a Dynamic Loft during impact of 8* less than the static loft of the club was an often-recurring number. If you remove Attack Angle and the forward bend of the shaft during impact from the equation, you're left with something like a 4 or 5* degree reduction to Spinloft. No big surprise there.
4. But now here is the WHOPPER! He said that because the clubface is rotating during impact, the toe of the clubface is moving 15-20 mph faster than the heel. This compresses the outer part of the ball more than the inner part and results in a 6* "hook torque" applied to the ball. In other words, if Iron Byron hits a ball with the clubface holding square to the arc during collision, then the ball will fly without curve. But, if the clubface is rotating, like Tour pros do it, and the clubface is square to the arc during collision, then the ball will react as if the clubface were 6* closed. A radical finding indeed!
We didn't discuss "max compression vs. separation", but it wouldn't change the theme of his findings.
I certainly can't refute his findings. But I do not wish to defend them, either. I am simply passing on the findings of another. There were no papers published. Take it FWIW.
I spoke recently with a colleague of mine who did consulting work with Taylor Made Golf in the 90's. He is a teaching pro, but he will remain nameless for now. I knew that he had some interesting findings about impact from measuring many Tour pros. Seeing the information coming from Dr. Zick, through Brian, I called my colleague to see what he could add or confirm. Here are the main points:
1. I asked him how much the Clubhead Path and Attack Angle change during collision. He said "hardly at all". This is consistent with with the .2* change that Brian has shared.
2. He claims that virtually every Tour pro measured, rotates the clubface 2.5*, relative to the clubhead's arc, for every 1 inch of travel through the impact zone. With the ball on the clubface for 3/4 inch, the clubface rotates about 1.9* while the ball is on the clubface. Obviously, not every pro will exhibit the exact same rate of clubface rotation. But he said that not one pro came close to holding the clubface square to the the arc. Just in case it wasn't obvious, opening the clubface, reverse-rotation, on the plane, is prety much an impossibility.
3. He said that a Dynamic Loft during impact of 8* less than the static loft of the club was an often-recurring number. If you remove Attack Angle and the forward bend of the shaft during impact from the equation, you're left with something like a 4 or 5* degree reduction to Spinloft. No big surprise there.
4. But now here is the WHOPPER! He said that because the clubface is rotating during impact, the toe of the clubface is moving 15-20 mph faster than the heel. This compresses the outer part of the ball more than the inner part and results in a 6* "hook torque" applied to the ball. In other words, if Iron Byron hits a ball with the clubface holding square to the arc during collision, then the ball will fly without curve. But, if the clubface is rotating, like Tour pros do it, and the clubface is square to the arc during collision, then the ball will react as if the clubface were 6* closed. A radical finding indeed!
We didn't discuss "max compression vs. separation", but it wouldn't change the theme of his findings.
I certainly can't refute his findings. But I do not wish to defend them, either. I am simply passing on the findings of another. There were no papers published. Take it FWIW.
