Cause of Spin Rate – TrackMan Golf

If you want to improve, you need to understand spin rate. Worry less about the outcome and focus more on how the club impacts the ball to get real, actionable data.

Looking at just one parameter as a cause of something else can be misleading.

Recently working with PGA Tour player Wyndham Clark while testing drivers, spin rates were from 1,700-3,200 rpm shot to shot.

We were looking to see driver spin rates to be more in the range of 2,200-2,500 rpms. That is with multiple shafts/driver heads, we’d still be seeing too high or too low spin rates. We were only looking at spin rate numbers until I started looking into club delivery numbers, especially attack angle.

But why would spin rate be so volatile?

How that club is being delivered and the impact on the face dictates spin. Taking a deeper dive into club numbers I noticed attack angle was consistently -4 to -2 down. The optimal attack angle is hitting slightly up on the ball, positive 1 to positive 4. Wyndham subsequently started to work on his attack angle. Now working on attack angle instead of spin rate things started to change. Every number became more consistent. Launch angle, club path, ball speed, club speed, and yes spin rate.

What’s the big takeaway? You are unlikely to get consistent by only looking at one number. Knowing why spin rate maybe too high or too low is the important factor. The attack angle with driver is a direct correlation of what a driver can produce when it comes to a predictable spin rate.

When looking at spin rate look at the cause, not the effect from the shot.