A Distance Optimization Dashboard Supplementary Article

There are a few assumptions made with the Interactive Distance Optimization Dashboard, key among them is the general assumption that you are capable of hitting a ball at higher and higher launch angles without drastic increases in spin rate or significant decreases in absolute ball speed.

As a result of this assumption, it is very important to note that in the Interactive Distance Optimization Dashboard there is a difference between the calculated optimum launch angle/spin rate and what is actually achievable.

Greater Launch Angle = Greater Distance….In Theory

If you want a very light object like a golf ball to travel as far as possible, all else being equal, you would send it off at an angle between 17-25 degrees (depending on ball speed and spin rate) for maximum distance. However, hitting a driver at maximum possible velocity with minimal spin at an angle even close to this is next to impossible.

So from a calculation perspective, with ball speed and spin rate being kept the same, the maximum distance will almost always come from a higher launch angle (I only tested from 7 to 16 degrees, so in this case 16 degrees) so more distance from a higher launch angle is true from a calculation perspective.

In Real Life Things Are A Little Different

In real life it is very difficult, but not impossible, to achieve this. Typically as you send the ball off on a higher launch angle the spin rate increases dramatically and absolute ball speed will also decrease.

Distance maximization is the main reason long drivers try to hit the ball very high with very little spin. Sean Fister’s winning drive at the 2005 World Long Drive Championships had a Ball Speed of 205 MPH, Launch Angle of 14 Degrees and Spin Rate of about 2,000 RPM’s. It was a ball hit very high, very fast with very little spin, resulting in maximum distance. He is one of the very select few that can do this.

Because of the difficulty of achieving launch statistics like this for the average person, the Interactive Distance Optimization Dashboard breaks your optimal launch conditions down into three sections:

Launch Angle: Calculated optimal launch angle.
Spin Rate: Optimal spin rate for your ball speed.
Driver Loft: Realistic launch angle that takes into consideration your ball speed and optimal spin rate. You would probably also want this to be close to the loft of your driver.

A Model Is Still Just A Model

Obviously this is a model, and it is difficult to replicate all real life situations in a model like this. Due to the enormous number of variables that can affect the end distance figures I built the following assumptions into the Distance Optimization Dashboard:

• It assumes that you are hitting a perfectly straight shot with absolutely no side spin.
  
• It assumes that you can increase/decrease your launch angle while not having a significant variance in your ball speed or spin rate.
  
• It assumes that there is zero wind in any direction.
  
• It assumes you are playing in Chicago, IL on a 70 degree day in the summer.

Point being with all this is that while this model will tell you definitively, with all else being equal, what launch conditions will hit the ball the furthest it is up to you, working with your PGA Teaching Professions and/or a professional club fitter, to determine what is achievable and right for your swing.

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