Robot data reveals the secret to hitting more fairways

Do you struggle to hit the fairway with your driver? If so, the ClubTest robot found the most important measurement to help you: face angle at impact. 

Drivers

Face angle is defined as the amount that your driver face is open or closed when you strike the ball. To test this, we set up the robot to swing a 10.5-degree driver at 95 mph and hit the ball dead straight with a zero-degree face angle. We then opened and closed the clubface 1 degree each way. 

The results were 10 yards right and left. When we opened the clubface 2 degrees, we saw 20 yards in off-line deviation. 

For context, the average fairway is about 40 yards in width. This means that a typical golfer has to be plus or minus 2 degrees of face angle or risk hitting into trouble. 

To determine your face angle, you’ll need to access a launch monitor that captures this data. Once you start hitting on one, you will quickly see what your face angle is. Knowing exactly what’s causing your accuracy problems is the first step toward fixing them.

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