SkyTrak Launch Monitor Practice

The new golf season 2018 is on our doorstep. Today is March 4, 2018. We had over a foot of snow on March 2nd and the temperature today is about 32 degrees with a stiff wind blowing.

I had cut my practice nets down because the rain before the snow froze and there was about a ton of snow caught on the nets. So Yesterday I rehung the nets after a hard pull out of the snow and today I decided to it balls again.

The sun was bright even though the ground was wet and muddy and the temperature was no conducive to practicing my golf swing. But what the hell its march and I wanted to practice.

I turned on my SkyTrak launch monitor and connected to my iPhone and went to work. i have been practicing hard since the season ended last November and at times have been able to get my driver club head speed up to 96 and ball speed near 140.

A far cry from the old days when I averaged 116 mph with ball speeds in the 160’s and 170’s. Of course I was 20 years younger and have undergone battles with cancer, knee surgeries, torn cartilages, infections and other surgeries and ailments.

Seems like its been 10 years of a downhill energy spiral, although last year 2017, was a relatively good year knock on wood and all sorts of other things to keep the blues way.

So today in the old and sunny weather surrounded by piles of now I managed to get my club speed to about 85 with ball speed about 131. Not too bad I thought for the conditions and by condition.

I have been experimenting with different shafts. I can still swing a stiff shaft but always need a higher kick point due to the fact that I have a fast hard release of the club head and have strong powerful wrists and hands. Swings with a regular lighter longer shaft have produced better numbers and more distance.

Funny thing about practicing. One day last week when it was a little warmer I hit about 80 balls with a driver and was caught in the 85 to 90 mph comfort zone. Then I decided to call on my adrenaline and try to pump myself up to a “game day” frame of mind. The result of the experiment into a raised level of concentration and awareness was 96 mph with balls speeds of a little over 140.

I guess animated practice is more productive than steady level practice, at least in the context of trying to increase distance, clubbed speed, and ball speed. Although I have played my best golf score-wise when I play in a state of steady level headed clear headed detached concentration.

I am hitting the ball pretty straight on a consistent basis, but I am also starting to become aware of a slight tweak in my downswing move that increases my numbers pretty dramatically. The only problem is that the ball goes way right of my usual direction, which is a slight draw of little fad when I want to hit a fade.

As I sit here the 2018 golf season is right on our doorstep. My SkyTrak launch monitor has afforded me hours of really productive practice during this off season. I will continue to work hard and am looking forward to playing some good golf this season.

Let the games begin!