The Launch Angle

By Woody Lashen

An ever-increasing number of golfers are now being custom fit for their next set of clubs.  The club fitting session begins with an evaluation of your swing.  Master Club Fitter and golf expert Woody Lashen delves into one of the key measurements of the golf swing as the club meets the ball.

Golfing Magazine:  Let’s talk about one of the prime components of the club fitting evaluation — launch angle. What is it, and how is it measured?

Woody Lashen:  Launch angle is the initial angle the ball is launched at. Let’s say that your launch angle is 14 degrees.  That’s 14 degrees up from the ground. Launch angle and spin rate go hand in hand. If your spin rate is too high, you will need a lower launch angle (the result will be less distance, mostly in roll).  With a lower spin rate, a higher launch angle will produce maximum carry and roll. Many golfers confuse launch angle with the height of a drive; the apex of your drive is not the crucial element here, but rather how your drive got there. A high launch angle with a low spin rate may produce the same apex (appearing to be the same height), but the higher spin rate produces a steeper angle of decent.   This results in less carry and much less roll.  While there are many devices that claim to measure launch angle, only the best devices can do this accurately.  Getting the correct launch angle and spin rate is critical if you want to achieve maximum distance and accuracy for your ball speed.

GM:  How can launch angle be changed or improved with different equipment, lofts, club-head materials, etc.

WL:  A different center of gravity will change the launch angle, so we can have two drivers from different manufactures — both at 9.5 degrees – and the launch angle will be different depending on the center of gravity.  Take the Titleist 910 D2 and D3 drivers.  On the D2, the center of gravity is farther back, producing a higher launch angle, while the D3 while with the same lofts produces a lower launch angle because the center of gravity is moved forward.

GM:  For those of us who are complete hackers,

can you actually measure the launch angle of our grounders?

WL:  Launch angle can ALWAYS be measured … and with a proper club fitting, can be changed to give you more distance and accuracy.

Woody Lashen is the co-owner of Pete’s Golf Shop in Mineola.  He has been a professional clubmaker and clubfitter for over 25 years.