Trackman - Neil's view
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Neil using Trackman and video to coach tour pro Chris Robb
Meldrum House Golf Academy is equipped with the latest Trackman 4 dual radar system. It tells Neil what the club is doing at the most important point of the swing - impact, and its effect on the golf ball’s launch, flight and landing.
Here is Neil’s perspective.
Neil:
“Trackman’s an essential in my coaching, the same way it’s the number one accessory for top pro golfers. Trackman’s the first thing a Tour player packs on their way to a tournament. There are some things that the legends of the game had to work out for themselves by feel and instinct, but Trackman’s clarified these ideas for us and turned them into definite information about ball flight. Everything Trackman records and tracks is such a help in a lesson.”
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How do you use Trackman?
Neil:
“I should say that the Trackman data isn’t the focus of my lessons; the golfer is. They’ve their own physique and swing habits, so I start with the golfer, not the data. And some people don’t really want to be thinking about technology and numbers in their lessons, so with these students I’ll be doing it right if they’re not even aware that I’m using Trackman to help their swing.
“I usually use two cameras to capture the student’s swing, and the Trackman software suite lets me marry the swing with the club and ball data. I can add graphics, or pull up a tour swing to compare with. I’m already using my eyes, of course, so I use all these visuals plus the data to confirm that our swing changes are working.”
What's your favourite Trackman data point?
Neil:
“It's a trio. Angle of attack, club path and face angle.”
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And what’s your students’ favourite?
Neil:
“No contest there! Club speed. Especially the men! I sometimes have to hide that one so they focus on the task in hand.”
Which of the less well-known parameters interests you?
Neil:
“Low point and impact offset. That’s how far before or after the ball their swing bottoms out, and where on the club face the strike is, towards the heel or toe.”
“The special Trackman putting features are very useful, too, for helping golfers see how big the break really is, and how not to miss on the amateur side of the cup.”
Any behind-the-scenes features you use?
Neil:
“Some of my students like to see the Optimizer screen. It tells us what their potential is and what they need to change to get there. It shows how small adjustments can be used to get big results."
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