Connor Clay, Author at Tee It Up Canton

Understanding Your Golf Swing Data

Connor Clay on April 28, 2023

It’s fun to hit balls indoors or out and see all of your data immediately after you hit the shot. But what does it all mean? What should your ball speed be? Is 1.2 degrees in to out a good club path? Without an expert standing next to you, it’s hard to know.

So let this post be your guiding light. Understand exactly what all of your data means and how it stacks up. That way, you can start improving your game in a smart and meaningful way.

Ball Speed

This is how fast your ball moves when it leaves the club. Most PGA tour pros have 165 mph ball speed or above. But for amateurs, anything over 150 is fantastic. The ball speed will get progressively slower as you hit shorter clubs.

Launch Angle

This isn’t one we pay a ton of attention to. The higher the loft, the higher your launch angle will be. A good launch angle is a result of a good swing.

Push/Pull

While self-explanatory, your push/pull number is essential. If you typically hit a draw, you want a bit of a push to start. If you hit a fade, a slight pull number is ideal. This is mainly related to your club’s face-to-target and path. We’ll get to those later.

Backspin

The lower your backspin number, the better when it comes to hitting driver. Anything below 2,500 RPM is excellent. The backspin number will go up when you hit clubs with more loft. The closer you hit your driver to the center of the face, the lower the backspin number will be.

Sidespin

High side spin on any club is bad news. It can lead to big hooks or slices. But it also results from impact location and your club’s face to target and path.

Carry

Carry is the main number good players and tour pros pay attention to. While you can hit your 7 iron 180 with rollout, it only carries 165. So, if you have to carry water or a trap 170 yards away, you’ll fool yourself into thinking you can make it happen.

One of the most important pieces of advice we give at Tee It Up Canton is to watch your carry number more than your total number. You never know how much roll you’ll get on any given day, and you need to know whether you can carry a hazard.

Total Distance

Total distance is carry plus roll. Most golfers only know their total distance numbers. But as we described above, carry distance may be more critical. If you hit a drive downhill on a dry day, your total distance will be much longer than on an uphill hole on a wet day. You’re doing pretty well if you can get your driver’s total distance to 250 yards or better.

Offline

This number is simply how far off you were from where you were aimed. Anything within 10 yards left or right will be perfectly fine on the course.

Distance to Pin

Distance to pin is self-explanatory. It’s how far your ball is from the hole. This is more important on approach shots than drives.

Peak Height

Your peak height matters, especially when you play in windy conditions. The lower you keep the ball, the less the wind can affect it. But, a higher ball flight will land softly on the green and stick instead of rolling off.

Club Speed

Club speed is something you’ll hear a lot of golfers talk about especially when it comes to drivers. Big hitters’ club speed is usually over 112 mph. But average players are usually between 95-105 mph. These numbers are just fine if you hit it straight. The stronger you get, the more club head speed you’ll have.

Efficiency/Smash Factor

Another hugely important number – efficiency is ball speed divided by club speed. Anything over 1.4 is excellent for drivers. And anything over 1.3 is ideal for iron shots.

Angle of Attack

Good angle of attack numbers vary depending on your club. Wedges and irons require a downward angle somewhere between two and eight degrees. While drivers will work best with an upward angle of attack.

Club Path

The four data points we pay the most attention to are club path, face to target, horizontal impact and vertical impact. For club path, the closer to 0 degrees, the better. But you can play between four degrees out to in or in to out. You’ll probably hit a big hook if you have a large in-to-out number. The opposite is true for a big out-to-in club path.

Face to Target

The combination of club path and face to target are the two biggest determining factors for where your shot goes. If you have an in-to-out club path – you want an open club face. For example, a four-degree club path and a two-degree open club face create a perfect baby draw. On the other hand, a four-degree out-to-in club path with a two-degree closed club face will result in a baby fade.

The more open your club face is, the more your ball will slice. The more closed it is, the more it will hook. Ensuring your club face is square at impact is imperative to a great golf game.

Loft

Loft is the degree of the club at impact. Most drivers are between eight and 12 degrees. But loft is typically a bit higher on drivers and a bit lower on irons because players try to swing down at the ball.

Lie

Lie is better described as toe up/toe down. Many amateurs have large toe down numbers, but the closer you get that number to 0 or toe up, the better. This is heavily considered during iron fittings because iron heads can be adjusted for your lie angle.

Horizontal Impact

Is your typical miss off the toe? Off the heel? That’s what horizontal impact is. Hitting the ball as close to the center of the face as possible will give you more distance, accuracy and consistency. Toe misses tend to result in hooks, while heel misses result in slices.

Vertical Impact

Same thing as horizontal impact – the closer to the center, the better. If you have a high vertical impact, you probably chunked it. If it’s a few millimeters low, you hit a thin shot. Thin shots are much more playable than chunks.

Conclusion

There’s obviously a lot that goes into a golf swing. But understanding your data while not getting overwhelmed by it will help you quickly improve your game. Want to see the numbers for yourself? Book a bay at Tee It Up Canton today!

How To Plan the Perfect Golf Trip

Connor Clay on November 21, 2022

There’s nothing quite like a golf trip. Memories that last a lifetime. Stories told for years to come. And friendships become unbreakable bonds.

But for a golf trip to be a success, there is a lot of planning to do beforehand (sometimes years in advance). From picking a destination to traveling and packing, there are many things to consider before getting in the car or on the plane to your favorite golf destination.

Who To Invite on the Golf Trip

Choosing who you invite first is pivotal to the golf trip’s success. Group compatibility can make or break your getaway, but that doesn’t mean having different personalities is terrible. You have to plan for it.

Let’s start with the basics. First and foremost, golf is played in foursomes, so you need a group of four, eight or 12. Any more than that makes planning a bear. Start by casting a wide net and ask about 12-15 friends if they’d like to go on a golf trip. It’s helpful to have a few destinations and times of year in mind.

Once you have your group set, it’s time to move on to the fun parts!

Golf Resort Vs. City/Area

As of publication, I’ve gone on four golf trips. Two at resorts (Bandon Dunes and Boyne Highlands), and two around cities (Harrisburg, PA and Orlando, FL). All four outings offered more fun than I ever could imagine, but they each had their lists of pros and cons.

Golf resorts like Bandon Dunes and Pinehurst offer top-of-the-line amenities and golf courses. You’ll spend a bit extra money to stay at the resort, but the customer service and attention to detail will be unmatched.

Bandon Dunes has a shuttle service that runs 24 hours daily and can pick you up and drop you off wherever you’d like. Knowing you never have to drive anywhere is a game-changer.

But, there are some advantages to picking an area with many golf courses (think Hilton Head, SC, Kohler, WI, Florida, etc.). In many cases, it’s easier to fly to Hilton Head or Orlando than to Pinehurst or Bandon Dunes.

And cities have creature comforts like restaurants, bars, grocery stores and other fun things to do when you’re not on the golf course. You can also save some money by not paying resort prices for food and drinks.

No matter what you choose, make sure to book your tee times and accommodations well in advance to ensure you don’t get shut out of the courses you want to play.

Packing for Your Golf Trip

Now that everything is booked, it’s time to pack your bags! If you’re flying, a nice golf travel bag is a must. Airport workers don’t care nearly as much about your golf clubs as you do, so make sure they’re protected. You should remove your driver’s head and wrap your clubs in a towel to ensure they’re safe during travel.

Most airlines have a weight limit, so ditch anything extra that might weigh down your travel bag, like extra ball markers, divot repair tools, rain gear, etc. If you need those things, you can always throw them in your carry-on.

If you’re driving, skip the travel bag because it will take up more room in your trunk.

When it comes to clothing, make sure you pack everything you need. A few golf shirts and shorts might be ok if you’re going to Arizona, where it doesn’t rain, but you’ll need layers if you go anywhere else. It’s better to be overprepared than underprepared. Trust me, you don’t want to buy a whole rain suit in the pro shop because you left yours behind.

Pro-tip: change your socks between rounds if you’re playing 36 holes. Even if it doesn’t feel like you’re sweating, you’ll feel brand new again once you swap socks.

Here’s a list of what articles of clothing need to bring:

Golf shirts
Golf shorts
Golf pants
Layers like quarter-zips and hoodies
Rain gear
Socks and underwear
Hats
Shoes (golf and casual)
Athleisure wear
Nicer clothes for dinner
Pajamas

Last but not least, don’t forget to include toiletries, sunscreen and moleskin for blisters.

Pre-Golf-Trip Practice

If you live up north, you probably want to plan a trip south during the winter. But you should probably schedule a lesson or an indoor session at Tee It Up Canton if you’re from northeast Ohio.

You don’t want your first swing in a few months to come on the first tee of a golf trip. That’s a recipe for disaster, especially if everyone has their camera phones out.

Taking lessons and hitting balls indoors will ensure your swing is in top shape when you arrive at your golf destination and spare you the embarrassment of whiffing your first tee shot.

Games to Play on the Golf Course

Depending on the number of players you have, there are plenty of game options to make your rounds more competitive and fun.

The easiest and most common is match play. If you have four players, you can do two vs. two. If you have eight or 12, the groups can play against each other.

Match play is easy. You take the lowest net score on each hole. So if you’re partner gets a shot and makes a four, he actually made a three. If no one in the other group makes a net three or better, you win the hole.

You can also do skins, low man (lowest total score on the trip), stableford, cart other driver and many more.

I won’t go into detail on the rules of each game but give each of them a Google search, and you’re sure to find the rules online.

Other Fun Activities

While this is a golf trip, it’s important to make sure you have other activities planned (even if it’s just dinner) to break up the trip a bit.

Some golfers can play all day, while others might want a break. Ensuring everyone has their best golf trip means understanding not everyone will want to play 36 holes per day or stay out until 3 am.

Planning dinners or outings to local attractions can break up the trip and allow everyone to catch their breath.

Do a little research before you arrive to see what non-golf options are available, then poll your group to see what they’re interested in.

Conclusion

Golf trips are almost always unforgettable. But if you don’t do the planning ahead of time, you might not have as much fun as you could have.

As long as you have a good group of friends, a nice place to stay and fun golf courses, you’ll have a great time!

A Quick Update on Golf Lessons

Connor Clay on November 1, 2022

Hey golfers! We just wanted to give you a quick update on lessons at Tee It Up. We currently have four coaches slated to give golf lessons at our location, but they’re still working their day jobs outside.

These four coaches each have different specialties and will be able to help golfers of all skill levels improve their game and have more fun on the course.

If you’d like to request a lesson today, please fill out this form and someone will be in touch with you about scheduling soon.

All four of our golf pros are independent contractors. That means you must book with them, not directly through our website. They also can charge different rates and will expect to be paid directly by you after your lesson.

We’re looking forward to helping everyone improve their golf game, but until winter hits, our golf professionals will still be outside. But trust us, it’s Ohio — winter will be here soon enough.

Thanks, and please let us know if you have any questions!

Tee It Up Canton’s First Week

Connor Clay on October 25, 2022

From all of us at Tee It Up Canton, we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who came out to visit us during our first week!

We were lucky enough to host the Jackson and Green High School boys’ golf teams as they prepped for the state championship. Each team finished 10th and 11th, respectively.

The kids absolutely loved the facility and will definitely be back this winter. You should see them hit the ball! We were amazed at how far and straight they could hit it. The young golfers also picked up our software very easily. We can’t wait to have more high school and youth golfers out to Tee It Up Canton this winter.

We also had the opportunity to host several members of Brookside Country Club. Everyone enjoyed playing a round with their friends and found our software enlightening.

Even seasoned golfers enjoy a better understanding of their swing and distance when they use our Foresight launch monitors.

Lastly, we are thankful for the people we didn’t know who came out to give us a try. It always feels good when folks who aren’t friends give us positive feedback.

Over the weekend, we fixed a few bugs to improve the Tee It Up Canton experience. Want to get in on the fun? Book your bay today. See you soon!