The 6 most important launch monitor numbers to track

There isn’t a Tour player alive who doesn’t know his swing measurements by heart. Following their lead could be the next big step you make in your search for lower scores. The trick: making sense of the numbers so you know what’s working and what isn’t. Focus on the following:

This is largely considered one of the primary indicators of a golfer’s true potential. Whether you want to curve the ball, make it stop on a dime or hit the living daylights out of it, you need speed. Obviously, the more mph the better.

Spin values say a lot about the quality of your strike. They’re also primary parameters to consider if a club is optimally fit for a player. Also critical is the axis on which the ball rotates, so pay attention to that.

A consistent spin axis measurement is evidence of a repeatable ballflight, regardless if it’s straight, fading or drawing.

This value is basically a swing efficiency measurement: ball speed divided by clubhead speed. An optimal smash factor for a driver is approximately 1.48 to 1.51; your goal with, say, a 6-iron should be around 1.35 to 1.4. Smash indicates how solid you’re catching the ball and, more important, if contact is around the sweet spot.