Face Angle Half-Back

What is Face Angle @ Half-Back?

This parameter measures the face angle at the half-back position. Half-back refers to the position in the backswing when the shaft becomes parallel with the ground for the first time. Face angle at half-back is measured relative to the vertical, and is 0° when the toe points straight up. The farther downward the toe points, the more closed the club face.

What should Face Angle @ Half-Back be?

Different golfers prefer different face angles at half-back. A good rule of thumb is that the leading edge of your club face should lie parallel to your spine. This typically reads around 30° to 40° closed at half-back. When you find the angle for each club that results in solid hits, groove that value.

Shaft Lean Address

What is Shaft Lean @ Address?

Shaft lean is a measure of how far the hands are pressed forward or backward at address. A forward shaft lean, or "forward press", indicates that the hands were ahead of the ball. A backward shaft lean indicates the hands were behind the ball. Shaft lean is defined as the angle from the club shaft to the vertical.

What should Shaft Lean @ Address be?

The proper shaft lean at address varies with club, player, and shot type. It is common for short irons and wedges to have a small forward shaft lean. Mid irons tend to be around 0°, while long irons and woods often have a small backward shaft lean. When you find a Shaft Lean @ Address that works for you, groove that value.

Shaft Angle Address

What is Shaft Angle @ Address?

Shaft angle is a measure of how steep or flat the club shaft is held at address. Higher numbers indicate higher hands and/or shorter clubs. The shaft angle is defined as the angle from the ground to the club shaft.

What should Shaft Angle @ Address be?

To find your shaft angle for a particular club, point the club at your belt and swing the club. You can then mark this swing as a favorite for easy reference later. Longer clubs will have lower shaft angles, and vice versa. To a large extent, your shaft angle determines the plane of your swing. You stand closer to the ball with the short wedge, resulting in a higher shaft angle and a steeper swing plane. The opposite is true with the driver.

Tips on Shaft Angle @ Address

Work to maintain that number in Groove Practice and also strive to repeat that number at impact as explained in “Shaft Angle @ Impact”.

Swing Tempo

What is Swing Tempo?

This is a measure of your backswing and downswing times presented as a ratio. In other words, if your backswing was three times longer than your downswing, your tempo would be 3:1. Note that the overall length of your swing doesn’t matter, only the relative times between your backswing and downswing. For example a 3 second backswing with a 1 second downswing would have the same tempo ratio as a 6 second backswing with a 2 second downswing.

Do not confuse swing tempo with swing speed. Your swing speed is how fast the club is moving at a particular point in the swing, not the ratio of the backswing to downswing times.

What should Swing Tempo be?

A good Swing Tempo is usually around 3:1 for a full swing. This was originally determined by John Novosel, who discovered that most tour professionals have a remarkably consistent tempo. For example, he analyzed videos of Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan and found they both had 21 frames in the backswing and 7 frames in the downswing. Fred Couples and Tiger Woods had 24 and 8, and Bobby Jones had 27 and 9. All three measurements have a different number of frames total, but the ratio between them is always the same - 3:1.

What should your particular tempo be? Like most aspects of the golf swing, tempo will vary slightly between players. However, since most professionals’ tempos are close to 3:1 for a full swing, that suggests yours should be too. Be aware these 3:1 tempo measurements were taken using video at 30 frames per second, and therefore have much lower resolution than SkyTag. This means that it’s very unlikely that all these professionals would read exactly 3.0 : 1 on the SkyTag, although they would be pretty close. Short game tempos are often a little quicker, usually around 2:1.

Once you've settled on your best swing tempo, try grooving that value in Groove Mode.

Face Angle Top

What is Face Angle @ Top?

This parameter measures your face angle at the top of the backswing. It is measured in degrees below horizontal, instead of open or closed, because a neutral face angle at top (one that is neither open nor closed) depends on the body and will change from golfer-to-golfer and swing-to-swing. In other words, 0° is not a good Face Angle @ Top to have - in fact, it would be a very closed club face.

What Should Face Angle @ Top Be?

Your best Face Angle @ Top depends on your own particular swing mechanics. A face is usually considered to be neutral (neither open nor closed) when the wrists are not bowed or cupped. This means the club face should be parallel to the back of the lead forearm. As a rough rule of thumb, 0° is a closed club face, 90° below horizontal is an open club face, and a neutral face is between 45° and 60° below horizontal for most golfers. We suggest you determine your own correct Face Angle @ Top by asking an instructor, using video, or analyzing your favorite SkyTag swings - then groove that value.

Clubhead Speed

What is Clubhead Speed?

It is a measure of the speed of your clubface at impact. Clubhead Speed is important because it is one of the most important factors in determining how far your ball will travel.

There are multiple definitions of clubhead speed. SkyTag will always report the speed at the center of your club face, no matter where it makes contact with the ball. This allows you to compare the speed of two swings, even if you hit one on the heel and the other on the toe. However, you should be aware that other clubhead speed measurement systems may do the opposite and measure clubhead speed at the point of contact with the ball. Because the club is rotating so quickly, this may differ by as much as 4 MPH.

SkyTag also reports clubhead speed throughout your entire backswing and downswing in graphical form. This velocity profile can help you determine if you jerked your club back during takeaway, if you smoothly transitioned from backswing to downswing, and if you held your lag during the downswing. Good swings typically show a smooth takeaway and transition, with the majority of the acceleration occurring during the last half of the downswing. Try comparing high speed swings with lower speed swings to find dissimilarities between their acceleration profiles.

Rise Angle Impact

What is Rise Angle @ Impact?

Rise angle is a measure of the vertical direction of the putter's velocity at impact. Positive values indicate the putter head is travelling upwards away from the green, while a negative value indicates the putter is traveling downwards into the green.

What should Rise Angle @ Impact be?

Rise angle plays a critical part in achieving good ball roll, which is characterized by a smooth start free of any hops, skips, and backspin. While the optimum rise angle depends on a number of factors, including the loft of the putter at impact and the speed of the green, a good rule of thumb is that the rise angle should be slightly greater than the loft at impact.

As previously mentioned, the optimum rise angle depends on the loft of the putter at impact and the speed of the green. Some instructors teach that a positive loft at impact helps to launch the ball out of its slight divot on the green. However, positive loft at impact will result in backspin on the ball. Backspin is undesirable because it results in the ball slipping and sliding rather than rolling smoothly end over end. With a rise angle greater than loft, the ball is both launched out of its divot and given topspin to ensure it rolls smoothly.

In summary, you should aim for a rise angle slightly greater than loft. This true whether or not you have positive loft at impact. A good drill is to look at your typical Loft @ Impact, and then groove a Rise Angle @ Impact that is a degree or two higher.

Backswing Length

What is Backswing Length?

Backswing length measures how far back you take your club. For full swings, it is displayed in terms of how close the club is to becoming parallel with the ground. Longer swings will be close to, or even past, parallel. Conversely, chips and pitches are measured in terms of where the club shaft would be on a clock face (with the corresponding angle from address also displayed).

What should Backswing Length be?

The correct length of the backswing varies dramatically between different shot types, different clubs, and the golfer’s flexibility. Many players today stop the full back swing just short of parallel to the ground. A shorter back swing is easier to control, yet a longer swing can generate more power. If in doubt, try stopping your backswing just before your left arm starts to bend or your right knee starts to lock.

Once you determine your ideal backswing length for a club, groove this value to become more consistent. You can also use this parameter in Groove Mode to practice distances for your chips and pitches.

Loft Impact

What is Loft @ Impact?

Loft at impact is a measure of the angle between the club face and the horizontal ground plane when the putter hits the ball.

What should Loft @ Impact be?

There are two schools of thought on Loft @ Impact in the putting stroke. Some instructors teach a positive loft between 2°-4°. This will slightly launch the ball out of the divot on the green, which may help achieve a consistent roll and direction. However, if the Loft @ Impact is greater than the Rise Angle @ Impact, the ball will start rolling with backspin, which is undesirable. Since a high Rise Angle @ Impact can be difficult to execute, other instructors, like Michael Breed, argue that a better strategy is to have a small, negative Loft @ Impact. As explained in his book, 3-Degree Putting Solution, a loft of around 1°-2° down will eliminate the chance of backspin and also the chances of launching the ball too high and causing it to bounce.

You should try both styles and find your Loft @ Impact that results in consistent ball roll. Then, groove that value in Groove Mode!

FaceAngle HalfDown

What is Face Angle @ Half-Down?

This parameter measures the face angle at the half-down position. Half-down refers to the position in the downswing when the club is parallel with the ground. Face angle at half-down is measured relative to the vertical and is 0° when the toe points straight up. The farther downward the toe points, the more closed the club face.

It is often taught that the face angle at half-down should be the close to the face angle at half-back, or your spine angle. This tends to be around 30° to 40°.

Path Direction Impact

What is Path Direction @ Impact?

Path Direction @ Impact is a measure of how your putter travels through the ball at impact. An inside-to-out value indicates you putter is traveling away from you across the target line. Conversely, an outside-to-in value indicates your putter is traveling towards you across the target line.

It's important to note that SkyTag assumes your target line is where your club face is pointing at address. You should take this into account if you tend to address the ball with and open or closed face to the hole.

What should Path Direction @ Impact be?

To consistently make a straight putt, both your Face Angle @ Impact and Path Direction @ Impact should typically be 0°. While Face Angle @ Impact has more influence over the direction of your putt, a non-zero Path Direction @ Impact can also impart side-spin on the ball which will cause it deviate from the target line.

To improve the consistency of your putting, try grooving a 0° Path Direction in Groove Mode.

Return Angle HalfDown

What is Return Angle @ Half-Down?

This parameter measures how far inside or outside you return your club during the downswing. It is measured at half-down, which refers to the position in the downswing when the club is parallel with the ground. If you return your club back perfectly on plane, the shaft will lie parallel to the target line and the return angle will read 0°.

Similar to the takeaway angle, many consider the ideal return angle to be about 0°. A high outside return angle leads to an outside-to-inside path at impact. This can result in a slice, and it's often the result of excessively driving the club with the arms rather than the body.

Try doing a groove session on your return angle to make sure you're bringing your club back to the ball consistently.

Face Angle Impact

What is Face Angle @ Impact?

Face angle @ Impact is a measure of how square your club face meets the ball at impact. An open putter face indicates your putter is pointing away from you and a closed club face indicates your putter is pointing towards you.

It's important to note that SkyTag measures your Face Angle @ Impact relative to your position at address. SkyTag can measure this very accurately, but does not know where the hole itself is. You should take this into account if you tend to address the ball with and open or closed face to the hole.

What should Face Angle @ Impact be?

To consistently make a straight putt, your Face Angle @ Impact and Path Direction @ Impact should typically be 0°. For right handed golfers, if your face angle is open at impact, the ball will tend to go right; if it is closed, the ball will usually deviate left. The opposite is true for left handed golfers.

A good exercise to improve the consistency of your putts is to groove a 0° Face Angle @ Impact in Groove Mode. (We recommend addressing the ball with a square face, but if you prefer addressing with an open or closed face angle, you should groove that angle instead.)

Shaft Lean Impact

What is Shaft Lean @ Impact?

Shaft lean is a measure of how far the hands are pressed forward or backward at impact. A forward shaft lean indicates that the hands were ahead of the ball. A backward shaft lean indicates the hands were behind the ball. Shaft lean is defined as the angle from the club shaft to the vertical.

The proper shaft lean at address varies with club, player, and shot type. It is common for short irons and wedges to have a small forward shaft lean. Mid irons tend to be around 0°, while long irons and woods often have a small backward shaft lean.

The driver, however, generally has a slight backward shaft lean at impact. This helps promote a sweeping of the ball off the tee at the optimum launch angle. Make sure you groove your Shaft Lean @ Impact to make your ball strikes solid and repeatable.

Putt Length At Transition

What is Putt Length @ Transition?

Putt Length @ Transition measures how far back you take your putter head during the back stroke. A longer Putt Length will usually result in a longer putt.

What should Putt Length be?

Your ideal putt length depends on the distance of your putt and the tempo of your stroke. We suggest measuring how your putt length correlates to ball distance. For example, you could find what putt length is required for 2, 4, 8, and 16 foot putts respectively, and then Groove those values to become more consistent.

Loft At Address

What is Loft @ Address?

Loft @ Address measures whether your putter face points above or below the ground at address. If you drew a line out of your club face and it was horizontal, SkyTag would report a loft of 0°. If you then leaned your shaft back such that the face tilted up, you would get an upwards loft. Tilting the face down into the ground would yield a downwards loft.

Most putters are made with about 2°-4° of loft already built into the club face. This means that if you hold your shaft perfectly neutral - not leaning it forward or backwards at all - your Loft @ Address will read somewhere between 2°-4°.

What should Loft @ Address be?

Much like Shaft Lean, there are two schools of thought for Loft @ Address. Some instructors teach that you should aim for a neutral shaft lean, 0°, which would cause your loft to be the loft built into your club face (usually around 2°-4°). They feel the reason putters are made with a bit of loft is so that the ball gets slightly lifted out of its depression on the green at impact (see Loft @ Impact for more details). However, other instructors, like Michael Breed teach that you should lean the putter forward at address and actually have a negative loft - around 1° to 2° down. In his book, the 3-Degree Putting Solution, he explains that positive loft on the putter often leads to backspin on the ball and causes it to check up before it starts rolling forwards. This leads to inconsistent speed and direction control.

If in doubt, you should experiment with both styles and find a Loft @ Address that works best for you. Then switch to Groove Mode and groove that value.

Shaft Direction At Transition

What is Shaft Direction @ Top?

Shaft direction measures how “on-plane” your putter is at transition. An outside value means your putter has been brought back outside the target-line plane, and vice versa for an inside value.

Another way of visualizing this parameter is to imagine a painted target line on the ground that passes through the ball. Attached to the end of your putter shaft is a laser pointer. If your Shaft Direction @ Transition is 0°, the laser dot would lie exactly on the painted target line. If it is outside, the laser dot would hit the ground somewhere outside the target line, and vice versa for an inside value.

What should Shaft Direction be?

Most teachers agree that a good target is exactly 0°. Note that this is true whether your putt has a straight or arced path. An inside Shaft Direction will often result in a push, while an outside Shaft Angle will often result in a pull.

You can also compare this parameter to Path Direction @ Impact. If you are typically out-to-in, check if your Shaft Direction @ Transition is outside. Similarly, if your path direction is often in-to-out, check if your shaft direction is inside.

Try grooving a 0° Shaft Direction @ Transition to achieve a consistent and straight Path

Angle Of Attack

What is Attack Angle @ Impact?

Attack Angle measures whether your clubhead is moving up or down on the ball at impact. More precisely, it is defined as the angle between the ground and the direction your clubhead is moving.

For example, an Attack Angle of 5° down means the clubhead was coming steeply down into the ground and likely left a divot. Conversely, if you put the ball on a tee and hit up on it, you'll get an upwards Attack Angle. If your clubhead is neither moving up or down at impact, you'll get an Attack Angle of 0°.

What should Attack Angle @ Impact be?

Shots made off the ground should generally have a slightly downwards Attack Angle in order to make contact with the ball first. (The loft on the club face will still cause the ball to move upwards.)

Conversely, shots made off of a tee, or with a wood, should have a very slight positive Attack Angle to maximize distance.

Example pro Attack Angles generally range from -1° to 3° for a driver, and -2° to -4° for an iron.

Shaft Angle Impact

What is Shaft Angle @ Impact?

Shaft angle is a measure of how steep or flat the club shaft is held at impact. Higher numbers indicate higher hands and/or shorter clubs. The shaft angle is defined as the angle from the ground to the club shaft.

What should Shaft Angle @ Impact be?

It is often instructional to compare the shaft angle at impact to the shaft angle at address. Most golfers will find that their shaft angle at impact is slightly steeper, especially with woods. However, the impact angle is much steeper, 8° or more, it may be the sign of an over-the-top swing. If in doubt, strive to get your shaft angle at impact within a few degrees of the shaft angle at address.

Try setting your Shaft Angle @ Impact a few degrees higher than at address, then groove that value.

TakeAway Angle Half-Back

What is Takeaway Angle @ Half-Back?

This parameter measures how far inside or outside your club is during takeaway. It is measured at half-back, which refers to the position in the backswing when the shaft becomes parallel with the ground for the first time. If you bring your club back perfectly on plane, the shaft will lie parallel to the target line and the takeaway angle will read 0°.

What should Takeaway Angle @ Half-Back be?

You should typically try for a takeaway angle close to 0°. If your club head is taken back significantly inside of your hands, your takeaway angle will be very inside. This will require you to make adjustments at the top of your swing or during the downswing to get your club back on plane. It is often caused by hinging your wrists too early.

Conversely, if your club head is substantially outside of your hands at half-back, your takeaway angle will read very outside. This can cause your backswing to be very steep, resulting in slices or pulls. Leaning over too much in your setup can cause an outside takeaway. When you find your best takeaway angle, groove that value. If in doubt, try grooving 0°.

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