The New Pro 7 Technology
The Golftek Pro 7 Swing Analyzer and Launch Monitor is an important development in the science of golf measurement and analysis. Not only because of its superior accuracy but also because it is now possible to use only one reliable, compact platform to measure 7 ball flight parameters and 7 golf swing characteristics simultaneously. One swing will provide 14 bits of precise data for clubfitting, teaching, practice or indoor golf simulator play. Currently, there are several different methods being used for ball flight measurements but none of them can also provide comprehensive golf swing information. The Pro 7 was designed using infra-red emitter-sensor technology because it provides all the important information and is also the most cost-effective and reliable method of measurement.
Ball flight data is captured by 28 sensors located in front of the ball. The launch angle detection system uses a linear array of infra-red emitters and sensors mounted at a 60 degree angle with respect to horizontal. Narrow beams of infra-red light are fired up from the emitters and then reflected back down to the sensors by the ball. The intensity of the reflections and the time frame in which they occur are a function of the height and velocity of the ball. This data is analyzed by a microprocessor that is programmed to determine the launch angle of the ball from the direct measurement of the reflected beams of light. Backspin is a function of ball velocity and launch angle, both of which are measured parameters. Sidespin is influenced by the clubface angle, clubhead path and impact point. All three are the result of direct measurements. Azimuth (initial ball direction), ball speed and all golf swing characteristics are also measured directly.
The electronic system of this machine contains 86 IR diodes and transistors that precisely track the path of the clubhead and ball. By comparison, the Bengston analyzer has only 24 and it is a fact that the accuracy of any infra-red machine is a function of the number of sensors used to track the target. There is also another reason for the large number of detectors in the Pro 7. The active area of the sensor array is now larger which allows more accurate measurements of the much larger clubheads that have become so popular today. This is particularly true for clubhead path and impact point data.
Most people in the golf industry have become familiar with the term "algorithm" because so many golf analyzers use it to estimate the value of golf swing or ball flight parameters that are not directly measured. The dictionary defines an algorithm as a method of solving a certain kind of mathematical problem. In swing analysis this means estimating one factor based on the measurement of two or more other factors. If the correlation between the factors is good then the estimate of the other factor will be good. For example, there is good coorelation
between ball speed and ball carry--the faster the ball speed the further the ball flies so it is fine to estimate the ball carry from the ball speed. The problem with our competitors' algorithms is that they often do not measure the important factors and therefore their algorithm is nothing more than an inaccurate estimate. Several low cost analyzers will display ball carry and flight path even though they make no ball measurements at all! A topped or popped-up shot on these analyzers will read the same as
a solid hit. How can this kind of information be useful to anybody?
The bottom line is your success as a teacher or clubfitter is based on the accuracy of the decisions you make and those decisions are a function of the accuracy of the input you receive from the analyzer. Inaccurate data is worse than no data at all because it can mislead you into bad decisions. In this business, like most others, you get the kind of value you are willing to pay for.
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