The Evolution of LaunchCharts™: A Skills-Based Approach to Ball Flight Control
From Performance Coach to a New Alignment Aid
My work in developing LaunchCharts stemmed not from a role as a technical golf coach, but as a performance coach. I primarily worked with young players who already had established support teams and robust technical plans for their swing development. This performance-focused role allowed me significant training time, prompting a shift in my approach: how could I help these players develop their ball flight control without conflicting with or undermining their personal coaches' technical instruction?
A Shift from Technical to Skills-Based Development
I evolved a new strategy, moving away from technical solutions and towards a skills-based approach. The goal was to design environments and tasks that would enhance a golfer's stability and ball flight control. This was also driven by the observation that too many golfers, and even some coaches, were overly focused on technical fixes for ball flight issues, forgetting the simple essence of the game: developing the skill of controlling the golf ball around the course better than anyone else will always result in you posting the lowest score.
Breaking Down Ball Flight
To effectively address ball flight, it must be broken down into four core components: Start Direction, Curvature, Distance, and Trajectory.
Distance is primarily a function of solid contact, which I consider the most vital aspect of becoming an accomplished golfer. This involves striking the ball solidly with a consistent and appropriate low point: just forward of the ball for descending shots, or slightly behind the ball for ascending shots like the driver.
Trajectory is also important, largely determined by the delivery of the club shaft at impact, specifically the forward lean which influences dynamic loft and the resulting launch angle and spin rates.
While distance and trajectory are vital, they are often heavily dependent on technical swing mechanics managed by the player's swing coach. Consequently, the fundamental elements for my performance-based approach became Start Direction and Curvature.
While uncontrolled curvature is the obvious major disruptor of dispersion, the start line is also critical; a launch direction error of merely one or two degrees is often enough to cause a target zone to be missed entirely.
Focusing on Isolation, Awareness, and Replication
These two elements, Start Direction and Curvature, became my primary focus. I began exploring the possibility of isolating and working on them independently.
How could we work on launch direction as a single characteristic?
How could we use technology and simple awareness to improve a player's curvature control?
Crucially, the ability to match these two elements was key. This led to a multi-year journey involving various drills and exercises, aided by launch monitor data, to develop a young player's ability to:
Identify and be aware of different launch directions.
Hit different launch directions on demand.
Replicate those directions and match them with a specific curvature profile.
Understand and value a skills-based approach to improving control of these two variables.
These steps formed the basis of our new training curriculum, but it soon became apparent a physical tool was needed to fully facilitate the process.
The Birth of LaunchCharts™
Despite the objective data provided by the launch monitors, players consistently requested something visual to bridge the gap between their internal feel, their visualization of ball flight, and the cold external data. They needed a tangible guide in their practice environment to align their body and refine their club delivery (club path and face) to achieve the desired combinations of launch direction (start line) and curvature.
This need spurred the development of LaunchCharts. Initially a simple paper exercise of drawing guide lines, the concept matured into a durable, portable alignment mat, marked with precise start-line vectors and supplied with associated curvature charts. As I received more positive and consistent feedback from players using these prototypes, the decision was made to manufacture the guides and make them available to the wider golfing community.
And so, LaunchCharts were launched (pun intended), with the hope that they will allow many golfers to integrate this skills-based approach with their existing technical interventions to significantly develop their overall ball flight skills, and through this, lower their scoring outcomes.
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