Flightscope Lands in Vegas  

- With a name like FlightScope, you figure there must be some sort of scientific foundation for the product that had a major presence at the PGA Fall Expo that recently took place in Las Vegas. Indeed, FlightScope is the world’s first-ever 3D Doppler tracking radar for golf. According to Henri Johnson, the founder of EDH Sport and the brains behind FlightScope, “It tracks the ball in three dimensions and the resulting accuracy in terms of carry distance is above expectations, it’s really good.”

Mr. Johnson took technology he developed around measuring military projectiles as part of his successful engineering practice (which he called Electronic Development House –AKA EDH) and adapted it to measure the speed, direction and even spin of balls in sports such as golf.

When studying how launch monitors worked, he found the speed gun approach, which just focused on capturing clubhead speed as a basis for calculations and interpolations, could lead inaccuracies and faulty guidance. So he set out to make solution that would record the trajectory accurately in the precise environment in which the ball travels, thereby giving actual rather than implied data. Embraced by clubfitters and instructors, FlightScope enables them to make precise adjustments for enhancing performance.

As Mr. Johnson explained it, what FlightScope does is show what your club is doing through the ball using a single sensor that captures data from the ball and club simultaneously, but processes information independently. Sounds like a good topic for a Discovery Channel feature.

Earlier this year, Brad Brewer, a golf instructor based in Orlando, Fla., was quoted in a story about FlightScope, stating, “We have tried and field tested every launch monitor on the market. FlightScope has been our choice in the Brad Brewer Golf Academy over all others because its amazing accuracy and simplicity to use. Our ability to fit equipment and demonstrate the importance of proper technique by showing ball-flight and club path statistics has taken our player development services to a new level.”

Another enthusiastic customer of FlightScope is GolfTest USA, a golf product testing company that puts through its paces everything from golf clubs, balls, accessories, and training aids. A version of FlightScope (the Kudu) was used by GolfTest USA this year to conduct some proprietary tests on several new drivers, utilizing new FlightScope software and firmware, with measured parameters including distance and dispersion of shots, smash factor and ball spin rate. The FlightScope measurements fell within 2.5% of the accuracy needed to validate the test results, with a 5% margin of error having been the validity level hoped for by GolfTest USA. Plus it cut their testing time by a third. These results are what earned FlightScope GolfTest’s USA Seal of Excellence. Full test results can be found here:

http://www.golftestusa.com/special_tests_flightscope.html


At the recently concluded PGA Fall Expo that took place in Las Vegas, FlightScope, had a major presence on the range and at golf tournaments during Demo Day at Badlands Golf Club, in the Equipment Test Center, and in their own booth on the show floor.

FlightScope first was demonstrated in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., in 2001 and was introduced at the 2004 PGA Merchandise Show with a retail price of over $20,000. It now can be purchased for $6,995 which makes it much more affordable for smaller retailers, clubfitters, tour professionals and avid golfers. A spokesperson for the company declined to comment on what the mix of usage was.

Conclusion:

FlightScope offers a scientific foundation for making refinements to your game (either with equipment, like the type of shaft you should be using, or how your body moves as you swing though the ball). If you think about it, golfers are as vulnerable as dieters – always on the hunt for the next big thing that will yield promising results. In the long run, for sustained success, it makes sense to base decisions on accurate data derived from proven scientific approaches. And anything that can accurately track the trajectory of a missile, which is kind of crucial to ensure that the proper target is hit, can no doubt do an awesome job helping golfers have a better understanding of how to get that little ball launched down the fairway towards the little hole with a flag sticking out of it.

Keep your eyes open for FlightScope, which can be found at high profile teaching academies, practice facilities, clubfitters, and retailers throughout the world.

For more information on FlightScope, visit www.flightscope.com.

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Rating 5 of 5 stars.