THE LINKS GOLF LAB TECHNOLOGY IS BEING USED AT THE US OPEN
After watching the best players in the world battle it out on a brutal Torrey Pines this weekend, there’s no such thing as a U.S. Open cheat code. To tame one of the toughest tests in golf, you need some luck, a Teflon-coated psyche and a combination of dialled-in gear and a mastery of the course setup. For many players in the field, the latter can be achieved with an assist from high-tech devices and training aids that can help chart a potential blueprint for success.
Launch monitors are as ubiquitous as an alignment stick on Tour. Nearly every pro at Torrey Pines is toting around a high-tech unit from Foresight, Trackman or Flightscope to get a better idea of stock carry yardages and how current conditions could dictate certain shots. DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson are just a few of the high-profile names who take the device from the range to the course to gather real-time data.
“We’re definitely trying to look at normalized data so we can get a good understanding of how much the wind is affecting the golf ball in this environment,” DeChambeau told GOLF.com. “For example, if the [Foresight GC Quad] device tells you I’m hitting it 120 yards, and then on radar, on FlightScope, it’s saying it went 125 yards, well, obviously there’s 5 yards of wind. That’s how we utilize it one way.”
While it isn’t as commonplace as a launch monitor, several pros (DeChambeau included) use Quintic’s high-speed camera to track the head and ball through the impact zone. For someone like DeChambeau, the device gives him a better idea of launch, topspin and speed, which comes in handy at a major on Poa annua grass where altering putter loft to optimize launch can be a significant advantage.
