BEST™ MEASUREMENTS

In 1995 Dr Norman Lindsay developed a method to measure the small random errors in putt direction caused by golf ball dimples. A rapid but very precise means of measuring these errors was required and Lindsay came up with the idea of putting golf balls off the edge of a raised platform and allowing the balls to free fall to the ground where their landing spot was precisely recorded. (Various ways of recording the landing spot can be used including ‘carbon paper’, impact tape or sophisticated instrumentation such as a force plate.) Compared to laser beam detectors and high-speed video, this method seems crude but in fact it provides the most precise and reliable data of putter impact characteristics available. The name we have adopted for this method is BEST™, which stands for Ballistic Evaluation of Spin and Trajectory.

Putting off the edge of a table seems far removed from the art of putting on a green, but the point of the exercise is to find out exactly what happens to the ball at the instant it leaves the putter face. We have now developed this ‘ballistic’ technique to enable us to measure:-

• Speed of the ball
• Horizontal direction (right or left errors)
• Vertical launch angle (lift)
• Spin axis (sidespin, topspin, backspin or a combination)
• Spin rate

This list includes everything that there is to know about the ball dynamics (except negligible effects such as vibration).

These schematic diagrams show how BEST™ is used to measure the precise speed, direction and lift on the ball as it leaves the putter face. The time taken for the ball to drop is determined by gravity (which is a very accurate constant), the drop height (which can be measured precisely) and the upward (or possibly downward) lift on the ball. The distance the ball travels horizontally and left–to-right is recorded on the ‘sensor plate’. All these numbers can be juggled to give ball speed, directional errors and lift angle.

The ability to detect and measure very small variations in impact gives greater insight of putter mechanics and has already led to a significant revision of the accepted theory of impact in golf clubs. A better understanding of all the mechanical aspects of putter design (including player perception factors like alignment, balance and feel) will eventually allow designers to quickly create ‘right first time’ designs perfectly matched to a player’s skills and preferences.

There are also commercial and legal reasons for having precise knowledge of performance. Ignoring consumer protection laws and advertising regulations is a dangerous policy, so it is important to be as certain as possible of factual claims about a product.

Our Spin Measurements page shows how BEST™ reveals the truth about putter spin performance.