Just got a launch monitor, which numbers actually matter?

[SandTrap_Steve]

So I finally caved and bought a used R10 off a buddy for $300. Set it up in the garage with a net and now I'm staring at like 12 different numbers every swing. Club speed, ball speed, smash factor, launch angle, spin rate, apex, carry, total... my head is spinning tbh.

I'm a 16 handicap just trying to stop flipping at the ball and hit my irons more consistently. Which 2 or 3 metrics should I actually pay attention to? I don't want to go down a rabbit hole of chasing spin rate when my real problem is a massive out-to-in path.

Also side note, I still need a GPS watch for the course. Saw this thread and it helped a lot:
https://usagolfers.com/threads/any-good-gps-watches-under-dollar200.34

But yeah, any advice on the launch monitor data would be great. I'm drowning in numbers over here.

[IronMike72]

R10 for $300 is a steal, that thing punches way above its price.

Forget spin rate and apex completely. Those are lagging indicators and you'll chase your tail. For a 16 trying to stop flipping, the only three numbers that matter are:

1. Club path (in-to-out vs out-to-in). This is your actual problem. Get this to +2 to +4 with irons and you'll feel like you got a lesson.
2. Face angle at impact if your unit gives it. Path + face = ball flight. Nothing else explains curve.
3. Smash factor for irons. If you're flipping, you're adding loft and losing compression, so smash drops. Tour pros sit around 1.38-1.45 with a 7 iron. If you're at 1.25 you know you're scooping.

Honestly the R10 path number is a bit noisy indoors, so don't obsess over a single swing. Look at the trend over 20 balls. And the flip fix usually comes from setup and grip pressure way more than any data point, but the launch monitor will at least confirm whether what you're doing is working.

What's your path reading right now? I bet it's like -6 to -8 out to in and that's the whole ballgame.

[BackNine_Bob]

Path on the R10 indoors is worse than noisy, it's basically fiction. Radar needs to watch the ball fly to calculate path, and in a garage you get maybe 8 feet before the net eats it. Mine will read -3 on one swing and -9 on the next with the same feel. So if path is the thing you're trying to fix, take it to a field with 20+ yards of flight or you're just tuning your swing to noise.

One correction though. 1.38-1.45 with a 7 iron is not a tour number, that's driver territory. Tour average 7 iron smash is around 1.33, and a decent amateur is sitting 1.28-1.32. So yeah, 1.25 means you're scooping, but don't go chasing 1.40 with an iron or you'll start delofting and hitting low hooks into the net thinking you fixed something.

For a flipper the number I'd actually watch is attack angle. Dig through the R10 settings, it does spit it out. Flipping and hitting up on irons travel together, so if you see a positive or even zero attack angle with a 7 iron you've found your problem faster than any path reading will tell you.

Have you tried the old headcover drill? Towel or headcover just outside the ball, miss it on the way down. That fixes the out-to-in way quicker than staring at a number that the R10 can't really measure in your garage anyway. What's your ball flight doing right now, low pull cut?