Going to the Titleist Oceanside Facility is definitely one of my dreams. Hopefully, some day, we'll get that chance.

I would love to tour their facility, if that every became an option. I love going to factories seeing how things are made, and to see my favorite clibs made would be worth paying to see. Great suggestion Tony.

Thanks for your thoughts!  O'side originally was a test facility strictly for R & D and Tour players.  We have added the TPI and expanded Tour Fittings to include fittings for our Titleist consumers as well as our Tour players.  At O'side, we try to create a quiet atmosphere where our Tour players can hit balls and practice without any distractions.  When you make an appointment for a Tour fitting, you will be given the same attention and care as our Touring professionals.

We manufacture clubs in our Carlsbad location and at this time, we don't have any formal tours for Carlsbad, but will pass on your idea! 

This reply is off subject and I don't mean to high jack the thread, but the Test Facility title got my attention as well as the response from a Titleist Club Concierge. I would like to know if Titleist has any data regarding ball flight distance in the wind.

There is a theory out there that a ball hit by a driver with under 4,000 RPM spin does not fly farther downwind due to the loss of lift when hit into a wind going with the ball.  I live in Hawaii and play in the wind almost every time I play.This theory does not agree with my experience. However, it's difficult to argue with an expert in physics.

Are you able to provide me with any data, without giving away any proprietary information, showing whether a golf ball travels any appreciable additional distance when hit down wind? This is driving me crazy. I woke up early this morning thinking about it. Not good.

BTW, I play the 2010 Pro V1 and really appreciate the consistency around the green. It sure seems to me it goes farther downwind when I hit it with the driver. But then what do I know, I'm not an expert in physics. :=)

Aloha,

Rich B.

Good question!  I spoke to both Oceanside and the tour rep at Trackman.  Oceanside said "we have seen a significant loss in carry distance downwind if the driver is not fit properly (too low launch and too low spin for the speed).  However that same driver might be great into the wind because it would create a shot that would roll a long way. A driver that is fit properly should get optimum carry and roll downwind and a little less carry and a little less roll into the wind. Downwind usually carries further than calm conditions with more roll.  Some players that play in windy conditions may prefer lower launch and moderate spin over high launch, low spin. We see this a lot in our elite players from Europe and Australia as well as players from Florida and Texas. 

The tour rep from Trackman added this:  He agreed with O'side in that low launch and low spin would contribute to losing distance downwind and possibly VERY high altitudes or wind speeds could also contribute to losing distance.  As for the 4000 number, he said, I do not have any date to show this, but we have not seen that statement to be correct.  The one thing I would say is that just stating the spin rate is not enough information to answer the question with 100% certainty because you do not know the ball's launch angle and ball speed which are critical.  He also asked "how much of a downwind are we talking about? 10 mph? 50 mph?  You also need to know the aerodynamic characteristics of the golf ball.  So to answer your question, - a properly fit driver does not have to spin at over 4000 mph to carry downwind and if it did, you would probably lose significant yardage into the wind.  Players that play in windy conditions may find that lower launch and moderate spin will work the best for them both downwind and into the wind.

I heard that they lock it down and have the screens because of the Oompah Loompahs that they have working there making the clubs.

Thank you for your reply and the information.

To better explain the discussion, the 4,000 rpm is apparently the top end of consideration not the number for a desired spin rate on the driver.

I also wonder what speed of wind we are talking about. Here in Hawaii it's not unusual to play in 15 or 20 mile an hour winds. I can attest that I hit the ball farther with the wind and my ball spin is less than 4,000.

The contention from the software author is that any ball hit downwind, with less than 4,000 rpm of spin, will not go farther due to the wind. It will fly shorter in a headwind.

I can certainly understand if the launch is too low, that would be detrimental to the ball flight distance. But let's say the driver is set up perfectly with optimum angle and spin, will the ball fly longer in a downwind? Has Trackman or Titleist seen evidence that the ball does or does not carry farther in a downwind?

I would really appreciate it if you could look at the question again from the testing facility viewpoint and with Trackman, if possible, to see if they have any empirical evidence of ball flight distance when hit with a well set up driver with no wind and with a downwind.

Aloha