Ball and launch data
This is the data your launch monitor measures at impact and just after: how fast the ball left, where it started, and how it was spinning. Most of it is available immediately after each shot without a Portal connection. Club head speed is the exception.
What GSCaddie tracks
| What | Type | Where from | How GSCaddie uses it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ball speed | mph | Launch monitor | The single clearest signal of strike quality without club data. Drives carry and consistency reads and feeds the strike-quality heuristic. |
| Club head speed | mph | Portal sync | How fast the club head was moving into the ball. Used to compute smash factor and true compression. Blank until a GSPro Portal sync runs. |
| Smash factor | ratio | Computed | Ball speed divided by club head speed, a measure of energy transfer efficiency. Only available once club head speed exists (Portal only). |
| Launch angle | degrees | Launch monitor | The vertical angle the ball climbs at. Combined with spin and ball speed, it drives the 3D arc simulation and derives apex and flight time. A Portal sync can fill a missing value. |
| Azimuth (start direction) | degrees | Launch monitor | Positive is right of aim, negative is left. Feeds the flight simulation for the dispersion plot and the miss-left/miss-right pattern. |
| Horizontal launch angle | degrees | Portal sync | The Portal's own horizontal launch measurement. Feeds per-club delivery stats and start-line detection. |
| Total spin | rpm | Launch monitor | The full spin magnitude before it is split into back spin and side spin. |
| Spin axis | degrees | Launch monitor | The tilt of the spin axis. Positive tilts right (fade/slice for a right-hander), negative tilts left. |
| Back spin | rpm | Computed | The lift component of your spin, derived from total spin and spin axis. Feeds the flight simulation and spin-rate fault checks. A Portal sync can fill a missing value. |
| Side spin | rpm | Computed | The curve component of your spin, derived from total spin and spin axis. Feeds the flight simulation so shots curve the way you actually hit them. |
For club path, attack angle, and face metrics, see club delivery. For carry, total distance, and offline, see distance and flight.