Shot Trajectory vs TrackMan Data — When You Get 3D Flight
You opened a TrackMan swing, tapped the panel picker, and saw TrackMan Data but not Shot Trajectory. That is not a Mac-only feature, and it is not a missing install. The picker only offers Shot Trajectory when this swing has a 3D flight path saved on it.
TrackMan Data is the numbers. Shot Trajectory is the picture. You can have the numbers without the picture.
What is the difference between TrackMan Data and Shot Trajectory?
| Panel | What it is | When it shows in the picker |
|---|---|---|
| TrackMan Data | The radar grid — ball speed, launch, spin, path, face, carry, and the rest of the numbers TrackMan measured | Whenever the swing has TrackMan metrics |
| Shot Trajectory | Side view and overhead view of the 3D path the ball actually flew | Only when a 3D flight path is saved on that swing |
MotionEdge does not invent an arc from carry and launch. If there is no 3D path, Shot Trajectory stays out of the list. Use TrackMan Data for the numbers.
The Shot Trajectory article is the panel tour — what the two traces and the carry / height / landing numbers mean — once the panel is actually there.
When do I get 3D flight?
It depends on how the TrackMan numbers landed on the swing — not which Apple device you are holding.
| How the numbers got on the swing | 3D flight path saved? | Shot Trajectory in the picker |
|---|---|---|
| Live TrackMan — connected to the unit while you hit | Yes, if that shot came with flight points | Yes |
| Report link — a TrackMan report URL you paste in | Yes, if the report included a flight path with at least two points | Yes |
Stroke file (.tms) — export from Performance Studio |
Never | No — TrackMan Data (numbers) only |
Same rule on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. If Shot Trajectory is missing on the phone, it would also be missing on the Mac for that swing.
Why doesn't a .tms stroke file include 3D flight?
A stroke file is the Performance Studio export: radar numbers plus the TrackMan camera videos. It does not carry the point-by-point 3D path. After you import a .tms file you still get the full TrackMan Data grid — carry, height, spin, path, face — just not the drawn flight.
That is expected. It is not something you fix in Settings, and it is not because you opened the swing on iPhone instead of Mac.
If you want the picture next time:
- Connect live while you hit — MotionEdge saves the flight path when TrackMan sends one
- Import a report link — many reports include a ball trajectory; a .tms file never does
I imported a report (or captured live) and still don't see Shot Trajectory
The path has to actually be there.
- Report: the JSON has to include a ball trajectory with at least two points. Some reports are numbers-only.
- Live: that shot's measurement has to include trajectory points. A shot with metrics and no path still gets TrackMan Data only.
Open the picker again on that same swing. If Shot Trajectory is listed, the 3D path is saved. If it isn't, this swing does not have one — switch a panel to TrackMan Data for the numbers.
How do I open Shot Trajectory when it is there?
In Video Review, tap the panel type (the name or icon at the top of a panel) and choose Shot Trajectory. Same path on iPhone, iPad, and Mac — from Sessions or All Swings, then the swing, then the picker.
Details of the traces: Shot Trajectory — Side and Overhead Views.