Many golfers think that swing speed is the only way to increase ball speed and ultimately the distance the golf ball travels. This golf thought is false. Before we move on to the other factors that affect ball speed and distance we need to talk about the relationship between swing speed and ball speed. Swing speed is defined as how fast the club head is moving at impact, while ball speed is defined as how fast the golf balls center of gravity is moving just after it leaves the clubface. Ball speed will always be higher than club head speed due to the transfer of energy from the clubhead to the golf ball. If you take a golfer’s ball speed and divide their swing speed from that, you will get what is known as “Smash Factor.”
Smash factor relates to the amount of energy transferred from the club head to the golf ball. The higher the smash factor the better the energy transfer. A golfer would hope to achieve a smash factor near 1.50 on a driver shot. That means for a 100 mph club head the ball speed would be 150 mph.
This smash factor tells you how effectively energy is being transferred from clubhead to the golf ball. The higher the smash factor the more energy is being transferred. With the newer high-performance golf clubs, the USGA has put a limit on smash factor on to 1.5 when club manufactures submit new designs. A smash factor of 1.5 for a driver, around 1.39 for a 6 iron, and around 1.25 for a pitching wedge means you’re hitting the ball with optimal efficiency. It is important to note that increasing the loft of the golf club will decrease smash factor. According to Trackman, the PGA Tour average smash factor with a driver is 1.49 and a 6 iron is 1.38. The LPGA Tour average for driver is 1.49 and 6 iron is 1.39.
Loft is the angle of the club face that controls trajectory and affects distance. A driver for instance has a loft between 7 and 12 degrees. Experienced golfers have traditionally favored lower lofted drivers (less than 10 degrees of loft), which require much more skill to hit than higher lofted drivers.
Male Amateur Averages (Driver)
- Scratch or better – 1.49
- 5 Handicap – 1.45
- 10 Handicap – 1.45
- 15 handicap – 1.44
Female Amateur Averages (Driver)
- Scratch or better – 1.46
- 5 Handicap – 1.45
- 10 Handicap – 1.44
- 15 handicap – 1.41
Swing speed isn’t the only thing that affects ball speed. Increasing swing speed will likely increase ball speed and overall distance. Bottom line improving how efficient you hit the golf ball (Kinematic Sequencing of golf) is the quickest way to increase distance. Smash factor is a measure of how efficient you are hitting the golf ball, yet what factors make up that efficiency? There are 3 main factors that golf professionals have identified that make up how efficient you hit the golf ball.
. Centeredness of contact defines where the ball makes contact on the clubface. Contact could be either on the center, before toe or after heel, or above or below the sweet spot. This law is deeply connected to how well you can play golf. Centering your hit will determine the amount of energy that is transferred from the club to the ball, and it will dictate spin, desired distance and direction.
. Angle of attack is defined as the vertical (up-down) angle at which the club head is moving at impact. Positive means hitting up on the ball while negative means hitting down on the ball. The Driver and the Putter are the only two clubs are intended to hit up on the ball. All other clubs such as irons, fairway woods, wedges, and hybrids are designed to hit down on the ball.
Factoid: Your Angle of Attack can vary between 7 degrees down using a wedge and 6 degrees up with a driver. That’s 13 degrees of difference between all the clubs you play.
. Face angle in relation to club path refers to the centeredness of contact combined with angle of attack. These two major factors affect ball speed and efficiency. What this means is that if you aren’t hitting the golf ball in the center of the face you will add a side spin to the golf ball causing either a hook or slice while reducing the efficiency of the ball strike. And if the angle of attack is too steep during the downswing you are probably going to put more spin, which will diminish the penetration effect of the golf ball.
Factoid: The penetrating effect on power defines the release of energy. The Penetration Power means the ability of an orbital to attract an electron.
The club face angle in relation to the club path plays a major role in the amount of sidespin that is put on the golf ball. If the face angle and the club path don’t balance each other out, then there will be too much sidespin on the ball and you will not hit the ball at optimal efficiency. Which brings us back to smash factor. The quickest way to increase ball speed and get overall distance in your golf game is to improve your smash factor by focusing on centeredness of contact, angle of attack and face angle in relation to club path.
References:
Joseph, C. (2018). Golfweek, Retrieved from Swing Speed vs. Ball Speed: golftips.golfweek.com
Practical Golf. (2017). Why is Smash Factor So Important. Retrieved from Practical Golf: practical-golf.com
Trackman. (2017). What is Ball Speed. Retrieved from Trackman Golf: blog.trackman.com
Joseph, C. (2018). Golfweek. Retrieved from Swing Speed vs. Ball Speed: golftips.golfweek.com
Practical Golf. (2017). Why is Smash Factor So Important. Retrieved from Practical Golf: practical-golf.com
Trackman. (2017). What is Ball Speed. Retrieved from Trackman Golf: blog.trackman.com