Smash factor.... Duh!

[malemotives]

I don't know how long it's been around. It wasn't considered during my club fitting session. But, since I've suddenly started seeing it bandied about, I looked it up:

Smash Factor is ball speed divided by club speed.

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 driver shots. That means for a 100 mph club speed the ball speed would be 150 mph. The higher the loft of the club, the lower the smash factor is expected to be. A PW should have a smash factor near 1.25.

DRIVER EXAMPLE
Golfer A has a club speed of 100 mph and a smash factor of 1.40. Golfer A’s ball speed is 140 mph.
Golfer B has a club speed of 100 mph and a smash factor of 1.50. Golfer B’s ball speed is 150 mph.
The 10 mph difference in ball speed between Golfer A and Golfer B equates to approximately 20 yards in distance between the two golfers even though they have the same club speed.

My reaction is... SO WHAT?!

If Golfer B manages his shots according to how far he hits his best clubs, who care that Golfer A hits a driver 20 yards further? Bubba Watson out-drives everyone he's paired with, but he doesn't dominate the game.

I'd much rather hit a 3 wood or iron to where I am left with either 160 yard to the green or inside 80 yards... (depending on distance to hole), leaving me with an easy 5 iron or Gap wedge to GIR. Course management always trumps distance, and offers more control. And, since I am currently more accurate and more comfortable with a 5 iron than a wedge, I prefer playing to that distance, even if my partners are 60 yards ahead of me.

 

[blugold]

Let me work it out this way. Smash factor is a number that indicates the efficiency of energy transfer from the swing to the ball.

If a golfer has a driver swing of 100mph and a ball speed of 135, roughly he has a smash factor of 1.35. A golfer with a 95mph swing but a ball speed of 140 gives him roughly a 1.48 smash factor. Which golfer drives the ball further and maybe even straighter?

 

[salisboss]

I use it as an indication of things going wrong in my swing. It means for me that I am not hitting the center of the clubface. Therefore I need to work on something.

 

[jmatt]

Smash factor isn't all about distance, more about how much you get out for what you put in.
It's just a number, but it CAN be an indication of how good your contact is. Hit the ball less squarely, smash factor drops. It also drops as you move from Driver down to wedge, because extra loft means you aren't striking the ball as "squarely" for this measurement.

Nothing to do with playing to numbers or hitting longer.

 

[ArmyGolf]

I guess if you really prefer to hit an approach with a 5i over a wedge I can see where you wouldn't be too concerned with distance off the tee and smash factor. Most golfers would like to make good use of every MPH they have in their swing in order to put a shorter club in their hands.

 

[Tadashi70]

If you don't hit the center of the face or have a repeatable swing why would this concern you. Do you have a personal smash factor monitor in your pocket every time out?

If the amount of effort was put into game improvement as was data collection the number you seek would mean something.

 

[Nebgolfer]

Let me work it out this way. Smash factor is a number that indicates the efficiency of energy transfer from the swing to the ball.

If a golfer has a driver swing of 100mph and a ball speed of 135, roughly he has a smash factor of 1.35. A golfer with a 95mph swing but a ball speed of 140 gives him roughly a 1.48 smash factor. Which golfer drives the ball further and maybe even straighter?

This is how I look at it as well, especially since my SC100 tells me my smash factor. It tells me if I'm hitting the sweet spot or not, and it doesn't really matter how hard you swing, maximizing this number shows that you're making a better swing.

 

[Nebgolfer]

If you don't hit the center of the face or have a repeatable swing why would this concern you. Do you have a personal smash factor monitor in your pocket every time out?

If the amount of effort was put into game improvement as was data collection the number you seek would mean something.

Not when I'm playing, but when I'm practicing. It helps me validate that the motions I'm working on are actually working, along with the feel of the shot. Doesn't hurt to have numbers back it up.

 

[Tadashi70]

Not when I'm playing, but when I'm practicing. It helps me validate that the motions I'm working on are actually working, along with the feel of the shot. Doesn't hurt to have numbers back it up.

So you hit on a monitor when you practice? How often do you repeat your smash factor? And how does that translate on the golf course?

 

[DaBuckBoys]

If you don't hit the center of the face or have a repeatable swing why would this concern you. Do you have a personal smash factor monitor in your pocket every time out?

All right the real question... Where do you buy a pocket-sized personal smash factor monitor?

 

[Tadashi70]

All right the real question... Where do you buy a pocket-sized personal smash factor monitor?

Exactly

 

[Chickopher]

Let me work it out this way. Smash factor is a number that indicates the efficiency of energy transfer from the swing to the ball.

If a golfer has a driver swing of 100mph and a ball speed of 135, roughly he has a smash factor of 1.35. A golfer with a 95mph swing but a ball speed of 140 gives him roughly a 1.48 smash factor. Which golfer drives the ball further and maybe even straighter?

Assuming the exact same contact, the higher ball speed should go farther. The smash factor is only comparable if the swing speed and contact are the same.
For example:
Player A: Swing speed 100 mph and 135 mph ball speed = 1.35 smash
Player B: Swing speed 80 mph and 120 mph ball speed = 1.50 smash

Player B gets the most out of his/her swing but Player A hits it farther assuming all else is the same.

 

[blugold]

Assuming the exact same contact, the higher ball speed should go farther. The smash factor is only comparable if the swing speed and contact are the same.
For example:
Player A: Swing speed 100 mph and 135 mph ball speed = 1.35 smash
Player B: Swing speed 80 mph and 120 mph ball speed = 1.50 smash

Player B gets the most out of his/her swing but Player A hits it farther assuming all else is the same.

Agreed

 

[TeedUpThoughts]

I'm having flashback of the old "a train left calamazoo at 8:32 am traveling at 43mph..."

In all seriousness though, Golf4Life (Brett) should chime in here because he was on the range at #TheKing with a small monitor and was educating us on smash factor.

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

 

[Tadashi70]

Agreed

Assuming the exact same contact, the higher ball speed should go farther. The smash factor is only comparable if the swing speed and contact are the same.
For example:
Player A: Swing speed 100 mph and 135 mph ball speed = 1.35 smash
Player B: Swing speed 80 mph and 120 mph ball speed = 1.50 smash

Player B gets the most out of his/her swing but Player A hits it farther assuming all else is the same.

Knowing this does what for your game?

 

[blugold]

Knowing this does what for your game?

During your time as a full time professional instructor, how many people said to you that they want more distance out of their swing? If you can measure their smash factor and it is low, say 1.30 you know how to improve that. If their smash factor was 1.489 you might have a harder time finding extra yards.

I know that amateurs have inconsistent swings. A repeatable swing that only achieves a 1.3 smash might serve that person better than chasing 1.499. I agree with you there.

 

[golf4life]

Smash factor is simply a way to measure the efficiency of your swing. So it can be useful when getting fit for clubs to maximize selection of your club makeup based on your swing.

It's also a measure that proves center face contact with the club face and path relatively square to target generate better results than swinging as hard as you can. I actually have a smash factor monitor I can fit in my pocket (, a little bulky for my pocket) called the sc100. And when I use it on the range what it shows me is I almost always get better smash factor with my driver and other clubs when I swing smoothly at 80% than trying to destroy it. In fact, for me when my driver swing is in the 108-110 mph range my ball speed is almost always higher than when I swing like a gorilla and get 115+ mph. Not to mention the shots go where I want too.

So to summarize, it's a measurement of the efficiency of your swing. You maximize your distance and often direction of the swing when smash factor is optimized.

For me, it proves with numbers via instant feedback that killing the ball makes it go less far. I'm a mental midget and this constant reaffirmation is helpful for me.

So to the original OP, the guy with the better smash factor is not only hitting it further, but because he is hitting center face he is almost certainly hitting it straighter too. He probably has a much more sound swing and that will likely apply to the rest of his bag.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Tadashi70]

During your time as a full time professional instructor, how many people said to you that they want more distance out of their swing? If you can measure their smash factor and it is low, say 1.30 you know how to improve that. If their smash factor was 1.489 you might have a harder time finding extra yards.

I know that amateurs have inconsistent swings. A repeatable swing that only achieves a 1.3 smash might serve that person better than chasing 1.499. I agree with you there.

What you're missing is that smash factor can be high with a bad swing and it does you no good on the course. When my students ask for more distance we work on that through positive mechanics not a number that will change with each swing.

Pros don't hit the center of the face and when they look at smash factor they are looking at shaft/head combo. They want maximum smash on tour and it works for them. You are playing one shaft with one head. You are not given multiples of each until you find the best. The number is meaningless to 95% of the golfers on the planet.

 

[rollin]

DRIVER EXAMPLE
Golfer A has a club speed of 100 mph and a smash factor of 1.40. Golfer A’s ball speed is 140 mph.
Golfer B has a club speed of 100 mph and a smash factor of 1.50. Golfer B’s ball speed is 150 mph.
The 10 mph difference in ball speed between Golfer A and Golfer B equates to approximately 20 yards in distance between the two golfers even though they have the same club speed.

My reaction is... SO WHAT?!

If Golfer B manages his shots according to how far he hits his best clubs, who care that Golfer A hits a driver 20 yards further? Bubba Watson out-drives everyone he's paired with, but he doesn't dominate the game.

I'd much rather hit a 3 wood or iron to where I am left with either 160 yard to the green or inside 80 yards... (depending on distance to hole), leaving me with an easy 5 iron or Gap wedge to GIR. Course management always trumps distance, and offers more control. And, since I am currently more accurate and more comfortable with a 5 iron than a wedge, I prefer playing to that distance, even if my partners are 60 yards ahead of me.

You say your more comfy with a 5i than a wedge but the GW is fine? So basically you would hit more greens with a 5i and/or a GW but not with the clubs in between? A little confusing or I am misunderstanding.
As for the 5i, many have a favorite club or two and many also have a preferred club distance to hit in from but I cant imagine one hitting more greens with a 5i vs a 7,8,9 etc. I mean too each his own and personally I love my 4iron but I certainly will hit many more greens with a 7,8,9,pw whatever.

For managing a given hole I'm always in agreement to play to ones stregnths including often laying up my tee shots with shorter clubs. But if i was a shorter hitter than I currently am I would never justify it by saying I'd rather hit my 4iron to the green than a shorter club.

But each hole itself imo should be managed dependent on the lay out of that hole and not simply distance. If one desires so called position "A" then all hings like over all distance, doglegs, hazards, flatest part of the fairway, forgiving landing area, angle into the green, elevation, and all or any combinations of those, etc need to be considred and not simply just always to a preferred distance of your 5iron as that may not be the best place to actually put oneself.

So driver distance is not the "end all cure all" by any means and I agree with that logic but it certainly is a big deal and not just a "SO WHAT" as it gives one more options to obtain a better position "A" in many cases. Those extra yards can prove very beneficial when needed. And besides what if you dont hit the driver good enough on that hole? The longer player who expected to playing 8iron instead is left with playing his 5i. But the shorter hitter who expected to be playing his 5i now is left with a 3i or fw, whatever. Being as long as one can be is very important when needed. We all have limits and can only play with what we are capable of and saying "SO WHAT?" is only ok because one cant obtain the extra 20 yards or 30 whatever so there is nothing they can do about it except to manage thier game accordingly but using the term to try to dismiss its importance or degrade the value of it is incorrect.

 

[Chickopher]

Smash factor is simply a way to measure the efficiency of your swing. So it can be useful when getting fit for clubs to maximize selection of your club makeup based on your swing.

It's also a measure that proves center face contact with the club face and path relatively square to target generate better results than swinging as hard as you can. I actually have a smash factor monitor I can fit in my pocket (, a little bulky for my pocket) called the sc100. And when I use it on the range what it shows me is I almost always get better smash factor with my driver and other clubs when I swing smoothly at 80% than trying to destroy it. In fact, for me when my driver swing is in the 108-110 mph range my ball speed is almost always higher than when I swing like a gorilla and get 115+ mph. Not to mention the shots go where I want too.

So to summarize, it's a measurement of the efficiency of your swing. You maximize your distance and often direction of the swing when smash factor is optimized.

For me, it proves with numbers via instant feedback that killing the ball makes it go less far. I'm a mental midget and this constant reaffirmation is helpful for me.

So to the original OP, the guy with the better smash factor is not only hitting it further, but because he is hitting center face he is almost certainly hitting it straighter too. He probably has a much more sound swing and that will likely apply to the rest of his bag.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Agree with all except the guy with the better smash factor hitting it further. That is only true if the swing speeds are similar. Assuming you are both hitting it relatively straight with similar launch angles, a player with an 80 mph swing and a 1.5 smash factor is still not going to out distance a 110 mph swing speed even with only a 1.25 smash factor. It's just the physics. In this case, the player with the 80 mph swing still has a ball speed 17.5 mph less than the 110 mph player. All other variables the same, the 110 mph still hits it farther, just not as far as could/should be while the 80 mph is getting nearly the most possible out of his/her swing.

 

[golf4life]

Agree with all except the guy with the better smash factor hitting it further. That is only true if the swing speeds are similar. Assuming you are both hitting it relatively straight with similar launch angles, a player with an 80 mph swing and a 1.5 smash factor is still not going to out distance a 110 mph swing speed even with only a 1.25 smash factor. It's just the physics. In this case, the player with the 80 mph swing still has a ball speed 17.5 mph less than the 110 mph player. All other variables the same, the 110 mph still hits it farther, just not as far as could/should be while the 80 mph is getting nearly the most possible out of his/her swing.

Well, yes, but the OP stated two guys with 100 mph swings so I assumed that in my answer.

Smash factor is certainly not the be all end all of golf measures. And it can often be mis interpreted when used with irons (a smash factor of 1.5 with a PW is not a good thing). But maximizing your results with properly fitted clubs, and maximizing your distance with the speed you can generate are good things.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Chickopher]

Well, yes, but the OP stated two guys with 100 mph swings so I assumed that in my answer.

Smash factor is certainly not the be all end all of golf measures. And it can often be mis interpreted when used with irons (a smash factor of 1.5 with a PW is not a good thing). But maximizing your results with properly fitted clubs, and maximizing your distance with the speed you can generate are good things.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Then we are on the same page. I was just worried about confusion. The old teacher / coach part of me coming out along with the engineer.

 

[adamw238]

All right the real question... Where do you buy a pocket-sized personal smash factor monitor?

The Voice Caddie VC100 is pretty much exactly that

What you're missing is that smash factor can be high with a bad swing and it does you no good on the course.

Pros don't hit the center of the face and when they look at smash factor they are looking at shaft/head combo. They want maximum smash on tour and it works for them. You are playing one shaft with one head. You are not given multiples of each until you find the best. The number is meaningless to 95% of the golfers on the planet.

Freddie, I think you're mostly right on this. I know when I went for my THPMC fitting my fitter and I took smash very seriously when trying to determine shaft/head combination. It wasn't until I hit the Bio Cell with the 6.0 PXi shaft when I saw my number gor from 1.32 to 1.47. That added about 10mph of ball speed which turned into more distance. What I agree with you 100% on is that the number is meaningless to most, but only because they may not understand it. For me, it's all about efficiency and what I'm doing to keep things as simple as possible to get the best results. If I swing a club 115 mph, my smash is usually around 1.2 and the ball goes where ever it wants. However, if I take a nice controlled swing 100-105, I'll get a nice boring shot that will roll out to around 265 and leave me in the short stuff. Same with my irons.

Numbers mean nothing unless you understand everything that is included in them. Smash isn't JUST ball speed and club head speed. It tells you a whole lot more if you dig into it.

 

[iSukGolf]

What an education ... this whole time I thought smash factor was:

2 beers in cooler at the start of round + 3 beers bought from cart girl during the round + 2 beers at the turn = smash factor

 

[jlukes]

Just like all launch monitor data, smash factor is part of the puzzle, but doesn't show you the entire picture.