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What’s your smash factor?

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One of the most egotistic terms that my Trackman monitor produces is undoubtedly SMASH FACTOR. Often varying between 0.8 and 1.5, smash factor, by nature, speaks to the egos of people wanting the see the highest number. But what really is smash factor?

SF

In simple terms, smash factor is an “efficiency rating” on the quality of strike; it shows us how much ball speed we are achieving per 1 mph of club speed that we produce. For example, if your ball speed was 140 mph and your club speed was 100 mph, your smash factor would be 1.4, since 140/100 = 1.4.

Generally, top professionals would be aiming for a 1.5 smash factor with a driver and a 1.4 smash factor with mid irons. But it’s important to note that any level of golfer can achieve these numbers; a young child who has a good relationship between his club speed and ball speed could produce a 1.5 smash factor!

Why is smash factor important?

Primarily, smash factor is highly influential in terms of controlling the distance we hit the ball. From a distance perspective, it is important to understand the importance of ball speed, as it accompanies launch angle and spin rate to complete the three main components of distance. Despite this, I see a lot of players chasing club head speed, and while it is important, it is almost redundant if not accompanied by appropriate ball speed.

Beginner Golfer Cartoon

To match the desire for distance, as a general rule, we should be striving to create the HIGHEST smash factor with our longer clubs; however, this is not the case with shorter clubs and in wedge play. With those clubs, a smash factor of around 1.0 should be targeted as opposed to a 1.1 or 1.2 that I so often see.

This idea of lowering the smash factor is to help with distance control, as a ball that is flying off the club face too quickly can be difficult to control. James Ridyard, a PGA Professional from the UK, has done some great work on smash factor in wedges, discussing specifically the idea of controlling spin loft (explained below). In a recent presentation, James explained how a 4-degree error in spin loft with a club head speed of 60 mph can result in a 30-foot miss!

What affects smash factor?

The two most influential things that can affect smash factor are:

  1. Spin Loft
  2. Strike point

By definition, spin loft is most easily thought of as the difference between the angle of attack (is the club traveling downwards or upwards) and the dynamic loft (loft presented at impact). It is often referred to as a measure of how much energy is transferred into the ball.

Spin loft

The above picture shows an angle of attack of -4.6 and a dynamic loft of 22.2. The difference between these 2 numbers is 26.8, giving a spin loft of 26.8.

Spin loft 1

BUT in the above example, the difference between the angle of attack and dynamic loft is 27.7, however the spin loft reported is 28.0. This is because spin loft is by exact definition a 3-dimensional number and involves the face-to-path relationship.

 If you think about spin loft as a measure of the amount of energy transferred into the ball and then think about punching a bag with a glancing blow (representing hitting a ball with a club face well open to club path), this should help you visualise how a poor face-to-path relationship could increase spin loft (reduce the energy transferred into the ball).

Striking the ball on the sweet spot of the club is also very important when looking at smash factor. As you know, off-center hits do not always result in long drives and controlling the strike point is pivotal when attempting to achieve a high smash factor. The below picture is a great example of how strike point is important. As you can see, a lower club head speed with a better strike point resulted in more distance.

Smash Factor ex

In essence, it is a combination of strike point AND spin loft that will help you achieve a good smash factor!

How can we improve our smash factor?

Before identifying how we can improve smash factor, here is a fact from Trackman that may just motivate you:

[quote_box_center]Reducing Spin Loft from 30 degrees to 25 degrees with a 6 iron will raise Smash Factor by 0.06. For the average amateur, 0.06 equals 5 mph of ball speed or approximately 9 yards.[/quote_box_center]

As shown, reducing spin loft can often drastically help improve smash factor; however, without a ball flight monitor it is impossible to accurately measure spin loft. For this reason I would advise you to go and find your nearest instructor with a monitor and with his or her help you should then be able to gather some information on your current spin loft and discuss whether it actually needs improving.

If you’re not able to use a monitor, however, try this. 

Strike point is an easier variable to measure yourself, and all you need is a little athlete’s foot spray. Simply spray a light coating on the club face and after hitting a shot or two, you will soon be able to get some accurate feedback on your strike point.

Strike point

Remember, one (spin loft) without the other (strike point) is not what we want. So aim to combine the two! Happy smashing!

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Thomas is an Advanced UKPGA Professional and Director of the Future Elite (FUEL) Junior Golf Programme. Thomas is a big believer in evidence based coaching and has enjoyed numerous worldwide coaching experiences. His main aim to introduce and help more golfers enjoy the game, by creating unique environments that best facilitate improvement.

19 Comments

19 Comments

  1. Pingback: Smash Factor Calculator (Chart for Each Club): 2023 Why Should You Care?

  2. CNYNative

    Nov 4, 2015 at 10:02 pm

    1.55 lol alright, and im pretty sure smash factor is regulated for clubs anyway?

  3. Philip

    Nov 4, 2015 at 5:26 pm

    It depends – whenever I high a high slice it is obviously the max as why would I ever hit a high slice in the same fairway as myself. However, for all other shots it is closer to 1.40 or less.

  4. Christestrogen

    Nov 4, 2015 at 2:23 pm

    This is one of the best articles I’ve ever read on barstool.
    Awesome!!!

    -Christosterone

  5. Jack

    Nov 4, 2015 at 8:32 am

    How can you get your wedge smash down but still flight your wedges and have a spin loft that is too high? Thanks

    • Thomas Devine

      Nov 4, 2015 at 10:20 am

      Hi Jack…sorry I do not fully understand your question….however from my experience, when spin loft gets too high, the player does not launch the ball at their desired height and thus suffers with distance control

      • Jack

        Nov 4, 2015 at 4:30 pm

        Sorry my question wasn’t clear! I’ll try again. I have a smash of around 1.1 with my distance wedges (40-80 yards 58 degree) I have a low dynamic loft at impact (say 40 deg) is there a way to decrease smash with this club without increasing DL? I like my current wedge flight but would like my smash closer to 1. Thanks!

        • Thomas Devine

          Nov 4, 2015 at 5:42 pm

          ok great…the first question would be do you have difficulty controlling your yardages with the wedges….if not, I would not get hung up on aiming for a 1.0 smash factor. Like most things, this is desired/preferred by some coaches but not essential for everyone. Have you thought about using a lower lofted club, for e.g 52 degree. With this club, you could achieve the same launch with less downward hit….I have found this to help at times (a shallower attack with a lower lofted club) when trying to produce those low spinny ones!

  6. Daniel

    Nov 3, 2015 at 5:32 pm

    Maybe your smashfactor was low because you have a descending blow? I had a lesson on Trackman and the best I can get was 1.40 with a descending blow with the driver. We worked on swinging up and the smash factor increased to 1.48. Since I wasn’t used to the up swing, my swing speed decreased but carry distance signifcantly improved.

    • ph00ny

      Nov 3, 2015 at 6:21 pm

      Unless i misheard the TM rep, he said i had a nice long back swing along with a good AOA. He even joked in saying i should try long drive comp.

  7. Ph00ny

    Nov 3, 2015 at 10:02 am

    Would type of golf ball used during the launch monitor session impact ball speed thus changing the smash factor? For an example, range ball is used opposed to regular golf balls

    • Mat

      Nov 3, 2015 at 11:21 am

      Ball speed is the dividend, so a cruddy ball would not travel as fast. So yes, it matters.

    • Lich King

      Nov 3, 2015 at 2:05 pm

      Yes, it will have a big impact. You should always use the balls you are playing with on the course in a TrackMan.

      • ph00ny

        Nov 3, 2015 at 2:55 pm

        Damn. My ball speed was very slow compared to the clubhead speed being shown at the TM demo session on flightscope. Is there a setting to add some sort of offset for using rangeballs?

        I think my smash factor was in the low 1.4 but the total distance and carry numbers looked great.

        • Thomas Devine

          Nov 4, 2015 at 10:17 am

          The Trackman Monitor has a normalisation feature that allows you to translate what the range ball has done into what a premium golf ball would do….as long as the user has the ball type selected correctly, you should get some very reliable figures even when using the range balls 🙂

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Instruction

Clement: Stop ripping off your swing with this drill!

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Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?

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How a towel can fix your golf swing

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This is a classic drill that has been used for decades. However, the world of marketed training aids has grown so much during that time that this simple practice has been virtually forgotten. Because why teach people how to play golf using everyday items when you can create and sell a product that reinforces the same thing? Nevertheless, I am here to give you helpful advice without running to the nearest Edwin Watts or adding something to your Amazon cart.

For the “scoring clubs,” having a solid connection between the arms and body during the swing, especially through impact, is paramount to creating long-lasting consistency. And keeping that connection throughout the swing helps rotate the shoulders more to generate more power to help you hit it farther. So, how does this drill work, and what will your game benefit from it? Well, let’s get into it.

Setup

You can use this for basic chip shots up to complete swings. I use this with every club in my bag, up to a 9 or 8-iron. It’s natural to create incrementally more separation between the arms and body as you progress up the set. So doing this with a high iron or a wood is not recommended.

While you set up to hit a ball, simply tuck the towel underneath both armpits. The length of the towel will determine how tight it will be across your chest but don’t make it so loose that it gets in the way of your vision. After both sides are tucked, make some focused swings, keeping both arms firmly connected to the body during the backswing and follow through. (Note: It’s normal to lose connection on your lead arm during your finishing pose.) When you’re ready, put a ball in the way of those swings and get to work.

Get a Better Shoulder Turn

Many of us struggle to have proper shoulder rotation in our golf swing, especially during long layoffs. Making a swing that is all arms and no shoulders is a surefire way to have less control with wedges and less distance with full swings. Notice how I can get in a similar-looking position in both 60° wedge photos. However, one is weak and uncontrollable, while the other is strong and connected. One allows me to use my larger muscles to create my swing, and one doesn’t. The follow-through is another critical point where having a good connection, as well as solid shoulder rotation, is a must. This drill is great for those who tend to have a “chicken wing” form in their lead arm, which happens when it becomes separated from the body through impact.

In full swings, getting your shoulders to rotate in your golf swing is a great way to reinforce proper weight distribution. If your swing is all arms, it’s much harder to get your weight to naturally shift to the inside part of your trail foot in the backswing. Sure, you could make the mistake of “sliding” to get weight on your back foot, but that doesn’t fix the issue. You must turn into your trial leg to generate power. Additionally, look at the difference in separation between my hands and my head in the 8-iron examples. The green picture has more separation and has my hands lower. This will help me lessen my angle of attack and make it easier to hit the inside part of the golf ball, rather than the over-the-top move that the other picture produces.

Stay Better Connected in the Backswing

When you don’t keep everything in your upper body working as one, getting to a good spot at the top of your swing is very hard to do. It would take impeccable timing along with great hand-eye coordination to hit quality shots with any sort of regularity if the arms are working separately from the body.

Notice in the red pictures of both my 60-degree wedge and 8-iron how high my hands are and the fact you can clearly see my shoulder through the gap in my arms. That has happened because the right arm, just above my elbow, has become totally disconnected from my body. That separation causes me to lift my hands as well as lose some of the extension in my left arm. This has been corrected in the green pictures by using this drill to reinforce that connection. It will also make you focus on keeping the lead arm close to your body as well. Because the moment either one loses that relationship, the towel falls.

Conclusion

I have been diligent this year in finding a few drills that target some of the issues that plague my golf game; either by simply forgetting fundamental things or by coming to terms with the faults that have bitten me my whole career. I have found that having a few drills to fall back on to reinforce certain feelings helps me find my game a little easier, and the “towel drill” is most definitely one of them.

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Instruction

Clement: Why your practice swing never sucks

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You hear that one all the time; I wish I could put my practice swing on the ball! We explain the huge importance of what to focus on to allow the ball to be perfectly in the way of your practice swing. Enjoy!

 

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