Instructor Martin Chuck of Revolution Golf shows how off center strikes with the driver drastically reduces your ball speed and total distance. A centered strike creates a higher smash factor, better ball speed, and more distance off the tee.
What is your Smash Factor?
Ball speed reduced by aa 21 mph ( and 1 mph should equal 2 yards), but total is reduced from 270 to 143 yards. I don’t get it. Should it have shown 2(two)43?
All other factors being equal, a 21 mph reduction in ball speed should equal about 42 yds less distance, but the heeled shot is going to have a drastically different flight… it probably went low and left of the target line, possibly with a weak, fading flight. Had he just reduced clubhead speed to the point that ball speed was 21 mph less with a center impact, and a proper launch, then the 2 yd per mph would be more likely to be accurate.
I think it will be more interesting if the comparison is not so extreme. It feels like you are trying too hard to mess up your “heel shot”. And that’s less convincing in my opinion. A player who has the ability to carry his driver 270+ would not drive a ball 140, at least I wouldn’t. It’s like you are demonstrating 2 shots from 2 different guys… not saying there’s anything wrong with the concept though… I know it’s truth, but I feel like if you present it in a slightly different way it could be much more convincing to more people.
I couldn’t agree more. I want to see same swing speed on both center and heel. Then talk to me about the difference.
Don’t confuse 270yds *total* distance with carry distance – there’s no way a 104mph drive with even a near perfect smash factor of 1.49 carries that far. It would include run and likely carried closer to 240.
The difference with the heel shot can be so drastic due to gear effect where adverse launch angle, back and side spin come into play.
So the extreme nature of this comparison is actually to highlight the importance of centre strikes over club head speed. And in fact the higher the club head speed, the higher the difference between centre and off centre strikes.