Please explain the importance of ball speed to me

[Kevmonton]

I am a little confused about the importance of ball speed.  I watch a lot of videos regarding the review of clubs (drivers in particular) and have noticed while there can be a disparity in ball speed, the distance numbers can still be very similar.  While ball speed is always referred to in these reviews, I am thinking clubhead speed would be more important.  The club head speed and distance determine the smash factor limitations that are set on clubs so I am confused what the ball speed ads to this equation.  TSi2 comes to mind as one of the clubs that they say lacks ball speed.  Yet if you look at the 2021 My Golf Spy Most Wanted Driver results for mid speed swingers there is only a 4 total yard distance between the TSi2 and Tsi3.  What am I missing?

[WristySwing]

27 minutes ago, Kevmonton said:

I am a little confused about the importance of ball speed.  I watch a lot of videos regarding the review of clubs (drivers in particular) and have noticed while there can be a disparity in ball speed, the distance numbers can still be very similar.  While ball speed is always referred to in these reviews, I am thinking clubhead speed would be more important.  The club head speed and distance determine the smash factor limitations that are set on clubs so I am confused what the ball speed ads to this equation.  TSi2 comes to mind as one of the clubs that they say lacks ball speed.  Yet if you look at the 2021 My Golf Spy Most Wanted Driver results for mid speed swingers there is only a 4 total yard distance between the TSi2 and Tsi3.  What am I missing?

 

Every 1mph in ball speed is equivalent to 2 extra yards of carry.  If you and I both swing the driver at 100mph and I hit one 5mm toe side and have an efficiency/smash factor of 1.40, I am getting 140mph of ball speed.  If you hit it dead middle, you will see 150mph ball speed.  You just hit it 20 yards past me with identical inputs.  That is why ball speed is important.  Now, someone with a 110mph swing speed hits one off the bottom of the club and has a 1.27 smash factor, they hit it the same distance as me, and you outdrove them by 20 yards.  Given identical strikes, they would be 30 yards on the fly longer than both of us.  Smash factor is not limited by swing speed, smash factor can be identical for two people with wildly different swing speeds.  It is just the ratio of your ball speed/swing speed.  For instance, I would put money on it that the leading LPGA player for accuracy has a higher smash factor than a 2 handicap with a 120mph swing speed.  She would miss the middle maybe less than 1% of the time while the 2 handicap, despite probably outdriving her by close to 50 yards, probably misses the middle 5-10% of the time.

 

Ball speed is the great equalizer.  Swing speed is irrelevant if you can't maximize your ball speed through efficient strikes.

 

 

Edited March 20, 2023 by WristySwing

[bobfoster]

18 minutes ago, WristySwing said:

 

Every 1mph in ball speed is equivalent to 2 extra yards of carry.  If you and I both swing the driver at 100mph and I hit one 5mm toe side and have an efficiency/smash factor of 1.40, I am getting 140mph of ball speed.  If you hit it dead middle, you will see 150mph ball speed.  You just hit it 20 yards past me with identical inputs.  That is why ball speed is important.  Now, someone with a 110mph swing speed hits one off the bottom of the club and has a 1.27 smash factor, they hit it the same distance as me, and you outdrove them by 20 yards.  Given identical strikes, they would be 30 yards on the fly longer than both of us.  Smash factor is not limited by swing speed, smash factor can be identical for two people with wildly different swing speeds.  It is just the ratio of your ball speed/swing speed.  For instance, I would put money on it that the leading LPGA player for accuracy has a higher smash factor than a 2 handicap with a 120mph swing speed.  She would miss the middle maybe less than 1% of the time while the 2 handicap, despite probably outdriving her by close to 50 yards, probably misses the middle 5-10% of the time.

 

Ball speed is the great equalizer.  Swing speed is irrelevant if you can't maximize your ball speed through efficient strikes.

 

 

That ^^^

[mgoblue83]

@WristySwing nailed it.

 

Optimizing launch conditions (VLA and Spin) make a big difference when speed is similar but the overwhelming limiting factor to distance potential is ball speed. 

 

For example 170mph ball speed with average launch conditions will carry and roll significantly farther than 150mph with perfect launch conditions.

[phizzy30]

I always say that ball speed is king when it comes to distance because it correlates with how good or bad your ball striking is.  If you can consistently hit the top range of ball speed within your swing speed, it means your very efficient in ball striking which plays a critical role in determining how far you can hit the ball and smaller role in determining handicap IMO. 

[Stuart_G]

11 hours ago, Kevmonton said:

What am I missing?

 

That data from other people hitting a particular club is not really very useful in determining what club might be the best fit for you and your swing.

 

All clubs are maxed out for COR for center strike hits.  Variations in real world data (ball speed and distance) largely come much more from the specific individuals tendencies to miss the center of the face and how much dynamic loft is delivered and face-to-path - than the specific design of the head.  

 

If one can't do a decent job of hitting the center of the face consistently - then the head design is not what you should be focusing your efforts on.  It means there are other aspects of the club that are a bad fit e.g. playing length, shaft weight, swing weight, shaft stiffness feel, (among others).

 

The head design is more important from the standpoint of spin (variations in gear effect) or for some the face angle, and others even the visual at address.   

 

You can do all the independent research you want - but the only way to get useful answers is to go out and start hitting different clubs.    But it's all about what club (combo of head, shaft, length, weight, grip, ) will get you the most consistently best swing and delivery and impact conditions (and give the most confidence in many cases).

 

Edited March 20, 2023 by Stuart_G

[Rocky Ball-boa]

I believe (but am open to being corrected) from a reviewer's point of view, ballspeed is a pretty consistent and transferable factor. It doesn't depend on temperature, wind, ground firmness, carrying on a downhill, length of turf, settings on the trackman/gc quad etc. It's easily comparable from day to day, club to club and reviewer to reviewer.