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So I recently went to the Bridgestone ball fitting and got fit for a Bridgestone ball. Awesome experience and has led me down a worm hole for golf balls. Any ways. When I went to go get fit my smash factor was only 1.34. I had noticed this was my smash factor when I was on the simulator with my driver at PGASS as well. I thought maybe it wasnt center contact so I threw on some impact tape. I hit almost all of them dead center ( pardon the humble brag). After looking at some numbers were looking at almost 25-30 yards lost due to a bad smash factor.   I hit this driver well and i hit it pretty straight. I normally dont worry about distance if the dispersion is right but 30 yards is a lot to give up. Anyone have any ideas how to increase the smash factor or will I need to join the market for a new driver

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Smash factor or PTR is basically the derivative of club speed and ball speed. If you hit the ball with the best possible energy transfer (the magic number being 1.50) then your ball speed will be 1.5 times your club speed. That's the easy part. The only way to achieve the magic number is to hit the ball squarely in the middle of the club face (although there is data to suggest toe and high centre hits make for anomalies in smash factor readings above 1.5 but let's not even go there).

The hard part is transferring that data into something realistic. With anything less than a doppler radar LM, those numbers are usually well off and erroneous. Without looking at your actual readings it's difficult to tell, but if it was at a super store then the readings are usually bunk and aimed at getting you to buy into a product such as a new ball or a new driver.

For the record, never ever ever fit a ball to a driver - it makes about as much sense as fitting your shoes to a horse. Every ball available at the moment will more or less react to and travel the same distance (within a base margin) when hit with a driver, making a "fitting" purely dumb if the said ball no longer fits within your putting, wedge and iron requirements - clubs which, by the way, are all used more frequently and which will all react markedly differently to various types of ball. 

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To be clear Jas yo are in the fit to the short game school? Me too!

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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To be clear Jas yo are in the fit to the short game school? Me too!

 

When it comes to ball fitting, it's putter first - otherwise, if it doesn't feel right off the putter - why bother continuing any further? 

Putter first, then wedge, then irons and the driver will just have to live with what is left.

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No Iagree with the putter. I did it just to get a baseline. It was something fun to do. When I was at the PGA SS it was in their Sim that they use for lessons and not one of their sales ones. You can rent it for 30 minutes and I was trying a shaft I had bought. I set all the settings myself so I was at sea level without wind help. I play in Texas so I put it on firm fairway. I also am aware of the smash factor formula. I just saw it on two monitors both were reading 1.34. I had the same idea of the PGASS Monitor. Then when I went ot the ball fitting (which was free) and I saw the 1.34 as well I figured something was up.

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Huntingforbirdies.com

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SS of 109  BS of 147.40 Total Distance was 250. la 12.3 spin 2313

 

im pact tape is showing center contact

 

Like I said, if it's Bridgestones own optical system then the readings are useless normally.

Without any other metrics (e.g. AoA, club path, v/h swing plane, dynamic loft, face angle - and that's just the club head alone) , launch and spin are just buzz numbers that show nothing about actual ball flight. 

If you haven't already, try hitting the ball in question outside and actually measuring it's real distance.

If you crunch your numbers into doppler radar software you would be coming up with 247 carry 275 total distance for a perfect hit. If your real world distance is somewhere between those two figures (260-265?) then I wouldn't worry unless you're elite level amateur.

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ok cool. Just so I know for my knowledge How would the AoA and Club Path and all the others effect the smash factor effect the smash factor? The ball is going just as far as it always has Im just wondering if the driver isnt producing the ball speed that fits the swing speed

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If you are truly swinging at 109, then a 147 ball speed is woefully slow. I am guessing here, but I would suspect that there is some type of path issue at play that is leading to what I would call a "wiping" action on the ball. It is possible to make center contact with an incorrect path and face angle that will produce slower than optimal ball speeds. Like Jaskanski said, If you are hitting the ball on the course somewhere between 250-280, I wouldn't sweat it.   Especially if it is in the short grass....

 

Driver - Ping G430 Max 9° | Ventus Blue TR 
Hybrid - :srixon-small: ZX 16° & 18° | GD Tour IZ S

2 Iron - :srixon-small: ZU65 17° | AeroTech SteelFiber 110icw S

Irons -  :srixon-small: ZX7 MKII  4-Pw | TTDGTI S400, std length  1° flat
Wedges - :cleveland-small: RTX 6 Tour Rack 50° 54° 58° | TTDGTI S400, std length 1° flat

Putter -  L.A.B. Golf Link.1 | LA Golf P135 shaft | Garsen Quad Tour grip
 

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If you are truly swinging at 109, then a 147 ball speed is woefully slow. I am guessing here, but I would suspect that there is some type of path issue at play that is leading to what I would call a "wiping" action on the ball. It is possible to make center contact with an incorrect path and face angle that will produce slower than optimal ball speeds. Like Jaskanski said, If you are hitting the ball on the course somewhere between 250-280, I wouldn't sweat it.   Especially if it is in the short grass....

 

 

 

This was exactly my thought. How could your ball speed be 147 with a 109 ss? There is no way you are keeping the ball on the map if that's the case. I suspect it's not.

 

Back to fitting the ball I'm weird I go chips and pitches first. I can live with whatever feel I get off the putter if I have the right amount of spin on those chips and pitches. Getting those bad boys up and in over 50 percent of the time is a big key to my game. For me it's that first, irons, putter, don't be an outlier in distance off the driver.

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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Good to know thanks. Thats why I thought it was so odd. I thought it was really slow. I just wanted to know if it could be the driver. I  thought the numbers were off at first  then I hit it on another sim and got pretty close t the same results. I figured 2 LM couldnt be that far off.

 

I do tend to keep it on the reservation. I bought the impact tape and was getting nice center contact. Thats why I wanted to hop on here and ask. I know my path is very inside to out with the face closed to the path.

 

Buddy- Just so I know what is the wiping golf swing motion you speak of?

Check out my personal Equipment Blog and Podcast!

 

Huntingforbirdies.com

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Ball fitting. What's that?

I've never had a ball fitting and don't see any need to do so. I know, I know. Very un-golfspy'ish. I have however done a few self-fittings. Here's how it works.

 

Step #1 - Purchase a ball and go play it. I either like it or I don't. (I already eliminate Rocks from consideration as I only play a urethane cover ball.)

Step #2 - Did I gain or lose any distance with the ball? Y/N

Step #3 - Do the balls seem to spin and bite with well played wedges? Y/N

Step #4 - Do I like the way the ball feels overall and with the putter? Y/N

Step #5 - Is the ball affordable? Y/N (Think Snell, Chrome Soft, MG Tour C4, etc.)

Step #6 - Fitting concluded and rocket-science avoided.

 

Play well my Friends.

My Sun Mountain bag currently includes:   TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 771CSI 5i - PW and TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png PFC Micro Tour-c 52°, 56°, 60 wedges

                                                                               :755178188_TourEdge: EXS 10.5*, TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 929-HS FW4 16.5* 

                                                                                :edel-golf-1: Willimette w/GolfPride Contour

 

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I'm totally with you Plaid!

 

I'm playing Urethane so that eliminates much of the field. I'd prefer to play last year's Urethane because it's cheaper but honestly I don't loose many balls. I bought a couple of dozen MTB last summer and they lasted me until the end of the year. Kor a Dor gave me a box of B330 RXs that I cracked into around Christmas and I still have a sleeve in my locker and eight in my bag two of which are scuffed. Thanks buddy! It's April and I still have eight usable balls from that dozen that I've played fifteen rounds with. I also have a dozen new B330 RXS that Bridgestone gave me. I should be good with balls until September. At that point I will but a couple of dozen of last year's B330 RXs on the chep or order a couple of dozen more MTBs.

 

Back to driver take it out on the course numberonecog and see what it looks like. I'm guessing you're fine. I'd lose to have the problem of a ball speed that's only in the mid 140's. :)

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Instead of concentrating on the ball you might want to consider the shaft in play assuming ( yes I know what can happen when that happens) the head is in good shape. The shaft can prevent the need 16 Mph ball lost, additionally if you are spppiiiinnninngg the ball as added loft will take away from the ball speed ever so slightly. Just something else to consider

Driver - 44.5" 5.0 flex 10.5 deg Graphite Design XC 6S GP MCC4+ 1 deg closed

Irons - 5-pw, GW stnd length 5.0 flex same grip 1 deg flat. Type low medium offset cavity back, no diggers

Wedges - 56 and 60 tour grind wedge spinner and mcc4+ grip 2 flat 10 and 8 in bounce

Putter - Makefield VS LH

Ball - truvis

Carried in a Sun Mountain C-130 USA bag - BE PROUD.

HC - LH but 85 is a good number, playing in Ohio.

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Thanks for the input guys. We had a demo day near me today so I decided to go out and take a look. I hit almost every manufacturer. I got it down to two drivers. The nike vapor flex and the Callaway Big Bertha. I hit both on Trackman as well as my driver. My driver was producing a 1.38. The Callway was a 1.45 and the Nike was a 1.47. mY launch numbers were about the same throughout and the Spin rate was higher with my Adams. The dispersion was pretty consistent throughout the three. I think Imay be leaning towards the Nike

Check out my personal Equipment Blog and Podcast!

 

Huntingforbirdies.com

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Thanks for the input guys. We had a demo day near me today so I decided to go out and take a look. I hit almost every manufacturer. I got it down to two drivers. The nike vapor flex and the Callaway Big Bertha. I hit both on Trackman as well as my driver. My driver was producing a 1.38. The Callway was a 1.45 and the Nike was a 1.47. mY launch numbers were about the same throughout and the Spin rate was higher with my Adams. The dispersion was pretty consistent throughout the three. I think Imay be leaning towards the Nike

 

I doubt the launch numbers were the same given the differences in smash factor alone.

For example, if your swing speed were 100mph, the difference in ball speed would be 138mph versus 147mph - the latter would produce at least 18 yards more distance if the launch angle and spin were similar. 

For an amateur, I would take 1.47 smash factor all day long - regardless of any launch and spin numbers too. For distance, ball speed is king - with modern adjustable drivers, everything else (like loft for example) can be tweaked to fit the launch window.

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