"Most Powerful Move In Golf" Martin Ayers

That is just swing speed and a centered strike. There are no other parts. You could deloft the club and get more yardage but your playing partners would still hit it further than you if they did the same.

Generally more mass (heavier clubhead) would result in less speed.... that is why the tour guys 'work out' so they can accelerate more mass (although generally they use the same mass clubs as you and I but just accelerate it faster than you and I - swing speed) but you can't add mass by 'getting your weight thru'... only swing speed and/or improved launch conditions (where applicable).

technically your 3 variables, outwith any material elements associated with the clubhead and ball, are the energy in the clubhead (clubhead mass x it's velocity squared), the application of this known as the smash factor relating to the impact conditions (clubface square to swing path in all planes being max) which together produce the energy and transfer it to the ball - and finally the actual launch conditions wil dictate what happens with that energy, and can therefore affect distance through launch angle and trajectory.

that the energy is a function of the mass and velocity squared is why heavier heads don't provide more distance.

interestingly a lighter ball will leave the clubhead faster - but from then drag will have a bigger impact on it's travel so it won't go further..
 
I think weight shift in the down swing helps to load the shaft in some way.

Indeed.... but the club bending backwards would not be adding any speed. It would also NOT unload if the swing pressure remained constant. How much it adds if you stall your swing (slow it down at impact) allowing the shaft to unload would only make up for the loss of speed you had in the first place stalling your swing, if at all. Swing super hard and the shaft would never unload... so then you just go to a stiffer shaft so you can control the direction the club face is pointing at impact but not for any 'swing speed gains'.
 
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I agree it's all about speed. But to say its just about swinging faster is oversimplifying. How do you swing faster? Being stronger helps, most important is sound technique, lag, hip rotation, weight transfer all contribute to speed.
If they are promoting a technique that helps generate more club head speed then maybe there is something in it.
I'm guessing snake oil...
 
There's some interesting physics/equations involved in understanding collisions... I spent long enough learning about golf swings and thought learning degree standard physics was just taking it a little bit too far.

An interesting one is a club head swung at 100mph would go (for example) 250yds...

If you used an 8ft tee peg (one of those new TaylorMade ones! LOL) and tee'd the ball up on a train track to be hit by the 12 carriage, 1200 passenger filled, 15.04 from London Bridge to Brighton at 100mph (weighing approximately 900 tons) would the ball go to the moon given the mass of the train compared to your piddly little clubhead?


(No is the answer by the way) :p
 
Ball speed divided by club head speed.

It's the transfer of power from club to ball, not exceeding 1.5
So a ball hit at 100mph would never exceed 150mph flight speed.

If it was going at 143mph you could have hit it better ;)
 
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anyone know a definition of "smash factor" for dummies?

It's the relationship between clubhead speed and ball speed.

For example.....

club head speed of 100mph and a ball speed of 145mph = smash factor of 1.45

:thup:
 
Ball speed divided by club head speed.

It's the transfer of power from club to ball, not exceeding 1.5
So a ball hit at 100mph would never exceed 150mph flight speed.

Unless you have a trampoline faced driver surely?
The nike covert tour was coming out at 1.49 average when I tested it, with a few under and a few over 1.5, but that is probably within the margin for error on the flightscope. It had a hot face anyway.
 
Unless you have a trampoline faced driver surely?
The nike covert tour was coming out at 1.49 average when I tested it, with a few under and a few over 1.5, but that is probably within the margin for error on the flightscope. It had a hot face anyway.

In theory the club would be illegal but I have had smash factors of 1.52 myself with perfectly legal clubs so can only assume it's an error in the preciseness of the equipment (and that was with Trackman).
 
Ball speed divided by club head speed.

It's the transfer of power from club to ball, not exceeding 1.5
So a ball hit at 100mph would never exceed 150mph flight speed.

If it was going at 143mph you could have hit it better ;)

is how square you catch it the big determining factor?
 
is how square you catch it the big determining factor?

How square you hit it in relation to the path you are swinging on is certainly a part of it, but you could be out by a degree or two and not lose as much as you might if you hit it off the heel. Centeredness of strike is one of the most mentioned parts (so you get the full available response of the club face). I don't know the exact impact conditions for a perfect 1.5 smash factor and what the influences are if you're a degree out with your path/face ratio. I know you can slow your swing and yet with a more centered hit actually get an increased smash factor (relative to that slower speed) but the ball won't actually go as far as you're using less speed.... but some people DO appear to hit it further with a slower swing.... (or at least what they perceive to be a slower swing).
 
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have you ever had a driver fitting JO? im pretty sure I catch it in the middle of the bat most times as my 910 is peppered in the middle. its my path that's all over the shop! lol potentially lowering my smash factor.

I tempted to go for a fitting soon. just out of curiosity. my driver is a passenger at the minute. the adams super hybid pisses all over it from a great height in terms of performance. serious fairway finder and as phil was saying about his frankenwood, its hot, hot!
 
I've had 4 trackman sessions. The best was at a Callaway demo day where they had all their latest clubs/shafts set up so you could see your figures... I bought the FTiQ as it was by far the best. I've been fitted at Ping HQ but the selection of available heads/shafts was poor... although I don't do too bad with that club either.

The fitting isn't going to change your swing but you might find a shaft that is more suitable to your swing speed that subsequently puts the club head in a better position for optimal flight. It might be alignment (face direction) or it might be launch conditions (face angle). It would be hard (impossible) to say without a fitting what would suit you best as you may need a heavier shaft or a lighter one, more flex or less.
 
Always interesting to see how a thread on quite a specific topic morph!

As far as the original post is concerned, I've seen (not bought) the video (a long time ago) and thought 'OK, another technique that might help' but it wasn't for me. In my case it actually worked against my 'natural' flow (developed through 35 years or more of hockey). I'm actually trying a slightly more conventional change of technique, that probably has as little chance of success, so won't condemn any 'magic move' - even though a Pro mate of mine considers it a waste of time.

As far as striking the ball is concerned, I agree with most, if not all, of what JO states. Initial flight is purely about what is happening at impact - the 5 Ball Flight Laws - along with the physical attributes (mass and loft) the club (mainly head) and ball (which also has an effect later). In my opinion, getting 1 of those variables - swing speed - to be maximum at impact isn't significantly affected by the movement element of weight transfer (possibly 0.5mph and a tiny amount of momentum) but the act of transferring weight puts the body in the right position(s) to optimise all the other contributing variables - most of the powerful muscles are 'forward oriented'. Bigger muscles can obviously help here. Timing the 'release' properly - and that involves significant speed changes - is way more important than the mere act of moving forward.

Of course, optimising the 'centredness of strike' is another way to improve results and this, imo, is the major goal of S&T - and the 'swing it better, not harder' approaches.

So my advice to the OP is...try it if you wish - and without prejudice, but be prepared to be disappointed. Don't give up on finding your own 'magic move' but it will almost certainly be different to mine!
 
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