The quality or purity of a strike, the “Smash Factor” is of utmost importance as it converts clubhead speed into ball speed; combining with swing speed, the angle of attack, and COR to determine the overall distance that the ball will travel.

It’s calculated by dividing the ball speed by the clubhead speed, with a ‘perfect’ strike generating a smash factor of around 1.5.

What many golfers fail to appreciate is that slowing down their swing, and by doing so improving their timing, will actually yield a greater ball speed – and therefore more distance – than if they swing more aggressively. Here’s an example: