DRIVING · DRILL GUIDE
Smash Factor Check
Hit a drive and log its smash factor from your launch monitor on one slider. See the spread of your smash as a bell curve, and the yards each drive gains or gives away against your goal.
Free in your browser. Also on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
WHY IT WORKS
The problem, and the fix
Speed training adds club speed, but distance comes from ball speed. A drive struck off the toe or heel loses ball speed no matter how fast you swing, and club speed alone never shows it.
The goal: Track your smash factor (ball speed Ă· club speed), tighten its spread, push it toward your goal, and see the yards it’s worth.
You chase more speed when cleaner contact would give you yards for free.
How it works
Five steps from opening the drill to your first logged result.
- 1Set up a launch monitor that shows smash factor, and tee up a driver.
- 2Hit one drive. Move the slider to its smash factor and tap Log drive.
- 3Under the slider: the yards that smash gains or gives away against your goal (1.45 to start), on your driver carry. Set both in Settings.
- 4The bell curve shows how your smash spreads: a tall, narrow curve at your goal or higher is consistent, solid contact. Under it, each drive’s estimated carry as a box plot.
- 5Hands-free: say its smash, like “1.45” or “one forty-five”. Also “repeat”, “skip”, “undo”, “finish” or “hands-free off”.
SEE IT IN ACTION
On iPad, iPhone and the web
Smash Factor Check looks the same everywhere: in your browser on a phone, a tablet or a computer, and in the iPhone and iPad app.
Coaching tips
No fixed length — 10 to 20 drives is a good session. Finish whenever you like: a session saves itself from the first reps.
Log 100 drives’ smash factor. Every badge is a coin on the drill’s Progress page.
No phone? Print the practice sheet. Count the rows with a smash of 1.45 or more, and average the smash column. Under 1.43, cleaner contact is your quickest distance.
Questions
What do I need?
Driver + tees, a launch monitor that shows smash factor.
How long is a session?
No fixed length — 10 to 20 drives is a good session.
How do I score it on the practice sheet?
Count the rows with a smash of 1.45 or more, and average the smash column. Under 1.43, cleaner contact is your quickest distance.
Which badges can I earn?
6: First session, 100 drives, 500 drives, 5 at goal in a row, Solid contact and Pured it. Each one lights up on the drill’s Progress page.
Can I use it hands-free?
Yes. Turn on Hands-free in the drill and say each result out loud, and “undo” or “finish”. It works in browsers with speech recognition, such as Chrome and Safari, and in the iPhone and iPad app. You can always tap instead.
Do I need an account?
No. Practice as a guest and your sessions stay on that device. Sign in with Apple, Google or email to keep them in your account, on the web and in the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch app.
Ready for Smash Factor Check?
Open it in your browser and log your first rep. Practice as a guest, or sign in to sync with the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch app.
By David Golfs · Questions? david@davidgolfs.com