Clubhead speed / Ball velocity

[Albatross]

I was watching Annika Sorenson teeing-off with her driver . Her ball velocity was timed at 142 mph and her drive distance was measured @ 285 yds. Is there an approximate correlation between clubhead speed and ball velocity, assuming clubface is squarely applied?

[jvincent]

Ball speed is approximately 50% higher than clubhead speed as a general rule. However, there are a lot of variables that can change this.

The "official" term for this I've seen used most often is Smash Factor. It is usually in the range of 40 - 60%. Both the ball and the clubhead (design and loft) play big roles in this number.

EDIT: I think 60% as the upper bound may be high. There's probably some theoretical limit to this as well.

[mberube]

If I am not mistaken, the maximum amount of ball velocity at impact is 1.5 and it’s Taylormade that has it with the 580 series.

If you swing 100MPH, the ball speed launch will be 150MPH.

That’s last time I check but don’t quote me on it.

[Ruskie]

Hmm... Shouldn't that depend on clubhead weight as well? I mean, if you hit a ball with a sledge hammer at 100MPH, wouldn't the ball speed be greater than if you hit it with a regular driver at the same speed? And how does COR figures into this?

Cheers,
Krolik.

[mberube]

Hmm... Shouldn't that depend on clubhead weight as well? I mean, if you hit a ball with a sledge hammer at 100MPH, wouldn't the ball speed be greater than if you hit it with a regular driver at the same speed? And how does COR figures into this?

Cheers,
Krolik.

It probably does but the article I saw had computer analysis on ball velocity. They were testing multiple drivers and TM had the highest ratio at 1.5!

[jvincent]

It probably does but the article I saw had computer analysis on ball velocity. They were testing multiple drivers and TM had the highest ratio at 1.5!

On the equip2golf site where they did golf ball testing they had numbers as high as 1.528 (average of Cleveland and Titleist) and I saw an add for a non-conforming driver that had 1.6.

[Chambokl]

I am a ball players and also golf. With softball, we use a lighter bat to have more bat swing. So if you apply the same process, you are better to use a lighter club to have more club speed.

Also, the face of the club is important. For example the TM (or titleist, callaway, etc...) club face acts as a trampoline. So the ball hits the face and stays in contact with the face of the club and which then slingshot the ball with greater speed.

I have read that a company is coming out with a double wall face. The ball will compress the first wall which will compress the second wall and then POW.....

We have some bats now with triple wall technology.

Are the new drivers better than the older one. You bet they are. Are the Wall-Mart driver as good as the newer one. They will last a lot longer. The WM driver will lose his sringboard effect.

You can have the best driver but you also have to hit the ball. Most of the time this is the biggest problem.

Jean-Guy

[jhazelton]

Well, let's see if all the physics/dynamics I studied finally has a real world use.

Momentum is defined as mass x velocity. (p = m*v)

In an ideal situation (vacuum, no deformation, etc.), momentum is conserved and the momentum loss of the club is transfered to the momentum of the ball. Since the club continues into its follow through, it does not loose its entire momentum. To accurately determine the momentum transfered to the ball, club speed would need to be determined at impact and immediately after impact.

I couple of quick searches reveal that a club head losses about 35% velocity during impact. So using a 200 gram club head with a velocity of 100 mph has a momentum of 20000. After impact, the club will has a momentum of 13000. A 45 gram ball will have been given a momentum of 7000 in an ideal situation.

Therefore the maximum theoritical velocity of the ball would be 155.6 mph.

[jvincent]

Good first order math but the problem is that the 35% number probably changes very drastically depending golfer, shaft type, etc.

[golfmania]

Well, let's see if all the physics/dynamics I studied finally has a real world use.

Also, you have limitations on the mass part of that formula. If you can't swing it, there's no efficiency.