Smash factor by club
Smash factor is ball speed divided by club head speed, and loft caps it: the tour driver runs 1.48, the 7 iron 1.33 and the pitching wedge 1.23 on the published table. The model eases each club by 0.01 for every 5 mph below its tour speed, and 0.01 of smash is worth about 1.9 yards with a driver at tour speed.
The table
The tour value for each club is the published ball speed divided by the published club head speed. The two middle columns are what the model gives a golfer swinging 10 and 20 mph slower than the tour, since strike quality tends to follow speed; the last is what a single hundredth of smash is worth in carry at tour speed.
Smash factor by club
| Club | Tour smash | 10 mph slower | 20 mph slower | Yards per 0.01 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | 1.48 | 1.46 | 1.44 | 1.9 |
| 3 wood | 1.48 | 1.46 | 1.44 | 1.6 |
| 5 wood | 1.48 | 1.46 | 1.44 | 1.6 |
| Hybrid | 1.46 | 1.44 | 1.42 | 1.5 |
| 3 iron | 1.45 | 1.43 | 1.41 | 1.5 |
| 4 iron | 1.43 | 1.41 | 1.39 | 1.4 |
| 5 iron | 1.40 | 1.38 | 1.36 | 1.4 |
| 6 iron | 1.38 | 1.36 | 1.34 | 1.3 |
| 7 iron | 1.33 | 1.31 | 1.29 | 1.3 |
| 8 iron | 1.32 | 1.30 | 1.28 | 1.2 |
| 9 iron | 1.28 | 1.26 | 1.24 | 1.2 |
| Pitching wedge | 1.23 | 1.21 | 1.19 | 1.1 |
| Gap wedge (modeled) | 1.17 | 1.15 | 1.13 | 1.1 |
Reading your own
A driver smash near 1.48 says the strike was clean; a 7 iron near 1.33 says the same. A number well below the club’s tour value at your speed is strike, not speed, and strike is the cheapest distance there is: a launch monitor session shows it club by club.
In PinFlag
PinFlag imports the session and keeps the carries, which is the number the strike produced: every club becomes a Measured pattern, and the pattern rather than the smash factor is what prices the target on the course.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good smash factor with a driver?
What is a good smash factor for a 7 iron?
Why is wedge smash factor lower?
How much is 0.01 of smash factor worth?
Which golf app does this on the course?
Related
Sources
- PGA TOUR statistics
- Golf simulator and launch monitor, Wikipedia
- How PinFlag calculates strokes gained
Every figure on this page is computed from the published baselines, the same ones PinFlag prices your shots with. The scope of the figures: Tour values are the published ball speed and club head speed rows; the slower columns apply the model’s stated easing of 0.01 per 5 mph below tour speed.
Get PinFlag for iPhone
PinFlag shows you this number on the course, for the shot in front of you, before you swing: any target priced with your own dispersion and the lie read from the course map, your real shots drawn on the hole, and two taps to log. Golfer is $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year, with a 14-day trial on the annual plan through the App Store.