Is Your Obsession With Distance Holding You Back?

It’s no secret that maximum driving distance is something every amateur golfer strives for.

It’s as if carrying 300 yards off the tee validates your status as a “better player” among amateur golfers and separates you from the weekend hackers.  And there’s nothing wrong with distance; it can be a weapon that helps take your game to the next level.

In fact, Golficity has repeatedly emphasized the importance of gaining distance and how a quality fitness regiment and training products like SuperSpeed Golf can help you easily pick up some extra yards.  As a result, this may come off as taboo, but it’s possible that over-emphasizing distance could be holding your game back.

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Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing like bombing a drive 10, maybe even 20, yards further than everyone else in your group.  But swinging out of your shoes isn’t worth grenading your score, perhaps losing a few bucks, and hitting only 2 out of 15 fairways.  And that’s not counting the 3-4 times you end up having to take a penalty stroke for a lost ball.

At the end of the day, it always makes more sense to club up and swing 85% and maintain control, instead of trying to swing 110% and muscle an extra 10 yards out of that iron or wedge shot.  But the unfortunate reality is that when most amateur golfers reach in their bag for the driver, focus (and common sense) goes right out the window and they white knuckle, death grip the club and swing for the fences.

Sadly, we’re all too familiar with how this story ends…

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A lot of people got up in arms after seeing Frank & Mike’s results from the Epic vs. Rogue Showdown, particularly in regards to the difference between Smash Factors for Frank (1.52 with Rogue and 1.48 with Epic) and Mike (1.39 and 1.42, respectively), despite the fact that Mike’s swing speed was approximately 10 MPH higher.

But this illustrates how dangerous our over-obsession with achieving maximum distance can be when we get tunnel vision and start chasing the highest Smash Factor possible, instead of the best consistent drive possible.

In sum, Smash Factor is Ball Speed divided by Club Speed and, with a driver, that “magic number” is 1.50.  But the biggest factor that’s going to determine your Smash Factor is quality of strike, not club speed.  And that really shouldn’t surprise anyone, especially when we’re evaluating driver, fairway wood, or hybrid performance, where hitting the sweet spot (rather than out on the toe or heel) will result in optimal Smash Factor (i.e., energy transfer), along with Distance, Dispersion, Launch Angle, and Spin.

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So what can you do to improve your Smash Factor and, ultimately, your scoring ability?  First, swing under control.

Sadly, this is easier said than done, but the reality of the situation is that even the best, custom fit clubs or lessons with Butch Harmon won’t help a golfer who doesn’t swing under control.

Second, get custom fit.

Golficity has repeatedly emphasized getting fit because, despite how expensive it might be getting new clubs, spending that extra amount of money to work with a knowledgeable fitter who will help put together your “ultimate golf club” (i.e., the right head and shaft combination with your unique lie angles, swing weight, and club length) is going to ensure that your clubs are working with your swing, instead of fighting it.

Third, work with a swing coach or, at a minimum, do drills that help reinforce your striking ability.

With respect to the driver, the most helpful (and ironically, the cheapest) drill is to spray Dr. Scholl’s aerosol powder onto the club face and hit some balls.  This will provide instant feedback and can easily be reapplied as you experiment with different swing paths, ball positions, grips, etc.  Furthermore, this can also go a long way in combination with other drills, such as placing an empty ball or a headcover a few inches in front of the ball to work on a positive angle of attack.

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At the end of the day, we’re all trying to lower our scores and handicaps.  Ironically enough, the best way to do that is play “boring golf,” i.e. consistent, low-risk, high success shots.

Unfortunately, “boring golf” means keeping your ego in check and safely laying up in front of that green side bunker with an iron instead of trying to execute a perfect fairway wood/hybrid shot from 200+ yards out.  With respect to the driver, this probably means dialing back your swing speed a few MPH to a controllable 90% and “settling” for 260 yards safely in the fairway with a clean approach shot, instead of channeling your inner John Daly, swinging from 110%, and hitting it 290 yards into the deep rough, woods, or a water hazard.

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