An assessment of the relationships between ball flight results, impact factors, and golf performance

Abstract

PurposeThe aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between golf players’ performance, impact factors, and ball flight results with individual clubs when performing a full swing.MethodsThe study involved 9 amateur golfers who performed a full swing test with 4 different clubs (short, middle, long iron, and driver) and then played a tournament round of golf. The players’ performance was assessed by handicap and by game statistics from the tournament. The ball flight results were based on the resulting carry distance and the resulting side deviation from the target line. The impact factors were the initial ball speed, the club head speed, the smash factor, the face angle, the club path, and the face to path. Relationships between the players’ performance, impact factors, and ball flight results were investigated.ResultsA significant relationship was found between the resulting ball flight distance and handicap for long iron (<i>r</i> = –0.85; <i>p</i> < 0.01) and driver (<i>r</i> = –0.9; <i>p</i> < 0.01). Conversely, the resulting ball flight side deviation from the target line correlated with handicap in short iron (<i>r</i> = 0.78; <i>p</i> = 0.02).ConclusionsBall flight distance of long iron and driver and ball flight side deviation of short iron are key attributes of performance. The results suggest that in order to improve long term performance, players should aim for maximal distance with drivers and long irons (high smash factor) and for maximal accuracy with short irons (low face angle).