Maximizing Driver Distance using a Trackman or Flightscope Launch Monitor

In today's golf world, maximizing your driver distance is truly a matter of science. No longer can you solely go on what looks right to your eye or even what feels right in your hands. The only way to get the most out of your drives is through the use of a launch monitor. But what do all those numbers on the launch monitor screen mean and how do you maximize them?

First off, there are only a few numbers that mean anything on a launch monitor. Hands down, the most important is Ball Speed.

You can have all the clubhead speed in the world, but if your ball speed isn't in proportion with your club head speed, you are wasting energy and losing distance. The optimum number is a 1:1.5 ratio between clubhead speed and ball speed. This number is referred to as the Smash Factor.

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In other words, at 100 mph of clubhead speed, a solid blow will send the ball at 150 mph off the face of a legal driver. The lower the ratio, the poorer the quality of the strike and the more inefficient the impact. Not very many will get a full 1:1.5 ratio, most tour pros come in just above 1:1.47, but you should strive for this number.

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