[hcw]

Rocky Thompson, and a guy named Wedgy Winchester could/can really bomb that ball with the LONG DRIVER. I think Wedgy actually won a national long drive competition with a club that he normally used for trick shot shows.

Back to MASS for a moment...

There has been talk on other threads that MASS is not much of a factor.
I believe it is. It is the EFFECTIVE transfer of MASS to the ball that is key. The more effecient golf strokes transfer MASS from the person and club into the ball more effieiently, through factors like FOOT LOADING, EXTENSOR ACTION, LAG LEAKAGE PREVENTION, ETC..

ALSO... the actual MASS of the person is somewhat of a factor. A 100 lb. golfing machine should hit the ball futher than a 1 lb. golfing machine, with the other factors being equal. Jeff Sluman and Ian Woosnam are pretty long, but they are not as long as Big Cat(Evan) Williams or Jason Zubeck.

This is just one factor, there are many others, but it is a factor up to a point. The effieient transfer of MASS is the key.

hi again,
i disagree, sorta...in reality there is no actual "transfer of mass" from person to club (ie atoms don't flow from your hands down the shaft to the clubhead for impact and then back up again, youch!...if we can agree on that then i think the force you put on the ball can be defined by F=ma (force = mass X acceleration)...what you are calling efficient "transfer of mass" i think is either good vs. poor contact (ie solidly landed right hook vs. glancing blow on jaw) and/or efficient acceleration of the clubhead so that the max acceleration is at impact...both of these are skills that are performed using the "factors" you listed above...as i said before i think the mass of the person is only a factor in that, generally speaking, bigger people have bigger muscles that can produce more acceleration...however, bottom line, i think we are talking about the same thing just using different descriptors.

-hcw