[Jeff]

Golfbulldog

I never felt strongly about this issue. I always thought that ball flight distance was related to clubhead speed, and not to the pressure exerted on the shaft at impact in swingers where PA#2 is released passively. I am a little surprised that it also applies to hitters who drive load the clubshaft. Do you therefore believe that in a hitter's drive loading action, that the only factor is clubhead speed at impact and that push-pressure behind the clubshaft has no additive effect?

nmgolfer

I presume that the clubhead must have a finite amount of weight so that the clubface doesn't deform at impact. Presuming that the clubface is sufficiently rigid, you are presumably stating that additional clubhead weight and/or additional push-pressure thrust exerted by the golfer has no effect on ball flight distance (other than its effect on clubhead speed at impact). Is that correct?

What about the possibility of clubhead acceleration through impact due to drive loading in a hitter's action. In your mathematical model, you are presuming that clubhead speed remains constant for the entire duration of ball-clubface contact in both situations. However, wouldn't increased drive loading (thrust force = push-force) allow the clubhead to continue to accelerate while it remains in contact with the ball for a duration of 1/4000 second? A hitter is not simply applying increased mass behind his drive loading action - he is also thrusting and accelerating the club through the impact zone.

Jeff.