Alternate characterizations of golf ball striking ability is provided, as well as methods for determining the alternate characterizations and systems for carrying out such determinations. Such methods may include performing one or more golf strikes to impart trajectories to one or more golf balls. Such methods may also include measuring each of the golf strikes to determine golf club head, golf ball speed, side spin angle, and offline angle, calculating a trajectory magnitude factor and a trajectory offline factor on the basis of the measurements, and reducing the trajectory magnitude factor by the trajectory offline factor.