Glossary · Metrics
SWOLF
SWOLF — a blend of 'swim' and 'golf' — is a swim efficiency score: the number of strokes plus the number of seconds it takes to swim one length of the pool. Like golf, a lower score is better.
How it's calculated
If you swim a 25 m length in 20 seconds with 16 strokes, your SWOLF for that length is 36. Your watch averages it across a set or a whole swim.
How to use it
SWOLF only compares fairly within the same pool length and at similar efforts, and it says nothing about technique on its own — fewer, longer strokes and faster swimming both lower it. Use it to see whether drills and technique work are making you more efficient at a given pace.
In The Next Race
The Next Race charts SWOLF for pool swims on each activity.