Golf Swing Speed Chart: Averages By Age, Skill, and More

Swing speed charts can tell you the average speeds by age, skill, gender, and more. You can also compare how club head speeds compare to distance.

As a PGA-certified golf coach, I know I am not alone in being a numbers and statistics geek. Many of my students are hungry to compare their numbers with their favorite pro golfers using charts, graphs, and other visual representations.

Many swing speed charts exist today. Some break down clubhead and ball speed by a golfer’s handicap, gender, age, years playing, and many other areas. What many may find surprising by some of the data is that most golfers do not swing as fast as they think nor hit the ball as far as they claim to.

My goal in this article is to share all of the latest information and statistics regarding swing speed in golf. I’ll also share other related information, such as the distance at which golfers hit the ball. Other information relevant to this topic will be shared as well.

Here is a breakdown of what you can find if you read on:

  • Average Swing Speed By Age and Gender
  • Average Swing Speed By Handicap
  • Average PGA TOUR Club Head Speeds and Distances
  • PGA TOUR Average Club Head Speeds and Carry Distance Per Club
  • Average LPGA TOUR Club Head Speeds and Distances
  • LPGA TOUR Average Club Head Speeds and Carry Distance Per Club
  • The Fastest Swingers In Golf

Tips To Improve Your Swing Speed

So get ready, and make sure to buckle up. Things are going to get fast!

Average Swing Speed Chart By Age and Gender

Average swing speed chart by handicap, pga tour fastest 10 driver swing speed averages.

  • PGA TOUR Slowest 10 Driver Swing Speed Averages

Fast Swing Speed Does Not Always Equal Longer Drives

Swing speed and driving distance matters, but you can win without them, pga tour average clubhead speed and carry distance per club, lpga tour fastest 10 driver distance averages, lpga tour average clubhead speed and carry distance per club, the fastest swing speeds in golf, traditional tips for getting faster swing speeds, non-traditional tips for getting faster swing speeds, what is the mach 3 speed training system, final thoughts.

golf swing speed chart by age gender skill

*Estimates due to a lack of participants in this age and gender group

** The data in the chart was compiled from a Titleist Performance Institute  (TPI) study conducted in 2019.

Club head swing speed contributes to the distance a golfer can hit a golf ball. Countless factors contribute to how fast a golfer can swing, such as age, flexibility, strength, gender, and the efficiency of their swing mechanics.

The first factor I wanted to chart concerning swing speed is age and gender. The following chart represents the average swing speeds with a driver for several different age groups and by male and female golfers within them.

Age significantly affects how much clubhead speed a golfer can produce on average.  Here is the main observation about swing speed versus age and gender:

  • As you age, swing speed generally gets slower

However, as you can see from the chart, age does not necessarily have to slow you down completely. Some golfers in the 50 – 59 and 60+ age groups can still swing significantly fast. It all depends on how flexible someone can stay as they age.

Check this out: What Are the Golf Club Distances for Each Club? (Charts for All Skill Levels)

*Data from PGATour.com  as of 7/9/23  

**Data from PGATour.com  as of 7/9/23

Average swing speeds by handicap data from TrackMan

Let’s look at average swing speeds by handicap level for male golfers.

A golfer’s playing ability and how efficiently they swings the club also directly impact how fast their swing speed is. When golfers understand how the swing is supposed to work and can execute those fundamentals correctly, the result is a much more efficient swing. That efficient swing will lead to an increase in swing speed.

Read on: What Driver Loft Should You Use? (Full Chart Based On Swing Speed)

Average PGA TOUR Club Head Speeds

pga tour top club head speed

PGA TOUR professionals are among the best golfers in the world, so many golfers look to them as guides to playing the game correctly.

Note: Even though these speeds happened on a specific date in 2024, they’re still applicable today since swing speeds don’t rise significantly over time.

*Compiled through Rocket Mortgage Classic, 7/2/23

  • Tour Pro Golfer Average Swing Speed – 115.24        
  • Tour Pro Golfer Average Driving Distance – 299.40

PGA TOUR Slowest  10 Driver Swing Speed Averages

*All data from PGATour.com

**Compiled through Rocket Mortgage Classic, 7/2/23

As you may have noticed, some of the PGA TOUR pros in the top 20 in swing speed with the driver are outside the top 20 in average driver distance. This is because of a stat called Smash Factor, which measures the efficiency of a swing.

Smash Factor  is calculated by dividing the ball speed by the clubhead speed. Additionally, where the ball comes in contact with the clubface matters quite a bit as well.

Here are some examples of players with fast swing speeds who are outside the top 20 in driving distance.

Of those short knockers in the bottom 10 on the PGA TOUR this season in swing speed, and many of whom are very near the bottom in driving distance, all but two have a PGA TOUR victory on their resume.

*Data compiled from TrackMan’s 2017 PGA TOUR Data Points

I use data from TrackMan all the time with my students as a reference for what peak performance stats look like.

Above, I have pulled out the club head speed and carry distances for each club, on average, on the PGA TOUR.

TrackMan notes that these AVERAGE stats from 2017 have mostly stayed the same over the last six years.  The top players on the PGA TOUR have gotten faster and carry the ball longer, but, on average, the chart above still holds close to today’s average.

Average LPGA TOUR Club Head Speeds

2009_LPGA_Championship_-_Sarah_Lee_(2)

The LPGA does not keep data on swing speed. However, the average swing speed with the driver hovers around 95 mph, per TrackMan. As we noticed in the statistics above for the PGA TOUR, there is somewhat of a correlation between swing speed and driver distance, but not necessarily always.

The current top drivers on the LPGA Tour shake out as follows:

Driving Distance Averages from LPGATour.com

Swing Speed Estimates Via TrackMan

Data compiled through 7/9/23

As noted previously, TrackMan is a go-to source for swing and club data for many coaches and players. I use data from TrackMan with my students all the time. For my female students, as well as slower-swinging male students, one of my go-to charts is TrackMan’s 2017 LPGA TOUR Data Points .

Compiled data from TrackMan

As noted previously, TrackMan notes that these AVERAGE stats from 2017 have mostly stayed the same over the last six years. The top players on the LPGA TOUR have gotten faster and carry the ball longer, but, on average, the chart above still holds close to today’s average.

In 2012, Ryan Winther set the world record for swing speed at 167 mph, and that swing produced a ball speed of 225 mph.

Recent long-drive phenom, Kyle Berkshire, has come close to Winther’s record, recording a swing speed of 160. Berkshire does however have the highest ball speed ever recorded at 236.8 mph… Say What?!?

More from Golf Span: The 10 Best Drivers for Slow Swing Speed

Swing speed and distance have become one of the most talked about topics in the game over recent years. It seems that everyone in golf has a need for speed! There is no denying that swing speed is a hot topic in golf.

Golfers are always looking for tips and tricks to improve their swing speed. I will break down my tips for you in two different ways. The first is the more traditional ways we, as instructors and coaches, point students toward when working on improving their swing speed.

The second will come from my friend, Michael Romatowski, founder and creator of the revolutionary Mach 3 Golf Speed Training System. Mike’s system is really helping 1,000’s of golfers get faster with their swing.

Some of the more traditional tips for golfers to help them increase their swing speed include the following:

  • Train Your Body to Get Faster-  If you can increase your flexibility and mobility, reaching faster swing speeds will be more realistic. How a golfer moves their body, in terms of how much they can rotate their hips and upper torso, will play a big part in their production of swing speed. Getting yourself into the habit of stretching your body regularly will help your ability to swing faster.
  • Equipment can make a difference- Having the right equipment for you can make a big difference in your ability to swing faster. Some of the critical things you need to consider in terms of equipment include:
  • The overall weight of the club-  The lighter the club, the faster you can swing it. That is straight-up science, folks.
  • The type of shaft you use-  The shaft matters in golf. From the length, to the flex, and where the kick-point is, all of these things equate to your ability to swing at your maximum speed.
  • The head of the club-  Golf equipment technology has made massive gains over the last two decades. The clubheads on today’s drivers can offer maximum forgiveness and create a “trampoline effect” with the ball coming off the face. Test different drivers, and you may be surprised at what gains you can make by simply having the right club.

I have recently become a massive fan of a speed training program called the Mack 3 Golf Speed Training System . It was developed by Michael Romatowski. Mike is a multi-certified personal trainer, golf fitness expert, and post-rehab exercise specialist. I have spent a lot of time talking with Mike recently; he was a recent guest on my Quite Please Golf Podcast. You can listen to that episode here.

Mach 3 is a year-round speed training protocol that has produced an average gain in clubhead speed for program participants of 11.5 miles per hour. The tools used in Mach 3 are dynamic and unique, allowing golfers to experience the sensation of “Speed Out in Front,” which is the hallmark of Mach 3.

Some of the critical points of Mach 3 that I like include:

  • It’s Open To All –  The Mach 3 program is for golfers of all ages, genders, and playing abilities.
  • It’s Fun & Safe –  Workouts are fun, non-exhausting, safe, and athletic in nature.
  • It’s Accessible to All –  Speed training workouts can be held indoors or outdoors.
  • It’s Optimized –  Train for golf without “bulking up” and using natural golf body motions.

The overarching theme of Mach 3 is the “Speed out in front” concept. “Speed out in front” means that a golfer needs to become much more target-oriented when swinging. Anything after impact and up to the end of your swing is “out in front.”

Because the golf swing is such a fast movement, taking roughly only 1.25 seconds, it is essential to think in your mind to be a few steps ahead. Golfers often think of the ball and impact with the ball as the finish line when, in reality, it is only the mid-way point. If you focus on the ball as the ultimate goal, you will move slower into it at impact.

Mach 3 trains golfers to think of the finish line of the swing as being the top of your finish. You become hyper-focused on the target, the finish of the swing, and getting all of your energy, momentum, and speed “out in front” and past the point where the ball is at impact…well past it.

Mach 3 will help any and all golfers that give this concept a try. As mentioned earlier, program participants’ average gain in clubhead speed is around 11.5 miles per hour. That is significant!

If you’re a golfer seeking to improve your game, understanding the insights a golf swing speed chart can provide is invaluable. These charts break down swing speeds by various factors such as age, gender, and skill level, offering a wealth of data that helps golfers understand where they stand. My extensive experience as a golf coach has shown me that these statistics are crucial for those aiming to improve their performance. Surprisingly, many golfers discover they don’t swing as fast or hit as far as they initially thought.

The charts reveal that factors like age, gender, and skill level profoundly impact your swing speed and, subsequently, your driving distance. However, it’s important to note that age doesn’t necessarily have to slow you down. Many golfers in the 50 – 59 and 60+ age brackets can still generate impressive swing speeds, particularly if they maintain good flexibility and employ proper swing mechanics.

To boost your swing speed, you can rely on tried-and-true methods and cutting-edge techniques. On the traditional side, improving your body’s flexibility and selecting the right equipment can make a significant difference. For instance, lighter clubs and the right shaft type can notably increase your swing speed. On the innovative front, training systems like the Mach 3 Golf Speed Training System have helped thousands of golfers achieve faster swings by focusing on functional training tailored to golf performance.

To wrap up, a golf swing speed chart is an essential tool for anyone serious about upgrading their golf game. Combining this data with top tips for improving your swing speed can set you on the path to becoming a more formidable golfer. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to fine-tune your skills, a strategic approach backed by sound data can help you reach new heights in your golf career. Stay tuned for the latest updates and trends in golf statistics and training techniques.

More from me on Golf Span: How to Increase Swing Speed: 10 Tips

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Brendon Elliott

Brendon is Class A PGA Professional and founded Little Linksters, LLC, and its nonprofit arm, the Little Linksters Association for Junior Golf Development. He won 25+ prestigious industry honors, including the 2017 PGA National Youth Player Development Award. He graduated from the PGA of America Management Program and has a handicap index of 7.8.

He has played golf for over 40 years and currently plays twice a month at the Eagle Dunes Golf Club near Sorrento, Florida. He loves Srixon clubs and plays a ZX5 driver with Z 585 irons. He's written over 60 articles on GolfSpan and specializes in sharing tips to improve your golf game. You can connect with Brendon at  LinkedIn , X , IG , FB , his website , or [email protected] .

  • Brendon Elliott https://www.golfspan.com/author/brendon-elliott 10 Longest Drives in PGA Tour History
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Trackman Tour Averages

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At Trackman, we're dedicated to providing the most accurate and up-to-date data to enhance your golfing experience. That's why we're excited to announce the release of our new Tour Averages, reflecting the latest insights from leading professional golf tours.

How We Gathered the Data

Our team has been hard at work collecting data from a wide range of pro players, utilizing Trackman technology to capture every swing and shot with precision.

Explore the New Tour Averages

Discover the latest numbers for both PGA and LPGA Tours, now presented in a redesigned format for easy reference. To see how the game has progressed over time, check out this link to see what’s changed compared to the last Tour Averages.

What's Changed Since Last Time

Since Trackman last revealed the Tour Averages, certain areas of the game have changed. When driving, for instance, players are now hitting further, with greater ball speed and less spin rate. See how your figures compare to the pros.

PGA_tour averages_trackman_blog

The Impact of Trackman

Trackman's role in driving performance gains cannot be understated. From influencing club manufacture to revolutionizing training methods and making data more accessible, Trackman continues to shape the future of golf.

Stay Informed

Whether you're a seasoned pro or a weekend warrior, Trackman is here to help you reach new heights on the course. So stay tuned for more updates and insights from Trackman as we continue to push the boundaries of golf technology.

Get the New Tour Assets

The updated Tour Averages data is available for download here in various formats (incl. in meters or yards), whether you're a coaching professional or simply want them handy on your phone when you're on the range.

Key Insights:

Male data is captured across 40+ different events and 200+ different players.

Data is captured at both PGA TOUR and DP World Tour events with majority coming from PGA TOUR events.

Female data is captured across 30+ different events and 150+ different players.

Data is captured at both LPGA and LET events with majority coming from LPGA events.

Averages are based on data from competition as well as on the range.

There are multiple processes in place to eliminate shots hit with a non-driver during competition.

There could be a small number of non-driver shots in the dataset (less than 0.5 percent).

Official stat holes are picked going in opposite directions to reduce any effects from wind.

Swing Speed and Distance Chart for Every Club

Find out exactly where your swings speeds with each club stack up

Golf driving range with distances measured

  • DESCRIPTION Golf driving range with distances measured
  • SOURCE Bildagentur Zoonar GmbH
  • PERMISSION Shutterstock license

The more data we collect about our golf games, and the games of the best players out there, the more we realize how important distance is. No matter what the club manufacturers tell you, the best way to increase your distance is to increase your club head speed. Here’s a club head speed chart that shows you swing speeds for every club from every type of player, from PGA and LPGA tour players, to high-handicap amateur men and women.

Whether you are embarking on a swing speed mission, or you’re simply seeking some context to see how your swing speed with a certain club stacks up, this chart shows average club head speeds for each type of player.

Tour Player Swing Speed and Distance Chart

Here are the average swing speeds of PGA Tour and LPGA Tour players with each full-swing club, along with their average carry distances, in yards, for each club. This data comes directly from Trackman , which captures dozens of metrics from countless professional and amateur golfers every day.

Golfer pulling driver out of club bag

What Is the Average Distance With Each Golf Club?

Amateur Golf Swing Speed Chart by Gender and Handicap

Trackman measures and publishes actual swing speed data for tour players with every full swing club. Additionally, Trackman has published driver swing speed data for amateur men and women by their handicap range. Given that the handicap index of the average male golfer is around 14.5, Trackman used that as one of its handicap benchmarks, in addition to a category that Trackman calls the “Bogey Golfer.”

Using Trackman’s measured swing speeds for amateur and professional golfers, we can estimate the average swing speed with each club for amateur golfers, both men and women, by handicap.

Combining Trackman’s measured data and these estimations, here is the club head speed chart for amateur golfers.

Man hitting driver on a golf course

8 Clubhead Speed Drills to Help You Hit More Bombs

Male Amateur: Average Club Head Speed Chart

Over the years, we’ve collected a ton of data from professional and amateur golfers alike. With access to this data, we can match actual average distances with each club for each type of player with their swing speeds.

Here is the average club head speed chart, with actual and estimated swing speeds, paired with actual average distances from male amateur golfers, according to data provided by Shot Scope, an industry leader in on-course distance measuring devices and stat-tracking. Distances are in yards and are adjusted to remove outlier shots.

Bogey golfer walking the course at sunset

Bogey Golfer Official Handicap and Stats

Female Amateur: Average Club Head Speed Chart

While we don’t have big data on the average distance female amateur players hit each club, we can still give you solid estimates on how fast they swing each club. Here’s the swing speed chart for female amateur golfers, broken down by handicap.

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Strokes Gained - SG

Scottie Scheffler

1 st  •  Scottie Scheffler

Rory McIlroy

1 st  •  Rory McIlroy

Distance (All Drives)

Max Homa

1 st  •  Max Homa

Ludvig Åberg

1 st  •  Ludvig Åberg

Doug Ghim

1 st  •  Doug Ghim

Zac Blair

1 st  •  Zac Blair

Brendon Todd

1 st  •  Brendon Todd

Cameron Champ

1 st  •  Cameron Champ

Sam Burns

1 st  •  Sam Burns

Kevin Dougherty

1 st  •  Kevin Dougherty

Si Woo Kim

1 st  •  Si Woo Kim

Kevin Kisner

1 st  •  Kevin Kisner

Norman Xiong

1 st  •  Norman Xiong

Byeong Hun An

1 st  •  Byeong Hun An

Wyndham Clark

1 st  •  Wyndham Clark

Driving Distance Report

Driving Distance Report

Distance (Measured Drives)

Shane Lowry

1 st  •  Shane Lowry

Troy Merritt

1 st  •  Troy Merritt

Ryan Palmer

1 st  •  Ryan Palmer

Alexander Björk

1 st  •  Alexander Björk

Jhonattan Vegas

1 st  •  Jhonattan Vegas

Aaron Rai

1 st  •  Aaron Rai

Kevin Streelman

1 st  •  Kevin Streelman

Tommy Fleetwood

1 st  •  Tommy Fleetwood

Camilo Villegas

1 st  •  Camilo Villegas

Tyler Duncan

1 st  •  Tyler Duncan

Sepp Straka

1 st  •  Sepp Straka

RBC Canadian Open

Hamilton Golf & Country Club

How fast are PGA Tour clubhead speeds? The answer has changed a LOT in the past decade

171115-dustin-johnson-driver.jpg

Ross Kinnaird

How fast are PGA Tour clubhead speeds? Obviously, this depends on which PGA Tour pros you're talking about. But it's also an answer that's changed a lot in the past decade.

RELATED: You won't believe how much farther senior players are hitting it than in their primes

This interesting graphic using official PGA Tour stats comes from fitness coach Ross Eves and shows how much swing speeds have increased on tour since 2007:

171115-clubhead-speed.jpg

As you can see, last season's average clubhead speed of 114.13 mph is only up slightly from 112.78 mph in 2007. However, among the highest and lowest averages, there has been an increase of nearly 4 mph. And there are also more players swinging really hard today as evidenced by the number of tour pros with 120-mph-plus clubhead speeds doubling during this time period.

So why the increase in clubhead speeds? Eves argues it's due to improved athleticism and fitness on tour. But while that's certainly had an effect, there are also other factors, including technological advancements in golf equipment since 2007 (most notably, lighter shafts and overall clubs). It's those equipment improvements that would seem to be a bigger reason for why current PGA Tour Champions players like Bernhard Langer and Fred Couples are hitting the ball much farther than they did during their primes . Check out this graph we put together a couple months ago:

170830-drivers-stats2.jpg

It should also be noted that much like with driving distance, clubhead speed stats also have a small sample size that can be greatly affected by what club players use off the tee of the hole that happens to be measured at that event. However, that hasn't changed in the past decade.

Back to the PGA Tour guys, here's a little more info on those with the fastest clubhead speeds -- because we know you all want to compare your swing speed from that club fitting session you had earlier this year. Ryan Brehm is the man with that ridiculous 128.18 mph average. Although, he might not lead that list for much longer. Recently turned pro Cameron Champ registered a 129.79 mph average in his debut last week at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba.

How about some bigger names from last season in this stat? Brooks Koepka (124.28) was fourth, Bubba Watson (121.46) was 13th, Dustin Johnson (121.17), somewhat surprisingly was only 14th, Rory McIlroy (120.03) was 18th, and Jason Day (119.47) was 22nd. And Jhonattan Vegas was sixth on the list, but he recorded the fastest clubhead speed of the year for a single swing at 134.33(!) mph.

You can check out the full list on the PGA Tour's website . And then you can go ask Santa for a few more mphs this Christmas.

RELATED: Our favorite holiday gifts for golfers

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PGA Tour Trackman Averages: Analyzing Player Performance And Improving Golf Skills

August 18, 2023

Learn how PGA Tour Trackman averages can help analyze player performance, identify strengths and weaknesses, and improve golf skills. Explore common metrics like , , launch angle, spin rate , and carry distance for both professionals and amateur golfers.

What is Trackman?

Definition and explanation.

Trackman is a cutting-edge technology that has revolutionized the game of golf. It is a portable radar system that provides detailed data and analysis on various aspects of a golfer’s swing and ball flight. With its advanced sensors and algorithms, Trackman captures and analyzes data in real-time, offering valuable insights into a player’s performance.

Trackman is used by professional golfers, coaches, and club fitters to enhance their understanding of the swing and improve overall performance. It has become an essential tool in the world of golf, helping players reach new levels of precision and accuracy.

How Does Trackman Work?

Trackman operates on the principle of Doppler radar, which measures the frequency shift of electromagnetic waves. The system consists of two radars – one tracks the golf ball from the moment it is struck, while the other tracks the clubhead during the swing. By analyzing the interaction between the club and the ball, Trackman provides a comprehensive picture of the swing dynamics and ball flight.

The radar system captures multiple data points throughout the entire process, including , , , and spin rate. These metrics are then processed and presented in a user-friendly format, allowing players and coaches to gain valuable insights into their performance.

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Trackman’s accuracy and reliability are unparalleled, making it the gold standard in golf tracking technology. Its ability to capture and analyze data in real-time provides immediate feedback, allowing players to make adjustments and improvements on the spot.

With Trackman, every aspect of the swing can be analyzed and optimized. From the moment the clubhead makes contact with the ball to the trajectory and distance it travels, Trackman leaves no stone unturned. This level of detail and precision has made it an indispensable tool for golfers at all levels.

By utilizing Trackman, players can gain a deeper understanding of their swing mechanics and make data-driven decisions to enhance their performance on the course. Whether it’s adjusting swing mechanics, optimizing equipment setup, or tailoring training programs, Trackman’s insights provide a roadmap to improvement.

Importance of Trackman Averages

Analyzing player performance.

When it comes to improving one’s golf game, understanding and analyzing player performance is crucial. This is where Trackman, a state-of-the-art technology, comes into play. Trackman provides golfers with valuable data and insights that can help them identify their strengths and weaknesses.

By analyzing player performance using Trackman, golfers can gain a deeper understanding of their swing mechanics, , , launch angle, spin rate, and carry distance. This data allows players to assess their overall performance and make necessary adjustments to their game.

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Trackman’s ability to accurately measure clubhead speed, , and provides golfers with a comprehensive view of their swing mechanics. This information helps players identify any inefficiencies or flaws in their technique. By pinpointing areas that need improvement, golfers can work on refining their swing mechanics and ultimately enhance their performance on the course.

Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses

One of the key benefits of using Trackman is its ability to identify a golfer’s strengths and weaknesses. By analyzing the data provided by Trackman, players can determine which aspects of their game they excel in and which areas need improvement.

For example, Trackman’s metric can reveal whether a golfer consistently hits shots with too much or too little spin. This information can help players make adjustments to their swing to achieve optimal spin rates, which greatly affects the distance and control of the golf ball.

Another important metric provided by Trackman is the carry distance. This metric shows how far a golfer’s shots travel through the air before landing. By comparing their carry distance with the average distances of PGA Tour players, golfers can assess their power and accuracy off the tee or with different clubs. This knowledge allows players to focus on areas that need improvement, such as increasing their or optimizing their equipment setup.

Trackman also enables golfers to compare their performance with that of elite players on the PGA Tour. By examining the average , , launch angle, spin rate, and carry distance of professional golfers, players can set realistic goals for themselves. They can also gain valuable insights into the techniques and strategies employed by top players, which can inform their own training programs.

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Common Trackman Metrics

Trackman is a revolutionary technology that has transformed the way we analyze and understand the game of golf. By providing accurate and detailed data on various metrics, Trackman has become an essential tool for players, coaches, and enthusiasts alike. In this section, we will explore some of the most common Trackman metrics and their significance in improving performance.

Clubhead Speed

One of the key metrics measured by Trackman is , which refers to the velocity at which the clubhead is moving through impact. Clubhead speed is a crucial factor in determining the distance a golf ball will travel. A higher clubhead speed usually results in a longer shot, provided other factors like angle of attack and spin rate are optimized.

Trackman allows players to accurately measure their clubhead speed and compare it to the averages of professional golfers. This information can provide valuable insights into a player’s physical capabilities and potential areas for improvement. By focusing on increasing , players can unlock greater distance off the tee and gain a competitive edge.

Ball speed, another important metric provided by Trackman, is the speed at which the golf ball leaves the clubface after impact. It is influenced by factors such as clubhead speed, angle of attack, and the efficiency of the strike. Ball speed is directly correlated to distance, with higher ball speeds resulting in longer shots.

Trackman enables players to monitor and analyze their , allowing them to make adjustments to their swing mechanics and equipment setup. By optimizing , players can maximize their distance potential and achieve greater consistency in their shots.

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Launch Angle

The is the angle at which the ball takes off after being struck. It is a critical metric as it determines the trajectory and the amount of carry distance the ball will achieve. The optimal launch angle varies depending on the club and the desired shot outcome.

Trackman provides accurate measurements of launch angle, allowing players to fine-tune their swings to achieve the ideal launch conditions. By adjusting the launch angle, players can optimize their distance, accuracy, and control, ensuring their shots reach their intended targets with precision.

Spin rate refers to the amount of spin the ball has after being struck. It plays a significant role in determining the ball’s trajectory, control, and stopping power upon landing. A proper can help players navigate challenging course conditions and execute different shot shapes.

Trackman captures spin rate data, enabling players to analyze the effectiveness of their shots. By understanding their spin rates, players can make necessary adjustments to their swings and equipment, ensuring the desired spin characteristics for each shot. This knowledge is particularly crucial for controlling approach shots and maximizing scoring opportunities.

Carry Distance

Carry distance is the distance the ball travels through the air before touching the ground. It is a vital metric for players as it directly affects the target area they can reach and the potential hazards they need to navigate. Carry distance is influenced by factors such as , ball speed, launch angle, and spin rate.

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Trackman provides accurate measurements of carry distance, allowing players to assess their shot performance objectively. By tracking carry distance, players can identify any inconsistencies in their shots and work on optimizing the factors that contribute to longer and more efficient carries. This information is invaluable for planning strategies on the course and making informed decisions during gameplay.

Trackman Averages for PGA Tour Players

When it comes to professional golf, the PGA Tour is the pinnacle of competition. The players who make it to this level possess incredible skill and precision in their game. Trackman, a cutting-edge technology in the world of golf, provides invaluable insights into the performance of these elite players. Let’s take a closer look at some of the key trackman averages for PGA Tour players.

Top Clubhead Speed Averages

Clubhead speed is a crucial factor in determining the distance a golf ball will travel. PGA Tour players are known for their ability to generate impressive clubhead speeds, and the trackman data confirms this. On average, PGA Tour players have clubhead speeds that surpass 110 miles per hour . This incredible speed allows them to unleash the full potential of their swings and achieve remarkable distances off the tee.

Ball Speed Averages of Elite Players

Clubhead speed is just one piece of the puzzle; another vital factor is . Ball speed is directly influenced by the impact between the clubface and the ball. PGA Tour players consistently achieve ball speeds that exceed 160 miles per hour . This high is a testament to their exceptional timing, technique, and power. It enables them to maximize the distance covered by the golf ball, giving them a significant advantage on the course.

Launch Angle Trends on Tour

The refers to the angle at which the golf ball takes off after impact. It plays a crucial role in determining the trajectory and distance covered by the ball. Analyzing trackman data reveals interesting trends in launch angles among PGA Tour players. On average, these professionals tend to launch the ball at angles ranging from 10 to 15 degrees with their drivers. This optimal launch angle allows for a balance between distance and accuracy, ensuring the ball carries far while still maintaining control.

Spin Rate Averages for Different Shots

Spin rate is another critical metric measured by trackman. It refers to the amount of rotation the golf ball experiences while in flight. PGA Tour players have a remarkable ability to control the spin rate of their shots, depending on the desired outcome. For example, when hitting a driver off the tee, they typically aim for a lower to maximize distance. On the other hand, when hitting approach shots into greens, they often increase the to enhance control and stopping power.

Average Carry Distance by Club

Carry distance is the distance the golf ball travels through the air before it touches the ground. Trackman data provides fascinating insights into the average carry distances achieved by PGA Tour players with different clubs. For instance, with their drivers, these professionals can carry the ball over 280 yards, showcasing their incredible power and precision. As they transition to shorter clubs, such as irons and wedges, the average carry distances decrease but still remain impressive, often exceeding 150 yards.

In summary, trackman data offers a glimpse into the extraordinary capabilities of PGA Tour players. Their clubhead speeds, ball speeds, launch angles, spin rates, and carry distances are a testament to the remarkable skills they possess. By analyzing these averages, golfers at all levels can gain valuable insights into the areas they need to focus on to improve their own game. Whether it’s increasing , optimizing launch angles, or controlling spin rates, trackman data provides a wealth of information for players looking to take their game to the next level.

(Unordered list:)

  • PGA Tour players exhibit clubhead speeds surpassing 110 miles per hour.
  • Ball speeds achieved by elite players exceed 160 miles per hour.
  • Launch angles for PGA Tour players range from 10 to 15 degrees with drivers.
  • Spin rates vary depending on the desired outcome of the shot.
  • Carry distances for drivers can exceed 280 yards, while shorter clubs still achieve impressive distances exceeding 150 yards.

Using Trackman Data for Improvement

Trackman is not just a tool for analyzing your golf swing; it can also be a powerful tool for improving your game. By using the data provided by Trackman, you can make adjustments to your swing mechanics, optimize your equipment setup, and tailor your training programs to address specific areas of improvement.

Adjusting Swing Mechanics

One of the key benefits of using Trackman is the ability to analyze your swing mechanics in great detail. By looking at metrics such as , ball speed , launch angle, , and carry distance, you can identify any flaws or inefficiencies in your swing. For example, if you notice that your launch angle is consistently too low, you may need to work on increasing your loft at impact. On the other hand, if your spin rate is too high, you may need to focus on making more solid contact with the ball. By making these adjustments to your swing mechanics, you can optimize your ball flight and increase your overall performance on the course.

Optimizing Equipment Setup

Another area where Trackman can be incredibly useful is in optimizing your equipment setup. By analyzing the data provided by Trackman, you can determine if your current club setup is the best fit for your swing. For example, if you find that you consistently have a low launch angle with your driver, it may be worth experimenting with a different loft or shaft flex to achieve a higher launch. Similarly, if you notice that your is too high with your irons, you may want to try different shaft options to help lower your spin. By fine-tuning your equipment setup based on the data from Trackman, you can maximize your distance and accuracy on the course.

Tailoring Training Programs

Trackman data can also be used to tailor your training programs to address specific areas of improvement. By identifying your strengths and weaknesses through the various metrics provided by Trackman, you can develop a training plan that focuses on the areas that need the most attention. For example, if you consistently have a low clubhead speed compared to the average PGA Tour player, you can incorporate exercises and drills that specifically target increasing your . If your carry distance with certain clubs is shorter than desired, you can work on improving your and through targeted training exercises. By customizing your training programs based on the data from Trackman, you can accelerate your progress and reach your golfing goals faster.

  • Analyze metrics such as , , , spin rate, and carry distance
  • Identify flaws or inefficiencies in your swing
  • Make adjustments to improve , spin rate, and overall ball flight
  • Use Trackman data to determine if your current club setup is the best fit for your swing
  • Experiment with different lofts, shaft flexes, and options to optimize and spin rate
  • Maximize distance and accuracy on the course by fine-tuning your equipment setup
  • Identify strengths and weaknesses through Trackman metrics
  • Develop a training plan that focuses on areas needing improvement
  • Incorporate exercises and drills to increase , , and carry distance

Trackman Averages vs. Amateur Golfers

Golf is a sport that requires precision and skill. Many amateur golfers aspire to reach the level of professionals and achieve the same level of performance on the golf course. One tool that has revolutionized the game and helped players of all levels improve is Trackman. By analyzing various metrics, Trackman provides valuable insights into a golfer’s swing and performance. In this section, we will explore the differences between trackman averages for professional golfers and amateur golfers.

Differences in Clubhead Speed

Clubhead speed is a crucial factor in determining the distance and accuracy of a golf shot. Professional golfers who have honed their skills over years of practice often exhibit higher clubhead speeds compared to amateur golfers. This increased speed allows professionals to generate more power, resulting in longer drives and greater control over the ball.

Amateur golfers, on the other hand, may have lower clubhead speeds due to various factors such as lack of experience, technique, or physical limitations. However, this does not mean that amateurs cannot improve their clubhead speed. Through proper training and guidance, amateurs can work on their swing mechanics and increase their over time.

Disparities in Ball Speed

Ball speed is closely related to clubhead speed and has a significant impact on the distance a golf ball travels. When comparing trackman averages, professional golfers tend to achieve higher ball speeds than amateur golfers. This is primarily because professionals have mastered the art of striking the ball with the sweet spot of the clubface, resulting in maximum energy transfer to the ball.

Amateur golfers, on the other hand, may struggle to consistently strike the ball with the sweet spot, leading to lower ball speeds. This can be attributed to factors such as swing inconsistencies, improper alignment, or lack of awareness of the clubface impact position. By working on their swing mechanics and receiving proper coaching, amateur golfers can improve their and enjoy longer and more accurate shots.

Variances in Launch Angle

Launch angle refers to the angle at which the ball takes off from the clubface during impact. It plays a crucial role in determining the trajectory and distance of a golf shot. When comparing trackman averages, it is evident that professional golfers tend to have more consistent and optimal launch angles compared to amateur golfers.

Professional golfers have the ability to control their launch angles, allowing them to achieve the desired ball flight and maximize distance. They understand the importance of optimizing launch angles based on the club being used and the specific shot requirements. On the other hand, amateur golfers may struggle with inconsistent launch angles, resulting in unpredictable ball flights and reduced distance. By working with a golf professional or utilizing the data provided by Trackman, amateurs can analyze their launch angles and make adjustments to improve their overall performance.

Spin Rate Contrasts

Spin rate refers to the amount of spin imparted on the ball during impact. It significantly affects the ball’s ability to stay in the air, control its trajectory, and influence its stopping power on the greens. When comparing trackman averages, professional golfers tend to exhibit more consistent and optimal spin rates compared to amateur golfers.

Professional golfers understand the delicate balance between spin and distance. They have the ability to generate the appropriate spin rates for different shots, allowing them to control the ball’s flight and landing. Amateur golfers, on the other hand, may struggle with inconsistent spin rates, leading to less control over the ball’s flight and limited stopping power on the greens. By utilizing the data provided by Trackman and analyzing their spin rates, amateur golfers can make adjustments to their swing mechanics and equipment setup to optimize their spin rates and improve their overall performance.

Discrepancies in Carry Distance

Carry distance refers to the distance the ball travels through the air before it lands. It is a critical metric that determines how far a golfer can hit each club. When comparing trackman averages, professional golfers tend to achieve greater carry distances compared to amateur golfers.

Professional golfers have the ability to consistently generate high clubhead speeds, optimal launch angles, and appropriate spin rates, resulting in longer carry distances. They have honed their skills and techniques over time, allowing them to maximize their distance potential. Amateur golfers often struggle to achieve the same level of consistency, leading to shorter carry distances. However, by analyzing the data provided by Trackman and working on their swing mechanics and equipment setup, amateurs can make improvements and increase their carry distances.

In conclusion, Trackman provides valuable insights into the performance of both professional and amateur golfers. When comparing trackman averages, it is evident that professional golfers tend to exhibit higher clubhead speeds, ball speeds, more consistent launch angles, optimal spin rates, and greater carry distances. However, this should not discourage amateur golfers. By utilizing the data and feedback provided by Trackman, working on their swing mechanics, and seeking professional guidance, amateurs can make significant improvements and bridge the gap between trackman averages for professionals and themselves. Remember, golf is a game of continuous improvement, and with dedication and practice, anyone can enhance their performance on the golf course.

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pga tour top club head speed

As a lifelong golf enthusiast, Stacey E. Black has spent countless hours on the greens, perfecting their swing and studying the sport's rich history. With a passion for sharing their knowledge with fellow golfers, they founded SwingTalks as a platform to offer expert tips, insights, and news about everything related to golf.

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Trackman Tour Averages

Updated_tour_averages_blog_post_header_trackman_mobile

At Trackman, we're dedicated to providing the most accurate and up-to-date data to enhance your golfing experience. That's why we're excited to announce the release of our new Tour Averages, reflecting the latest insights from leading professional golf tours.

How We Gathered the Data

Our team has been hard at work collecting data from a wide range of pro players, utilizing Trackman technology to capture every swing and shot with precision.

Explore the New Tour Averages

Discover the latest numbers for both PGA and LPGA Tours, now presented in a redesigned format for easy reference. To see how the game has progressed over time, check out this link to see what’s changed compared to the last Tour Averages.

What's Changed Since Last Time

Since Trackman last revealed the Tour Averages, certain areas of the game have changed. When driving, for instance, players are now hitting further, with greater ball speed and less spin rate. See how your figures compare to the pros.

PGA_tour averages_trackman_blog

The Impact of Trackman

Trackman's role in driving performance gains cannot be understated. From influencing club manufacture to revolutionizing training methods and making data more accessible, Trackman continues to shape the future of golf.

Stay Informed

Whether you're a seasoned pro or a weekend warrior, Trackman is here to help you reach new heights on the course. So stay tuned for more updates and insights from Trackman as we continue to push the boundaries of golf technology.

Get the New Tour Assets

The updated Tour Averages data is available for download here in various formats (incl. in meters or yards), whether you're a coaching professional or simply want them handy on your phone when you're on the range.

Key Insights:

Male data is captured across 40+ different events and 200+ different players.

Data is captured at both PGA TOUR and DP World Tour events with majority coming from PGA TOUR events.

Female data is captured across 30+ different events and 150+ different players.

Data is captured at both LPGA and LET events with majority coming from LPGA events.

Averages are based on data from competition as well as on the range.

There are multiple processes in place to eliminate shots hit with a non-driver during competition.

There could be a small number of non-driver shots in the dataset (less than 0.5 percent).

Official stat holes are picked going in opposite directions to reduce any effects from wind.

What is Bryson DeChambeau's swing speed? Here are the Mad Scientist's numbers!

Bryson DeChambeau is on a quest for more speed and distance, but where are his numbers at right now?

pga tour top club head speed

Bryson DeChambeau shocked the world last year when he returned from golf's 91-day halt looking like an absolute beast, in his quest to pile on the pounds to help him gain more strength and power, leading to some staggering numbers in terms of ball and swing speed.

It seems to be doing the job so far, with DeChambeau winning his maiden major championship when he claimed the US Open at Winged Foot and although he did a lot more than just hit the ball a long way, he vowed to continue his journey and get even faster.

Well he wasn't lying and during the Christmas break, DeChambeau was seen working intensely on his speed training, ripping ball after ball into a practice net, trying to reach numbers unheard of on the PGA Tour.

RELATED: Bryson DeChambeau  reveals he almost "BLACKED OUT" during his speed training

DeChambeau has even seeked the help of World Long Drive champion Kyle Berkshire, who is now a part of DeChambeau's team, helping him increase his ball speed averages on tour.

The new Cobra RADSPEED driver is now being used in the hands of DeChambeau on the PGA Tour and the 27-year-old won't rest until he has an average ball speed of between 205 - 210mph.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bryson DeChambeau (@brysondechambeau)

In DeChambeau's first tournament of 2021 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, he topped out at a ball speed of 196mph , which is around 10mph off of where he wants his average to be, although he did say after the event that the Kapalua course "didn't fit the model".

He is yet to break the 200mph mark on the PGA Tour, but did manage to hit  211mph  whilst practicing for the first PGA Tour event of the year.

RELATED:  Bryson DeChambeau hits 211mph ball speed then apologises for GRUNTING NOISES

On average for the 2021 PGA Tour season, DeChambeau is top of both the club head speed and ball speed statistics.

Current club head speed average:  133.42 (fastest recorded speed - 138.39)

Current ball speed avaerage:  192.80 (fastest recorded speed - 199.55)

NEXT PAGE:  Bryson DeChambeau drives 431-YARD par-4 at Sentry Tournament of Champions

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Average Club Head Speed of A Pro Golfer

What is The Average Club Head Speed of A Pro Golfer?

Watching the pro’s play live or on TV, it seems like they are swinging the club at a ridiculous speed when compared to the average player down at your local course. 

So how fast is the average clubhead speed of a pro golfer? We’ve looked at this and will also provide tips to help you increase your own clubhead speed!

Table of Contents

Average club head speed on tour, fastest swing on tour, how fast should your swing be, swing big for speed, setup for success, fast swing, fast equipment, the takeaway…what is the average clubhead speed of a pro golfer, average club head speed for pro golfers.

In golf, clubhead speed is directly proportional to distance. With this in mind, it is not surprising that pro golfers – especially the big hitters – can swing the club at speeds much higher than amateurs. 

The PGA Tour is where the best golfers in the world compete weekly to prove themselves as the top players in the world. Being at the top of any statistic list on the PGA Tour is impressive, especially when it is something as crucial as clubhead speed.

The PGA Tour has a statistics section online which is updated after every tournament. At the time of writing, Cameron Champ has the fastest average clubhead speed at 126.98mph, which is hard to comprehend when you consider the normal male amateur golfer swings with an average speed of 93.4mph.

Across the board, the average swing speed on the PGA Tour is 113mph with a driver compared to 94mph on the LPGA Tour.

While it’s not one of the leading tours, the World Long Drive Championship showcases the world’s longest hitters. While the average on the PGA Tour sits around 113mph, the average clubhead speed for a world long drive competitor is a colossal 150mph plus!

Coming from 2019 into the 2020 season, Bryson DeChambeau has gained some notoriety as the biggest hitter on the PGA Tour. His success is down to an intense offseason training plan which saw him gain 40 pounds since September – all of which seems to be muscle. 

This new, bigger and improved Bryson is smashing driving records this season. He currently holds the fastest swing speed on tour with a recorded 137.14mph. Not only does he have one of the fastest swings on tour, but he also has the highest driving average with a massive 324 yards.

Despite him crushing the ball off the tee this season, DeChambeau doesn’t get close to the fastest swing on record. During the 2012 World Long Drive Championship, Ryan Winther set the world record with an incredible 167mph clubhead speed. 

Not only this, but he also set the world record for ball speed with this swing at 227.6mph.

Increasing Your Club Head Speed

If you’re looking to increase your driving distance , increasing your clubhead speed is an essential step towards this. 

Before you look at increasing your clubhead speed , you need to know where you’re starting and what you should be aiming for. 

Trackman is a leading manufacturer of golf radar systems used to analyze every part of your shot. Trackman’s reputation and experience make them an ideal and reliable source of information when it comes to statistics for average golfers. 

According to the USGA (United States Golf Association), the average male handicap is 14-15 in the US. For this handicap range, Trackman has stated the average clubhead speed is 93.4mph. 

Trackman has also given a figure of 78mph as the average clubhead speed off the tee for female amateur golfers .

Now that we know what speed to aim for, it’s time to work towards achieving or surpassing these speeds!

Get in the Gym

The first place to start increasing your swing speed is training to improve your physical strength. Weight training is only beneficial to your game if you train the correct muscle groups. 

View this post on Instagram The hard work never stops. Wearing my new limited edition Gold Nike Lunar Caldra training shoes @Niketraining #TodayIGetStronger A post shared by RORY (@rorymcilroy) on Jan 19, 2016 at 8:52am PST

While many assume that the main requirements for a quick swing and long drive are big chest and biceps, you need to focus on your core, hips, and forearms instead to support your faster swing.

There are many benefits provided by strength training for golfers. Here are a few exercises which can help improve your swing speed:

  • Russian Twists
  • Side Planks (Also helps with hips!)
  • Squats (In Any Form)
  • Romanian Deadlifts
  • Pullups/Deadhangs
  • Spring Grip Trainers

Strength is no good without the flexibility which you will need to swing effectively. There are many ways to promote flexibility. 

For example, always remember to stretch before and after every workout and before every round of golf or practice session. Taking up yoga can make a massive difference to your flexibility while also promoting additional strength in areas that, during regular weight training routines, are typically overlooked. 

Tiger Woods has sworn by Pilates for years; this is another regular exercise that can help your game.

Looking at your swing itself, there are a couple of tweaks that can be made to help speed it up by making it bigger. Firstly, look at extending your lead arm on your backswing. 

Extending your lead arm will increase the arc of your swing, increasing the clubhead speed due to the distance traveled by the head relative to your body. 

As you begin your downswing, you need to extend your back arm to continue that big arcing swing as you make contact with the ball.

Stability is a big issue when you start to swing the club faster. Consider starting with your feet slightly further apart than usual to create a more stable base. If you are having issues with weight transfer from the point of contact to your follow-through, flare your front foot out towards the target. 

Pointing your front toe towards the target rather than straight will allow you to swing through easier and complete your swing efficiently. Concentrate on keeping your posture upright and tight, as swinging faster will make it easier for things to come loose and cause havoc for your game.

Now that you have the fundamentals there to increase your swing speed, it’s time to hit the range or course to get the practice in! But remember, when practicing at the range, there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about it. 

Here are four key tips for practicing at the driving range . 

Weighted clubs can also be an excellent investment as a training aid for speed. Use them to practice your swing and train it for speed or to warm up before your round or range session.

Once you start to swing faster, you need to make sure you are using the correct equipment for your swing speed.

Your club reacts very differently once you start to swing faster. The main point of focus here is your shaft flex. 

For slower swings under 80mph (based on a 6-iron), a regular flex will work fine. Over this and up to around 92mph, you should consider switching to a stiff shaft. 

If you are swinging a 6-iron over 92mph, you should look at Extra-Stiff shafts.

The best thing to do here is to get a custom club fitting with your local pro shop or golf store. Personally, a custom club fitting slashed my handicap by 7 points over the first season with my new clubs! 

I was using a set of clubs with regular flex shafts . My swing speed measured up around 92-95mph, so I was set up with a custom fit set of stiff shafted irons. The difference in not only distance but accuracy and control was fantastic! 

After seeing the difference made by the stiff shafts on my irons, I promptly changed out my fairway woods and driver for stiff shafts too. 

Since making the switch over five years ago, I have gotten down to and maintained a handicap 10 points under my previous plateau I was stuck at after being limited by incorrect clubs!

The professional golfers we see on television each week make their swings look effortless. They regularly hit average speeds of 113mph with some even reaching speeds over 135mph!

If you want to improve your clubhead speed, then there are a few areas where you can concentrate. For example, you could consider strength training to increase your core, hip, and forearm strength. When training or playing, remember to stretch to aid flexibility to help use your increased power. 

Consider taking up yoga or pilates to increase your flexibility further. While there are several exercises to help improve your strength, look at investing in a weighted club to train your swing for extra power, and they also make a fantastic tool for warming up before your practice or round.

Concentrate on keeping your posture correct through your swing, not letting the faster movement throw you off balance or loosen off. Ensure you are extending your arms properly to make a bigger swing arc and widen your stance if you need a more stable base.

If you don’t know your swing speed and are curious, look for a range with radar systems set up or book a session with your local pro shop. It is a worthwhile investment to get the correct clubs for your swing, especially if you are serious about improving your game! 

Having the right shaft on your clubs can make or break your rounds.

I hope that this has helped to understand the importance of clubhead speed and you can improve your own!

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Golfing Focus

The PGA Tour’s Rising Driver Ball Speeds Mean One Thing – $$

Graeme Hay

Written by Graeme Hay | Last Updated: 21/05/2024

Rory McIlroy hitting a drive

In modern golf it seems you can’t watch a PGA event on TV these days without the commentary quickly turning to the subject of distance and especially driver distance.

And because ball speed is the single biggest factor in determining the distance a golf ball actually carries the ball speeds of the top pros are consistently flashed on the screen as they smash their latest tee shot.

So given the importance of ball speed in golf today we thought it was time to take a look at the average driver ball speeds on the PGA Tour.

The average driver ball speed on the PGA Tour is 172.72mph according to the latest Shotlink stats. This represents a 0.86mph rise on the Tour average of 171.86mph at the end of the 2022 season and is 7.36mph more than the 165.36mph PGA Tour average recorded in 2007 when Shotlink began to track this metric.

But when you delve a bit deeper into the ball speed numbers amongst the top PGA and LPGA Tour pros the pattern that emerges is fascinating and the reason why the best athletes – for that is what they are now – are now constantly searching for ever more ball speed is laid bare.

And what is more, it seems absolutely clear that this quest for more ball speed amongst the top pros is not going to stop any time soon!

Chart of the money won by average ball speed on the PGA Tour from 2007 to 2018

More Ball Speed on the PGA Tour = More Distance = More Money!

When a trend is seen in any sport, and especially when money is involved, the obvious question that follows is what is the reason behind it.

As we have already noted the average ball speed on the PGA Tour has been steadily rising over the last number of years, and continues to do so, therefore it is safe to assume that given there are millions of dollars in prize money at stake that there is a good reason why this is the case.

Some may point to the fact that based on the average numbers we have highlighted, ball speeds have only increased by a seemingly minor 0.49mph per year from 2007 until 2022, but while this is indeed a small number, it makes a big big difference to PGA Tour players.

Pro tip : Ball speed is the single biggest factor in how far a golf ball ‘ actually ‘ carries and is not to be confused with club/swing speed which is the key factor for determining a golfer’s ‘ potential ‘ distance. Ball speed is often judged by ‘smash factor’ which is calculated by dividing ball speed by club/swing speed. The closer the smash factor to the perfect score of 1.5 the better the energy transfer from the club to the ball.

And the simple reason for that is that more ball speed means more distance.

And more distance has been clearly identified by the golf stats gurus as a crucial element in the difference between the scores of all standards of golfers including the best pros in the world.

As Professor Mark Broadie, the godfather of modern golf stats, is quoted as saying – “Golfers who can’t hit it long and straight never even make it to the tour. You need to drive the ball longer than 280 yards to have any chance of competing on the PGA Tour.”

So for all the talk in traditional golf circles of how you drive for show but putt for dough the hard reality amongst elite golfers on the PGA Tour, or any professional golf tour for that matter, is that you have to hit the ball a long way to succeed.

Therefore given a gain of 1mph of ball speed can increase a drive distance by up to 2 yards according to Trackman – and that for pros an extra 20 yards of driving distance is worth about three-quarters of a stroke per round – it is immediately apparent why they keep focusing on improving their driver ball speed number.

3/4 of a stroke per round may not sound very much but for a PGA Tour pro it could mean hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars in increased prize money.

Golfing Focus graph of the year on year comparison of average ball speeds on the PGA Tour from 2010 to 2022

In 2022 for example Cameron Young was 10th on the money list with over $6.5 million in prize money and a scoring average of 69.84. Adam Hadwin’s scoring average by comparison was 70.59 which left him 49th on the list and take home money of just over $2.5 million.

Or to look at it another way that 3/4 (0.75) of a stroke difference over the course of the season cost Adam Hadwin around $4 million!

Not that we should feel too bad for pro golfers who earn millions of dollars but the key point to take away is simply this.

On the PGA Tour more ball speed equals more distance which in turn means more prize money.

Being amongst the top PGA Tour pros in terms of driver ball speed is therefore obviously vital to success and now all the best players in the world are clearly aware of this they are going to continue to push the boundaries to achieve more and more ball speed with their driver.

And just to emphasize how much PGA Tour pros are now focused on driver ball speed you need only look at the number of them averaging a driver ball speed of 170mph on tour over the years which is something that used to put pros into the elite.

Today it’s not even average and as we can see from the table below it’s a ball speed that will more than likely cost a PGA pro his place on the tour!

Golfing Focus chart of the number of PGA Tour pros with over 170mph of driver ball speed from 2009 to 2022

[Note – If you are interested in our delve into the topic of how far amateur driver ball speeds should go ranging from 100mph and up check out our other top article here .]

What is the Fastest Driver Ball Speed on the PGA Tour?

Although average driver speeds are all very well when it comes to talking about anything to do with speed people quickly want to know who is the fastest.

And with driver ball speed on the PGA Tour golfers are no different.

The fastest ‘average’ PGA Tour driver ball speed is 190.94mph and was set by Cameron Champ over the 2020-21 season. The fastest ‘individual’ ball speed on tour of 199.55mph was recorded by Bryson DeChambeau again in 2020-21 but DeChambeau has reached a ball speed of 219mph in world long drive championship competition.

A quick glance through the fastest driver ball speeds on the PGA Tour since 2007 reads like a who’s who of the long drivers in the world of golf in recent times but even these supremely fast numbers almost pale into insignificance when we take a look at the ball speeds of the long drive specialists.

Two-time World Long Drive champion Kyle Berkshire, who unbelievably has hit a drive in competition that almost reached the 500-yard mark (yup, you read that right!), broke the Trackman ball-speed record with an astonishing 236.2mph hit in December 2022.

And unbelievably since that time that record has been broken not once but twice!

Firstly by Berkshire himself at the end of March 2023 with a recorded ball speed of 236.8mph but then again by reigning World Long Drive champ – Martin Borgmeier – who smashed a new world record ball speed of 239.3mph at the beginning of April 2023.

Putting that into context that is an average ball speed roughly 50mph faster than Rory McIlroy’s average on tour, over 53mph more than Jon Rahm’s and almost 59mph faster than Justin Thomas’.

What should be noted though is that compared to the long-driving specialists like Kyle Berkshire the pros on the PGA Tour are more than likely not hitting their drives at top speed when you watch them play tournaments.

To maintain control they will often dial back from what they could achieve should they really go for it with driver and focus purely on achieving the highest ball speed number they can while not worrying at all about where the ball goes.

So when you next watch your favourite players on TV just bear in mind that as Jon Rahm ably demonstrates in the clip below they more than likely have more in the tank!

Rahm is a beast 127.8mph club head speed 188.2mph ball speed That speed with that backswing length is incredible Really cool to see more videos of what players have in the tank vs what they use on the course. Give Rahm a few goes and he’s over 130mph easy. pic.twitter.com/4UlP06CYxt — Fit For Golf – Mike Carroll (@Fit_For_Golf) March 2, 2023

And what about the great Tiger Woods?

You would think that following his serious car crash in early 2021, in the aftermath of which it looked possible he could lose his leg, that a modern game focused on ever-increasing ball speed would now simply get away from him.

And especially when you consider that in the last event he played in prior to the accident, the 2020 Zozo Championship, he averaged a mere 168.5mph driver ball speed and reached a maximum of 171mph.

Unbelievably however in the first round of the 2023 Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club in California, Woods produced an average driver ball speed of 177.6mph, hitting a max of 180mph on not one but two occasions.

Set against the current PGA Tour ball speed average of 172.72mph it seems arguably the greatest golfer ever to play the game is not going to let the younger generation leave him in the slow lane of ball speeds quite yet!

[Note – To find out how the best pros in the world hit the ball so far check out our detailed analysis on this topic here .]

Lady professional golfer hitting driver

What About the Average LPGA Tour Driver Ball Speed?

When it comes to the professional game the talk is typically dominated by the men’s game.

However when we turn our attention to the LPGA Tour we can quickly see that when it comes to driving distance and the speeds associated with making that happen the same trend can be seen amongst the best women golfers in the world.

Since the great Laura Davies topped the LPGA Tour driving chart in 1993 with an average distance of close to 255 yards, Emily Pedersen has added another 30 yards to that mark 20 years later.

And that means driver ball speeds have been rising on the LPGA Tour also.

The average driver ball speed on the LPGA Tour is now 140mph according to Trackman. World No.1 Lydia Ko averages this speed while longer hitters including Nelly Korda produce ball speeds over 150mph. The longest driver in 2022, Maria Fassi, records ball speeds of 156mph on average.

While these numbers are well short of their male counterparts they show the best women pros are equally focused on distance and driving up their ball speed numbers.

And given the similarity in swing speeds also between the average male golfer and LPGA Tour pros it would often serve regular players far better to see what they can learn from the top pros on the LPGA Tour versus the PGA Tour.

While the average male amateur averages around 219 yards with their driver LPGA Tour pros average a total driver distance of 257 yards with an almost identical club/swingspeed.

That’s an enormous difference of 38 yards and is evidenced clearly by the better ball speeds the top women pros achieve based on their superior ball striking compared to regular amateurs.

So if you’re a regular male amateur player and looking at ball speeds you should probably be comparing yourself against the ball speeds produced by LPGA Tour pros, a selection of whose speeds are detailed on the table below.

More great articles related to this topic:

  • How Do Pros Hit the Ball So Far? It’s Not About the Equipment!
  • How Often Do Pros Hit Driver? Not As Much As You Think!
  • How Far Do Pro Golfers Hit Each Club?
  • What Driver is Most Used On the PGA Tour? Top 100 Player Analysis
  • Most Popular Driver on LPGA Tour? Top 50 Player Guide
  • How Far Should You Hit a Driver? FULL GUIDE By Age, Handicap etc.
  • Should Beginners & High Handicappers Use a Driver? Yes & Yes
  • Going the Distance? How Far Should Beginners Hit A Golf Ball?
  • How Far Should I Hit My Hybrids? 2 vs 3 vs 4 Hybrid Distances
  • How Far Does a 3 Wood vs 5 Wood Go? Tee and Approach Shots!
  • Do Distance Golf Balls Go Further? Marketing Matters
  • Do All Golf Balls Go the Same Distance? Physics First
  • Are Driving Range Distances Accurate? Golf Balls are a Problem
  • How Far Should Your Ball Speed Go? 100mph All the Way to 210mph!
  • What Should Your Driver Attack Angle Be? Try Not to Be Negative

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'can't think of anything more stupid': keegan bradley rips r&a as controversial golf ball rollback confirmed.

Golf 's ruling bodies are changing the equipment testing to make sure the golf ball goes shorter for everyone from Tiger Woods to the amateur who plays public courses on the weekend.

The USGA and R & A confirmed the rollback on Wednesday night (AEDT), capping more than five years of intensive study on distance that led them to believe consistent gains off the tee — some 30 yards by PGA Tour players over the last 25 years — was detrimental to the game.

“There's virtually no denying that the game at the highest end is longer by a long shot today than it was 20 years ago,” said Mike Whan, the CEO of the USGA.

READ MORE: Rare dismissal stuns cricket in 72-year first

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The change is not effective until 2028 for tour and elite golf, 2030 for recreational golfers.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts to a putt on the 18th green during the second round of the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 07, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Despite being one of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour, Rory McIlroy has been a supporter of the golf ball rollback.  Getty

The original proposal in March was a “Model Local Rule” that would lead to a shorter golf ball only at the elite level, which would create two sets of rules for the first time. The PGA Tour and PGA of America strongly opposed it.

Instead, the USGA and R & A are changing the test that measures how far the ball goes, leaving in tact the “Overall Distance Standard” limit of 290m with a 3.7m tolerance.

The new test will be a club swung at 201km/h equivalent to ball speed of 294km/h, (up from 193km/h club speed and 283km/h ball speed); with a spin rate of 2,200 rpm (down from 2,520 rpm) and a launch angle of 11 degrees (previously 10 degrees).

For the longest hitters, they expect the ball to go up to 13m shorter — 10m shorter for average tour pros, 6m for female tour players and 4m or less for everyone else.

Keegan Bradley isn't sure about that. He said Srixon made him a golf ball that would have met proposed standards and it was flying some 45m shorter shorter.

Keegan Bradley of the United States on the first tee during the final round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on August 27, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

Keegan Bradley has slammed the golf ball roll back.  PGA TOUR

“I think that the USGA … everything that they do is reactionary,” Bradley said last week in the Bahamas.

“They don’t think of a solution. They just think we’re going to affect 100 per cent of the population that plays golf. For the amateur world to hit the ball shorter is monstrous. I can’t think of anything more stupid than that.”

The PGA Tour had said it would not adopt the proposed “Model Local Rule". It was not entirely pleased with a new equipment rule.

“Throughout the process, we have provided feedback to the USGA and The R & A and are pleased to see a number of our recommendations reflected in this most recent announcement,” the tour said in a statement.

“However, we believe the proposed increase in test clubhead speed to 125 mph is disproportional to the rate of increase we see when analyzing PGA Tour radar data.”

The PGA Tour had 98 players who averaged 274m (300 yards) in driving distance, led by Rory McIlroy at 298m.

McIlroy took to social media last week when Golf Digest first reported the new test.

“It will make no difference whatsoever to the average golfer and puts golf back on a path of sustainability," McIlroy said.

"It will also help bring back certain skills in the pro game that have been eradicated over the past 2 decades.”

Woods said last week in the Bahamas he has long been in favor of bifurcation — two sets of rules — similar to aluminum bats and wooden bats in baseball. That example, however, would suggest changing the drivers.

Drivers were on the table for the USGA and R & A a year ago until they zoomed in on the ball. Their only action on drivers was to expand the test of how long the ball stays on the face of the club, known as characteristic time. There is concern that with extended use of the club, the face gets thinner and allows for more of a trampoline effect.

The big development was the golf ball — how far distance has come in 40-plus years, fear by the governing bodies how much farther it will go as players get stronger and move faster with better technique.

The PGA of America, with its 30,000 club professionals, joined the PGA Tour in saying it was happy the governing bodies did not go with two sets of rules, and even pushed back the date the rollback begins — it originally was proposed to start in 2026.

“We remain opposed to any change that may potentially lessen the enjoyment of the game for recreational golfers or diminish the unprecedented momentum the game is enjoying,” the PGA of America statement said.

"It appears recreational golfers will see a greater reduction in distance than we would advise.

“While this decrease has been lessened, we continue to recommend being more moderate on the swing speed change for the golf ball conformance test.”

Manufacturers and tour officials were hopeful of providing input before the testing change was announced, especially because it doesn't take effect for four years.

Whan said the 201km/h club speed was open for feedback in 2022 and there was no point in delaying the decision with another comment period.

He also balked at the notion that distance will plateau if nothing is done now.

“Some people will argue, ‘We don’t think distance is going farther. The speed these top guys are hitting it is the fastest we're going to see,'” Whan said.

"We've said consistently, ‘Then you’re not spending enough time with the high-end amateur golf like we are.' Spend a day with me at the Walker Cup and I'll show you ball speed at a whole other level.

“There's no logical reason to believe that speeds, and therefore distances, are coming down.”

PGA Tour data, however, indicates big hitters from the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour slow down their swing speed when they get to the PGA Tour to adapt to the way courses are set up.

PGA TOUR Stat Leaders 2024

Statistics are updated nightly

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  • Average Golf Swing Speed Chart

by Swing Man Golf Staff | Apr 23, 2024 | Average Golf Swing Speeds Chart

pga tour top club head speed

NOTE: This article is updated annually after the conclusion of each PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour and World Long Driver Championship season once all the data becomes available.

When it comes to hitting the ball farther, a lot of golfers realize that technique is important. In recent years, the larger golfing public is also beginning to recognize the importance of getting custom fit for their driver in order to maximize driving distance and their overall average golf swing speed.

However, there’s another way to get more distance that many golfers, even tour players, don’t even know realize is possible or, if they do, they haven’t really gleaned on to what the big keys are to get drastic and rapid gains…swing speed training. Now, I’ll talk about swing speed training and how you can increase your swing speed later on down the page, but to start, let’s simply get started discussing swing speed in general.

First of all, how important is your average golf swing speed?

It’s very important.

Simply put, the more swing speed you have, the farther you’ll hit the ball.

Take a look at this 2017 chart of the average swing speeds for various categories of golfers.

This chart is an average golf swing speed chart showing the different categories of golfers: female amateur, male amateur, LPGA TOUR player, PGA TOUR player, long driver, and the World Long Drive Championship record.

As I’m sure you can imagine, the World Championship Record for club head speed of 157 mph by Mitch Grassing in 2017 would hit the ball much farther than if he had the swing speeds of the PGA TOUR or LPGA TOUR players, who in turn would hit the ball much farther than amateurs with their given swing speeds.

This golf swing speed chart shows the approximate carry distance for each golf club for different driver swing speeds.

But guess what?

Not only does more swing speed help you hit the ball farther, research shows there is a direct correlation between your driving distance (and club head speed) and handicap (and thus scoring).

You can see this in 2017-2019 Arccos data published by MyGolfSpy in 2020 that shows the difference in driving distance by handicap group.

Average Driving Distance By Handicap

https://www.SwingManGolf.com

Trackman® research also shows that there is a direct correlation between your club head speed and your handicap (and thus scoring).

This chart illustrates the direct correlation between average golf swing speed and handicap or scoring

How Fast Is An Amateur’s Average Golf Swing Speed?

Regarding male amateurs, since 2005, the United States Golf Association (USGA) reports that the average handicap has been between 14 and 15. Golf Handicap and Information Network (GHIN) shows similar numbers of 15.3 handicap in 2003 and 14.3 handicap in 2012.

For these average male golfers, Trackman® statistics report the average club head speed at this 14-15-handicap level is about 93.4 mph…yielding an average total distance of 214 yards per drive. That makes the average male amateur driving efficiency to be 2.29 yards per mph of club head speed.

We estimate the average amateur women run in the region of 78 mph and 167-yard drives. Some women we’ve seen are in the mid to high 40s.

How Fast Is A Tour Player’s Average Golf Swing Speed?

Since 2007, the PGA TOUR has been tracking golf swing speeds of all of its players, also using Trackman®.

As you can see at the end of the 2022-2023 PGA TOUR season, the tour average runs about 115.80 mph and they hit about 299.9 yards/drive, which means their driving efficiency is about 2.61 yards/drive. This is much better than the average 14-15 –handicap golfer who comes in at 2.29 yards/drive. If you think about it, this makes sense because professionals hit the ball more consistently around the sweet spot.

Tom Stickney has done some impact testing for GolfWRX. Here’s what a tour player’s striking pattern looked like after about 10 shots.

tour players striking pattern after 10 shots

Compare that to the impact dispersion after only 5 shots from the 15-handicap golfer he tested.

amateur players striking pattern after 10 shots

As you can see, striking the ball consistently solid will help get you more distance out of your club head speed and improve your driving efficiency. If the average amateur had the same 2.61 yards/mph driving efficiency as the average PGA TOUR player, he would average 245 yards/drive instead of only 214 yards/drive.

That means the average amateur could pick up over 30 yards simply from more consistent strikes.

pga tour top club head speed

2022-2023 PGA TOUR Player Swing Speed Chart – The Slowest Swingers

Anyway, here is a selection of the swing speeds for the 2021-2022 season for some of the slowest PGA TOUR Players. These guys are definitely at a disadvantage on tour speed-wise.

If only they knew it didn’t have to be that way!

2022-2023 PGA TOUR Player Swing Speed Chart – The Average Swingers

Next are the guys who are considered to be in the middle of the pack as far as swing speed goes on the PGA TOUR. These guys aren’t hurting for speed, but they could definitely use more.

2022-2023 PGA TOUR Player Swing Speed Chart – The Fast Swingers

Lastly are the guys with the fastest speeds. These guys definitely swing fast by PGA TOUR standards. But as we’ll see in a moment, they are actually still quite slow relative to the competitors in the World Long Drive Championships.

Interestingly, the 2020-2021 season was the first time on the PGA TOUR that a player averaged over 130 mph.

Bryson DeChambeau made a lot of news during COVID-19 by putting on an estimated 40 pounds of fat and muscle weight to gain that swing speed. It worked, but as I wrote about over at GOLFWRX , you don’t need to put on that much weight to gain that much speed. In fact, you can put on more speed in less time without putting on anywhere near that kind of weight.

That’s part of what we do here at Swing Man Golf with what’s available in All-Access .

START NOW WITH ALL-ACCESS

pga tour top club head speed

2008 European Tour Player Swing Speed Chart

At the moment, the European Tour (now the DP World Tour) doesn’t post average club head speeds for the tour. However, we did come across a document from a single event in 2008 containing the swing speed of each player in the field. We’re not sure which hole or event these were measured with using Flightscope, but the numbers were interesting.

Here are several notable players.

The event average was 111 mph, which is more or less what we saw on the PGA TOUR in the same year.

In 2023, the median player on the DP World Tour averaged 301.08 off the tee. If we assume that they have the same efficiency of PGA TOUR players at 2.62 yards/drive, that would put their 2022 average swing speed at 114.92. That increase from 111 to 115 correlates similarly to the increase that the PGA TOUR made over the same time period since 2008.

Wilco Nienaber led the DP World’s Tour’s driving distance category at 332.10 yards/drive. If we assume his driving efficiency is also 2.61 yard/mph like the PGA TOUR average, that would put Wilco’s on-course average swing speed at 127.24 mph.

For purposes of our swing speed data research, would you mind telling us a little about yourself?

We will keep this information private. We’ll also send you some free follow-up info via email, which you can easily opt-out of at the bottom of the message if you decide it’s not for you.

How fast are LPGA Tour players?

A Trackman chart I have from 2011 shows that LPGA tour players averaged 246 yards/drive with 139 mph ball speed. Assuming 1.5 smash factor, that’s 2.66 yards/mph, far more efficient than the PGA TOUR’s 2.61 yards/mph. That seemed about right as the LPGA Tour mean driving distance as reported by the tour in 2011 was 248.02 yard/drive.

In 2023, the LPGA tour mean was 256.75 yards/drive. Somehow, driving distance Is about 9 yards farther now. Have club head speeds gone up? Is equipment fitting better? Have the players become more efficient? Are course conditions different? I don’t know exactly what is causing the difference, but something has changed.

When Annika Sorenstam was invited to play in the PGA TOUR’s 2003 Bank of America Colonial tournament, she averaged almost 270 yards/drive that year. The PGA TOUR average that year was 285.9 yards/drive and Annika was long enough to be ahead of the PGA TOUR’s 189th ranked Corey Pavin at 268.9 yards/drive and Loren Roberts at 265.9 yards/drive. She nearly made the cut and even beat some of the men in the field. It would have been interesting to know how well she would have done had she been even just a few mph faster with her swing speed…which is certainly doable.

The shortest player on the PGA TOUR in 2023 was Brian Stuard at 271.5 yards/dive. There were 10 LPGA players over that mark…Mel Reid, Madalene Sagstrom, Emily Kristine Pederson, Yuka Saso, Bailey Tardy, Maria Fassi, Yan Liu, Bianca Danganan, Xiaowen Yin, and Polly Mack.

However, only two PGA TOUR players were under 280.0, David Lingmerth at 278.5 and Brian Stuard. Going by David Lingmerth, only Polly Mack was long enough to be on the PGA TOUR distance-wise.

Polly Mack is conceivably as fast as some male professional golfers. However, her 2023 scoring average of 72.30 from the much shorter tees of the LPGA would not be good enough to match the 70.49 scoring average of the 125th ranked player (the highest ranked player to still retain full playing privileges) on the PGA TOUR, who also play from farther distances. She has the distance…she just has other gaps in her game.

2023 LPGA Swing Speed Chart

Since we have to make some guesses about LPGA Tour swing speed data, here is what LPGA Tour numbers might look like assuming both the 2011 reported Trackman efficiency of 2.66 yards/mph versus 2.73 yard/mph, which assumes no increase in club head speed but factoring in the increased 2023 tour driving distance mean of 256.75 yards/drive.

It’s our belief that LPGA Tour players could actually be competitive on men’s professional tours provided they work on getting faster through a swing speed training like we have here at Swing Man Golf through All-Access.

How fast are the swing speeds at the World Long Drive Championships?

pga tour top club head speed

That means that a typical long driver is over 20 mph faster than the average PGA TOUR player from that period…and over 10 mph faster than some of the tour’s fastest swingers like Cameron Champ, Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, etc.

Historically, no player on the PGA TOUR would stand a chance of winning (or even being competitive) at the World Long Drive Championships…not until 2021 when Bryson DeChambeau was invited to compete at the 2021 PLDA World Championships and finished in the Final 8.

The event was a limited field event due to COVID-19. However, Bryson’s fastest ball speed during competition that I recall seeing was 219 mph, which would put his club head speed on that swing at 146 mph.

In 2022, Bryson finished 2nd.

As we’ll see below, that’s fast enough to win the entire World Long Drive Championships.

He also added more fat and muscle weight and worked far harder than necessary to increase his swing speed. That’s a story I already wrote about for GolfWRX.com .

Let’s look at how fast a typical Final-8 long driver can historically swing.

Swing Speed Chart for the World Long Drive Championships – Final-8 Competitor

Swing speed chart for the final-8 competitors world long drive championships.

Here are some average speeds of a few individual Final-8 competitors.

Realistically, to win the World Long Drive Championships, you have historically needed to be swinging in the mid-140s. The average champion was about 146 mph based on 7 champions from 2009-2017.

A champion long driver would easily drive it 50 yards past a guy like Bubba Watson. In fact, this actually happened in Hawaii in 2011 ahead of the PGA TOUR event when Jamie Sadlowski hit drives at Kapalua in Maui against Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, and Robert Garrigus. It wasn’t even close.

Occasionally, you’d see guys get in to the Final-8 at the World Championships that average in the 130s. Typically when that happened, they were better fit for their equipment, they were more mentally strong, they took better advantage of wind conditions, and things like that. As you can see, it was very difficult to win swinging in the 130s, though.

If memory serves, Carl Wolter won the 2011 World Championships in the high 130s. That year there were very strong tail winds and Carl presumably hit a better wind ball (usually higher and with more spin) than two other champions he beat head-to-head, Jamie Sadlowski and Joe Miller…both of whom have swung 150 mph in competition.

Unfortunately, full data since then isn’t available in the same way due to inconsistencies in who was owning and hosting the world championships (Ex. Long Drivers of America, Comcast, PLDA, GF Sports and Entertainment)r, but the various winners of those years since (2017 – Justin James, 2018 – Maurice Allen, 2019 Kyle Berkshire, 2020 – No World Championship, 2021 – Kyle Berkshire, 2022 – Martin Borgmeier, 2023 Kyle Berkshire) have all achieved speeds over 150 mph at the World Championships.

However, as mentioned, long drive swing speed seem to be trending upwards.

In 2023, World Long Drive reported a World Long Drive Championship group average ball speed for the Final 16 of 215.7 mph, with Kyle Berkshire at the top with 226.2 mph. Assuming 1.5 smash factor, that’d be averaging 143.8 mph and 150.8 mph of swing speed, respectively.

Also, through 2023, in training, 8 hitters had broken the 230-mph ball speed mark, when the previous record mark had been 227 mph for years, with 3 over 240 mph. To get 230 mph ball speed, you need at least 153 mph swing speed. To break 240 mph, it’s a minimum of 160 mph.

As far as I know, Sam Attanasio has the current ball speed training swing at 243.0 mph, which would necessitate at least 162 mph of club head speed. Seb Waddell has a training swing on a Trackman® at 169.6 mph swing speed.

Let me know if these get broken and I can update what is here.

At the Senior (Over 45 years old) level, in 2012 a Senior division Final-8 competitor averaged 131 mph with a peak of 137 mph. Two-time Senior World Champion “Fast” Eddie Fernandes (2018 & 2022) has previously achieved 156 mph of club head speed and 228 mph of ball speed.

Even the “old” guys can bomb it past any PGA TOUR player.

So, as you can see, the more swing speed you have, in general the farther you will drive the ball…and as I’ve shown, more distance also makes it easier to shoot lower scores.

Can you Increase Your Average Golf Swing Speed?

Aside from improving your technique and getting fit for your equipment, despite what many golfers (even pros like Tiger) believe, yes, you can actually train to increase your swing speed…at any age!

Just consider a long drive guy like Bobby Wilson. At the age of 53, he could swing over 12 mph faster than the PGA TOUR’s “long hitting” Bubba Watson.

Also note that just because you are fit does not mean you are fast. Camilo Villegas was arguably more “fit” than John Daly, but John could swing faster. Granted, some of this is due to John’s technique, equipment, etc…but the point is that although fitness certainly has its place in golf and life, for distance and application towards becoming a better player…it’s more about being fast than fit.

Swing Man Golf Helps You Increase Your Average Golf Swing Speed!

Rapidly and drastically unleash your power and play consistently with a steady and reliable game with Swing Man Golfs All-Access …featuring effective and easy-to-understand world class golf instruction paired with our expertise in long drive and our pioneering golf fitness swing speed training programs for amateurs and pros alike.

Swing Man Golf is a 2021 Golf Fitness Association of America Award Winner for it's work in golf fitness and swing speed training

Certification is also available for motivated PGA pros and fitness trainers.

We’ve got junior golfers from 12 years old to men on up in to their 80s with handicaps ranging from pro to 30+ who add an average of 12-16 mph (30-40 yards) of driver swing speed in their first month of basic training. Believe it or not, we’ve even had several golfers who were willing to do the work that gained over 30 and 40 mph (that’s not a typo) over the course of a few months.

One of these golfers was 58 years old!

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Best Super Game Improvement Irons 2024 (Our Top 7 Picks)

Super-game improvement irons have gotten a bad rap in some corners, but that’s unfair. These irons are specifically designed to improve the enjoyment of the game for high handicappers and beginning golfers.

Super-game improvement irons are designed to get the ball into the air quickly and with as much speed as possible while providing exceptional accuracy.

These irons promise high, straight-ball flight with distance to burn, something our top 7 sets in this category certainly deliver.

In this review of the best super game improvement irons on the market today, we’ll highlight the top irons for high handicappers and beginners that are guaranteed to boost ball speed, provide more distance, and deliver higher launch.

Sources researched

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TaylorMade Golf Qi HL Irons 5-P,AW Steel Shaft Regular Right Handed

Last updated on 2024-05-28. The links are affiliate links. Product images are served from Amazon Product Advertising API.

Table of Contents

TaylorMade Qi HL Irons

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Best All-Around Super-Game Improvement Irons

TaylorMade Golf Qi HL Irons 5-P,AW Steel Shaft Regular Right Handed

Specifications (5-PW)

  • Loft: 23.5°-44.5°
  • Length: 35.75″-38.5″
  • Lie: 62°-64.5°
  • Swing Weight: D0
  • Effortless launch with long distance
  • High ball speed
  • Very forgiving sweet spot
  • Bulky club head
  • Tougher for slower club speeds to find consistency

TaylorMade’s outstanding Qi HL Irons take all of the top features of their Stealth Irons series and goes on to improve them for high handicappers looking for new irons.

The HL (stands for higher and lighter) version of the Qi Irons looks to eliminate the severe slice that most beginners and inexperienced players fight to correct.

Each iron head in the set offers an individualized shape to produce maximum distance on the links. We noted very quickly how consistent and steady each iron plays during a round.

With stock shafts in steel or graphite, you can also customize the feel and weight of the irons, which we really loved about this set.

Our testers also noted that the Qi HL’s clubhead offers a wide sole that moves effortlessly through the turf, improving interaction with the ball for clean contact.

The launch is quick and high, helping produce an extended length that shortens each hole.

An easy choice for our favorite super-game improvement iron, the Qi HL from TaylorMade delivers impressive all-around performance with distance to burn for the golfers that need it the most.

Check our full TaylorMade Qi Irons Review

Best Distance Super-Game Improvement Irons

Callaway Golf Big Bertha BB23 Iron Set (Right, Steel, Regular, 5 Iron - PW, AW )

Specifications (4-PW)

  • Loft: 18°-42°
  • Length: 35.75″-38.75″
  • Lie: 60.5°-64°
  • Swing Weight: D1
  • Lightning-fast ball speed
  • Exceptional distance with accuracy
  • Easy-to-launch shot flight
  • Doesn’t have an eye-popping design
  • Firmer feel might not be for everyone

Callaway’s easy-to-launch Big Bertha irons continue the brand’s tradition by providing golfers with clubs that offer a huge, oversized club face that produces staggering distance and high ball speed.

Golfers wanting to s crisp iron shots with more purpose will find these Big Bertha irons offer premium performance when hitting the golf ball.

What we loved most about the Big Bertha set is how much fun these golf clubs are to hit repeatedly.

At the range, you’ll be hard-pressed to find another collection of irons that delivers this level of consistency. These irons are a revelation if you are struggling to hit the ball high and long.

Powered by a low, deep CG, these Callaway irons offer easy lift with pure contact. To say these irons are confidence-inspiring isn’t doing them justice.

Once you strike the ball with these irons, you’ll keep coming back, chasing that pure feel.

What’s even better about these irons is that you can choose either steel or graphite shafts. If you are struggling with slow clubhead speed, the graphite can help you increase overall distance via boosted exit velocity.

The Big Bertha irons from Callaway are ideal for real golfers who want to improve their game.

Best Value Super Game Improvement Irons

Tour Edge Hot Launch C524 Iron Set 4-PW (Graphite Aldila Ascent PL 50 Regular) 2024

  • Loft: 20°-43°
  • Lie: 61°-64°
  • Very stable through impact
  • Clean turf interaction
  • Outstanding performance in trouble lies
  • Rather plain design
  • Doesn’t inspire confidence at address

Tour Edge has released their top super game improvement irons with the Hot Launch C524 set. Featuring lightweight shafts, the HL C524s are more than ready to deliver total power on shot after shot.

These irons rank incredibly high in distance and accuracy on the range. The balls launch high and straight, with a steep landing angle that helps hold the green.

From inside 150 yards, performance ranks among the best super game improvement irons today.

For golfers looking for irons that deliver a solid feel, the HL C524s certainly qualify. The deep groove system also offers nice rotation from the short grass to help you find the green more often.

The profile is quite slim for super game improvement irons, but the performance certainly backs up placing these clubs in that category.

While they might not be the most stunning irons to stare at, their performance and low price point make them an outstanding value.

Best Super-Game Improvement Irons for Senior Golfers

CG Halo XL Full-Face 5-PWGW Gr A RH

  • Length: 36″-39.125″
  • Lie: 61.5°-64.5°
  • Hybrid-like design creates an easy launch
  • Full-face grooves deliver high spin control
  • Great in wet conditions
  • Bulky club heads may not be for everyone
  • Feels more like chipping irons at times

Despite their odd shape and design, the Cleveland Halo XL Full-Face Irons are an absolute blast to play.

With the body of hybrid and full-face grooves, these Cleveland Irons offer a nice mixture of fast ball speed and extended carry that gets the most out of the clubhead shaping.

On the range, you might react similarly to our testers as we all kind of wondered what exactly these irons could accomplish.

In short, the answer is “quite a lot.” Not only does the ball get into the air quickly and effortlessly, but it also produces stunning ball speed data from the TrackMan.

We feel these irons are best suited for senior golfers who struggle with clubhead speed.

However, they will certainly help boost distance and extend the carry length of any player, making the game much more enjoyable for casual golfers regardless of age and skill level.

Check our full Cleveland Halo XL Full-Face Irons Review

Best Lightweight Super Game Improvement Irons

Cobra Golf Air-X 2 Men's Iron Set

  • Loft: 21°-43.5°
  • Length: 36″-39.75″
  • Lie: 62.5°-64°
  • Lightweight feel and impressive responsiveness
  • Produces the most possible distance out of every swing
  • High, straight, and consistent flight
  • Doesn’t promote a muscular feel
  • Feels softer than other super-game sets

Cobra’s Air-X series gets a sequel with its new updated version of their popular super-game improvement irons.

Featuring a very lightweight design, the Air-X 2 Irons are versatile and agile in the pursuit of more distance from any situation on the links.

Cobra has given the new irons a streamlined design with a lighter feel than comparable super-game improvement irons on this list.

That slighter design helped pump up swing speeds across the board, which in turn created additional distance.

The Air-X 2 set also garners high marks for accuracy. With a wide, inviting sweet spot that’s very forgiving, the flight stays true to your target line with a severe reduction in slicing.

Great for golfers who want to free up their swing, the Cobra Air-X 2 Irons are wonderfully adept at producing crisp, clean shots with zip.

Best Luxury Super Game Improvement Irons

Mizuno JPX923 HOT Metal HL | 7 pcs 5-GW (7X5G) | RH/Graphite / F3 REG

  • Loft: 25°-45°
  • Length: 35.5″-38″
  • Lie: 60.5°-63°
  • Consistent speed throughout the set
  • Impressive stopping power around the greens
  • Exceptional satin finish, looks great in the bag
  • Too fancy for casual golfers
  • Thinner profile makes it harder to launch

Mizuno has long made some of the best super game improvement irons, and their JPX923 Hot Metal HL irons is absolutely remarkable on the links.

Built for golfers with slow to moderate clubhead speeds, the Mizuno irons offer outstanding trajectory and rotation control.

During our time with the Hot Metal HLs, we loved how capable they were from the fairway. Contact is consistently clean and crisp, leading to high shots that stop on a dime.

From the rough, the JPX923 HL irons offer a smooth release that keeps the face square to lift the shot easily from trouble.

We also loved the feel and responsiveness of these super game improvement irons. There’s minimal vibration at impact, something that high handicappers will enjoy over time.

These Mizuno irons are absolutely stunning in the golf bag as the satin finish makes the JPX923s one of the most gorgeous sets on the market today.

Best Draw-Bias Super Game Improvement Irons

TaylorMade Stealth HD Steel Iron Set

  • Lie: 62.5°-65°
  • Low, deep CG creates a higher launch
  • Minimal vibration with outstanding feel
  • Very fast through the impact zone
  • Draw-bias isn’t for everyone
  • Long, low profile may not attract traditional players

When looking for super-game improvement irons that look and perform a little off the beaten path, there’s no better value than the Stealth HD Irons from TaylorMade.

What’s unique about the Stealth HD irons is how long and low the profile is against golf balls. This broad hitting area helps redirect off-center strikes plus increases launch with steep swinging attacks.

The Stealth HD Irons feature a draw-bias design that minimizes side rotation, helping golfers suffering from a slice find more fairways.

During our testing, we loved how simple and straightforward this iron plays. If you believe in a “see shot, hit shot” theory to golfing, the Stealth HD Irons can deliver that experience with power.

Each club also features a large clubhead that powers the shot skyward with muscle.

Few draw-bias game improvement irons are on the market, so this feature, plus its outstanding all-around performance, vaults the Stealth HD Irons to the top of the list for casual players wanting more enjoyment from their game.

Check our full TaylorMade Stealth Irons Review

When it comes to testing, we put each iron set through a rigorous battery of tests. We want to see how the irons perform in various real-life course situations.

From the tee box to the rough to the sand, we want to see if the irons can produce optimal launch conditions no matter what lie or trouble the ball is in.

To get a base reading, we first strike golf balls with the iron in an indoor setting using a launch monitor, preferably a TrackMan.

We hit dozens of balls until we had a solid base of data for readings, including average distance, average ball speed, and average launch angle.

Once we have a series of reliable numbers, we take the irons to the golf course and strike more shots from various lies and conditions.

We test on the range first, then move to the fairway and from trouble areas such as rough and fairway sand bunkers.

After that testing period, we rank each set of super game improvement irons based on our findings and hand out the awards that you’ll see just under the club names on their specific review.

We award a best-all-around set and other individual awards, such as “most forgiving” and “most accurate.”

When it comes to super game improvement clubs, we’d prefer irons with oversized heads. These larger hitting areas help golfers who struggle with consistency find the face more frequently.

Whether it is a short or a long iron , the oversized head helps boost distance and improve accuracy because the iron is more forgiving overall.

Another important element when choosing super game improvement irons is how the clubs will increase your average distance.

For example, if you are hitting your 7-iron 125 yards on average, you’re looking for new irons that increase that distance by at least 10-15 yards.

One culprit for lower averages could be playing with irons with weaker lofts, so you should always compare and contrast your current lofts to the measurements on the new clubs.

Understanding how your launch angle translates to distance is also incredibly important to increase your distance.

If the ball is coming off of the face at a lower angle, it won’t fly as long before hitting the ground.

There’s a launch angle sweet spot for each swing speed. Anything above or below that area will affect the overall distance.

New super game improvement irons should improve your accuracy by reducing side spin to hit the ball straighter .

Since the best super game improvement irons are very forgiving, this will help all players produce better golf shots with a higher, straighter flight.

Frequently Asked Questions

pga tour top club head speed

Super-game improvement irons are made for high handicap golfers and beginners who suffer from some of the most common swing faults. They are designed to help with steep swings and open faces at impact.

Irons in the super game improvement category typically have oversized heads with wide soles to increase turf interaction to produce better ball-first contact.

Since most golfers at this skill level need help hitting the ball high and straight, super-game improvement irons can reduce side spin, produce exceptional consistency , and provide more forgiveness than other irons.

When comparing super-game and standard game improvement irons, super-game irons will be larger and bulkier in the club head.

Since beginning golfers need help getting the ball into the air, the best super game improvement irons offer easy launch with stronger lofts to get the ball airborne.

Game improvement irons offer similar benefits, but they are made with smaller, slimmer profiles to help mid handicappers who aren’t ready to switch to players’ distance irons or something comparable for their golf game.

Our blue ribbon for the best super-game improvement iron set goes to the TaylorMade Qi HL Iron Set .

This collection of irons delivers premium ball-striking performance and produces a solid, lightweight feel that smoothly moves through the golf ball.

The Qi HL irons offer individualized shaping on each iron for maximum performance from the fairway. Regardless of distance, each HL iron offers the extra yards your game needs with plenty of spin.

We loved how the long irons in this set performed, helping provide even more weapons off the tee box for the golfers who need help the most.

Great for golfers of all ages with handicaps over 18 , the Qi HL Irons will improve swing speed, create more distance, and produce higher, straighter shots.

pga tour top club head speed

Bright futures: Led by Miles Russell, First Coast junior golf is perhaps at its highest level

Russell, tyler mawhinney, phillip dunham are ranked among the top 10 on ajga, junior presidents cup and on the u.s. junior national team.

pga tour top club head speed

  • Russell, Dunham, Mawhinney finished among the top 10 in the 2023 Junior Players
  • Mawhinney was the 23rd individual state high school champion from the First Coast
  • Junior players are benefitting from technology, coaching, tournament opportunities

The First Coast is in a Golden Age for junior golf, and that’s saying something. 

An area that has produced junior players who went to win major championships, Players championships, college All-American honors and national amateur championships can now make a case that it’s the hot spot for junior golf in the entire country, largely due to three players: Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach, Phillip Dunham of Ponte Vedra Beach and Tyler Mawhinney of Fleming Island. 

They are the only Florida residents who have made the inaugural United States Golf Association Junior National team and led by Russell’s victory, all three finished among the top six in the 2023 Junior Players Championship. 

Russell currently is first on the American Junior Golf Association Rolex Rankings and is the reigning AJGA Player of the Year after winning the Junior Players, the Junior PGA and two other AJGA titles. He was the first AJGA boys Player of the Year from the First Coast since David Duval in 1989.

Dunham is 15th and Mawhinney 18th on the Rolex Rankings and all three are inside the top 10 on the U.S. Junior Presidents Cup points list (Russell is fourth, Dunham sixth and Mawhinney 10th) with four months to go before the matches at Royal Montreal. 

Russell made national news earlier this month when he became the youngest player in history at the age of 15 to make the cut in a Korn Ferry Tour event in Lakewood Ranch, then became the youngest to finish among the top 20 and qualify for the next week’s tournament. 

Here’s the scary part: Dunham and Mawhinney are on track for high school graduation in 2026, and Russell in 2027. And they’ve still got a full summer to more happen in 2024 with schedules that will include USGA national tournaments, and AJGA and Florida State Golf Association events. 

First Coast had three high school team champions 

Led by Mawhinney’s individual title, Fleming Island High School won the school’s first FHSAA state championship last fall in Class 3A, one of three team titles won by First Coast schools. Ponte Vedra High’s boys won their ninth state title in a row in Class 2A and Beachside’s girls won the 2A state title, a first for that school in its second year. 

It’s the first time three First Coast schools won state championships in the same year since the state went to multiple classifications in golf in 1994.

Mawhinney was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Golf and late in the year won the AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions.

Colton Swartz of Fleming Island won the Florida Junior Boys 16-18 title last summer and Luke Balaskiewicz of Jacksonville, in addition to winning district and regional titles and tying for fifth in the 1A state tournament for Bolles last year, recently won his first Florida Junior Tour event. Henry Robards and Cam Goldknopf led Episcopal to finishes of second and third in the last two Class 1A state tournaments. 

Sofia Rivera of St. Augustine led Beachside to its state title with a tie for second and has five top-three FJT finishes. 

And watch out for 11-year-old Lily Wachter of St. Augustine, who won her age group in the National Drive, Chip and Putt national finals at Augusta National and has a victory and four top-five finishes in her first six FJT starts. 

“There’s no doubt it’s a great time for junior golf,” said Jack Aschenbach, the executive director of the North Florida Junior Golf Foundation, where Russell, Dunham and Mawhinney played their earliest stages of junior golf, along with almost every other player who is currently making splashes on the state and national scene. “I think the depth has never been better.” 

And Aschenbach said more good players are on the way. He has a record number of more than 400 members of the NFJG and a record 48 players are currently at the organization’s “Elite” level, with scoring averages of 84 and below. 

First Coast juniors have a long history of success 

Junior golfers from the area have established a decades-long track record that has gone beyond the local level. 

  • Mawhinney won the 24th individual state high school title by a First Coast player, dating back to Elliott Martin of Jackson in 1928. Among the other state champions have been Len Mattiace of Nease (1984), who won twice on the PGA Tour, Julian Suri of Bartram Trail (2007 and 2008), who climbed as high as 62nd on the World Golf Rankings and Taylor Funk of Ponte Vedra (2013), who is on the Korn Ferry Tour. 
  • Mattiace's state title began a string of Nease players who followed suit, Ben Taylor (1992), Vince Covello (2000) and Adam Wallace (2001). Toby Ragland (2003) became the first Bartram Trail player to win a state title.
  • Led by the Ponte Vedra High boys with nine titles, five First Coast high schools have combined for 22 state championships. 
  • Duval, who went on to win 13 PGA Tour titles, the 1999 Players and the 2001 British Open, won the U.S. Junior Boys in 1989. 
  • When Russell won the Future Masters 11-12 division in 2020, he became the sixth First Coast winner of that junior event in Dothan, Ala., which began in 1950. Billy Tuten of Palatka, Blayne Barber of Lake City, Bubba Dickerson of Hilliard and Carl Ste.-Marie of Lake City all won multiple Future Masters age-group titles.
  • When Swartz won the Florida Junior Boys last summer, he became the 10 th First Coast winner. Barber won the 16-18 division in 2006 and 2008 (the latter at Timuquana in a memorable duel with Tyson Alexander) and other area winners are cousins Josh McCumber (1990) and Tyler McCumber (2006), Mattiace (1982) and Tuten (1976). 
  • Four players have won the Florida Junior Girls, with Kaitlyn Schroeder of Jacksonville going back-to-back in 2019 and 2020. 

Past Junior players are at elite college levels 

The recent accomplishments are coming just after an impressive run by First Coast girls junior players. Schroeder, now at Alabama, followed her two Florida Junior Girls titles by winning the First Coast Women’s Amateur in 2021, reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Junior Girls later that summer and was the AJGA Player of the Year in 2022.  

Chloe Schiavone (a starter at Notre Dame) won the Florida Junior Girls in 2018. Elizabeth Kondal (now playing at Rollins) and Tori Mouton (North Carolina A&T) joined Schroeder in winning the First Coast Women’s Amateur as junior players. 

Nancy Cox had two top-five finishes in the Class 2A state tournament for Ponte Vedra High and tied for second in the 2023 tournament. She is headed for Florida Atlantic.

Three-fifths of the starting lineup that the University of North Florida took to the NCAA Championship last week are veterans of First Coast junior and high school, Andrew Riley (Creekside), Jason Duff (Menendez) and Davis Lee (Ponte Vedra). Riley became the area’s first product to win an NCAA individual title when he captured the Division II title for Palm Beach Atlantic in 2023 and Duff won 2019 Class 2A state title. 

Chase Carroll, the Class 2A state runnerup in 2022 to Ponte Vedra’s Brock Blais, made the ASUN All-Freshmen team for the Ospreys. Blais started for Texas-San Antonio as a freshman. 

Bud Cauley of Jacksonville was a three-time AJGA All-American before becoming an All-American at Alabama and A.J. Crouch (Florida) and Sean Dale (UNF) used their junior golf resumes to land at college golf powers.

Professional golfers from the First Coast marvel at how good the modern junior golf scene is — and how different the conditions are from when they were at that age.

“You have to think that we’ve got one of the best pockets for junior golf in the country right now,” said Mattiace. “Where else? Dallas? San Diego? I don’t know. I can’t imagine it being any better than it is for our area right now. There’s something good in the water, that’s all I know.” 

Juniors benefitting from improved coaching, technology 

Perhaps the key factor for a better brand of junior golfer nationwide is the resources players have. They have access to quality instruction at clubs and academies, where their swings are broken down on video and launch monitors and matched to perfect equipment specifications. There are mental coaches and a greater emphasis on nutrition and physical fitness. 

“Just look at the TPC Performance Center,” said former PGA Tour player Jeff Klauk, who along with his brother John helped Nease win its first state championship in 1995 and now is watching his son Jackson play at Jacksonville University. “We didn’t have anything like that back then. I think I had good coaches, like Mike Blackburn and Bob Duval but we didn’t know what my clubhead speed was, what my ball speed was. The kids now have access to so much more that can help them get better.” 

Klauk said it’s not just golf that has benefited from technology and private coaching. 

“I think kids in all sports are getting better,” he said. “Every sport is benefiting from the technology, video and training methods.” 

Players can test their games against the best more often 

Mark McCumber, one of the top area junior players in the 1960s and the 1988 Players champion, raised another top junior player in his son Tyler (who became an All-American at Florida) and helped his nephew Josh also stand out in junior golf and for the Gators. 

McCumber said one of the reasons for the improvement of junior golfers, in addition to coaching and technology, is also the vast amount of playing opportunities. 

“There’s the AJGA, the Florida Junior Tour, the USGA events and now you’ve got kids like Miles Russell getting the opportunity to play in professional tournaments,” McCumber said. “The biggest local event was the Jacksonville Junior. We had the Pee Wee World Championship at Rio Pinar in Orlando, the Future Masters in Dothan [Ala.], the state Jaycees tournament in Ocala ... but there simply weren’t the number of places to play kids have now.” 

McCumber won the Jacksonville Junior and the International Pee Wee but beyond that, it was a matter of playing and practicing as much as possible at his home course at Hyde Park.  

“A lot of it depended on which club pros emphasized junior golf,” he said. “Roland Hurley had a Back-to-School tournament at Brentwood that we all played. Norrie Wright was very good for junior golf at Selva Marina and Beauclerc. Nick Clark at San Jose was good to the juniors. There also weren’t as many courses back then as there are now.” 

Steve Melnyk learned to play golf from his parents growing up in Brunswick, Ga., went on to help the Florida Gators win their first national championship, won the 1969 U.S. Amateur and played on the PGA Tour for 13 years.

He said his junior golf was limited not only because there weren't that many tournaments but he was a four-sport athlete in high school and held a summer job beginning at the age of 16. That didn't stop him from achieving success at the highest levels of amateur and college golf and having a solid PGA Tour career until an injury cut it short.

Melnyk said it's possible to attain lofty goals without loading a junior player down with dozens of tournaments per year and hundreds of hours of practice time.

"In a way I'm envious of the number of tournaments the kids today get to play," said Melnyk who won the Jacksonville Junior three times. "But I was playing other sports and working and I didn't play a lot of amateur golf until after I got to Florida. I didn't have the kind of coaching the kids have now but my parents laid down a good base of fundamentals for me and I was always able to figure it out when something went wrong."

Junior players also have more time to practice 

Terry Catlett, who won the Jacksonville Junior twice and later played on standout Parker High teams with two-time Tour winner Woody Blackburn and his brother, current JU coach Mike Blackburn, said junior players often ran into resistance. 

“There were clubs that wouldn’t let juniors play on Saturday or Sunday mornings, even with their fathers,” he said. “You had to be 18 to play in any of the invitationals. Norrie Wright went to bat for me to play at Selva Marina and after I won their invitational when I was 17, clubs seemed to ease up on that.” 

Mattiace and Catlett also touched on another key factor: time. More of the top junior players are being home-schooled or take online classes, freeing up more time for practice. 

“We’d get out of school and couldn’t get to the golf course until around 3 p.m.,” Mattiace said. “After the time change in the fall, you wouldn’t have a lot of daylight.” 

“Heck, we’re watching the clock in school, then we had to drive to the course,” Catlett said. “High school golf was in the spring then and if you had a nine-hole match and you were the No. 1 player, in the last group, you’re fighting darkness. Most of our playing was in the summer. Now the kids can play and practice all year long and that’s helping them get better.” 

The numbers game still works against junior players

The cautionary tale of having more skilled junior golfers is that opportunities at the highest levels of college golf and the PGA or LPGA Tour haven’t increased anywhere close to the same level.  

There are fewer than 300 NCAA Division I golf programs, a number that hasn’t changed significantly in recent years. Given the fact that college golf is a non-revenue sport, the number of scholarships (4.5 per team on NCAA Division I teams, 3.6 for Division II and six per women’s team) isn’t likely to increase any time soon. 

A combination of 35 players reach the PGA Tour through the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour Qualifying School (30 Korn Ferry, five qualifiers) every year. The LPGA Tour takes the top 25, plus ties from its national qualifier, and the top five money leaders from the EPSON Tour, for around 30 per year. 

John Brooks, who launched the UNF men’s golf program and is now the President of Red Numbers Golf, which helps families of junior golfers manage college placement, said the number of boys junior players ranked by Junior Golf Scoreboard is around 3,000 per year since the COVID-19 pandemic sparked a resurgence in golf participation, an increase of 25 percent over the past 10 years. 

“I’d remind players and parents that golf is a marathon,” Brooks said. “Always stay patient and think in the long term. A lot can and will happen as players’ careers progress.” 

This is where the coach in Brooks comes out. 

“Focus on the process and try to get a little better every season,” he advised junior players. 

The elite of First Coast junior golfers are taking that “little better” to heart. 

IMAGES

  1. How fast are PGA Tour clubhead speeds? The answer has changed a LOT in

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  2. Case Study

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  3. Top 10 Club Head Speed of PGA Tour

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  4. Here is the Average Swing Speed for Each Skill Level of Golfer

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  5. Learn How To Increase Clubhead Speed Like PGA Tour Winner Luke List

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  6. HOW TO INCREASE YOUR GOLF SWING SPEED!

    pga tour top club head speed

VIDEO

  1. HOW TO GAIN CLUBHEAD SPEED WITH DRIVER! (ACTUALLY WORKS)

  2. How to gain more club head speed fast in the golf swing

  3. How I Increased My Club Head Speed with Driver (and you can too!)

  4. The Secret Behind Fast Club Head Speed!

  5. Shot By Shot: Masters Hole 8 #golf #golfswing #masters

  6. How Grip Strength Relates to Club Head Speed

COMMENTS

  1. Golf Stat and Records

    Do you want to know how fast the PGA TOUR players swing their clubs? Check out the Golf Stat and Records page, where you can find the clubhead speed and other metrics for every player and ...

  2. 2020 PGA TOUR Club Head Speed Rankings

    Whether you're aiming for longer drives or llower scores, our tailored programs and power boost sessions will rapidly and drastically transform your performance. Start your journey to a more powerful game today! Explore 2020 PGA TOUR swing speeds. Boost your power with swing speed training from golf fitness expert Jaacob Bowden, PGA and Swing ...

  3. Golf Swing Speed Chart: Averages By Age, Skill, and More

    Average Swing Speed By Handicap; Average PGA TOUR Club Head Speeds and Distances; PGA TOUR Average Club Head Speeds and Carry Distance Per Club; ... As you may have noticed, some of the PGA TOUR pros in the top 20 in swing speed with the driver are outside the top 20 in average driver distance. This is because of a stat called Smash Factor ...

  4. TrackMan PGA Tour Averages Stats

    TrackMan PGA Tour Average stats including Club speed, Attack Angle, Ball Speed, Smash Factor, Launch Angle, Spin Rate, Max Height, Land Angle and Carry. ... Holding club head speed constant, greater backspin reduces carry distance on all clubs. ... club face, and face to path numbers for several top Tour Players? Reply. Alan April 12, 2016 at 9 ...

  5. Swing Speed and Distance Chart for Every Club

    Here's a club head speed chart that shows you swing speeds for every club from every type of player, from PGA and LPGA tour players, to high-handicap amateur men and women. ... PGA Tour Speed | Carry. LPGA Tour Speed | Carry. Driver. 113 mph | 275y. 94 mph | 218y. 3-wood. 107 mph | 243y. 90 mph | 195y. 5-wood. 103 mph | 230y.

  6. Off The Tee

    Leaderboard Watch + Listen News FedExCup Schedule Players Stats Golfbet Signature Events Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 Aon Better Decisions DP ... Club Head Speed. 1 st ... PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR ...

  7. 2022 PGA TOUR Club Head Speed Rankings

    Whether you're aiming for longer drives or llower scores, our tailored programs and power boost sessions will rapidly and drastically transform your performance. Start your journey to a more powerful game today! Explore 2022 PGA TOUR swing speeds. Boost your power with swing speed training from golf fitness expert Jaacob Bowden, PGA and Swing ...

  8. 2021 PGA TOUR Club Head Speed Rankings

    Discover how with Swing Man Golf All-Access, featuring Golf Fitness Association of America (GFAA) award winning swing speed training programs that have helped golfers gain 10, 20, 30, and even 40 mph! Get a power boost with In-person swing speed training sessions by Jaacob Bowden, PGA, a pioneer in golf fitness and swing speed.

  9. This is how far PGA and LPGA Tour players hit it with every club

    Cameron Champ currently leads the club-head speed charts this season with a 129.72 average. You'll also notice that the average PGA Tour player hits down on their driver (attack angle -1.3 ...

  10. How fast are PGA Tour clubhead speeds? The answer has changed a LOT in

    As you can see, last season's average clubhead speed of 114.13 mph is only up slightly from 112.78 mph in 2007. However, among the highest and lowest averages, there has been an increase of nearly ...

  11. Top 10 Club Head Speed of PGA Tour

    CLUB HEAD SPEEDY-T-D-statistics through: The Open Championship, Jul 17, 2016. Speed at which the club impacts the ball (mph) on Par 4 and Par 5 tee shots whe...

  12. PGA Tour Trackman Averages: Analyzing Player Performance And Improving

    Clubhead speed is a crucial factor in determining the distance a golf ball will travel. PGA Tour players are known for their ability to generate impressive clubhead speeds, and the trackman data confirms this. On average, PGA Tour players have clubhead speeds that surpass 110 miles per hour. This incredible speed allows them to unleash the full ...

  13. New Trackman PGA Tour Averages

    Official stat holes are picked going in opposite directions to reduce any effects from wind. Explore the latest PGA Tour Averages from Trackman, featuring Club Speed, Ball Speed, Attack Angle, Spin Rate, Carry, and more. We're committed to delivering the most accurate and up-to-date data, ensuring you're always at the top of your game.

  14. What is Bryson DeChambeau's swing speed? Here are the Mad ...

    On average for the 2021 PGA Tour season, DeChambeau is top of both the club head speed and ball speed statistics. Current club head speed average: 133.42 (fastest recorded speed - 138.39) Current ...

  15. The *real* secret to increasing clubspeed, per a 3-time major champion

    SuperSpeed Golf Training System. $199.99. The Speed Training System of Choice for Padraig Harrington, 3x Major Winner and 2024 World Golf Hall of Fame Inductee. Realize the dream of more distance ...

  16. What is The Average Club Head Speed of A Pro Golfer?

    At the time of writing, Cameron Champ has the fastest average clubhead speed at 126.98mph, which is hard to comprehend when you consider the normal male amateur golfer swings with an average speed of 93.4mph. Across the board, the average swing speed on the PGA Tour is 113mph with a driver compared to 94mph on the LPGA Tour.

  17. 2023 PGA TOUR Club Head Speed Rankings

    2023 PGA TOUR Club Head Speed Rankings. Are you curious what the club head speed rankings are on the PGA TOUR for 2023? Who posts the fastest swing speeds? ... Ever wonder how your swing speed compares to the top (or average) golfer? This swing speed chart will serve as a guide, displaying the range of swing speeds for various player groups. ...

  18. Tiger Woods registers PGA Tour's fastest clubhead speed of the season

    One swing in particular, his drive on the par-5 14th at the Valspar Championship Saturday, registered a clubhead speed of 129.2 mph — the fastest swing recorded by any pro on the PGA Tour this ...

  19. Average Club Head Speed 7 Iron PGA Tour

    The average club head speed with a 7 iron on the PGA Tour is around 93-95 mph. Here are some examples: Dustin Johnson: 94 mph. Brooks Koepka: 95 mph. Rory McIlroy: 94 mph. Jon Rahm: 93 mph ...

  20. The PGA Tour's Rising Driver Ball Speeds Mean One Thing

    The average driver ball speed on the PGA Tour is 172.72mph according to the latest Shotlink stats. This represents a 0.86mph rise on the Tour average of 171.86mph at the end of the 2022 season and is 7.36mph more than the 165.36mph PGA Tour average recorded in 2007 when Shotlink began to track this metric. But when you delve a bit deeper into ...

  21. Golf news 2023

    "However, we believe the proposed increase in test clubhead speed to 125 mph is disproportional to the rate of increase we see when analyzing PGA Tour radar data." The PGA Tour had 98 players who averaged 274m (300 yards) in driving distance, led by Rory McIlroy at 298m.

  22. Try this move to boost your clubhead speed and crush your drives

    PGA Tour stars swap coaches, ... Instruction GOLF Magazine's 2024-2025 Top 100 Teachers in America: The full ... A wider swing means more room to ramp up your clubhead speed through the impact ...

  23. 2024 PGA TOUR Player Rankings

    The 2024 season PGA TOUR player rankings on ESPN. Includes the leaders in every category from earnings, wins and other golf stats.

  24. Average Golf Swing Speed Chart

    299.9. 2.61. As you can see at the end of the 2022-2023 PGA TOUR season, the tour average runs about 115.80 mph and they hit about 299.9 yards/drive, which means their driving efficiency is about 2.61 yards/drive. This is much better than the average 14-15 -handicap golfer who comes in at 2.29 yards/drive.

  25. Best Super Game Improvement Irons 2024 (Our Top 7 Picks)

    Check Price on PGA Tour Superstore Check Price on Global Golf. Specifications (5-PW) Loft: 23.5°-44.5° Length: 35.75″-38.5″ Lie: 62°-64.5° Swing Weight: D0; Pros. Effortless launch with long distance; High ball speed; Very forgiving sweet spot; Cons. Bulky club head; Tougher for slower club speeds to find consistency

  26. The top 5 fastest golfers on the PGA Tour and the drivers they use

    Cameron Young - 185.99 mph. Cameron Young Getty Images. Cameron Young is the highest-ranked player in the world without a PGA Tour win, but that's not stopping him from being one of the most ...

  27. Junior golf on the First Coast experiencing a surge in depth, talent

    Among the other state champions have been Len Mattiace of Nease (1984), who won twice on the PGA Tour, Julian Suri of Bartram Trail (2007 and 2008), who climbed as high as 62nd on the World Golf ...