SWING SPEED VS HANDICAP
Found this article on :
https://practical-golf.com/swing-speed/
NOT SO FAST! THE SWING SPEED STUDY
Everyone wants to hit the golf ball farther, and add swing speed. A lot of it has to due with what we see on TV in the professional game. There is no question that at the pro level golf has evolved to a power game, and it all started with Tiger Woods rising to the top.
The name of the game is to hit it as far as possible off the tee, keep it in play, and be proficient enough with your wedge and putter to convert birdies.
The stats back it up too. Mark Broadie’s revolutionary strokes gained analysis, and his book Every Shot Counts clearly shows distance can be king. Golfers can separate themselves more from each other in their ability to score lower by hitting the ball farther.
I’ve written about this before, and I don’t deny these findings. I just believe the takeaway for everyday golfers can become a little murky. I’ve seen plenty of players excel at this game without tremendous distance. That being said, I’m not against any golfer trying to figure out ways to hit the ball farther.
If you want to hit the ball farther I think you have a few options:
Increase your swing speed (most people advocate this method)
Hit the ball closer to the sweet spot (I like this one personally)
Make sure you are playing with the correct equipment (also believe in this)
I believe number 2 and number 3 are reasonable ways to add distance to anyone’s game, and I’ve written articles about that before. However, in my opinion adding speed to your swing is not the slam-dunk that most people think. I don’t think it’s completely necessary either.
What is Reasonable?
Tour pros swing speed with their drivers anywhere from 110-125mph. These are the speeds required to launch the ball 300 yards and farther. Any time they can add a few miles per hour to their swing, it could mean the difference of making cuts and cashing bigger paychecks.
Their livelihoods are literally at stake.
This website is intended for everyday golfers, and my goal is to help filter out all of the noise out there and get you thinking realistically about your game.
You are not playing golf to cash a paycheck. Hopefully you are playing first and foremost to have fun and enjoy yourself, and have a secondary desire to lower your handicap over time.
This is not a complete surprise at all.
What is interesting is just how fast the lower handicaps are performing relative to the players in the 20-35 region. They’re not all that different. For example, a golfer in the 30 handicap region had a swing speed of 88 mph versus 95 mph when you get to single digits.
With players in the 0-5 handicap range, drivers are topping out at about 95 mph and 7 irons are about 75 mph. Depending on how efficient their swings are, this could represent upwards of 250 yards with the driver and about 140 yards with the 7-iron.
Wait a second, that’s not that far?
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Music: Sea in the Sky: Serenity
If you want to hit your driver maximum distance then do the following.
1. Get fitted
2. Push ups
3. Lat pulls.
4. Dips
5. Military press
6. Extreme stretching
I did this for 6 months and my swing speed moved up to 114Mph from 104Mph. That means I hit my drives about 25 meters further. On a 440 yard par 4 with a soft fairway I would drive around 265 yards and have 185 yards for my second which would have been a strong 5 iron.
I now drive 290 yards and have 150 yards for my 2nd which is a strong 9 iron.
In other words I've gone from driver 5 iron to the driver 9 iron.
The other thing about gaining distance is that you can lay up further. I now hit my rescue 240 yards. Previously 220 yards. That means on a tight 370 yard par 4 I'm hitting rescue wedge instead of rescue 8 iron…. BIG DIFFERENCE
Ive been playing golf for about 10 years now and am a 7 handicapper. In my experience, those who want to reach a single digit handicap need to simply play more. The weekend warrior has a less likely chance of getting down to a single digit handicap than someone playing 3 + times a week. It doesn’t even have to be on the course. Spend an hour on the rang and another half hour to hour either chipping and/or putting. The more that you can make your misses better, the better your score. Get the ball on the green in regulation. The more birdie putts you have, the more birdies you will make.
Ya drive for show, ya putt for dough!
My handicap is 11 and I recently did a distance test on track man, I have a swing speed of 96/100 with my driver and my 7 iron 83 mph. I also did a chipping test and I said that I have the chipping ability of a 0-3 handicapper and that I have done multiple tests in putting against tour pro stats and I average there percentage of putts holed or sometimes more. Could you please help me with why that I am not off single figures please.
HAhahaha – You need to read some stuff on "Is it Collation or is it Cause" – you are mixing them up. I'd be amazed if you couldn't just hit the driver straight 225 yards and hit all the other clubs straight and know your distances and not get close to par rounds. Test yourself with a 7 iron and a putter – bet you don't go round much worse than 4 or 5 over your normal round – now tell me again its about distance. The 7 iron round is about staying in control – no bunkers, no rough, no lost balls etc..
i have to switch to ladyflex on driver-5wd. senior shafts on irons. 10hdcp
I aim at the target or slightly left. my ball flight is straight or a slight draw. My problem is hitting greens is regulation. I miss them in the fringe or in bunkers with usually means a lost strike and making bogey instead of hitting the green in regulation and making par.
Surely it started with Arnold Palmer and the great Jack Nicklaus. Tiger Woods is just a Johnny come lately who wouldn't have a chance with persimmon woods and balata balls.
to make a car go fast, you make modifications.
believe me you the avg. Joe don't even have a clue to the tech specs the pros have access too.
those guys have private stock shafts, that are moi'd , swing weighted, spined matched. .. on and on.
as most folks don't have time to go to the gym and get the best peds. most don't have time, know how, or that immersed to learn equipment modifications.
that's something manufactures know, so to have dj, take his tech specs onto a new tm driver, and almost double eagle a 400yd par four, that probably just needed a 325y or so fast track catch,
sold them plenty of drivers that won't even be a pinch of tech spec dj has.
I swing fast but have a higher handicap. Short game and putting are key to scoring low.