The PGA Tour employs TrackMan to track every golfer’s swing and ball flight data, then uses this information to compile statistical averages of both their PGA and LPGA tour players.
Skeptics contend TrackMan could create an entirely robotic generation unable to understand how to play golf, while Foley remains confident the device can make swing adjustments easier and practice sessions more productive.
Ball Speed
With Trackman-like technology in the hands of golfers everywhere, now is an opportune time to understand exactly where your ball travels when hit. Newcomers to the game or experienced ones seeking ways to improve distance should research what variables influence its journey – including ball speed – before embarking on their golf journeys. Many overlook this key statistic!
Most people who seek to increase their driver distance tend to focus on clubhead speed; however, ball speed should be considered more frequently due to swing speed not being the sole deciding factor – often less significant than factors like your smash factor (the ratio between club/swing speed and ball speed).
Stated higher ball speeds equal further travel distance. But there are other considerations in play, such as the type of ball used, launch angle, and amount of spin on your shots, that need to be considered when setting ball speeds for tour professionals – typically around 127mph for drivers and 120mph for pitching wedges.
Ball speed, launch angle, and spin rate should also be taken into account as critical determinants of ball travel distance. A high launch angle can cause your ball to get caught in the turf and reduce space, while a low spin rate limits how much energy is transferred from clubhead to ball.
Foresight Sports provides this chart as a starting point, showing average ball speeds on both PGA and LPGA tours. Keep in mind, however, that these numbers only offer an estimate and do not take into account variations due to weather or roll. Nonetheless, this data serves as an ideal starting point.
Club Speed
Have you played golf for any length of time? If so, chances are you have noticed that faster swing speed leads to greater distance. This phenomenon is most notable with drivers; however, increasing club head speed doesn’t have to be difficult, and there are multiple methods of increasing club head speed that you can try.
First step to improving golf speed: Determine how fast you are. This can be accomplished using a launch monitor or free apps like Shot Vision on your phone or consulting a professional coach. However, for best results, it’s recommended that club head speed be measured using your driver, as this way, you’ll be able to see how any improvement affects all shots taken by all clubs in play.
Once you know your club head speed, compare it against averages from both the PGA and LPGA tours. These figures serve as useful benchmarks against which amateur golfers can measure their progress; furthermore, this data can give amateurs an indication of the type of performance their current clubs might provide them with.
On the PGA Tour, male golfers typically reach 80-90 mph with their drivers. Female golfers on this circuit tend to hit much faster clubhead speeds because they possess a better smash factor.
Note that these statistics don’t always accurately depict tour pros’ accurate averages; Trackman doesn’t take into account factors like roll and bounce when measuring distances during tournaments – these could make a considerable impactful difference on an average driving length for each player.
Golf launch monitors like ShotLink take these factors into account and are thus more accurate. ShotLink can even be used on the range or simulator during a tournament to test different clubs and ball types to find what best fits your game.
Carry Distance
Carry Distance measures the average distance a golfer hits the ball from when they first make contact with a club until it first touches the ground. It depends on swing speed, club head speed, and angle of attack of each golfer in their swing; in other words, as their swing speed and upward angle increase, so does the ball travel further – providing golfers with valuable information for planning shots to clear hazards or clear elevated greens while selecting appropriate clubs for every situation.
Carry and total distance differ because total includes any ball roll once it hits the ground, making for more complex measurements that involve knowing a golfer’s spin rate, angle of attack, vertical launch angle, and more. Such information is typically only accessible to professionals using Trackman at their home courses or an indoor golf simulator in an indoor lounge.
Golfers looking to enhance their accuracy should focus on measuring Carry Distance rather than Total Distance when measuring their shots using a Launch Monitor. Both measurements may be possible, but Carry Distance provides more accurate readings as it excludes roll after ball landing; depending on conditions, the total distance could include factors like windspeed, surface type, or elevation changes, which golfers cannot control.
Many golfers use rangefinders or yardage boards to measure distance, which may not always provide accurate readings. A Launch Monitor can help measure accurate carry distances on the course and save both money and time when out playing on it.
Understanding your Carry Distances is crucial for optimizing your game and realizing its full potential. Not paying attention to this critical metric could easily result in lost ground against competitors; hence, tour players and their caddies take great care when tracking this data.
Swing Speed
Swing speed refers to the rate at which a golfer swings their club, an integral component in driving distance and usually determined by its frequency and strength. An amateur’s swing speed tends to range from around 93 to 113 mph; professional golfers generally tend to swing faster.
Golfer’s swing speeds depend on several factors, such as their age, gender, and skill level. But their swing speeds can be increased through correct technique work and using drivers explicitly tailored for them – changes that will allow them to increase distance significantly.
Average PGA Tour professionals drive the ball about 249 yards with their drivers, thanks to high club speed and ball velocity, combined to produce maximum carry distance. On average, professionals average approximately 113mph with their driver and 167mph with their 3-wood, an impressive combination that most amateurs cannot match.
For an accurate picture of how fast PGA Tour pros swing, visit the Trackman website and look up their Trackman numbers. This will give you an idea of their pace as well as how fast your swing should be in order to increase driving distance.
The chart below depicts an average swing speed for each club in a player’s bag on the PGA Tour. However, keep in mind that these numbers represent averages and that your specific number may differ slightly from what’s shown here.
According to Trackman data, the average PGA Tour player typically swings their driver at 95mph and 7-iron at around 78mph. There’s an association between playing ability and swing speed: those with lower handicaps tend to have faster swing speeds. But that doesn’t have to be seen as unfavorable; even small increases in swing speed can result in improved distance and reduced scores – so understanding these fundamentals of swing speed can only benefit you in your golf career!
