There seems to be a lot of conflicting information online about the clubhead speed of the average PGA Tour player.
One article I found about Tiger Woods stated that Tiger's clubhead speed was 125 mph, while the average was 100 mph. I think in this case this website wanted to tout the abilities of Tiger Woods and how much of an increase in clubhead speed he has compared to the rest of the tour.
However, neither of these numbers are accurate. We will take a look at Tiger's numbers later. But first, let me address the average number.
According to the PGA Tour's official website, the average clubhead speed of their players is right around 112 mph. Although a perfectly struck ball at this swing speed will take off at around 168 mph of ball speed, the average ends up being around 165 mph because of slight mishits throughout the year for each player. This led to an average drive of approximately 286 yards, with an average carry of 259 yards, according to Trackman data.
I bet these distances are smaller than you thought. It appears to me watching major network telecasts of the PGA Tour only put up numbers on the screen that are anomalously high, giving the average viewer the impression that all PGA players hit the ball well over 300 yards each attempt, which is not accurate. Most tour players good solid drives under normal conditions travel between 290 and 300 yards. Sometimes the hole can play donwhill or downwind, and TV coverage often will display the longest drives on holes with these conditions. Another factor that can make the players look longer than they really are is how short the fairways get cut in some tournaments. Tournaments sometimes try to set up the course 'firm and fast', counting on the extra roll out to create a narrower fairway, in effect.
So who were the players with the highest clubhead speeds on the PGA Tour? In 2011 J.B Holmes led everyone with an average swing speed of 124 mph. Bubba Watson and Gary Woodland were close behind. 12 mph give a pro around a 30-33 yard distance advantage over the field.
Bringing up the rear were Brian Gay, Nick O'Hern, and Paul Goydos, all timing out at around 104-105 mph. There are many amateur golfers that have swing speeds in excess of this, although they generally don't hit the ball as pure, and thus these shorter hitters would still outdrive an amateur.
So how about Tiger Woods? Well Tiger didn't have enough rounds in 2011 or 2010 to qualify for the official list, due mostly to injury. So we have to go back to 2009, where Woods averaged about 119 mph of clubhead speed on his drives. So although Tiger still has the reputation for bombing the ball farther than anyone else in the game, this is demonstrably false, as at least 10 golfers lead Woods in several driving categories these days.
One article I found about Tiger Woods stated that Tiger's clubhead speed was 125 mph, while the average was 100 mph. I think in this case this website wanted to tout the abilities of Tiger Woods and how much of an increase in clubhead speed he has compared to the rest of the tour.
However, neither of these numbers are accurate. We will take a look at Tiger's numbers later. But first, let me address the average number.
According to the PGA Tour's official website, the average clubhead speed of their players is right around 112 mph. Although a perfectly struck ball at this swing speed will take off at around 168 mph of ball speed, the average ends up being around 165 mph because of slight mishits throughout the year for each player. This led to an average drive of approximately 286 yards, with an average carry of 259 yards, according to Trackman data.
I bet these distances are smaller than you thought. It appears to me watching major network telecasts of the PGA Tour only put up numbers on the screen that are anomalously high, giving the average viewer the impression that all PGA players hit the ball well over 300 yards each attempt, which is not accurate. Most tour players good solid drives under normal conditions travel between 290 and 300 yards. Sometimes the hole can play donwhill or downwind, and TV coverage often will display the longest drives on holes with these conditions. Another factor that can make the players look longer than they really are is how short the fairways get cut in some tournaments. Tournaments sometimes try to set up the course 'firm and fast', counting on the extra roll out to create a narrower fairway, in effect.
So who were the players with the highest clubhead speeds on the PGA Tour? In 2011 J.B Holmes led everyone with an average swing speed of 124 mph. Bubba Watson and Gary Woodland were close behind. 12 mph give a pro around a 30-33 yard distance advantage over the field.
Bringing up the rear were Brian Gay, Nick O'Hern, and Paul Goydos, all timing out at around 104-105 mph. There are many amateur golfers that have swing speeds in excess of this, although they generally don't hit the ball as pure, and thus these shorter hitters would still outdrive an amateur.
So how about Tiger Woods? Well Tiger didn't have enough rounds in 2011 or 2010 to qualify for the official list, due mostly to injury. So we have to go back to 2009, where Woods averaged about 119 mph of clubhead speed on his drives. So although Tiger still has the reputation for bombing the ball farther than anyone else in the game, this is demonstrably false, as at least 10 golfers lead Woods in several driving categories these days.
Steve Pratt is a Kinesiologist and golf instructor in the Southern California area. He teaches golfers all over the world how to increase their clubhead speeds with the Mike Austin swing. His website is http://www.hititlonger.com.
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