champions tour club head speed

Swing Speed and Distance Chart for Every Club

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

• 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.

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.

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 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.

Trackman Tour Averages

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.

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.

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Champions Tour players make equipment choices just like recreational golfers

• Author: Max Marcovitch

This is the second edition of  Morning Read s "Truck Stop," where we check in with a PGA Tour equipment truck for gear news from the ground that week on Tour. ( Part 1 is here. ) This week, the PGA Tour is in Bermuda and the gear truck is back on the mainland, so we focused this report on news from the Champions Tour.

There are 81 players in the field for this week’s Champions Tour event, the TimberTech Championship in Boca Raton, Fla. Fewer than 25 percent of those players are sponsored by an equipment company.

That dynamic – in contrast to the PGA Tour, where nearly everybody is contractually bound to their equipment – creates a weekly competition among brands to win the equipment battle on performance alone.

“You’re looking at that and saying, There’s 65, in essence, free agents, that have the opportunity to play whatever they want ,” said Jacob Davidson, Callaway’s PGA Tour representative. Davidson and Callaway take pride in their numbers on the Champions and LPGA tours.

Johnny Thompson, Callaway's Champions Tour representative, estimates that, on average, 50 percent of the Champions Tour plays Odyssey putters and 40 percent uses Callaway drivers . Those numbers closely mirror the numbers on the LPGA Tour, which features a similar “free agency” dynamic.

And players' selections can, in some ways, inform the average amateur about which equipment might best suit him or her. Swing speeds on the Champions Tour tend to range between 95-105 mph, similar to that of a 5-to-10-handicapper. Nobody on the Champions Tour averages 300 yards in driving distance (though John Daly threatens that threshold, at 298.7 yards). The occasional Phil Mickelson foray aside, Champions Tour players haven't adopted the bomb-and-gauge obsession that's in vogue on the PGA Tour. On balance, their equipment priorities likely resemble something close to yours.

“They’re playing a lot more product that’s closer to just off-the-shelf that consumers can buy,” Davidson said. “I think on the PGA Tour, you start getting into extra-stiff shafts and all of that, but some of our most successful product out here is product that your consumers can go buy at their local green-grass store or big-box retailer.

“Obviously, the irons are a little bit different on the Champions Tour. You see guys playing irons that have got a little bit more offset, maybe something that launches a little bit higher, a little bit stronger lofts. And the driver , as well. It’s very similar.”

Odyssey putters stand at the ready in the Callaway tour truck.

Callaway Golf

So, in that context, which items are popular?

The SubZero driver tends to appear on many tee boxes on the Champions Tour. On the greens, Odyssey putters feature an alignment aid that provides peace of mind, particularly for those with ample experience.

“I think [players] can see the difference in the roll,” Davidson said. “They can see the improvement in how quickly the ball gets up and starts rolling immediately. Maybe somebody that hasn’t played long enough or hasn’t maybe had the history with one specific brand for a long time, to kind of have that to balance against, I don’t know would affect it. It just seems like these guys would say immediately, That ball is rolling so much better .”

Amateur question of the week: Is my driver loft costing me distance?

Was this a question borne of my own on-course frustration? Perhaps. Some have access to machines that measure spin rates and launch angles in a controlled environment. Others just wonder why those drives aren’t carrying what we think they should.

Could your loft be the problem? And if so, how can you know your proper loft?

“I think we see that week in, week out, when guys change their golf swings or they switch equipment that’s not operating in that optimal zone, and we’re able to tune them back in, they’re typically able to find somewhere between 7 and 10 yards, sometimes just if they’re over-spinning their driver or not launching it at the proper height,” Davidson said. “For the average consumer, I think that you’re looking for somewhere between that 11-13 launch [angle] and spin numbers somewhere between 2200 and 2500, depending on how they deliver the club.”

Well, I suppose a trip to a simulator is in my near future.

Sign up to receive  the Morning Read newsletter, along with Where To Golf Next and The Equipment Insider.

Trackman Tour Averages

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.

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.

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Club Head Speed: Reverse Engineered

The potential benefits of club head speed have become clearly illustrated with modern golf analytics. It is now also extremely easy to measure. Longer drives off the tee and shorter clubs from each approach distance are extremely desirable for all golfers. It seems all levels of player are searching for more. This has lead to a number of different approaches becoming popular, and opinions on what is “the best way” even more popular.

How Do I Increase Club Head Speed?

In this recent video I summarized my approach into a 4 part model:

How much of your overall focus is on swinging as fast as you can, compared to other things? This will be an important area of exploration for players of all ability levels as there will almost certainly be a trade off between intent to swing as fast as possible and quality of shot execution.

Why Intent?  Part of increasing club head speed is strategy. There must be a conscious decision made to start swinging faster on the course. This is a mental challenge. Whilst there’s no doubt that modern equipment has hugely changed what happens a “mishit”, the vast majority of even tour level players do not swing as fast as they can on the course. I know this from tracking the club head speeds of the tour players I train on the range when trying to swing as fast as they can, versus their ShotLink Data from within PGA Tour events. I have also talked to many players I do not train, about this gap between range and course. I estimate most tour players average club head speed in tournament play leaves at least 5 mph in the tank, and some are closer to 10mph. Even though modern equipment is great, balls can go extremely far offline at speeds in the 115-125mph range. The coordination and skill to keep a ball in play at 100% maximum speed is still extremely challenging, even for the best players in the world. If it wasn’t they would swing 100% on all their drives, but they don’t.

For amateur golfers whom have a lower skill level, and fear mishits even more, I estimate from my experience that they probably have a 5-15mph gap between their on course club head speed, and how fast they can actually swing.

Wondering about the potential benefit of swing speed? The most efficient players on tour get approximately 2.5 yards for each mph of swing speed.

The real metric we are trying to change is of course ball speed, as that is very closely correlated with total distance. The three main things affecting ball speed are, club head speed, centeredness of strike, and launch conditions. To assess your centeredness of strike, start spraying the face of your driver with strike spray during practice. To assess your launch conditions, book a lesson with an instructor who has a launch monitor, and knows how to use it.

2) Biomechanics

Advancements in technology are not just limited to clubs and balls. The ability to measure and analyse things like 3D movement of the golfer and the club, ground reaction forces, and muscle activation with wearable EMG provides amazing insight into how speed is being created in the golf swing. When it comes to producing club head speed, it is essential to get physics on your side. In simple terms this means how you move your body and the club.  Biomechanics  and  Physical Capabilities  will be closely linked and can’t really be fully separated, as one will influence the other.

Why Biomechanics ? A golfer with a high level of  Intent , and great  Physical Capabilities  will not be able to maximise their swing speed without using mechanics that are advantageous.

What are advantageous biomechanics for swing speed? This is a whole science in itself, and where I have been trying to spend a lot of my study time in the last 12 months. Sasho Mackenzie, Steve Furlonger, Lee Cox, and John Novosel are fantastic resources and have been very helpful.

Biomechanics principles to consider for swing speed:

Hand Path Length

Increasing the distance your hands travel in the backswing is very beneficial for increasing swing speed. The reason for this is that it gives us more time to apply force on the downswing. This is because of a scientific term called impulse.

Impulse = Force x Time.

To think about this from a very basic viewpoint, consider how much speed you can generate when your hands come back to the height of your trousers pocket. Now consider how much speed you can create when you bring your hands back to the height of the buttons on your shirt. Much faster. We can apply this same idea to swing speed for full swings. A longer hand path will likely be beneficial as it increases the time element of the impulse equation. Your mobility and technique will have a huge influence on your hand path length. From a mobility standpoint, the hips, thoracic spine, and lead shoulder are extremely important. The  GolfFlex Mobility Routine in the Fit For Golf App  was designed to target these important areas and how they move in the swing. From a technique standpoint, raising the left heel in the backswing and allowing the hips rotate more will make a huge difference in how far your hands can travel.

The length of Jack’s hand path played a big part in how far he could hit the ball. This wouldn’t be possible without the left heel lifting and allowing the hips to rotate in the backswing. Photo: Golf Digest

Hand Path Force

The average force applied to the grip in the downswing can have a huge impact on swing speed. Remember the impulse equation.

As explained above we can increase the time element of this equation with a longer hand path, and we can increase the average force applied with better technique and stronger muscles which allow you pull on the grip with more force.

Earlier in the article I wrote that there is always overlap between biomechanics and physical characteristics. This is a good example. The average force applied will come down to technique and physical strength. If you have great technique but low strength levels you won’t be applying a high average force. Conversely, if you are very strong, but have terrible technique, you won’t do a good job of applying your high force potential to the club in the right direction, or at the right time.

While reading some of this biomechanics stuff you might be thinking “how the heck am I supposed to think of this stuff while I swing”? That is a very fair point. The idea is not to swing with all of these thoughts cluttered in your head. Understanding the science behind what generates swing speed just allows you to confirm or question whether what you are working on with your technique and physical training is on the right track. That’s really what all this science is going to boil down in a practical sense anyway. Improve technique and improve physical capabilities. The underpinning science is essential for working on things that may help. All too often people put a lot of time and effort into things that can’t possibly yield big returns.

3) Physical Capabilities

The only thing in the human body that can produce force is muscle. The “signal” or message that is sent to the muscle to produce force is controlled by the Central Nervous System (CNS). As a result it goes without saying that methods of training which enhance the CNS’s and muscles ability to produce force and produce it quickly are absolutely critical in the quest for improving swing speed. As a “physical trainer” this is where the vast majority of my education and experience is.

Of course, the structure of our skeleton also needs to be included in this section (and will also affect biomechanics). Things like height, limb length, limb proportions, hand size, and a whole host of other things can have a very important role in our ability to produce club head speed. These are untrainable however, which is why the focus is on force development with the structure we have.

Why Physical Capabilities ? A golfer with a high level of  Intent  and excellent  Biomechanics  will be limited in how much club head speed they can create by their ability to produce force. LPGA Tour Players & Champions Tour Players don’t swing as fast as PGA Tour players (for the most part). Why is this? Is it technique? Is it intent? I think the answer is quite clearly physical capabilities. Pushing this further, what physical capabilities have the biggest impact? The answer is a mix between mobility and power. In general, LPGA Tour players will be more flexible than PGA Tour players, yet there is a 20mph difference between the average swing speed of the two tours. Why is this? Some of it will be due to the differences in height, but this is not coming close to making up the 20mph difference. Players from both tours are exceptionally skilled, and have great technique, so I don’t think that’s the main reason. How about muscle mass, muscle strength, and muscle power? This is where the big difference lies.

What about if we compare the Champions Tour to the LPGA Tour? There is a 10mph difference between the average club head speed, with the Champions Tour players being 10mph faster on average. I can assure you that the mobility on the LPGA Tour is better than the Champions Tour, so again, mobility isn’t the answer.

Mobility is very important, but only to a certain point, and only if you use it to enhance to mechanics of your swing. This will primarily mean by either increasing the length of your hand path, or improving your sequencing in the transition and downswing. If your mobility work does not do this, it probably won’t do anything for your swing speed. On the contrary, continual increases in muscular strength and power, especially in the correct muscles and movements, will keep transferring to increased hand path force to a much greater extent.

*The above info is by no means a knock on LPGA tour players. I am just trying to provide some real world examples that may be easy to understand for illustration purposes*

4) Equipment

Finding the right equipment for you can play an important role in your ability to produce swing speed (and ball speed). I am definitely not an expert in this, but factors like grip thickness, shaft length, shaft weight, shaft flex, the overall weight of the club, and how this weight is distributed can all play a role in how much swing speed you can create. I am sure there are more I am leaving out too. Contact an expert club fitter!!!

Why Equipment? If you gave a golfer with high levels of  Intent , superb  Biomechanics , and extremely impressive  Physical Capabilities , but they have inappropriate equipment their swing speed and certainly ball speed will not be maximised.

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Improving the 4 Elements of Club Head Speed

Intent  is something that you need to experiment with. The vast majority of people do not swing at 100% maximum effort when playing on the course. The reason for this is simple. Even though it might maximise club head speed, it can cause issues with control and coordination. This can lead to mistrikes which can end up with a slower ball speed and distance than a slower swing with better contact, and also huge, punishing misses.

An important point to consider however is that there is no guarantee that by trying to swing faster you will hit the ball less solidly or further offline. The attempt to “hold back” or “guide” the ball can also lead to issues. You will need to experiment. (Check out my  podcast episode with John Novosel of TOUR TEMPO  where he discusses this).

The ability to swing closer to 100% of your maximum speed while simultaneously improving strike and accuracy can be improved through deliberate practice. If you are used to swinging at 90% of your maximum speed, and start trying to swing at 100% speed, it is completely normal and to be expected that strike and accuracy may suffer at first. The key is that you don’t throw in the towel after 5 shots and say “what’s the point of swinging at this speed, I can’t control it”? These types of skills take lots of effort, repetition, and patience to significantly improve.

An often forgotten benefit of training at 100% maximum speed is that as your maximum speed goes up it makes your 90% and 95% speeds go up too. This is hugely beneficial for when you decide (if you do) to dial back down to “playing speed”. This is the called the “speed reserve”.

Consider “A” and “B” as one gofer, but over the course of a couple of months they have increased their maximum club head speed from 100mph to 105mph

At the end of the day swing speed governs your distance potential. It also declines with age if you do not work on it proactively. If you are over the age of 30 and not working on your speed, you’re gradually getting slower. Fortunately, speed can be increased at any age.

If you don’t strike the ball reasonably solidly, your lowest hanging fruit is improving your contact. If you do strike the ball solidly and you have good launch conditions, but your “optimised shots” don’t go as far as you’d like, you must increase swing speed. Most people can benefit from a mix of both launch conditions and speed!

Using a radar and radar and spraying the face of your driver gives you feedback for speed and strike. Two critical keys to distance. You can get radar and spray HERE . Use the code fitforgolf21 for 10% off.

Biomechanics improve through practice. Most players see automatic changes to biomechanics that aid swing speed as soon as they start training to swing faster. A good coach can really expedite this process however. Do your research and find a coach who specialises in helping players with increasing swing speed if this is something you really want to do.

Here are some simple ideas you can experiment with right away, and see how they impact your speed. (You need a radar for speed training)

• Increase takeaway and backswing speed
• Increase length of hand path in the backswing. Allow your lead heel raise and your lower body rotate more to assist this.
• Try to swing your arms faster on the downswing.
• Explode off your lead foot in the downswing near impact.

Some of these pointers crossover with  Intent  but that’s always going to be the case. Try them out, and see what works for you.

PS – I am not a golf instructor – this not advice. Just info you can experiment with if you want to. I think it has good rationale

Physical Capabilities desirable for the ability to create high swing speed are not complicated. We want enough mobility to make as long a backswing as we’d like and enable good sequencing, and we want as much muscle power as possible. As a result, our training should be largely made up of things that can improve these two things.

We should be:

• Striving to improve mobility in the hips, spine, and shoulders.
• Working on increasing muscle size and strength with progressively overloaded strength training. Bigger muscles are stronger muscles and can produce more force. This is hugely under appreciated in the “golf fitness world”.
• Doing some light weight explosive movements like jumping and medicine ball throwing & slamming. These help bridge the gap between strength training and swing speed training. They develop the ability to produce force at faster rates. They also allow us train movement patterns that are much more similar to the golf swing, which is great for learning how to apply high levels of force in full body rotational movements, similar to the golf swing. If you can combine bigger and stronger muscles and the ability to produce force at faster rates, you are on track to huge club head speed gains.
• Practicing swinging golf clubs / speed training tools as fast as possible. This is how you make your strength and power gains “golf specific”. You learn how to tap into them when making a golf swing. There are also very beneficial specific muscular and nervous system adaptations that come from high speed training. It is very different to heavy strength training. We must train for them to achieve best results. You need to be measuring and tracking your swing speeds in these sessions.

Strength training examples: If you can progressively increase your 5 rep maximum in each of the movements below over the course of a couple of years, you will be in a fantastic position in terms of strength and power for golf. Your mobility will likely improve too. Start with a weight that you can easily perform 5 reps with. Gradually add weight until 5 reps becomes challenging. This will be your starting weight for each exercise. Try to add 5 lbs to the bar each time you workout. 3 sets of 5 reps is a good amount of sets and reps to use. If you don’t like barbells or free weights, you can choose similar machine exercises.

Equipment – See a club fitter and get some lessons on a launch monitor. This article is not the place for that discussion, and I am not qualified to speak on it!.

Conclusion:  I hope you enjoyed this article and you have learned some information you can apply to your overall golf development plan. If you have any questions you can send an email via the contact form, or leave a comment below. I’d love to help.

Regards, Mike Carroll

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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.

*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 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

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

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 GolfKicks Review: Pros, Cons, Verdict
• Brendon Elliott https://www.golfspan.com/author/brendon-elliott 10 Longest Drives in PGA Tour History
• Brendon Elliott https://www.golfspan.com/author/brendon-elliott Bombs Away: The Longest Drives in Golf History
• Brendon Elliott https://www.golfspan.com/author/brendon-elliott Are Refurbished Golf Balls Any Good?

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Golf Club Distance Charts By Age, Gender And Skill Level

Last Updated on January 9, 2024 by Matt Greene

How far should you hit the ball?

How do you compare to others?

It's always good to know that age, gender, and skillset are the biggest differentiators so you don't make unrealistic comparisons.

I did so much research on this article to bring you the most up to date information to help you quickly skim the tables and charts about golf distance.

My golf distance charts show the key elements that influence how far you can hit each golf club: 

• Swing speed
• Smash factor
• Quality and optimization of equipment

These factors are all heavily influenced by your physiology, skill, age and strength or flexibility levels. Very often, you can optimize each area, with some training or coaching or both.

Golf Club Distance Chart by Swing Speed

Swing speed is a major determining factor the golf club distances. It is not the only factor but if 100 people strike the ball the same, the fastest swings will carry the ball further.

• Most golfers are around 90 mph driver swing speed. 
• The average swing speed on the PGA Tour is around 114 mph. 
• 150 mph is the top range and only long drive competitors will be swinging toward this range.

NOTE: The swing speed at the top of each column is driver swing speed. We use this as a general gauge to estimate the distance of each club thereafter.

How do I swing the club faster?

You've compared yourself to the numbers in the chart but you want to hit it longer. Almost everyone does and there are 3 ways to swing the club faster:

• Get lessons on proper mechanics with a professional swing coach. They will utilize all your physiological elements and limitations to the maximum, as well as help you hit the ball in the center of the club face. You can add as much as 10 mph to your driver swing speed with correct technique.
• Get stronger and more mobile in the gym. Strength training plus mobility work with a trainer will increase your swing speed guaranteed. You will have a wider range of motion in your muscles and your strength will 100% translate into more speed. You can add 10-20mph to your swing depending on how advanced your strength and mobility currently is.
• Get lighter golf equipment fitted to your swing. Lighter shafts can help increase your swing speed 2-5 mph.

These are the only ways to improve swing speed but the MOST important factor is the coaching and practice so that you can HIT THE SWEET SPOT of the golf club. 

The center strike means you send as much energy into the ball as possible and we measure how well you hit the ball using the Smash Factor.

What is  Smash Factor ?

Smash Factor is ball speed divided by club speed.

For example: 150 mph ball speed / 100 mph swing speed = 1.50 Smash Factor

The number calculated gives a ratio to show how much energy is moved from the club head to the golf ball at impact.

Low Smash Factor numbers mean less energy is transferred, while higher Smash Factor numbers mean you send more energy from your golf club into the golf ball.

The optimum Smash Factor number for excellent ball striking with the driver is 1.50 Smash Factor.

Ideal Smash Factor for every club

The PGA Tour golfers are the best in the world so we can use their averages to assume the best smash factors in the world. If you can attain these smash factor numbers as stated by Trackman , you are striking the ball as good as you possibly can.

Note how the smash factor decreases as the loft increases.

Skill level affects smash factor 

Distance is affected by the swing speed but MAINLY the quality of the strike related to that swing speed.

In other words, how close to the center of the club face you hit the ball will determine how your swing speed power is transferred into the golf ball.

If you employ a swing coach, they will assist you in hitting the ball in the middle of the face, or closer to the middle.

That will take your existing swing speed and optimize it by being more efficient with where you hit the ball on the club. 

The measurement we use for the quality of your strike is called Smash Factor.

Equipment affects swing speed and smash factor

The pros on tour have optimized equipment to their specific technique and skill level as well as body shape and strength.

The same swing speed in a PGA Tour pro will send the ball much further than an amateur golfer of higher handicap who has a similar swing speed.

The PGA Tour players technique is perfect so if you and a Tour pro hit the ball the same, the pro would still hit the ball further because their equipment has been customized to their exact swing.  

A fitting can help to optimize your strength and swing for more distance.

Average Golf Club Distance For Male Golfers By Skill Level

From 'Good Golfer' onward, the 2 iron down to 5 iron should improve as confidence and technique improve, thus bringing more swing speed. 

Beginner Golfer:  New to the game - first 6-12 months.

Average Golfer:  15-24 handicap .

Good Golfer:  6-14 handicap.

Excellent Golfer:  Below 6 handicap.

Swing speed charts by age and gender

Swing speed is a vital factor in determining the distance you hit the ball.

The swing speed, with a strike near the middle of the club face makes the ball go further.

A poor strike with high swing speed will go less distance. 

A pro golfer swinging at the same speed as an amateur gets wildly different distance numbers because they hit the ball in the center of the face often. 

Therefore, if you want to improve your distance with the same swing speed, you can work on improving your strike closer to the middle of the face.

Average swing speed by age and gender chart

In this chart we show the 50th percentile driver swing speed for each gender and age range according to the research done by TPI .

Driver Swing Speed Chart by Golf Skill Level

Confidence and skill make a big difference when hitting the driver efficiently and out the sweet spot.

Beginners with a driver  will be more tentative and have less effective mechanics.

Mid handicappers will be more adept at the driver  because of experience or lessons.

Advanced golfers swing with confidence from hitting a lot of golf balls and taking lessons with a pro.

PGA Tour golfers have optimized every aspect of the game with the driver and are the very tip of the spear. 

Is a 250 yard drive good?

Yes it is very good.  According to Arccos  and Shotscope , between 15% and 31% of golfers hit 250 yards or more.

Here is a video of me breaking it down.

Ball Speed To Club Head Speed Chart for Driver

The ball speed off the driver face is dependent on the strike.

If your strike or Smash Factor is good, you will hit the ball further with your swing speed than the same speed with a bad strike.

Below, we take the club head speed and use a Smash Factor of around 1.42 which is 0.08 away from a perfect strike.

What swing speed hits 250 yard drives?

A swing speed of around 105 mph with the driver, and ball speed of around 150 mph  will produce a 250 yard drive.

Ball Speed To Club Head Speed for 7 iron

A 7 iron optimal smash factor is 1.33. That is the PGA Tour average.  Remember for the driver it is 1.50

The ball speed off the 7 iron is determined by the swing speed and smash factor.

As the clubs get shorter, the ideal smash factor actually changes.

What distance will you get from a 7 iron at every speed of swing?

What swing speed hits the 7 iron 150 yards?

A swing speed of around 76 mph with the 7 iron, ball speed of around 105 mph and dynamic loft of 21°  will produce a 150 yard carry shot.

Golf Club Distance Charts Other Important Factors

Every club has a different loft and more loft goes less distance, while less loft goes longer distance in combination with longer golf shafts. 

Driver usually goes furthest while the lob wedge around 60 degrees goes the shortest. 

The golf clubs of today go a lot further since the manufacturers started creating cavity back golf clubs in combination with lower lofts for the same clubs. 

Every club is between 2 and 5 degrees lower in loft in the current day, which automatically increases distance by up to 15 yards per iron compared to prior times. Driver lofts cannot get much lower as people will not be able to hit them. In order to hit a driver with a loft below 9 degrees, your swing speed needs to be incredibly fast. 

An important factor to note for slower swing speeds, is that a higher lofted fairway wood or higher lofted driver can actually GAIN you distance because low lofted clubs are harder to launch at slower swings. Most golfers should be playing fairway woods with a loft that does not go below 16 or 17 degrees . 

The club heads are bigger for all golf clubs in modern times with much larger sweet spots. With the addition of lighter shafts in both the irons and the woods, the ball speeds and swing speeds are higher as well. Check out our article on the flex of shafts in the current game. 

Golf Club Distance Charts of PGA Tour Golfers

Why are modern golfers longer than prior generations, physical fitness.

Most modern pros are in the gym multiple times per week and in the physio offices often. In prior generations during the Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus days, the pros were regular people who even used to enjoy a smoke and a drink on the course. 

Bryson Dechambeau is an example of someone who bulked up in order to hit it further and it made a big difference. The side effects of that can be disputed as he has slimmed down again.

Tiger Woods was one of the first modern day pros to begin working in the gym. His huge transformation to a big, strong guy inspired a whole new generation of golfers and now most up and coming pros are hitting the ball longer than even this generation of pros.

Club advancements

Lofts have changed and the lower lofts in irons will change how far the ball appears to go with the same 'number' iron.

A 7 iron from the 80s may have had 40° of loft while a current 7 iron can have as low as 28° of loft. That 12 degree difference makes a 20-30 yard difference in distance. 

The other important factor especially with the woods and drivers, is the materials of the clubs. The drivers now are lightweight titanium and carbon, with graphite shafts, optimized for huge distance.

That alone makes an astonishing difference when we compare to the old persimmon wooden clubs and heavy steel shafts.

The golf ball changed a lot with the release of the Pro V1. Golf balls just went further than ever before. 

They spin less, they go straighter and they have advanced to a point that the ruling authorities of golf want to make them go shorter to preserve the golf courses.

If the pros hit the ball too long, they need to extend the golf courses, and there is a lkmited amount fo land available. 

The balata golf ball is significantly shorter than the current urethane covered solid core golf balls they use today on the Tour. 

You can compare how you shape up against the average golfer, the senior golfer, the pro golfer and the advanced golfer. 

The key though is to understand your own game and your distances so you can more effectively plan your game and piece together a good golf score. When you fully understand and accept your distances that you hit the golf ball, you will score better.

For the pros and the advanced players, the distance they hit each club is not a matter of ego. It's a matter of 'which club gets the job done?' and they use that.

You can too, whichever distance you hit it.

Opinion & Analysis

How far should you hit your golf clubs.

One of the nice things about having all this new fancy technological equipment like Trackman, Flightscope, ShotLink, etc., at various PGA Tour events is that distance data can be gathered for each of the players.

In case you haven’t come across it already, here are the approximate Trackman carry distance averages for men at the professional level.

Average PGA Tour Carry Distances (yards)

Pretty cool info. Perhaps they hit it farther than you might have thought…or maybe they hit less than you may have been lead to believe based on what you’ve seen on TV, read on the internet, etc.

Since I deal a lot with swing speed training and helping people in general hit the ball farther, a relatively common question I get is, “How far should I hit my clubs for my swing speed?”

Well, since we also know that the average driver swing speed on Tour typically runs around 112 to 113 mph, using a bit of algebra and the above distances we can approximate a guide for how far you could expect to hit the ball (assuming fairly consistent and solid contact) given your personal driver swing speed.

Here are those carry distances.

Approximate Carry Distances by Driver Swing Speed (mph)

I took the ranges down to 60 and 70 mph because those are swing speeds I’ll encounter when working with some amateur women and seniors. I also went up to 140 mph because numerous long drivers I’ve trained can get their drivers up that high (RE/MAX World Long Drive champions like Joe Miller, Jamie Sadlowski and Ryan Winther can actually reach over 150 mph).

Aside from using the chart as a general reference point, here are a few other things that I think are worth pointing out:

First, these numbers are based off how the average Tour player strikes the ball. Although Tour players are overall good ball strikers with all their clubs, most of them are actually not as efficient (the Tour average is about 2.58 yards/mph of swing speed) as they can be when it comes to distance with their drivers because on average they hit drives that launch too low and with too much spin.

LGPA Tour players (2.65 yards/mph of swing speed) and Professional Long Drivers are actually more distance efficient with their drivers…but that’s a topic for another article. The good news for you is that greater carry and total-driving distances can be achieved at all the range of swing speeds shown above if you are a more efficient driver than the average male tour player at 2.58 yards/mph of swing speed.

With a 2-degree change in driver loft and some minor adjustments made to his swing path, angle of attack, etc, one of my amateur students went from being an already above-average efficient driver at 2.61 yards/mph to an extremely efficient one at 2.75 yards/mph. So with no change to his 102 mph swing speed, he increased his driving distance average from 266 to 280. Then after some swing speed training, he got up to 112 mph and can now hit drives around 307 yards with that same efficiency of 2.75 yards/mph. That’s 41 more yards!

Second, the club distances are based on the driver swing speeds that you would get from a system like FlightScope and Trackman. So if at all possible, get yourself checked on one of those. Otherwise, if you measure with something like a Speed Stik (which measure higher in my experience), you could get a false sense of how far you might expect to hit the ball.

As another example, Sports Sensors Swing Speed Radars (SSR) also read faster. It should be pointed out that SSRs are still a great personal training aid, and because of their accuracy and relative affordability and portability, they are actually the radar I recommend in my swing speed training programs.

However, the Doppler radar in an SSR measures the fastest moving part of the club head (typically the toe) versus a Trackman or FlightScope, which each have proprietary algorithms to calculate the speed at the center of the club face. For this reason, SSRs will read about 5 to 12 percent faster, depending on how you as an individual move the driver through impact. If you have an SSR, just hit 5 to 10 balls with it and a Trackman or FlightScope at the same time and you’ll find out your personal difference for sake of comparison.

Third, the above numbers can be useful for a good general reference, but like I mentioned in my article about understand distance variance , recognize that carry distances can vary a lot depending on conditions. Slopes, wind, temperature, altitude, etc., are all things that can affect how far the ball flies, so remember to factor that in.

Fourth, keep in mind potential loft differences between your clubs and the ones here. As a general rule of thumb, club manufacturers have made their club lofts (especially in the irons) continually stronger over the years as a way of marketing and selling consumers the new clubs.

Many top Tour players are being paid to play the latest clubs, which could mean they might also be playing irons with stronger lofts than the set you are playing. This isn’t always the case, however, but it’s another thing to be aware of.

Last, once you start approaching less than 80 mph with the driver, notice how the distances start bunching up between clubs.  At this point, you start getting to an area where you really don’t need a full set of 14 clubs. If this is you, perhaps you might also find that you hit a 3-wood or 5-wood further than a normal driver.

My wife is very strong and athletic, however, as a beginner who doesn’t play or practice very much, she hasn’t developed much swing speed. For that reason, we got her fitted for a 9-club set of Wishon 730CLs, a set that is designed specifically for men and women with less than 80 mph of club head speed.

The shafts are very light, the driver is 16 degrees and only 42 inches, the fairway woods are 20 and 26 degrees (versus the commonly used 15- and 19-degree fairway woods), and the remaining hybrids/irons are gapped out in 6-degree loft increments (compared to the normal 3- or 4-degree). Also, since many beginners, lesser skilled players and those with slower swing speeds can struggle with really high lofted wedges, the highest lofted wedge in the set is 54 degrees.

All of these things combine to provide a driver that can actually be hit in the air for distance, clubs that have substantial distance gapping, plus it’s just less clubs in general to lug around and choose from.

Nike (kind of) passes the torch with new McIlroy/Woods ad

What does it take for the best to “go low”?

Jaacob Bowden is Coach, Trainer, and Professional Golfer, keen on exploring golf and life’s broader lessons while offering coaching and swing speed training through JaacobBowden.com and SwingManGolf.com . With a history of driving remarkable golfing achievements, Jaacob intertwines his sport passion with holistic living. His writings reflect this blend, offering readers insights into improving both their game and their lives. Explore JaacobBowden.com and SwingManGolf.com to unlock a new level of golfing prowess and holistic enrichment.

107 Comments

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Nov 26, 2021 at 7:16 pm

Hi there, I would like to subscribe for this web site to take hottest updates, thus where can i do it please assist.

Apr 26, 2021 at 8:47 am

I got a swing speed of 78mph with my i7 (31°) and my average carry is 155yards

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Nov 15, 2018 at 12:59 am

Jacob Bowden’s company swingmangolf is a scam. I tried to sign up for a basic membership just so I could read over the material. I guess I was a member from 11 years ago (didnt remember it) so when I signed up again, instead of the 49.95 payment spread over 3 months like I signed up for… They signed me up for some premium membership and have been taking 49.95 per month out of my account. I finally got them to stop but im out $300.00 and cant afford it as my wife and I are disabled and living on her disability.

I hope no one else gets scammed by this fraud

Wileetoyote

Mar 10, 2018 at 12:25 pm

Your chart numbers are pretty accurate for me… I’m a 51 yr old with a single digit handicap and an avg (semi-aggressive) swing speed of 105mph. I bounce between your 100-110 number up and down the scale depending on a pure hit vs a toe hit and if I’m looking for a smooth hit at 80% or going after it at 90%. Anything overly aggressive (beyond 90%) would result in a miss hit half the time so I try to avoid that.

Feb 14, 2018 at 6:58 am

I just saw a video of you on you tube using both the swing speed radar and ,i think, a flight scope and the flight scope swing speeds were higher yet in the above blog you stated that the swing speed radar was most likely to read higher. Did that you tube video change your mind about that information as perhaps the swing speed radar readings are apt to be LOWER than one of those more expensive swing speed measuring devices

Jan 5, 2018 at 8:41 am

I just reread this article. The chart confirms something I noticed years ago, and that is my distances do not conform to the norm. On longer clubs, such as driver, fairways and hybrids I am less efficient. With an average driver swing speed of 95 my longer club averages are closer to a 90 SS or a little lower. My iron distances are closer to the 100 SS averages. I would think a lot of people are similar unless they are a plus handicap. Thanks for the information.

Apr 26, 2018 at 7:43 am

Chart is not perfect and everything is subject to centeredness of contact.

May 17, 2018 at 9:35 am

Then make a perfect chart.

Jan 2, 2018 at 6:48 pm

Interesting article but these numbers are way off. Understanding that the same swing speed can produce a variety of distances based on strike, AOA, etc these numbers still same significantly lower than the expected results. A 90 mph 7 iron is easily getting 170 carry on a quality strike. This chart has it at 138!!! That just does not add up. I think TM or GC2 have charts that provide more accurate information.

Jan 9, 2018 at 1:12 pm

Re-read the header of the table, “Approximate Carry Distances by Driver Swing Speed”. You will likely have about a 110 mph driver SS to have a 90 mph 7iron SS. The 110 mph column shows a 169 yard carry for a 7 iron.

Sep 23, 2018 at 3:44 am

Do many golfers mix and match brands of clubs? As a newbie, I’m hoping that the G30 driver will suit me as I bought the G30 irons and would like a matching set purely for aesthetics. I appreciate your input!

May 15, 2018 at 1:33 pm

90mph swing carrying 170yds, are you on crack????

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terry Langaard

Apr 19, 2016 at 11:52 pm

I had to change my swing because i have 2 blown discs in my back. so this year i changed my swing with a draw on it.maybe. maybe 1oomph, how far should my clubs go. driver 3wood 7 wood 4 hybrid 5 6 7 8 9 p 52 56 60. just something to go on. thanks terry l

Feb 12, 2016 at 9:56 pm

Hi Jaacob. I spent some time with your exercises. And it helped. I went from 97mph to 107. Then i read Kelvin miyahiras work and swing at 115-120. I found your exercies made me more explosive. I also deloft more now so ball speed is up. Swinging my 7 iron about 97MPH and hitting it 190-210 depending on shot shape. Golf is a different game knowing any hole under 340 is reachable with a good bounce or two.

May 15, 2020 at 9:45 am

7 iron going carrying 190-210 with a 97 mph swing isn’t possible unless you have quite a bit of down wind. My ss is 122 mph with driver and my ss with 7 iron is 103 mph and I carry it 190 on average. Something about your post isn’t right. Also there is no way you go from 97 to 120 mph no matter how much time you spend in the gym lifting weights, stretching, balance exercises and doing explosive movements. I am a certified trainer and I’ve had countless clients I have trained for golf.

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Apr 22, 2015 at 12:29 pm

Jaacob – Great article! Lots of information in both the article itself and the detailed responses to questions and comments. A lot to digest here. I’m a 75 year old 4-handicap with a measured driver clubhead speed of 92-94 mph – and your distance chart scales pretty well throughout the bag. Specific distances will vary with lofts, attack angles, conditions, type of shot (draw, cut, knock-down, etc.) and all the rest – but at first blush, when you go to pick a club for a particular shot, that’s a good place to start. (And most of the time, we would be pretty happy with a ±5-10 yard variation in distance to a tight pin!) Nice work.

Nov 21, 2014 at 7:25 am

just curiosity. As soon as the SLDR came out i bought it and i was driving it 280-85 total. 67 gram stiff shaft 9.5 Today im playing with the Cobra bio cell + and im driving it 290-300 when very solid. Stiff 9.5 65 gram

Is it suppose to change so much distance ? Sorry if any miss spelling haha im not american

Nov 20, 2014 at 2:29 pm

My swing speed is 95-98 mph and I drive the ball 225-250 yards. I hit my 7 iron 145 ish. My father has a swing speed of 70 mph but he hits a club further than me. Is this just all in my timing or is he an exeprion?

May 25, 2018 at 1:20 pm

Ha! My swing speed was just tested with my new ping G400’s and I hit 9 iron 150 and g25 driver avg 260-280 so what’s wrong with this picture?

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Aug 18, 2014 at 11:59 am

I’m 47, and can hit 7 iron about 155-160 consistently. My driver is a Ping 8.5 loft. My distance with it is not good at all, in fact it’s about on par with my 3wood distance. Do you think a shorter driver shaft and higher loft would help? The trajectory looks decent, not excessively low or high, but the distance isn’t there. Also, any ball recommendation? harder or softer for best distance?

Aug 20, 2014 at 6:20 pm

Yea . I suggest lofting up and trying a light weight shaft, with a high kick point for low spin, which wouldn’t the height because of the new loft you would be trying out. But it could mean you have a steep swing, rember to hit up on the ball And yes I’m not a pro but have lots of experience.

Nov 8, 2014 at 10:46 pm

I’d recommend you check out a lower spin driver. Get your back spin down to 2200 rpm with the driver and see how that works for you. Don’t concern yourself with loft or shaft length. The Ping I series should have less spin than the G series but don’t be afraid to try other manufacturers. Personally, I tried a lot of drivers and shafts and lofts until I fooled around with some low spin drivers in a launch monitor. My driving distance has gone way up. A 10.5° loft low spin driver goes lower and further for me compared to a 9° higher spin driver which goes higher and shorter.

Dec 23, 2015 at 8:17 pm

Get a driver with more loft. Woods uses a driver with 11.25 degrees of loft and he hits it a lot harder than you (or I) do. The newer balls (not wound) don’t spin as much and so need to be hit higher to start. They start losing trajectory right from the tee – an arcing trajectory, not like the older balls that would go in a straight line or even rise until the apex of the shot.

Sep 8, 2016 at 6:12 am

I also was using a driver with around 8 deg as i play links in Scotland and thought that was the ideal for low flying drives but after learning alot from trackman and local pro’s im now up at 11 deg and have learned to hit it low if required, i had huge spin numbers before this change, i suspect you have the same.

Aug 1, 2014 at 3:35 am

The driver/wood/hybrid numbers appear to be about right, but I must be insanely efficient with my irons. At 78 mph, my Titleist AP2 6 iron carries 150 according to GC2 hitting indoors off a mat(actually 155 on the course). The remaining irons are approx. 10 yards apart. All are stock loft/length/lie. I also strike the ball very well which may be the difference.

Jul 14, 2014 at 6:25 pm

Hi. There is a really useful piece of technology that exists that can help you understand how your stock carry numbers change with different playing conditions. It definitely compliments launch monitor technology and its outputs.

FlagHi app calculates the effects of the playing conditions on the carry number for each of your clubs.

You guys (and ladies) have known forever that the ball goes farther when it’s hotter. Or that when playing at higher elevation it goes farther. Or when it’s dry, less far. But did you know the effect? To the number?

With FlagHi you dial in all your carry numbers then before you play you just enter the weather forecast for your round and the elevation above sea-level of the course. Take the app with you in a recreational round and swipe to see all your clubs’ updated numbers. Or just write down the adjusted numbers if it’s a tournament and you can’t bring your phone. That’s what our touring pros do.

The FlagHi PRO app does the club-centric calculations but it also does something even cooler. If you enter the distances of a shot, it tells you the distance that the shot “actually plays”. Meaning if I’m from San Diego playing in Denver and I’ve got a 189 yard shot – FlagHi can tell me that the shot “actually plays” 170. Meaning I hit my 7 iron, which is my San Diego 170 club. Because of Denver’s thinner air the ball will sail an additional 19 yards and land – you guessed it – FlagHi.

Without FlagHi telling me this I would be totally guessing when I play in Denver. Hence why college teams and pros are dialing in their numbers with the app.

It’s on the apple app store and android is coming shortly. We normally price it for $4.99 but we like to play with the #’s and even right now FlagHi is only $0.99.

Our users tell us they love the app. There are no ads and it’s super easy to use. Used by touring pros, college teams, amateurs.

Hope this helps – thanks. And we’re golfers first (and last) and just a couple of guys who came up with this app idea so pardon the “commercial” tone here but honestly and humbly we think you all might find value in knowing how conditions affect how you flight the ball.

– The FlagHi Guys

May 19, 2014 at 1:31 pm

My driver SS dropped from 115 in my mid-to-late 30’s to 80 in at age 42. The weird thing is that I am in far better shape now than I was then. My core is stronger and I’m more flexible. I’ve gained a bit of it back, but my best swings are no more than 90-95 if I really go after it now. I’m still looking for the answer. I hit the ball straight and high and I have a good short game, so I still play well, but lack of distance sometimes gets me. I am a sweeper.

Jun 26, 2014 at 12:53 am

That is strange why you would have lost 35 mph of club head speed makes no sense to me. I’m 44 and in about the worse shape of my life but still swing just as fast and hit the ball just as far as my early 30s. Did you quit playing for several years then recently pick the game back up? If not I might consult with a doctor.

Jaacob Bowden

Jun 29, 2014 at 8:09 am

Being stronger or fit doesn’t mean you will be fast.

For example, when I competed in the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championships and was doing more explosive swing speed training exercises, I maxed my SSR out at 155 mph, which is probably around 139-143 mph on a Trackman.

However, when I started doing little to no swing speed training and more endurance running, which was required to finish 5th at the Speedgolf World Championships, my SSR speeds dropped down to 118 on the SSR (110’ish on a Trackman). Arguably I was more “fit”, but I wasn’t near as fast.

So it’s conceivable that something like this could have happened to you.

Have a look at the swing speed training programs at Swing Man Golf. With a bit of swing speed training, there’s no reason you couldn’t get your speed back up again.

Sep 28, 2015 at 1:37 am

Jaacob, I’m a 24 year old, athletically built male who just took up the game 6 months ago. I took a few lessons and have gotten my average scores down to the high 80’s from the 100’s since I began. Based on your chart, my club head speed is somewhere between 100 and 110. My distances are as follows: Driver – 270 3 wood – 255 5 wood – 240 4 hybrid – 210 6 iron -180 7 iron – 165 8 iron – 155 9 iron 145 PW – 135 My question is this, much like other posters, I my distances were much lower when I first started out, and as a result I purchased all regular shafted clubs. Should I now be considering stuff shafts for my driver and fairway woods? I’ve never been fitted and don’t know exactly what that entails…is there any cost/obligation to purchase that comes with getting fitted? I’m in the military and play on a pretty tight budget right now but want to be hitting the right clubs…and advice is much appreciated!

Nov 21, 2015 at 4:39 pm

I think you are kidding yourself on with those yardages unless you have the worst short game around you would be in the low seventies with those distances.

Dec 23, 2015 at 8:24 pm

Sam – He didn’t say he hit them all straight. He said he hit them that far. Hitting a crooked shot far acually would get him in more trouble, not less.

Jan 17, 2016 at 4:13 am

Also there is a difference between an average shot versus a perfect shot. Pointless to list perfect shot distances. That’s a recipe to missing the green every time. Unless as a mid handicapper he is a great ball striker.

Aug 12, 2014 at 12:20 am

How tense is your grip, do you release the clubhead? You must be doing something really inefficient

Aug 20, 2014 at 6:23 pm

Hey Ronney you could just be loading the club to fast causing over hip rotation just like in the commercial. Just take up smooth then create power with your legs coming done and crush it.

Apr 24, 2014 at 4:54 pm

thanks. well written article, very helpful.

my swing speed is just about a 100 and the numbers are perfectly accurate on your chart for me. i play on a course with practically no roll and a 250 drive for me is good.

the one thing that puzzles me is that i hit my wedges really far. my 60 degree is my 100 yard club, my PW is about 135. these aren’t exaggerated. these are carries on the course. sometimes i think i just have so much more confidence with the wedges that it frees me up. i hit them really high too, which is weird given the distances.

any thoughts as why that would be the case? who carries his driver 240 but hits hits his gap wedge 125?

Jun 29, 2014 at 8:14 am

It’s difficult to tell without seeing you in person, but a scenario like this where short irons go longer…and longer irons, hybrids, and drivers go shorter…is possible if your clubs are de-lofted quite a bit or you perhaps have an excessively downward angle of attack.

With the driver in particular, catching it on the upswing could in all likelihood net you some more carry and total distance more along the lines of what you might expect.

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Jan 10, 2014 at 3:01 pm

would love to watch someone swing a PW 140 mph…. and crack a rib or 4 in the process 😉

Jul 9, 2014 at 9:30 pm

The 140 swing speed number is driver only. He isn’t swing his PW 140.

You know that right?

Jan 2, 2014 at 4:00 pm

question…if I use teh 80 mph swing speed as my driver guide..the numbers appear to be very close…but if I were to adjust my 10.5 driver to 10.0 or 11.0 or go to a 12.0 driver, same shaft, would I get less or more yardage? I have been playing with adjustments on my 10.5 and can’t quite figure which is the most beneficial, initial trajectory or roll, etc.

Jan 22, 2014 at 1:17 pm

If your swing speed is 80 MPH, you would most likely get more yardage with more loft.

Jun 29, 2014 at 8:20 am

Hi jc, Joel is right. You would more likely get more distance with more loft.

At 80 mph, for maximum carry I would target you for about an 18 degree launch angle and 2600’ish on your spin.

For maximum total distance, I would say around 15 and 2000 would be the goal.

What I would recommend would depend on the type of course(s) you play. For tighter courses, soft fairways, when you have to carry trouble, or where there are doglegs you don’t want to run through…I would say to favor the carry side of things. For more open courses with harder fairways and the like, going for total distance might be better.

Dec 21, 2013 at 12:14 am

How does the Foresight GC2 compare against Trackman and the SSR?

Jun 29, 2014 at 7:54 am

I forget off the top of my head about the GC2, however, in my experience an SSR generally reads slightly faster than a Trackman. Both have Dopplar radar but the Trackman has an additional algorithm built in to it to calculate speed at the center of the face whereas an SSR will pick up the fastest moving part of the club head (usually the toe).

It varies from person to person depending on how that person moves the club through impact. Last I checked, I was around 8% faster on an SSR. Most people I’ve measured are between 5-10% faster. Once you know your personal difference (from hitting with an SSR and a Trackman at the same time), you can get a really accurate idea of your Trackman speeds using an SSR.

Making sure you have the SSR placed correctly also can make a difference.

Dec 18, 2013 at 11:06 pm

Great article Jaacob and thanks for sharing the stats against swing speed and carry distance. I have a swing speed close to 110mph and I can see some very close comparisons to my measured yardage with my MP59’s (which don’t have too strong a loft)and your figures. I believe the C-taper shafts give me a few extra yards due to lowering the ball spin. You mentioned today’s stronger lofts, but do you see much variance in the type of shafts used? I have seen some inconsistency in my carry yardage across my short irons. Sometimes when using short iron, I have gone up a club thinking I’ll swing it “softer” and it will go a bit shorter, but have over hit my target. I must be swinging at the same speed and still getting the same yardage. This also answers part of the question why I hit an occasional drive or 3 wood 20 or 30 yards longer than my standard yardage. I know I get a faster swing speed on my driver and 3 wood, but I always saw it as clean tempo or a centered impact, I wasn’t thinking about swing speed.

Dec 17, 2013 at 12:46 am

Does the extra 20 yards carry due to the course conditions? More roll than a public course.

Jun 29, 2014 at 7:49 am

Driving distances vary quite a bit depending on the course conditions.

For example, the Tour average for the last 10 years generally has ran between 285-290. However, at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, the average driving distance was 268 yards. At the Wachovia Championship, it was 297 yards.

Dec 16, 2013 at 7:53 pm

I find my distances are pretty close to the 80mph swing. when i hit it good its usually 280 right down the middle

Dec 16, 2013 at 10:04 pm

So you normally hit driver 206 and when you hit it solidly you hit it 280? Or your irons are shorter but driver longer distance?

Feb 13, 2018 at 7:08 am

280 right down middle sounds like 100 mph not 80

Dec 14, 2013 at 4:21 pm

Great article! Interesting that my short irons play to the pga distances but I start to fall off around the 6i, probably has to do with contact.

Jun 29, 2014 at 7:45 am

It’s difficult to tell without seeing you in-person, but it’s possible you could have an excessive amount of shaft lean with your clubs. That scenario could make shorter irons go farther and longer irons, hybrids, and woods, fly less than expected.

Jul 2, 2014 at 5:19 am

Great article! So more shaft lean in woods creates less distance? Why is that?

I have been tinkering with my swing and have created quite a bit more shaft lean then I had previously. I have noticed that all my irons have increased in distance by about ten to fifteen yards. but my driver & 3 wood have kind of stayed the same, or in a lot of cases I’ve actually lost distance.

So should I go back to less shaft lean for driver & 3 wood? But keep it for the irons?

I have noticed more consistency with my irons regarding target lines, but I am struggling more with the woods for that consistency now.

Appreciate your feedback, and thanks again for the article, very informative.

Apr 25, 2013 at 6:46 pm

I need to figure out why my irons are consistently matched to the 105mph swing speed i.e. 4i = 190y & 9i = 140y, but my driver carries 220ish. With especially good contact, I have carried to 240, but it’s rare. I think I just have a lot more misses with my driver, maybe ???

PS Great article.

Apr 26, 2013 at 4:17 am

Thanks, Geoff.

Hmmm, what you mentioned about more misses could certainly be part of the shorter driver carry distances. Get some impact tape and/or foot powder for your driver face so you can make sure you’re hitting it consistently on a good spot on the face.

Also, by chance do you know your average launch angle and spin rate with your driver?

It’s possible you could be launching it too low and/or with too much spin to carry it that far.

At 105 mph, my target for you would be about 13.4 degree launch and 2445 rpm spin.

Mar 15, 2013 at 2:59 pm

Hey Jaacob,

Would you mind sharing your math? I want to customize based on my avg iron distances.

Mar 17, 2013 at 8:46 am

Sure thing, Paddy.

The chart is based off the PGA Tour average carry distances that were reported by Trackman (see the first chart in the top of the article), the average total driving distance from the PGATour.com website (about 289 yards), and the average PGA Tour swing speed (about 112 mph).

Using all that data, I calculated the percent difference from the Tour average swing speed (about 112 mph) to whatever swing speed I wanted. For example, a 90 mph driver swing speed is 80.4% of a 112 mph (90 / 112 = 0.804) driver swing speed.

Once I knew the percent difference, I went down for each club from the Tour distances and multiplied each one by 0.804 to get the 90 mph distances.

For example, 80.4% of a 289-yard total drive at 112 mph is 232 yards (0.804 * 289 yards = 232 yards), 80.4% of a 269-yard carry at 112 mph is 216 yards (0.804 * 269 yards = 216 yards), etc.

Then it was simply a matter of repeating all that for the different swing speeds.

I made the original chart in Excel and just copied and pasted the formulas to each cell.

Make sense?

Mar 18, 2013 at 12:50 pm

Yep, using your logic, I could do the same math off of the average distance of my 7 iron vs. the PGA pro 7 iron distance. I’ll try this, thanks!

Mar 7, 2013 at 11:40 pm

For swing speed training, what do you suggest/recommend?

Mar 8, 2013 at 3:54 am

Hi Jason, have a look at my Swing Man Golf website. If you have any further questions after that, just send me an email through the contact form and I’ll be glad to help however I can.

Feb 14, 2013 at 12:54 pm

Ryan Wither has been clocked at 167. which is the fastest ever. I know cuz I gave him lessons and watch alot of his swings.

Feb 17, 2013 at 5:59 am

Hi Kyle, do you know what type of radar was being used?

Speeds vary depending on the radar.

For example, although they are accurate, Sports Sensors swing speed radars usually read 5-12% faster (depends on the person and how they move the club through impact) than a Trackman because they measure the fastest moving part of the club head…which is normally the toe. Conversely, a Trackman or Flightscope X2 have algorithms to calculate the speed at the center of the club face…and thus read slower than an SSR.

If I remember correctly, the last time I heard from Ryan, the fastest he has posted on a Trackman was at the PGA Show…156 mph. The fastest that was recorded for him on Trackman at the 2012 World Championships was 149.4 mph.

Feb 5, 2013 at 2:13 pm

this is a weird article becasue i recently got fitted for irons and they said i swing 72 mph with my irons but i hit my 7 iron like 130 average

Feb 5, 2013 at 2:37 pm

Cody, the speeds above are based on driver swing speeds…not iron swing speeds. Do you know what your driver swing speed is?

Feb 8, 2013 at 2:08 pm

not really sure , i hit a taylormade r7 superquad with a stiff shaft, i dont swing fast at all i think i get like 230 consitent off my drives

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Jan 22, 2013 at 5:51 pm

Great article and very imformative! I’ve had those PGA and LPGA charts for a while and most recreational golfers (single handicap and above) should be looking at LPGA numbers for each given iron rather than PGA, even if they swing faster than the LPGA averages beacuse most amatures have low smash factors so even if they are able to swing close in swing speed to the PGA averages, the lower smash will result in lower ball speeds and carry distances of the LPGA.

Basically my numbers are exactly one club more than the PGA pros, given my swing speed and smash factors are not as optimal as theirs.

I think your chart (estimated potential swing speed and carry distance projected from the PGA average) is also a good indication of what our potentials are. That is, if you swing 100mph driver with 255 carry but the rest of your clubs fall more into the range projected down from the 90mph driver swing speed then you know you work on those clubs and tighten the yardage gaps….

Jan 19, 2013 at 1:56 pm

Jaacob, thanks for posting this; I’ve been looking for a comparison chart with different speeds like the one you posted. My distances appear to match up quite closely with the 100 mph, just slightly less, with my 7 iron going 150, 8 140, 9 130, etc, but I think my irons are a bit strong. However, I hit my 4 iron 180 (as I should if the chart is right), but sometimes use it to hit 190-200 (probably because I never actually swing 100% when hitting my irons because I’m afraid of blading etc) since I do not have a 3 iron. My main concern is that for some reason I only hit my driver about 200. I’m not sure why, I must never be hitting the center of my driver, because I should be 240 carry. Every shot feels good, and when I hit a really good one, it still maybe will reach 220. I’m not sure what to do, any tips? Thanks, -Nick

Jan 19, 2013 at 4:14 pm

Sure thing, Nick.

To answer your question, can you get on a Trackman or Flightscope X2 and hit a few drives?

I’m curious to verify your swing speed…and also know your launch angle, spin rate, and smash factor.

Tom Allinder

Jan 19, 2013 at 11:11 am

Jaacob, I enjoyed your article and received some significant insight regarding measurement of swing speed given the number of sensors on the market.

One area I am particularly concerned with is those of us over 50 years of age. Many of my golfing buddies feel that loss of distance is a natural result of aging. I disagree to an extent with that attitude. We seniors can hit the ball plenty long if we work out, stretch, do some yoga etc. I think a good diet is part of it too.

While it is inevitable that we lose speed with aging, we don’t have to give in completely. A little work, proper fitting and improved technique can get a lot of yards back and get longer than we ever were in our youth!

Another thing we seniors benefit from in competition is we are now playing competitive rounds on courses at 6400-6600 yards. Wow, golf is fun again because I don’t need to hit driver on many of the par 4s and still have only a wedge left to the pin! The par 5’s are reachable again too!

Again, great article and I will be a regular reader from now on…

Jan 17, 2013 at 1:02 pm

Awesome Data stuff, Mr Bowden!

Would it be possible to expand this article to full size analysis of everything mentioned so far, in much much more detail with proper tables and graphs and charts, just as everybody wants, with all the big tours’ averages and modern club loft standards, etc? Then it would be the perfect bible.

Awesome, nonetheless, and helps me illustrate my points to students and friends alike who just cannot believe the scientific numbers of averages out there, who all still believe that more than most Tour guys bomb it past 300 with their drivers and hit their 6 irons to 240 yards LOL

Jan 17, 2013 at 4:15 pm

That’s a good idea. Let me check and see what I can do.

Stay tuned!

Jan 19, 2013 at 1:43 pm

Just got something published! Here’s the article with a summary chart -> http://www.golfwrx.com/64715/carry-distance-vs-swing-speed-chart/

Chris Wehring

Jan 16, 2013 at 9:22 pm

This article is pretty interesting! I found some things that don’t match up with my swing. It could just be my weird swing. As of last year, my swing speed was around 95 but I carry my 8 iron almost 150 on a good strike. Maybe my course’s markers are just off. I don’t know. Haha maybe my swing is similar to the LPGA swings in being more efficient with my swing speed. I really liked the article though.

Jan 16, 2013 at 11:48 am

Great article, thanks! Would also be great to know LPGA and Champions averages, just for comparison…

Jan 16, 2013 at 2:41 pm

Glad you enjoyed it, Frank.

Here are the LPGA Trackman numbers (in yards). Unfortunately, I don’t have the club lofts…which would be useful. Although, like I mentioned in my comment reply to Andy and David, a rough estimate of those could be calculated similar to how I did it above.

Driver (total) – 246 Driver (carry) – 220 3W – 195 5W – 185 7W – 174 4-Iron – 170 5-Iron – 161 6-Iron – 152 7-Iron – 141 8-Iron – 130 9-Iron – 119 PW – 107

Let me check on the Champions Tour numbers…

Jan 16, 2013 at 4:16 pm

I didn’t find anything for the Champions Tour, but let’s see what we can come up with.

The mean driving distance on the Champions Tour for the 2012 season was 273.4 yards. Assuming that Champions Tour players have the same driving efficiency as regular PGA Tour players at 2.58 yards per mph of swing speed, that would mean the average swing speed for a Champions Tour player is about 106 mph.

Using the same algebra that I did in the article, here would be the carry estimates in yards:

Driver (Total) – 274 Driver (Carry) – 255 3-Wood – 230 5-Wood – 218 Hybrid – 213 3-Iron – 201 4-Iron – 192 5-Iron – 184 6-Iron – 173 7-Iron – 163 8-Iron – 151 9-Iron – 140 PW – 129

Mar 12, 2013 at 6:35 pm

My numbers are a BIT different. Any chance you’re willing to share your math so I can apply this to my average distances for certain clubs? Thanks!

Mar 4, 2013 at 8:01 am

Great article…good to see some hard #s to compare. I personally am coming off double hip replacement surgeries in 2012 and watched a lot of LPGA golf last year during recovery/rehab…I personally found that I now relate more to the yardages the top women players have than the elite men college or pro level. Also, the women have impeccable tempo and always seem to swing “within” themselves.

Jan 16, 2013 at 11:35 am

Important for folks to also realize the PGA Tour and Nationwide follow the sun AKA usually playing in optimal conditions with super tight fairways affording 20 plus yards of roll. Buddy of mine who is a caddy who knows web.com guys said their distances went up immediately upon playing more manicure courses in 70-80 degree weather. Yeah they still hit it great/far/better than us!

Martin Signer

Jan 16, 2013 at 6:47 am

interesting good article.

Have a nice day,

Jan 15, 2013 at 10:27 pm

Instead of listing the club name how about listing the name and the loft? My 9i is 41*. Does that map to the 9i on the chart or one of the other clubs? Thanks. -Andy

David McElroy

Jan 16, 2013 at 9:13 am

I agree, it would be nice to see loft along with those figures.

Jan 16, 2013 at 2:24 pm

You guys are both right. This data is much more useful with the lofts.

I was actually curious about this as well so I looked up what 30 PGA Tour players “say” they are playing on their websites, from “What’s in the Bag” videos and articles, etc…and then looked up the specs from the company’s websites for each of those club models.

It’s only a small data sample and perhaps there is a difference from each player’s actual club specs versus what is listed in the places I looked, but here are the averages I came up with:

Driver – 9.0 3-Wood – 14.4 5-Wood/Hybrid/Long Iron – 19.2 4-Iron – 23.9 5-Iron – 27.0 6-Iron – 30.5 7-Iron – 34.3 8-Iron – 38.3 9-Iron – 42.4 PW – 47.1 GW/SW – 53.9 LW – 59.7

Jan 16, 2013 at 2:31 pm

Oh, regarding the chart with the PGA Tour Trackman averages…it says 15-18* for hybrid.

Dec 21, 2013 at 4:49 pm

its funny how strong lofts are on modern irons. I have a set of circa 1980 titleist tour models, and the stamped loft on the pw is 49 degrees and 9 iron at 45 degrees. I bent them strong to the modern lofts much similar to the loft chart you posted. the only problem? the stronger they are bent, the more offset they are and the higher they seem to fly and the more they hook.

Jan 2, 2014 at 4:01 pm

in the dave pelz short game bible, what was a pitching wedge of 50 is now a gap wedge on almost all sets..

Troy Vayanos

Jan 15, 2013 at 5:52 pm

They are interesting numbers Jacob. I’ve no doubt the touring professionals have these tested to the very inch. At their level getting the right distances are absolutely vital and often the difference between winning and losing.

I only wish we had this sort of technology available in Australia. Hitting at the golf driving range is fine but it doesn’t really give you exact carry distances as the target is too far away and no way of seeing where the golf ball actually lands.

Would you know of how the average golfer can work out these numbers?

Jan 16, 2013 at 2:06 pm

Troy, I’m not sure what part of Australia you live…but the locator tool on the Trackman website shows there are some Trackmans in basically all the major cities like Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Gold Coast, and Brisbane.

As for the SSRs, unfortunately Sports Sensors doesn’t presently have a frequency license for the radar in Australia and thus they won’t ship there. However, sometimes you can find someone on eBay that is willing to sell and ship to Oz.

You might also check your local golf shop or golf course. Often times, they will have a launch monitor of some sorts. If you can find out the name of the launch monitor brand, there are usually articles out and around on Google comparing and contrasting different brands and how they measure swing speed versus.

As for working out the numbers without a radar or someone to help you see where the ball lands…hmmm, there’s a number of ways to do it. Here’s a couple.

If you have a range finder, laser the distance to a flag within short iron distance from the fairway. Choose a club that you think will get you close to the flag with a full swing, hit a shot (or a few if you aren’t holding anyone up), and then add or subtract how many paces the pitch marks are relative to the flag from the distance you lasered in the fairway.

Without a range finder…find an open hole, drop a few balls, and step them off by foot to get a rough average distance. From there you can estimate the other clubs.

Jan 27, 2013 at 11:15 pm

Just a quick question, probably not an easy or quick answer… If my yardages are way off of that, say out to 165 for a pitching wedge… Say out to 190 some days with a 7… Only swing speed I know is my driver @ 114-115 consistently… Am I swinging too hard or possibly delofting my irons at impact?

Jan 29, 2013 at 7:48 am

Hmmm, well distances can vary based on the conditions. That’s one possibility. Check out my other article for more on that aspect -> http://www.golfwrx.com/54875/understanding-distance-variance/

Delofting, like you mentioned, could be another possibility. More specifically, you may be decreasing your spin loft…which is the difference between your angle of attack and the dynamic loft of the club.

So say your friend hits down 2 degrees on the ball and the dynamic loft is 30 degrees…then you take the club, swing at the same speed, and hit down 2 degrees but have a dynamic loft that is 26 degrees from having your hands further forward at impact…your ball would probably have less spin, a greater smash factor, and go farther. Depending on the person and other specifics of their game, this scenario could be good or bad.

As for swinging too hard, that would depend on if you feel like you can control your shots. If you feel under control hitting those distances, I’d say it’s no problem.

Jul 9, 2014 at 9:37 pm

Love this kind of information. Great article.

how can i get faster swing speed. I am in the 100 category give.

Would you advise switching to REGULAR flex?

Jan 15, 2013 at 3:27 pm

Good article. Curiously, where my SS of 98-100 (as measured at GolfTown-who knows if accurate, though their flight numbers are close to what I see on course-don’t trust their roll #s as they have my wedges rolling 10+ lol) seems to fit your long club carry numbers pretty well, it’s not close with my scoring clubs. My irons from 8i down to my 64° get very little roll. My 58° goes at least 100, my PW 140, and 8i 160. even my 8i rarely rolls more than 10 ft from it’s landing spot. And I only hit my mid-irons/wedges with an abbreviated swing, I’m not trying to kill them. As you can see, if a green involves a hazard carry of >170, I lay up.

My distances are (including roll I play on average, amount of roll given)~: D-270(30), 3w-240(25), 5w-215(20), 4i-200(20), 5i-190(15), 6i-180(10), 7i-170(10), 8i-160(<5), 9i-150(<5), PW-140, 52°-120, 58°-100, 64°-80

Jan 20, 2013 at 11:37 pm

I’m a big hitter with a fast swing speed and I also carry a 64* wedge. I used to hit about 85-90 yards max, which gave me something to brag about, but I believe hitting a 64* wedge 80 yards is not ideal. I changed my approach of wedges about two years ago and I lost 25 yards off my 64* wedge, but my accuracy and pinpoint placement has improved. Also I feel that instead of just launching the ball high and having it land with 4′ of check! I can play my 64* with a much better angle of approach. Glad to hear you’re swingin’ a 64* though, not too many people carrying them around.

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Vincenzi’s 2024 rbc canadian open betting preview: breakthrough pga tour winner likely in canada.

The PGA Tour is heading north of the border to play the 2024 RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf and Country Club. 

This will be the seventh time that Hamilton Golf and Country Club will be hosting the Canadian Open. The previous six winners were Rory McIlroy (2019), Scott Piercy (2012), Jim Furyk (2006), Bob Tway (2003), Tommy Armour (1930) and James Douglas Edgar (1919). 

Hamilton Golf and Country Club is a par-70 measuring 7,084 yards and features greens that are a Bentgrass and Poa Annua blend. The course has been open since 1915 and is one of the oldest golf clubs in Canada. 

Since we’ve seen it last, the course underwent a $8.5-million restoration guided by Martin Ebert.

The RBC Canadian Open will play host to 156 golfers this week.  Notable players include Rory McIlroy, Sam Burns, Cameron Young, Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood, Sahith Theegala and Alex Noren.

Past Winners at RBC Canadian Open

• 2023: Nick Taylor (-17, Oakdale)
• 2022: Rory McIlroy (-19, St. George’s)
• 2019: Rory McIlroy (-22, Hamilton)
• 2018: Dustin Johnson (-23, Glen Abbey)
• 2017: Jhonattan Vegas (-21, Glen Abbey)
• 2016: Jhonattan Vegas (-12, Glen Abbey)

In this article and going forward, I’ll be using the Rabbit Hole by Betsperts Golf data engine to develop my custom model. If you want to build your own model or check out all of the detailed stats, you can sign up using promo code: MATTVIN for 25% off any subscription package (yearly is best value).

Key Stats for Hamilton Golf and Country Club

Let’s take a look at five key metrics for Hamilton Golf and Country Club to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their last 24 rounds.

1. Strokes Gained: Approach

The best metric to start with is Strokes Gained: Approach. Proficient iron play is a requirement anywhere, and this statistic will help target the hottest golfers. With the winning score likely being very low, players will need to be dialed with their approach shots. 

Strokes Gained: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds

• Corey Conners (+1.14)
• Kelly Kraft  (+1.06)
• Rory McIlroy (+0.88)
• Patton Kizzire  (+0.87)
• Alex Noren (+0.76)

2. Good Drive %

Hamilton is a short golf course, so keeping the ball in the fairway, or just off, will be more important than bombing the ball this week. 

Good Drive % Over Past 24 Rounds

• Kelly Kraft (+89.3%)
• Daniel Berger (+87.9%)
• Nate Lashley  (+87.6%)
• Chan Kim  (+86.6%)
• Aaron Rai (+86.1%)

3. Bogey Avoidance %

I expect golfers to go low this week, in order to compete, limiting bogeys will be crucial. 

Bogey Avoidance % Over Past 24 Rounds:

• Alex Noren  (+10.6%)
• Brice Garnett  (+10.6%)
• Aaron Rai (+11.3%)
• Kevin Tway (+11.4%)
• Henrik Norlander (+11.4%)

4. Strokes Gained: Total in Canada

This stat will boost the players who’ve done well in Canada over the past 36 rounds. 

Strokes Gained: Total in Canada Over Past 36 Rounds

• Rory McIlroy (+4.28)
• Tommy Fleetwood (+3.07)
• Aaron Rai  (+2.91)
• C.T. Pan  (+2.80)
• Gary Woodland (+2.21)

5. Strokes Gained: Putting

Shorter courses with a lot of birdies being made tend to turn into putting contests. I believe a good putter will win the RBC Canadian Open.

Strokes Gained: Putting Over Past 24 Rounds

• Mackenzie Hughes  (+1.04)
• S.H. Kim  (+0.84)
• Matt Kuchar  (+0.74)
• Ben Griffin (+0.72)
• Sahith Theegala (+0.66)

The RBC Canadian Open Model Rankings

Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (30%), Good Drive % (25%), Strokes Gained: Canada (15%), Bogey Avoidance % (15%), SG: Putting (15%).

• Rory McIlroy
• Sahith Theegala
• Patton Kizzire
• Justin Lower
• Shane Lowry
• Tommy Fleetwood
• Kelly Kraft
• Jhonnatan Vegas

2024 RBC Canadian Open Picks

Tommy fleetwood +1800 (fanduel).

Tommy Fleetwood was incredibly close to winning last year’s RBC Canadian Open. The Englishman took Canadian Nick Taylor to four playoff holes before losing on Taylor’s miraculous eagle putt from 72 feet.

Despite being at a different course this year, Fleetwood is still a great fit for this event. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 23rd in the field in good drive percentage and seventh in bogey avoidance. The course is a shorter, plotters track, which will suit Fleetwood’s ability to hit it accurately from tee to green.

Tommy has gained strokes off the tee in six consecutive events. Those events include some big events such as The Masters, the PGA Championship and the Wells Fargo Championship. In those six starts, he has three top-15 finishes.

It’s been well documented that Fleetwood is yet to win on American soil and has looked like a different player when in contention outside of the United States. While it’s most definitely a mental hurdle that the 33-year-old will need to overcome, it doesn’t hurt that this event will be north of the border.

Martin Ebert, who redesigned Royal Liverpool and Royal Portrush, redesigned Hamilton as well. Fleetwood finished 2nd at Royal Portrush in 2019 and T10 at Royal Liverpool in 2023.

Backing Tommy has been frustrating at times, but I’m still of the mindset that betting on talent will eventually pay dividends.

Alex Noren +2500 (BetMGM)

Alex Noren is in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career. The Swede has an incredible eight straight top-25’s on Tour, with two of those being top-ten finishes. Noren has gained strokes on approach and around the green in all eight starts and has gained strokes off the tee in seven of eight.

Despite the strong results, the concern with Noren has been his inability to truly get into contention. However, this golf course feels like the right one for him to change that. He’s not incredibly long off the tee, so the shorter layout should help him. In his last 24 rounds, Noren ranks 6th in Strokes Gained: Approach, 8th in Good Drive Percentage and 3rd in Bogey Avoidance.

Noren’s ability to keep the ball in the ideal spots and limit mistakes should serve him well at Hamilton this week. In an event where accurate drivers should shine; he will have an advantage on the field. He hasn’t won on the PGA Tour, but the 41-year-old has ten wins on the European Tour. Being outside of the U.S. certainly won’t hurt Noren’s case.

Sam Burns +2800 (FanDuel)

Sam Burns had an excellent showing in Canada a few years ago, finishing in a tie for fourth place at the 2022 RBC Canadian Open a week after winning the Charles Schwab Challenge.

After a hot start to the season, Burns has struggled over the past few months, but has seemed to find some form with his irons in recent weeks. He finished T13 at the Wells Fargo Championship and gained 2.0 strokes on approach for the week. His irons were even better in the two rounds at the PGA Championship (+1.51 strokes per round), but a balky putter cost him the weekend, as he lost 5.1 strokes on the greens.

Burns is a player who can win an event with a hot putter and has done so in the past. He can make birdies in bunches and is one of the few players in the field that can win in both a difficult event and a shootout.

Robert MacIntyre +8000 (FanDuel)

Robert MacIntyre showed some life at the PGA Championship, finishing in a tie for 12th. For the week, MacIntyre ranked 16th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 18th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking.

The 27-year-old is a high upside player who has shown he can compete in big events. He’s also been putting great recently which I believe is one of the most important factors this week. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 6th in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting.

We’ve seen MacIntyre play well at Open Championships and Martin Ebert, who redesigned Royal Liverpool and Royal Portrush, redesigned Hamilton as well. MacIntyre finished T6 at Royal Portrush in 2019.

Bobby Mac has gone toe-to-toe with some of the world’s best players at the Ryder Cup, and I believe has the right mentality to beat anyone if he finds himself in contention down the stretch.

The Wedge Guy: Early season wedge game tune-up

Depending on the part of the country you call home, you might just be getting into the 2024 golf season, or you might be several months into it. Either way, your scoring success this season – like every season – will likely drill down to how good your game is from 100 yards and in.

The best way to sharpen your wedge play is, surprise, spend some time refining and practicing your technique. Whether it’s winter rust or mid-season sloppiness, your wedge game can be a serious cause of frustration if and when it goes sour on you.

If you want to be sharp when it really counts, give it some time and attention. Start with a detailed look at your fundamentals – posture, alignment, ball position, grip, and grip pressure – and then advance to an examination of the actual chipping and pitching motion of the swing.

No matter what your skill level might be, I am convinced that time spent on the following drills will yield giant rewards in your scores and enjoyment of the game. There is nothing quite so demoralizing and maddening than to hit a good drive and better-than-average approach shot, then chunk or skull a simple chip or pitch, turning a par or bogie-at-worst into a double or even more.

Core activation

The key to a solid short game is to synchronize your arm swing with the rotation of your body core. They simply have to move together, back and through impact into the follow-through. When I’m about to start a short game session, I like to begin with the club extended in front of my body, with my upper arms close to my chest, then rotate my upper torso back and through, to give me the sensation that I am moving the club only with my core rotation, with the hands only having the job of holding on to it. In this drill, you want to ensure that the clubhead is exactly in front of your sternum as you rotate back and through. When you lower the club into the playing position, this puts the upper end of the grip pointing roughly at your belt buckle and it stays in that “attitude” through the backswing and follow through.

S-L-O-W motion

I believe one of the most misunderstood and destructive pieces of advice in the short game is to “accelerate through the ball”. What I see much too often is that the golfer fails to take a long enough backswing and then quickly jabs at the ball . . . all in the pursuit of “accelerating through the ball.” In reality, that is pretty hard NOT to do if you have any kind of follow through at all. Relying on that core activation move, I like to make very slow swings – back and through impact – experimenting with just how slow I can make the swing and still see some ball flight. You’ll be amazed at how slow a body rotation can be made and still make the ball fly in a nice trajectory.

I’m borrowing this term from Tiger Woods, who often spoke of hitting his iron shots through certain “windows,” i.e. first floor, second floor, etc. For your short game, I simplify this into hitting short pitch shots on three different flight trajectories – low, medium, and high. I have found the simplest way to do this is to use the same swing for each shot and determine the trajectory by where you place the ball in your set-up. Start by finding the ball position that gives you what you consider to be a “normal” trajectory with your sand wedge. Then, hit some shots with the ball just one inch back and forward of that spot and see what trajectory you get. You can then take that to another level by repeating the process with your other wedges, from your highest lofted to your lowest.

Ladder drill

For this exercise, I like to have some room on the range or practice area that lets me hit balls any distance I want, from ten feet out to about 25 yards, or even more if you can. I start by hitting a basic chip shot to fly precisely to a divot or piece of turf I’ve targeted about ten feet in front of me. The next shot I try to land where that ball stopped. I repeat that process until I have a line of balls from ten feet to 25 or so yards from me. With each shot, I repeat it until I can land my shot within a foot or less of my “target ball.”

The idea of this kind of practice with your short game is to hit so many shots that you feel like you can do anything with the ball, and you can take that confidence and execution skill to the course. You can literally work through a few hundred shots in an hour or so with these drills, and there’s nothing like repetition to build a skill set you can trust “under fire.”

Vincenzi’s 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge betting preview: Tony Finau ready to get back inside winner’s circle

After an action-packed week at the PGA Championship, the PGA Tour heads back to Texas to play the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth.

Colonial Country Club is a 7,209-yard par-70 and features Bentgrass greens. The difficulty of the event this week will be influenced by course setup and/or wind. The last four seasons have all produced winners with scores between -8 and -14, with the two most recent playing extremely difficult. Last year, Emiliano Grillo won in a playoff against Adam Schenk at -8, and in 2022, Sam Burns edged out Scottie Scheffler in a playoff at -9.

After last season’s event, the course was renovated by Gil Hanse. I expect the course to stay true to what the original design intended, but will improve in some areas that needed updating. Jordan Spieth, who is one of the most consistent players at Colonial, told Golfweek his thoughts on the changes.

“I always thought courses like this, Hilton Head, these classic courses that stand the test of time, it’s like what are you going to do to these places? I think that’s kind of everyone’s first response,” Spieth said. “Then I saw them, and I was like, wow, this looks really, really cool. It looks like it maintains the character of what Colonial is while creating some excitement on some holes that maybe could use a little bit of adjusting.”

The Charles Schwab Challenge will play host to 136 golfers this week, and the field is relatively strong despite it being the week after a major championship.

Some notable golfers in the field include Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa, Tony Finau, Sungjae Im, Collin Morikawa, Min Woo Lee, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth and Akshay Bhatia. 

Past Winners at Charles Schwab Challenge

• 2023: Emiliano Grillo (-8)
• 2022: Sam Burns (-9)
• 2021: Jason Kokrak (-14)
• 2020: Daniel Berger (-15)
• 2019: Kevin Na (-13)
• 2018: Justin Rose (-20)
• 2017: Kevin Kisner (-10)
• 2016: Jordan Spieth (-17)

Key Stats For Colonial Country Club

Let’s take a look at five key metrics for Colonial Country Club to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their last 24 rounds.

Approach will be a major factor this week. It grades out as the most important statistic historically in events played at Colonial Country Club, and that should be the case once again this week.

Approach Over Past 24 Rounds

• Scottie Scheffler (+1.09)
• Ryan Moore  (1.00)
• Tom Hoge  (+0.96)
• Akshay Bhatia  (+0.85)
• Greyson Sigg  (+0.83)

2. Strokes Gained: Off The Tee

Both distance and accuracy will be important this week. Historically, shorter hitters who find the fairway have thrived at Colonial, but over the last few years we’ve seen a lot of the players in the field use big drives to eliminate the challenge of doglegs and fairway bunkers.

The rough can be thick and penal, so finding the fairway will remain important.

Strokes Gained: Off the Tee Over Past 24 Rounds

• Scottie Scheffler (+1.11)
• Keith Mitchell  (+0.90)
• Kevin Yu  (+0.87)
• Alejandro Tosti  (+0.81)
• Min Woo Lee  (+0.80)

3. Strokes Gained: Total in Texas

Players who play well in the state of Texas tend to play well in multiple events during the Texas swing. 

Strokes Gained: Total in Texas over past 36 rounds

• Jordan Spieth (+2.16)
• Scottie Scheffler (+1.97)
• Tony Finau  (+1.91)
• Akshay Bhatia (+1.68)
• Justin Rose  (+1.62)

4. Course History

Course history seems to be much more important at Colonial Country Club than most other courses. The same players tend to pop up on leaderboards here year after year.

Course History per round Over Past 24 Rounds:

• Jordan Spieth (+2.31)
• Justin Rose  (+1.70)
• Harris English (+1.66)
• Webb Simpson (+1.54)
• Collin Morikawa (+1.47)

5. Strokes Gained: Putting (Bentgrass)

The Bentgrass greens at Colonial are in immaculate condition, and putters who roll it pure are at an advantage. Historically, great putters have thrived at Colonial.

Strokes Gained: Putting (Bentgrass) Over Past 24 Rounds:

• Denny McCarthy  (+1.08)
• Justin Rose  (+0.93)
• J.T. Poston  (+0.87)
• Maverick McNealy  (+0.85)
• Andrew Putnam (+0.74)

Charles Schwab Challenge Model Rankings

Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (27%), SG: OTT (25%), Strokes Gained: Total in Texas (14%), Course History (17%) and SG: Putting Bentgrass (17%).

• Scottie Scheffler
• Billy Horschel
• Daniel Berger
• Maverick McNealy
• Adam Schenk
• Collin Morikawa
• Austin Eckroat
• Sepp Straka

2024 Charles Schwab Challenge Picks

Tony finau +3300 (fanduel).

Tony Finau hit the ball incredibly well at last week’s PGA Championship. He led the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, gaining 9.3 strokes in the category, which was his second-best performance on approach this season (Farmers T6). Finau’s tie for 18th at Valhalla is ideal considering the fact that he played very well but didn’t have the mental and emotional strain of hitting shots deep into contention in a major championship. He should be sharp and ready to go for this week’s event.

Finau has been phenomenal in the state of Texas. He ranks third in Strokes Gained: Total in the Lone Star state in his past 36 rounds and just recently put up a T2 finish at the Texas Children’s Houston Open last month. He also has success at Colonial. He finished 2nd at the course in 2019 and T4 at the course in 2022. He missed the cut last year, however, that seems to be an aberration as he hasn’t finished worse than 34th in his seven other trips to Fort Worth.

Finau has gained strokes off the tee in 10 of his 13 starts this season, and his ability to hit the ball long and straight should give him an advantage this week at Colonial. He’s also gained strokes on approach in 11 of his 13 starts this year. His tee to green excellence should work wonders this week, as Colonial is a challenging test. The concern, as usual, for Tony, is the putter. He’s in the midst of the worst putting season of his career, but with a target score in the -8 to -13 range this week, he should be able to get away with a few mistakes on the greens.

Finau is one of the most talented players in the field and I believe he can put it all together this week in Texas to get his first win since last year’s Mexico Open.

Sungjae Im +5000 (BetRivers)

Sungjae Im is really starting to play some good golf of late, despite his missed cut at last week’s PGA Chmapionship. Im missed the cut on the number, which may be a blessing in disguise that allows him to rest and also keeps the price reasonable on him this week. The missed cut was due to some woeful putting, which is atypical for Sungjae. He gained strokes slightly both off the tee and on approach, therefore I’m not concerned with the performance.

Prior to his trip to Valhalla, Sungjae was beginning to show why he has been such a good player over the course of his career. He finished T12 at Heritage and then won an event in Korea. He followed that up with a T4 at Quail Hollow in a “Signature Event”, which was his best performance on the PGA Tour this season. At the Wells Fargo, the South Korean was 20th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking and showed his skill around and on the greens.

Sungjae has had some success at Colonial. He’s finished T10 and T15 with two missed cuts scattered in between over the past four seasons. When he is in form, which I believe he now is, the course suits him well.

Im hasn’t won since 2021, which is an underachievement given how talented I believe he is. That can change this week with a win at Colonial.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout +5000 (FanDuel)

I absolutely love this spot for Christiaan Bezuidenhout. The South African is having a fantastic season and this is a course that should suit his strengths.

Prior the PGA Championship, Bez hadn’t finished worse than 28th in six consecutive starts. He’s not the type of player who can get to -20 in a “birdie fest” but can grind in a tougher event. He is a terrific player in the wind and putts extremely well on Bentgrass greens. Bezuidenhout has also had success both in Texas and at Colonial. He ranks 16th in Strokes Gained: Total at the course and 10th in Strokes Gained: Total in Texas over his past 36 rounds.

Part of what has made Bezuidenhout play so well this year is his increase in ball speed, which has been the recipe for success for plenty of players, including the winner of last week’s PGA Championship, Xander Schauffele. Bezuidenhout’s coach shared his ball speed gains on Instagram a few weeks back.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6FCvK3S97A/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Now at close to 170mph ball speed, that isn’t enough to compete at the monstrous major championship courses in my opinion, however it’s plenty to contend at Colonial.

Bezuidenhout has been one of the most consistent performers on the PGA Tour this season and a win would put an exclamation point on what’s been his best year on Tour to date.

Brendon Todd +12500 (BetRivers)

Brendon Todd is the type of player that’s hit or miss, but usually shows up on the courses he has a strong history on and plays well. Todd finished T8 at Colonial in 2021 and 3rd in 2022. He’s also flashed some Texas form this year as he finished T5 at the Valero Texas Open in April.

Todd doesn’t contend all that often, but when he does, he’s shown in the past that he has the capability to win a golf tournament. He has three PGA Tour wins including a win in Texas back in 2014 (TPC Four Seasons).

Todd is a player who can rise to the top if some of the elite players aren’t in contention after a grueling PGA Championship.

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IMPROVE MY GAME

• Biomechanics

Club Head Speed By Age Group: What Percentile Are You In?

Over the past four years at Par4Success, we have been working with and testing juniors, amateurs, professionals and senior golfers in the state of North Carolina and throughout the country.  Our mission has been to collect information and data on all of these “average” golfers to better understand how to help the 99 percent of us that love and play the game of golf.  

From all of this testing, over 600 data points at this time, we have been able to identify a number of top metrics in the physical realm that you should be striving for if you want to play at your highest level.  While we have identified over 10 critically important metrics for golfers, today we wanted to share the one that is most asked about...club head speed.  

If you are in the golf industry, you have no doubt worked with a golfer who swings, looks at his/her speed and then turns to you to ask, “is that good?”  If you are like us before we had this data, you likely pull from your memory bank of other golfers you have worked with to compare the person in front of you to them...not the most scientific or accurate approach.

This is one of the most important questions to answer as most of the data out there is on PGA and LPGA tour averages.  To have 13 and 65 year olds comparing themselves to the 113 mph PGA Tour average or the 98 mph LPGA Tour average is silly (and, in some cases, potentially dangerous).  It is like the average person comparing their wealth to Warren Buffet...let’s be serious and come up with a realistic and helpful comparison of where you are today and where you want to be in a few months and even decades from now.

On the LPGA and PGA Tours, it is very clear that length matters with most of the top money earnings belonging to the longer hitters.  It is a reasonable assumption to make that the same would be true with amateurs, juniors and seniors around the world.  The longer you hit it, the easier it should be for you to score better.  You will have a shorter approach and hopefully avoid hitting a hybrid into every green.  

Before we go any further, however, please do not mistake the previous statement to mean that you "have" to be a super long hitter to play on a professional Tour or to play at a high level.  You can clearly make a living on Tour not swinging 120 mph and play at a very high amateur level not hitting it 300 yards.  The stats clearly show, however, that length helps a ton when it comes to earning dollars on Tour. 1

When children are little, all parents reading this remember being told by the physician what percentile your child's height and weight were.  While this is a fun metric, it doesn't tell you how tall they will be, how good of an athlete they will be or anything else predictive of their future. It does, however, give you an objective metric to be able to understand where your child stands at that moment compared to other children of the same sex and age. 

With our data, we have done exactly that for club head speed.  The percentiles that follow below are meant to help you in a few ways depending on where you are in your golfing life.  

If you are a junior golfer, the hope is that this data allows you to see where you stand compared to others in your age range and the older golfers at the next level.  For example, if you are 10-16 years old and want to see how fast the college kids you will be playing against will be swinging, take a look at the 17-30 age group. The hope is that this gives you a target of where you may want to get to in order to be most competitive with the other players you are competing against.  

If you are a working amateur in your 30-50’s, hopefully this gives you a realistic expectation of what is actually good for your age and how much your peers are losing on average over the years when it comes to speed.  Use this data as a barometer to identify losses in power that would be abnormal for your age.

If you are 50+, the hope with this data is that you gain a realistic understanding of where you are vs where you could be.  In fact, a 90 mph club head speed when you are 65 years old is not that good and there is likely lots of room for improvement!  

Utilizing this data, industry professionals should be able to tell golfers who have forced themselves to accept that they are just getting old, that in fact, they are wrong.  There is ample opportunity to improve and get better well into your 60’s if you have an organized and sport science based plan.  

The next logical question for everyone not in the 99th percentile, of course, is probably "how do I get more club head speed?" That answer lies in science and one of the four quadrants of speed. The four quadrants that a player can gain speed in are improving technical efficiency, improving equipment to match the player’s needs of speed with consideration for accuracy, improving mobility to allow full rotational capacity and improving power. Power is the simple sum of how much force a player can generate plus how fast they can produce that force. Simply put, Power = Strength + Speed.

Depending on where a player is in their golf lifecycle, the solutions to speed may vary in order of importance.  For example, if we have two players, a senior with poor mobility and a junior with hypermobility and compare them, their increased club head speed solutions will be very different.  For this example, let’s assume that equipment and technical efficiency are equal in both players.  The senior player will see greater improvement in club head speed with mobility improvements.  The junior player will likely see greater improvements in their club speed with a focus on improving strength and control of their mobility.  

This isn’t to say that both players should ignore the other areas of the four quadrants, but rather, that the greater majority of their time should be spent addressing the low hanging fruit first.  For example, the hypermobile junior will still work on mobility, but instead of trying to increase it, they would work on better control of their end ranges and throughout their entire range of motion.  This might happen during active rest breaks between strength and power training.  This will have the added benefit of injury prevention as well.  

The senior player will not ignore strength and speed training, but likely use eccentric strength training periods throughout the year.  This will help further their mobility gains while also working on strength.  See my earlier mytpi article on the benefits of eccentric training here.   The senior player will also work on speed and deceleration drills  (sport specific, vertical, horizontal and torsional) to increase their speed.  This will all be done, however, after a significant focus on soft tissue work, mobility drills and attention to golf specific rotary centers.

Knowing what percentile you are in for your age/sex can be the starting benchmark for you and help you set goals to shoot for.   It is important you utilize a sports science based plan designed to maximize your return on the your time spent as demonstrated above.  Seek out the guidance of a golf fitness/medical and teaching professional who can help you assess where you are and identify the quadrants of speed that you need to focus on most.  

A note about the data.  It is important to note that the age groups with the larger sample sizes can be extrapolated out much more than those with smaller ones.  This is just the beginning of the database we are collecting and numbers will only grow and become more helpful.  If you are a 30-50 year old female, please reach out so we can fill your age group’s numbers in as there is clearly a gap in our data for your age group. 

Be on the lookout for the upcoming article on the top tests that we found related to identifying your low hanging fruit when it comes to producing club head speed based on your age.  These tests have a very high correlation to club head speed and can shed light for you as to which quadrant you should be focusing on to improve your club head speed. If you’d like to see our full full free research report with all of the numbers from age 10-65+ You can download the full free report here.

At Par4Success, our speciality is helping golfers play better golf, swing faster and hurt less.  The average golfer based on our research and in our programs, will see over 3 mph gain (~10 yards) in less than 12 weeks and many see much more; 50% more when they use the specific type of power and strength training most dialed in for their age and developmental level. Let us know if we can help you reach your goals!

Chris Finn is a Licensed Physical Therapist, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Titleist Performance Institute Certified Medical Professional, Certified Precision Nutrition Coach, and trained to perform Trigger Point Dry Needling in North Carolina. Since starting Par4Success in 2012, Chris has and continues to work with Touring Professionals, elite level juniors & amateurs as well as weekend warriors. He has contributed to numerous media outlets including GolfWRX, is a published author, works with many of the nation’s leading coaches and instructors to improve their players and presents all over the country on topics such as Golf Performance, Junior Golf Athletic Development, Injury Prevention and Power/Speed improvement for golfers.

References:

• https://golfweek.com/2018/04/22/golf-by-the-numbers-distance-off-tee-pays-dividends/

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

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:

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:

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.

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Analytics 101

Here is the average swing speed for each skill level of golfer.

Swing speed, also referred to as clubhead speed, is a term you hear pretty often as golfer.

It refers to how fast the clubhead is travelling at impact with the golf ball..

Being able to record this data can help guide your golf swing training and measure your improvement. It can also be useful to see how you stack up against golfers of a similar ability. If you are lacking speed compared with similar handicappers, it might be a sign to focus on this area of your swing.

It will perhaps not surprise you to learn that lower handicap golfers tend to have a faster swing speed. After all, the quicker you can swing the golf club, the greater distance potential you have.

When discussing swing speed, it is worth keeping in mind that ball speed is an equally important statistic in distance . Want to hit longer drives? Find out your 'smash factor' first. This is ball speed divided by clubhead speed. You want this number to be as close to 1.5 as possible. As a guide, PGA Tour players average 1.49. Single figure handicap golfers should be aiming to average above 1.45.

That being said, a faster swing speed will give you a better opportunity for more distance. It is one of the major reasons why modern PGA Tour golfers spend so much time in the gym. Good technique is obviously vital, but strength and mobility play more of a role here than in any other area of your game.

The Bryson DeChambeau Effect

The body transformation of Bryson DeChambeau has been well documented over the last few years and he is an excellent example of how putting in the work off the golf course can impact your driving distance.

By bulking up in the gym and making adjustments to his golf swing, he transformed his driver clubhead speed from 118 mph to a staggering 132 mph in just a couple of years. Perhaps most impressive was his maximum speed of 138.39 mph during the 2021 season. For a PGA Tour golfer, not a specialist long driver, that is serious speed.

To highlight the importance of swing speed and driving distance, let's look at DeChambeau again. He led the PGA Tour in strokes gained off-the-tee in 2021 and had the fourth-best overall scoring average. This is despite having only the 178th best driving accuracy.

We are not suggesting you need to add on 30 pounds like DeChambeau. There are plenty of simple drills and exercises that can help give your swing speed a boost.

Swing Speed Benchmarks

It is worth noting that as a general rule of thumb, every additional 1mph of clubhead speed equates to roughly 2.5 yards more driver distance. That is assuming additional factors, such as strike and weather conditions, are equal.

The point remains though. If you can improve your clubhead speed by 10 mph, and hit the ball exactly the same, you could add 25 yards to your drives.

Here at Graff, we're developing the most accurate and affordable at-home golf simulator. Read more on our homepage.

Swing speed vs handicap.

The trend between swing speed and handicap is fairly self-explanatory. Hitting the golf ball farther allows you to hit shorter approach shots to the green. Less club into the green equals better accuracy. Ergo, lower scores.

Research conducted by Trackman a few years ago showed that the average driver swing speed for average male golfers was 93.4 mph. Approximately 45 percent of golfers tested averaged between 91-100 mph swing speeds. If you fall within this category, it is safe to say you are around average. The average male handicap is approximately 14, so if you fall within this speed bracket your handicap most likely ranges anywhere from 6 to 20.

Scratch golfers and top amateurs will be looking to get their driver swing speed over 105 mph.

Comparatively, the average clubhead speed on the PGA Tour for the 2021 season was 114.2 mph. The vast majority of PGA Tour golfers sit between 110-125mph.

On the LPGA Tour the average driver swing speed is approximately 94 mph. For the average female golfer there is less research available, but from experience it is typically around 65-70 mph.

Swing Speed vs Age

Low handicap equals quicker swing speed. High handicap equals slower swing speed. Overall, that is probably true the majority of the time. But, it is not always that simple.

There are always some noticeable outliers to this rule. These exceptions are typically down to age. Young or old.

Athletic golfers can posses lots of power but lack basic swing fundamentals and have minimal control. This could relate to any golfer aged between 16-50 that would be considered above average for physical fitness.

The opposite can be true for junior or senior golfers. Juniors might be extremely talented but not yet have a fully developed physique. Seniors can have years of experience and skill, yet diminishing strength as they age. This could be true for any golfers aged under 16 or over 50. The younger or older, respectively, either side of these brackets, the slower the swing speed is likely to be.

Final Thoughts

Having the ability to measure your swing speed and understanding the impact of it changing is important for golfers as they look to improve their overall game. Equally, it is important to note that swinging faster is not the only way to hit the golf ball farther.

Are you already around average for your skill level? If so, swinging over 10 mph faster might be a difficult challenge without large changes to your swing technique or physique. Instead, you want to combine improvements in speed with better strike efficiency.

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How swing speed training helped phil mickelson win the pga championship.

The game of golf on the PGA Tour has changed drastically in the past decade. It’s a rarity to see a Jon Daly or a Craig Stadler type build at the top of the leaderboard come Sunday. Physical fitness has become a very important part of being successful on the PGA Tour today. From your Bryson’s and Brooks' of the world to your sleek and slender Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson. Being “fit” comes in all shapes and sizes and those who are fit are more often than not at the top of the leaderboard come Sunday afternoon. 

Being fit has not only catapulted players to being the best in the world but has also extended players careers by years if not a decade. Today players in their 40’s and even 50’s can compete with the young guns on tour. Who was the first player that came to mind when you read the last sentence? You would be lying to yourself if you didn’t just say “ Phil Mickelson”. Phil’s performance at the recent Players Championship was legendary and will go down in history as one of the greatest golf performances of our time. A 50 year old that is playing some of the greatest golf of his career and hitting “high nasty bombs” doesn’t just happen overnight. It happens because of hard work and determination. Actually, there is one other reason it happens. The reason is for the love of the game. 

This brings us to the heart and soul of the article, Mr. Phil Mickelson. Phil will be turning 51 in a few short weeks and he is arguably in the best physical shape of his career. When asked last year how he did it he simply responded “ becoming accountable for my own health”. Phil said being accountable for your health comes down to being educated and honest about what you are consuming and how. Pair an honest diet with a team that help gets you in the best physical shape of your life and you create a 50 year old Major Champion.

Many golf fans have noticed the amount of emphasis Phil has placed in the last few years on driving distance. In order to compete any given week in his mid to late 40s he periodized large volumes of training dedicated to maintaining and increasing his speed. While most 40 year old’s see their speeds decline as they age, Phil averaged 119.5 mph with his driver at 39 and 120 mph at 48. 

What can an amateur do physically to spark a swing speed gain like Phil? Well, there are endless exercises you can do in the gym but knowing your physical limitations and how to better them should be at the top of your list. Identifying and addressing physical limitations helps develop more durable golfers who are able to enjoy the game at a higher level for a longer period of time. Phil has been working with the Titleist Performance Institute for years now and they have been a large reason for his prolonged career.

In addition to physical fitness and nutrition, one of the key components to Phil’s distance gains over the past few years has been due to training with the SuperSpeed Golf training system. He was one of the original tour pros to begin using OverSpeed training to raise the ceiling as to how fast his body could move during a golf swing. 

As you can see, Phil focused on several areas within the health and fitness circles to ensure he was able to continue playing at a high level at a time when most tour pros have trouble competing. 

To start on your own club head speed journey, visit mytpi.com to find a certified professional in your area and add SuperSpeed training to your routine to ensure you’re maximizing your gym work. 

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Ernie Els wins Principal Charity Classic for 4th PGA Tour Champions victory

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Ernie Els won the Principal Charity Classic on Sunday for his fourth career PGA Tour Champions victory, closing with a 7-under 65 at Wakonda Club to beat defending champion Stephen Ames by two strokes.

Tied with Rod Pampling for the second-round lead, Els eagled the par-5 15th and had five birdies in his bogey-free final round. The 54-year-old Hall of Famer from South Africa finished at 21-under 195 for his first victory since March 2023.

“It’s very special,” Els said. “You know, I haven’t won for a while. I’ve had quite a few chances, but it gets tougher when you don’t get it over the line. So today was very, very competitive. A lot of players, a lot of great players. I just took my chance when it came.”

Ames shot 66. He leads the tour with two victories this season.

Bernard Langer tied for third at 17 under after a 68. Making his fourth start since returning from an Achilles injury, the 66-year-old German star is the tour’s career victory leader with 46.

Pampling (69) and David Duval (67) also were 17 under.

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2024 ncaa division i baseball championship bracket announced.

INDIANAPOLIS – The field of 64 teams competing for the 2024 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship was announced today by the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee.

The national top 16 seeds are Tennessee (50-11), Kentucky (40-14), Texas A&M (44-13), North Carolina (42-13), Arkansas (43-14), Clemson (41-14), Georgia (39-15), Florida St. (42-15), Oklahoma (37-19), NC State (33-20), Oklahoma St. (40-17), Virginia (41-15), Arizona (36-21), UC Santa Barbara (42-12), Oregon St. (42-14), and East Carolina (43-15).

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) leads the way with a record 11 teams selected from the conference. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has eight teams in the field followed by the Big 12 (6), Sun Belt (4), Big Ten (3) and Pac-12 (3). The American Athletic, Big East, Big West, Conference USA and Missouri Valley all have two teams in the field.

High Point, Niagara, and Northern Kentucky are making their first appearances in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, while Evansville is making its first appearance since 2006.

Vanderbilt has the longest active streak with its 18th straight appearance. Other notable consecutive streaks include Florida (16), LSU (12), Oklahoma State (11) and DBU (10).

Selection of the eight super regional hosts will be announced on www.NCAA.com/mcws , Tuesday, June 4 at 10 a.m. ET . The Men’s College World Series begins play Friday, June 14, at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.

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Athens Regional hosted by Georgia #1 Georgia (39-15) vs. #4 Army West Point (31-21), 1 p.m., ESPN+ #2 UNCW (39-19) vs. #3 Georgia Tech (31-23), 7 p.m., ESPN+ Bryan-College Station Regional hosted by Texas A&M #1 Texas A&M (44-13) vs. #4 Grambling (26-26), 1 p.m., ESPN+ #2 Louisiana (40-18) vs. #3 Texas (35-22), 6 p.m., ESPNU Chapel Hill Regional hosted by North Carolina #2 LSU (40-21) vs. #3 Wofford (41-18), 12 p.m., ESPNU #1 North Carolina (42-13) vs. #4 LIU (33-23), 6 p.m. ESPN+ Charlottesville Regional hosted by Virginia #1 Virginia (41-15) vs. #4 Penn (24-23), 12 p.m., ESPN+ #2 Mississippi St. (38-21) vs. #3 St. John’s (NY) (37-16-1), 7 p.m., ESPN+ Clemson Regional hosted by Clemson #2 Vanderbilt (38-21) vs. #3 Coastal Carolina (34-23), 12 p.m., ESPN2 #1 Clemson (41-14) vs. #4 High Point (34-25), 7 p.m., ACCN Corvallis Regional hosted by Oregon State #2 UC Irvine (43-12) vs. #3 Nicholls (38-20), 4 p.m., ESPN+ #1 Oregon St. (42-14) vs. #4 Tulane (35-24), 9 p.m., ESPNU Fayetteville Regional hosted by Arkansas #1 Arkansas (43-14) vs. #4 Southeast Mo. St. (34-25), 3 p.m., ESPN+ #2 Louisiana Tech (45-17) vs. #3 Kansas St. (32-24), 8 p.m., ESPN+ Greenville Regional hosted by East Carolina #1 East Carolina (43-15) vs. #4 Evansville (35-23), 1 p.m., ESPN+ #2 Wake Forest (38-20) vs. #3 VCU (37-21), 6 p.m., ESPN+

Tallahassee Regional hosted by Florida State #1 Florida St. (42-15) vs. #4 Stetson (40-20), 12 p.m., ACCN #2 Alabama (33-22) vs. #3 UCF (35-19), 6 p.m., ESPN+ Tucson Regional hosted by Arizona #2 DBU (44-13) vs. #3 West Virginia (33-22), 3 p.m., ESPN2 #1 Arizona (36-21) vs. #4 Grand Canyon (34-23), 9 p.m., ESPN+

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Robert macintyre wins 2024 rbc canadian open with dad dougie on the bag, share this article.

HAMILTON, Ontario – Dougie MacIntyre was sitting on his couch at home in Oban, Scotland. It was 8 o’clock on a Saturday night when “Bob” popped up on his phone for a FaceTime.

His son, the professional golf Robert MacIntyre, was in Dallas and had missed the cut the day before at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Having parted ways with his fourth caddie in the last 18 months, he asked, “How would you like to come to Canada and caddie for me at the RBC Canadian Open?”

Dougie was busy at home, where he is the greenkeeper at Glencruitten Golf Club. But his wife, Carol, gave him a look and said he needed to go be there for his son. Robert admitted he had asked a few others to be on the bag but no one wanted a one-week gig.

“If in doubt, phone dad,” MacIntyre said.

A FaceTime Mom will never forget 🥹 @Robert1Lefty gave her a call right after his first PGA TOUR win @RBCCanadianOpen . pic.twitter.com/ErI6eyJmqn — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 3, 2024

The next morning at 8 a.m., Dougie was on a direct flight to Toronto and seven days later they were embracing on the 18 th green at Hamilton Golf & Country Club as Robert closed in 2-under 68 to win the 113th edition of Canada’s national championship. It marked the 27-year-old rookie’s maiden PGA Tour title, a one-stroke victory over Ben Griffin. MacIntyre became the first player to win with his father as his caddie since Heath Slocum had father Hack on the bag at the 2005 Sanderson Farms Championship.

“We’ve got a house between where you cross the road for four holes at Glencruitten and we used to go out every night in the summer, no matter the weather, we would play four holes every night,” Robert said. “He taught me the game of golf.”

The last time Dougie was on the bag was seven years ago at DP World Tour Q-School and that worked out well, too. MacIntyre won twice on that circuit and was a member of victorious Team Europe at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome. But living in Orlando and playing on the PGA Tour has been a big adjustment. He’s talked openly about his homesickness and loneliness. Rory McIlroy, MacIntyre’s Ryder Cup teammate, said he could relate.

“It’s a big culture shock compared to the place where he grew up in Oban. You know, traveling around America, it’s a different world. Some people adapt a little quicker than others. Everyone has to try to find their right rhythm,” McIlroy said. “It looks like Bob’s still figuring that out.”

He seemed right at home north of the border. MacIntyre opened his week with a 64 and after back-to-back 66s, he held a four-shot lead after 54 holes. Dougie had given Robert the tough love that he needed when he had fallen four strokes back on Saturday. Walking down the 10 th hole on Saturday, he reminded him he had 27 holes to go.

“I don’t know what happened on the back nine yesterday, he just went daft,” said Dougie of the three birdies and an eagle run that catapulted Robert into the driver’s seat.

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On Sunday, Dougie woke up, looked out the window, heard the patter of rain and groaned, “Oh, big bag.” He had carried a lightweight bag for the first three rounds but for the final 18 he lugged a tour bag for the extra space to handle the rain gear. Anything for his son, right?

The lefthander would need his dad by his side as the final round unspooled on a crisp, gray, rainy afternoon. His four-stroke edge was gone before he left the third tee as he opened with a bogey and Canadian Mackenzie Hughes tied him at 13 under. MacIntyre’s swing felt fragile enough that he had messaged his coach that morning in search of a quick-fix.

His putter proved to be his sword and savior. While ranked 103rd in Strokes Gained: putting for the season, he led the field at the Open. MacIntyre carded three birdies to push his lead back to four at the turn. He grew agitated by a television drone, backing off several shots and calling for a rules official to come to his aid.

“If it didn’t go away, I was going to start throwing my clubs at it,” MacIntyre said. “That’s how annoyed I was getting. … I meant, it’s a big wasp. I asked them to get rid of it. They did.”

“He gets grumpy. That’s his downfall. When he gets grumpy and mad at himself the game goes,” Dougie said.

Not on this day. He canned a 21-foot birdie at No. 11 and looked to be coasting to victory. Neither bogeys at Nos. 12 and 13 nor a late charge by Griffin (65) and Victor Perez (64), who finished third, dimmed his spirit. Dougie made sure of that.

Robert MacIntyre poses with two Canadian Mounties and the trophy after winning the 2024 RBC Canadian Open. (Photo: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports)

“He just kept telling me, ‘We just stay in the fight,’ ” Robert said. “With four or five holes to go, he goes, ‘If we play this in 1-under par, they got to come get ya.’ He knows what to say, when to say it,” Robert said.

MacIntyre blinked away tears when he knocked his second shot at 18 to 12 feet. He finished with a 72-hole total of 16-under 264 to become the fifth player from Scotland to win on the PGA Tour since 1940,  joining fellow countrymen Sandy Lyle, Paul Lawrie, Martin Laird and Russell Knox.

With leaky eyes, Dougie took a call from his wife while Robert was busy doing interviews. They have a foster son, who boasted that he blew Robert’s ball in the hole.

“Good man, you are some boy,” Dougie told him. “I was trying all day myself.”

Dougie joked after they shared the 36-hole lead that he needed to negotiate a fair wager with his son. Robert said he planned to pay his father the typical winner’s share, or 10 percent of his $1.638 million paycheck, and his parent’s wouldn’t have to worry about their mortgage anymore. Would Dougie be on his bag at the Memorial this coming week, the U.S. Open, which Robert is now qualified for, the week after, and the Travelers Championship, another Signature event, after that?

“One and done,” Dougie said. “I’m going back to cutting grass.”

But what a week it was for the MacIntyre boys.

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Inside the Field: the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday

Inside the Field

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The PGA TOUR heads to Jack’s Place for the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, contested at Muirfield Village Golf Club in central Ohio. The tournament, hosted by 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus, debuted at Muirfield Village in 1976 and is one of the PGA TOUR’s longest-running events at the same venue.

The PGA TOUR uses a standardized system for determining event fields based on the current season’s Priority Ranking while also including additional exemption and qualifying categories.

Field sizes can vary by event, as can the number of event-specific exemptions. Fully exempt PGA TOUR members are guaranteed entry into all full-field events, with various conditional categories subject to periodic reshuffles based upon FedExCup Points accrued throughout the season. Categories with "reshuffle" notation indicate that a reshuffle period has occurred.

Note: An additional year of eligibility was granted to some categories because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scroll below to see the field list and updates.

Monday, June 3

Jackson Koivun (in) Sponsor exemption - Unrestricted Robert MacIntyre (out) WD after deadline

Sunday, June 2

Alex Noren (in) Sponsor exemption - Members not otherwise exempt

Top 50 on prior year's FedExCup

Viktor Hovland Xander Schauffele Wyndham Clark Rory McIlroy Patrick Cantlay Collin Morikawa Scottie Scheffler Tommy Fleetwood Matt Fitzpatrick Sam Burns Max Homa Keegan Bradley Adam Schenk Russell Henley Sepp Straka Rickie Fowler Lucas Glover Tony Finau Si Woo Kim Tom Kim Brian Harman Sungjae Im Nick Taylor Corey Conners Jordan Spieth Jason Day Emiliano Grillo Taylor Moore Sahith Theegala Chris Kirk Denny McCarthy Justin Rose Andrew Putnam Kurt Kitayama Adam Svensson Harris English J.T. Poston Lee Hodges Seamus Power Cameron Young Eric Cole Byeong Hun An Adam Hadwin Tom Hoge Brendon Todd Cam Davis Patrick Rodgers Hideki Matsuyama Mackenzie Hughes

The Aon Next 10 will be finalized at the conclusion of the RBC Canadian Open.

Ludvig Åberg Shane Lowry Matthieu Pavon Justin Thomas Stephan Jaeger Thomas Detry Will Zalatoris Akshay Bhatia Christiaan Bezuidenhout Taylor Pendrith

Aon Swing 5

Robert MacIntyre Davis Riley Ben Griffin Chris Gotterup Victor Perez

Current-year tournament winners, not including Additional Events

Nick Dunlap Austin Eckroat Peter Malnati Jake Knapp

Sponsor exemptions Matt Kuchar Brandt Snedeker Billy Horschel