Swing Speeds

[rubin]

Got a question for fellow Ozgolfers.......

I've been looking around the 'net recently, and seem to come upon a huge number of sites that are obsessed with swing speeds. There is actually a forum for people who take a speed measurement test on every hole they use a driver on and compare them.

My question for everyone, is how focused are you on your swing speed and either maintaining it, or improving it? Do you measure it constantly like some 'state' side guys do? Do you even care what it is?

Personally, I only know my swing speed for buying clubs/shafts/pills etc. I only ever get it checked if I'm looking to buy, but don't really care too much how fast/slow it is comparatively. All i'm interested in is dropping the ol' handicap.

Like to hear your thoughts.....

[Yossarian]

Never been checked, kind of want to now my swing is almost repeatable so I can figure out what shafts would work a little better.

Other than that no interest in knowing really. I hit a seven iron like 200 m on the fly as well ;)

[Dotty]

We had a recent Trackman demo at the club, and close to 85mph. (My playing partners had 100, 99 and 100.)

Guess which one of us parred the hole?

[idgolfguy]

Never been checked, kind of want to now my swing is almost repeatable so I can figure out what shafts would work a little better.

Other than that no interest in knowing really. I hit a seven iron like 200 m on the fly as well ;)

Yoss, I have a swingspeed meter. Can bring it next time we play.

[Yossarian]

Cheers ID that would be kinda cool, is it reliable?

[Pieface]

I like to focus on my swing speed. It's like molasses so I can spend plenty of time on it :lol:

I don't care about my SS so much as hitting consistent distances with each club. Maybe SS becomes a bigger focus when you are looking for extra distance on top of a consistent swing.

[idgolfguy]

Cheers ID that would be kinda cool, is it reliable?

Yes, quite accurate and can do ball speed too.

[Webster]

112mph

[Eag's]

I would have no idea what my swing speed would be?
It is something I really should get looked at next year.

[Tongueboy]

slow

[AndyP]

I had it checked for clubfitting too. I can't remember the speed, but it's in the lower ranges. If I try to swing any faster, I'm only going to hit it worse.


Tapatalk has been to paradise, but it's never been to me.

[LarryLong]

Sounds like a bit of a yank thing to me. Do these guys actually set up a meter on every tee?

Driver speed for me is anywhere between 95 and 105. Consistency isn't my strong point.

[dean0820]

idgolfguy; are you serious? can you actually measure a person's swing speed out on the course or practice range?
i have never been checked but am dying to know.
i feel like i swing really slow, but shaft fitting sites that equate yardage with speed tell me i'm high mid speed.
would love to take up some of your time one day and find out.

[Stuartd147]

Yes you can check your swing speed every shot if you wanted to with one of these...

http://www.rockbottomgolf.com/medicus-golf-power-meter-swing-analyzer.html

...and the best training tool I have bought is one of these...

http://www.rockbottomgolf.com/medicus-golf-460-dual-hinged-driver-training-aid.html

I dont use the monitor on the course just at the range every now and then. I practised with the hinged driver at home for a couple of weeks. I have had these for 3 months and they are handy, my driver speed has gone from 94mph to 106mph consistantly and I am more accurate (Especially since I bought the G15 with the Project X 5.5 shaft on this forum!!!). My mates take them too and use them. Interestingly our club captain came over to my place, he plays off 8 and hits the ball OK, and he was dubious about "gadgets" so I set him up. His thought his SS was 105-110 but was only about 94-97. When he used the Medicus driver and learned to slow his take away right down he got his SS up over 100+ every swing.

So, for me, they have worked. My old father in law used to tell me to take the driver away low and slow, but I never understood the benefit of it until now, and with the feedback the monitor gives you can measure the results instantly. The biggest improvement for me is slowing my take away. I took the monitor to the range yesterday and the range pro (he is +3 at Wollongong GC) was belting my new driver way over the 250m sign, his SS was 111-113mph...what a difference 5-7mph can make!

...Stu

[Grunt]

I think Jono has one. I remember using it at one of our Sydney Olympic Park Range Sessions years ago.

[BayBum]

Im faster than cory pavin so i must be pro.

Whilst i wouldnt mind knowing what it is (for the sane reason as Yoss pointed out),its not something i've ever worried about.

[Tongueboy]

double demerit points so be careful

[virge666]

Swing speed means SFA.

Ball speed is miles more important than swing speed. Who gives a shit how fast the club is going... I want to know how fast the ball is going.

No one worth their salt fits clubs on swing speed.

[TheTrueReview]

Swing speed means SFA.

Ball speed is miles more important than swing speed. Who gives a shit how fast the club is going... I want to know how fast the ball is going.

No one worth their salt fits clubs on swing speed.

Apologies if I've missed something here Virge but given your advice -> how do you determine if someone is suited to stiff or regular flex?

[Stuartd147]

Ball speed is miles more important than swing speed.

Agreed! But I would like to measure something to see how I am progressing in developing my swing - at home! I don't own a laser/launchy/computer thingy, I don't want to have to go to the range/course all the time and I want to be able to work on my swing at home by myself. I think if I work on my technique and speed, I figure can validate my progress and effect when a ball gets in the way of the clubface on the course or range...stu

[Hux]

Ball speed would be a product of swing speed and smash factor. The ball speed would be as a result of the amount of energy transferred by the clubhead at impact. Hitting a stationary object at 120mph with a feather would create less force than hitting the same ball at 100mph with a sledge hammer is my take on it.

[idgolfguy]

Ball speed would be a product of swing speed and smash factor. The ball speed would be as a result of the amount of energy transferred by the clubhead at impact. Hitting a stationary object at 120mph with a feather would create less force than hitting the same ball at 100mph with a sledge hammer is my take on it.

Force = mass x acceleration

Do the math.

[davepuppies]

ball speed depends a lot on the quality of the strike. a pro might hit it dead square with say a 100 MPH swing, will have a faster ball speed than one who swings it 110MPH but is not dead centre of driver.

I think this is called smash factor?

[Peppas]

Yes you can check your swing speed every shot if you wanted to with one of these...

http://www.rockbottomgolf.com/medicus-golf-power-meter-swing-analyzer.html

...and the best training tool I have bought is one of these...

http://www.rockbottomgolf.com/medicus-golf-460-dual-hinged-driver-training-aid.html

I dont use the monitor on the course just at the range every now and then. I practised with the hinged driver at home for a couple of weeks. I have had these for 3 months and they are handy, my driver speed has gone from 94mph to 106mph consistantly and I am more accurate (Especially since I bought the G15 with the Project X 5.5 shaft on this forum!!!). My mates take them too and use them. Interestingly our club captain came over to my place, he plays off 8 and hits the ball OK, and he was dubious about "gadgets" so I set him up. His thought his SS was 105-110 but was only about 94-97. When he used the Medicus driver and learned to slow his take away right down he got his SS up over 100+ every swing.

So, for me, they have worked. My old father in law used to tell me to take the driver away low and slow, but I never understood the benefit of it until now, and with the feedback the monitor gives you can measure the results instantly. The biggest improvement for me is slowing my take away. I took the monitor to the range yesterday and the range pro (he is +3 at Wollongong GC) was belting my new driver way over the 250m sign, his SS was 111-113mph...what a difference 5-7mph can make!

...Stu

How accurate is that monitor? You just attach it to your club??

[idgolfguy]

Smash factor is the ratio between ball speed and club head speed. Ultimate is around 1.73 or 1.76 I think.

Us amateurs get around 1.5 - 1.6. The odd ball that flies really is one of those with ultimate SF. That's the one we didn't know how we hit it.

[virge666]

Smash factor is the ratio between ball speed and club head speed. Ultimate is around 1.73 or 1.76 I think.

Us amateurs get around 1.5 - 1.6. The odd ball that flies really is one of those with ultimate SF. That's the one we didn't know how we hit it.


Yeah pretty much. Except for the numbers..

Most amateurs are lucky to get 1.2-1.25. The best I have seen is a touch under 1.6. The COR restraints sort of stop it getting any better. The difference explained on a forum is rather difficult but here goes.

- The golf club has two ends. Clubhead and the grip.
- The aim is to get both parts of the golf shaft working in the same direction, most of us choppers don't. We try and get the clubhead swinging fast at the expense of the grip end through impact. (using our hands for speed instead of our body and the angles in our arms for power and speed)
- You and I are hitting AT the ball instead of through the ball.
- What this means is that the body stops rotating, the shoulders stop and the hands flip over due to the inetia of the clubhead.
- The clubhead is still travelling quite fast, but there is no OOMPH behind it and the ball speed reflects this by not shooting off at 1.5 times the speed of the clubhead.

As a rule - people with good distance control and short-games usually have a better Smash factor than people who suck around the green, which is why working on your distance control really can help you long game markedly. The impact positions you get to with these shots translate to better impact positions with the longer stuff.

Ball speed can then be used to work out what kind of shaft to get someone... if you have a 120mph swing and the ball speed is only 150mph - you would put the player in a lighter stiff flex shaft with an stiff tip and softer butt section.

if you had a 100mph swing and ball speed of 150mph - you would go for a heavier shaft, softer tip and stiffer butt section.

And then it gets confusing...

Enjoy

[idgolfguy]

Thanks Virge, great explanation. I knew the numbers were wrong - based it on my numbers when I was working with Paul and the driver testing.

The numbers you quoted were spot on for my irons.

[virge666]

Thanks Virge, great explanation. I knew the numbers were wrong - based it on my numbers when I was working with Paul and the driver testing.

The numbers you quoted were spot on for my irons.

Ummm . . . Those numbers are for your driver...

With your driver . . .

If you are anything around 1.48-1.5, you are in Elite PGA Pro super status. 1.5 is considered perfect contact by TrackMan.

Your numbers above 1.5 are just not possible, it just aint going to happen. We had a long driver called Steve Kearney who registered a 1.56 on our Launchy with a 4.3 degree SMT driver. But for real clubs and real people - 1.5 is a pipe dream.

Seriously - anything around 1.42 is top level amateur and a dead set flusher.

[idgolfguy]

I'll try and find the stats that Paul gave me. Must have them written down somewhere.

Most likely, I have my numbers way off.

[BrettM]

Measured by the pro at Brisbane GC a few years ago at 120mph.

[rubin]

Sounds like a bit of a yank thing to me. Do these guys actually set up a meter on every tee?

Driver speed for me is anywhere between 95 and 105. Consistency isn't my strong point.


An Absolute Yank thing (personally I would consider emasuring it on every tee box a wank thing as well). The forum i was reading implied that either it was set up on ever tee, or was set up by the course/club on every box for play use.

Personally, Im with Virge, I want to know my ball speed more than anything else, the flight speed and spin speed as well. But, I want to know my swing speed when Im picking up some new sticks, otherwise some tool in a pro-shop will try to sell me soft graphite shafts, when I use/need stiff to extra stiff steels.

Obviously the spin speed is gong to be very dependant on the ball used, but is still helpful to know.

@StuartD147 the old low and slow trick is what ive been using since I started and is absolute gold. I was told by a pro (i'm not sure if this part is true) but it allows your body to get everything lined up and in position and you can then properly release through the ball.

@Idgolfguy: how do you work out the smash factor? I've never troubled myselt to find out what it is.....

[Iain]

Smash factor is ball speed divided by clubhead speed.

[goonie]

Swing speed means SFA.

Ball speed is miles more important than swing speed. Who gives a shit how fast the club is going... I want to know how fast the ball is going.

No one worth their salt fits clubs on swing speed.


Ball speed can then be used to work out what kind of shaft to get someone... if you have a 120mph swing and the ball speed is only 150mph - you would put the player in a lighter stiff flex shaft with an stiff tip and softer butt section.

if you had a 100mph swing and ball speed of 150mph - you would go for a heavier shaft, softer tip and stiffer butt section.

And then it gets confusing...

Enjoy

So you have changed your mind?, are you now saying that the best way to get fitted for shafts would be by using swing speed and ball speed? :-)

[virge666]

So you have changed your mind?, are you now saying that the best way to get fitted for shafts would be by using swing speed and ball speed? :-)

Well played. A bit right brain for me - but kudos.

Usually I look at the way a person turns through impact and ball speed. Also how close he gets his hands to his body on the downswing. And if I have something measuring ball speed - then I usually have swing speed as well.

[Daves]

When I had a demo fitting for the 910 D2 the launchie said my ball speed was 143 to 148, averaged about 145mph from memory. There was no swing speed reading on the screen, I guess they didn't need it. The last time I got my swing speed measured it was around mid 90s.

[Courty]

Also how close he gets his hands to his body on the downswing.

Interesting... care to explain this theory?

[virge666]

Interesting... care to explain this theory?

yeah mate - no problem.

Most choppers hit at the ball - so from the top of the swing they jam the hands as fast as they can directly at the ball. There is no pronation of the wrists with this action so the hands are close to the body on the downswing. They may have the widest takeaway in the world but the downswing is narrow as.

Then we have the "late hitters" - these guys stay closed with their hips, open with their shoulders and again jam down on the ball with as much angle as they can with their wrists. They usually pull the ball, or a big slice shot. Either way - it means the shaft never gets to load, so it doesn't really matter what you give them. I just keep asking which shaft feels the best and sell them that one.

A better players hands will be on the same arc on the way down as it was on the way up, or they will use their body to compensate in a couple of ways. The main thing is a better players body will keep moving and lead the club through impact. A lesser player will start the downswing with the body, then let the hands take over (bringing close to the body) and finally the body will follow the hands through impact to some kind of follow through.

It is all in that follow through... for a laugh compare your follow through to that of a top 50 PGA player, even Furyk if you like, what what your left arm does and compare it to anyone you like. if the body is leading, the left arm will fold. If the hands are leading - the left arm with chicken wing or the upper body will hang back.

Enjoy

[troyboy]

Driver 105mph not the best its going up atleast.

[Chris32]

Swing speed means SFA.

Ball speed is miles more important than swing speed. Who gives a shit how fast the club is going... I want to know how fast the ball is going.

No one worth their salt fits clubs on swing speed.


Too right Virge, because I come in off plane my ballspeed is no where near what it could be. I have a poor 'smash factor'