Watching the pro’s play live or on TV, it seems like they are swinging the club at a ridiculous speed when compared to the average player down at your local course.
So how fast is the average clubhead speed of a pro golfer? We’ve looked at this and will also provide tips to help you increase your own clubhead speed!
Table of Contents
- Average Club Head Speed for Pro Golfers
- Increasing Your Club Head Speed
- Fast Swing, Fast Equipment
- The Takeaway…What is the Average Clubhead Speed of A Pro Golfer?
Average Club Head Speed for Pro Golfers
In golf, clubhead speed is directly proportional to distance. With this in mind, it is not surprising that pro golfers – especially the big hitters – can swing the club at speeds much higher than amateurs.
Average Club Head Speed on Tour
The PGA Tour is where the best golfers in the world compete weekly to prove themselves as the top players in the world. Being at the top of any statistic list on the PGA Tour is impressive, especially when it is something as crucial as clubhead speed.
The PGA Tour has a statistics section online which is updated after every tournament. At the time of writing, Cameron Champ has the fastest average clubhead speed at 126.98mph, which is hard to comprehend when you consider the normal male amateur golfer swings with an average speed of 93.4mph.
Across the board, the average swing speed on the PGA Tour is 113mph with a driver compared to 94mph on the LPGA Tour.
While it’s not one of the leading tours, the World Long Drive Championship showcases the world’s longest hitters. While the average on the PGA Tour sits around 113mph, the average clubhead speed for a world long drive competitor is a colossal 150mph plus!
Fastest Swing on Tour
Coming from 2019 into the 2020 season, Bryson DeChambeau has gained some notoriety as the biggest hitter on the PGA Tour. His success is down to an intense offseason training plan which saw him gain 40 pounds since September – all of which seems to be muscle.
This new, bigger and improved Bryson is smashing driving records this season. He currently holds the fastest swing speed on tour with a recorded 137.14mph. Not only does he have one of the fastest swings on tour, but he also has the highest driving average with a massive 324 yards.
Despite him crushing the ball off the tee this season, DeChambeau doesn’t get close to the fastest swing on record. During the 2012 World Long Drive Championship, Ryan Winther set the world record with an incredible 167mph clubhead speed.
Not only this, but he also set the world record for ball speed with this swing at 227.6mph.
Increasing Your Club Head Speed
If you’re looking to increase your driving distance, increasing your clubhead speed is an essential step towards this.
How Fast Should Your Swing Be?
Before you look at increasing your clubhead speed, you need to know where you’re starting and what you should be aiming for.
Trackman is a leading manufacturer of golf radar systems used to analyze every part of your shot. Trackman’s reputation and experience make them an ideal and reliable source of information when it comes to statistics for average golfers.
According to the USGA (United States Golf Association), the average male handicap is 14-15 in the US. For this handicap range, Trackman has stated the average clubhead speed is 93.4mph.
Trackman has also given a figure of 78mph as the average clubhead speed off the tee for female amateur golfers.
Now that we know what speed to aim for, it’s time to work towards achieving or surpassing these speeds!
Get in the Gym
The first place to start increasing your swing speed is training to improve your physical strength. Weight training is only beneficial to your game if you train the correct muscle groups.
While many assume that the main requirements for a quick swing and long drive are big chest and biceps, you need to focus on your core, hips, and forearms instead to support your faster swing.
There are many benefits provided by strength training for golfers. Here are a few exercises which can help improve your swing speed:
Core:
- Planks
- Russian Twists
- Side Planks (Also helps with hips!)
Hips:
- Squats (In Any Form)
- Romanian Deadlifts
- Lunges
Forearms:
- Cable Rows
- Pullups/Deadhangs
- Spring Grip Trainers
Strength is no good without the flexibility which you will need to swing effectively. There are many ways to promote flexibility.
For example, always remember to stretch before and after every workout and before every round of golf or practice session. Taking up yoga can make a massive difference to your flexibility while also promoting additional strength in areas that, during regular weight training routines, are typically overlooked.
Tiger Woods has sworn by Pilates for years; this is another regular exercise that can help your game.
Swing Big for Speed
Looking at your swing itself, there are a couple of tweaks that can be made to help speed it up by making it bigger. Firstly, look at extending your lead arm on your backswing.
Extending your lead arm will increase the arc of your swing, increasing the clubhead speed due to the distance traveled by the head relative to your body.
As you begin your downswing, you need to extend your back arm to continue that big arcing swing as you make contact with the ball.
Setup for Success
Stability is a big issue when you start to swing the club faster. Consider starting with your feet slightly further apart than usual to create a more stable base. If you are having issues with weight transfer from the point of contact to your follow-through, flare your front foot out towards the target.
Pointing your front toe towards the target rather than straight will allow you to swing through easier and complete your swing efficiently. Concentrate on keeping your posture upright and tight, as swinging faster will make it easier for things to come loose and cause havoc for your game.
Now that you have the fundamentals there to increase your swing speed, it’s time to hit the range or course to get the practice in! But remember, when practicing at the range, there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about it.
Here are four key tips for practicing at the driving range.
Weighted clubs can also be an excellent investment as a training aid for speed. Use them to practice your swing and train it for speed or to warm up before your round or range session.
Fast Swing, Fast Equipment
Once you start to swing faster, you need to make sure you are using the correct equipment for your swing speed.
Your club reacts very differently once you start to swing faster. The main point of focus here is your shaft flex.
For slower swings under 80mph (based on a 6-iron), a regular flex will work fine. Over this and up to around 92mph, you should consider switching to a stiff shaft.
If you are swinging a 6-iron over 92mph, you should look at Extra-Stiff shafts.
The best thing to do here is to get a custom club fitting with your local pro shop or golf store. Personally, a custom club fitting slashed my handicap by 7 points over the first season with my new clubs!
I was using a set of clubs with regular flex shafts. My swing speed measured up around 92-95mph, so I was set up with a custom fit set of stiff shafted irons. The difference in not only distance but accuracy and control was fantastic!
After seeing the difference made by the stiff shafts on my irons, I promptly changed out my fairway woods and driver for stiff shafts too.
Since making the switch over five years ago, I have gotten down to and maintained a handicap 10 points under my previous plateau I was stuck at after being limited by incorrect clubs!
The Takeaway…What is the Average Clubhead Speed of A Pro Golfer?
The professional golfers we see on television each week make their swings look effortless. They regularly hit average speeds of 113mph with some even reaching speeds over 135mph!
If you want to improve your clubhead speed, then there are a few areas where you can concentrate. For example, you could consider strength training to increase your core, hip, and forearm strength. When training or playing, remember to stretch to aid flexibility to help use your increased power.
Consider taking up yoga or pilates to increase your flexibility further. While there are several exercises to help improve your strength, look at investing in a weighted club to train your swing for extra power, and they also make a fantastic tool for warming up before your practice or round.
Concentrate on keeping your posture correct through your swing, not letting the faster movement throw you off balance or loosen off. Ensure you are extending your arms properly to make a bigger swing arc and widen your stance if you need a more stable base.
If you don’t know your swing speed and are curious, look for a range with radar systems set up or book a session with your local pro shop. It is a worthwhile investment to get the correct clubs for your swing, especially if you are serious about improving your game!
Having the right shaft on your clubs can make or break your rounds.
I hope that this has helped to understand the importance of clubhead speed and you can improve your own!
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