Handicap Vs Club Speed - Hank Haney Tweet - Page 2

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golfingdad 

take what Hank Haney spews on his Twitter account with a grain of salt.

This.... And then multiply it by 100.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stretch 

That's not an awful lot of data points ...

 

I have heard it said -- but have no direct evidence to back it up -- that the single best predictor of handicap (using the word as a proxy for general golfing ability) is how far your low point is in front of (or even, sadly, behind) the ball.

That is pretty much where I commit all my practice time over the winter. Hitting into a net and hoping I'm not grooving a big ol'slice-a-rama or duck hook swing!

I'll definitely play you off 16 for money!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golfingdad 

I'm no brain surgeon, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say better players tend to neither hook nor slice.  (There is no magic in the left rough that makes it better than the right rough)

 

The other conclusion I should draw from all this info is to take what Hank Haney spews on his Twitter account with a grain of salt.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beachcomber 

 

This.... And then multiply it by 100.

With all that salt, I find it's nice to keep a little tequila on hand as well.

Oh, and as someone who used to (knock on wood) slice it off the planet, I would argue that the left rough is actually pretty damn nice and quite a bit greener!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stretch 

I'll definitely play you off 16 for money!

Sadly, you"ll have to give me considerably more strokes than that

Sorry, was talking to our theoretical scratch mate Beachcomber. 

Phew!

What a great marketing ploy by Titleist!  By getting people to believe that their swing speed is tied in to the hc, they sell balls like the Velocity that claims to add distance.  A person that believes this chart then sees that commercial and "presto", the consumer has to by the Velocity.  I mean, that's the only way to lower the hc!

Tim Clark, the pro golfer from South Africa who almost won the Sony Open this year and in fact is a former Players Champion has a swing speed of just 104.  If that chart were true then he would not have been able to make a living for himself (a quite good one) on tour.

I LOVE charts, I really do, but it's charts like this that are based not on scoring statistics per se, but based on other factual elements of the game that I do not like.  Chances are that if you have a swing speed of 100mph or more then you better CAPABLE of playing better golf versus someone that has an 80mph.  There are always exceptions to the rule though.

Maybe it's me but since I started playing golf I am not buying into all the swing speed hype.  I am glad that I know mine but I would rather be more consistent than add 17 yards of distance as sworn to me by a manufacturer if I buy their new driver.  Distance is important in my opinion, but only from the standpoint of consistency.  It would be interesting to see that same chart used to make a new chart and I'm guessing that it would go like this:  the higher swing speed = longer drives/distances, but it also equals less fairways in regulation for amateurs.

My guess is that the data behind it is avg SS by HC.  So the Avg scratch golfer has a SS around 100mph.  It probably does not mean that the avg HC of players with 100 SS is scratch.

There's also only 24 data points.

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnny_14424 

Guys, now that I had time to think about the graph; all it says is there is a strong relationship between swing speed and handicap. Correlation does not prove cause and effect.

This.

What does a high swing speed suggest?...that you probably have good mechanics. 

What does a low handicap suggest?...that you probably have good mechanics.

I think the graphic is probably pretty accurate. It's not a condemnation of anything - technique will improve speed too. The better you get, the lower your handicap gets, the faster you'll tend to swing the clubhead with the same build and muscles and whatnot.

Plus, higher handicappers tend to be older or younger folks, too, and that skews things a bit (by younger I mean not the 18 year olds that can PLAY and hit the ball 290).

So the chart isn't saying this will be your BEST handicap, but that's still a bit of a factor. If you swing 90 and want to be a 2, you'd better be PHENOMENAL at ball striking and your short game and putting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsc123 

My guess is that the data behind it is avg SS by HC.  So the Avg scratch golfer has a SS around 100mph.  It probably does not mean that the avg HC of players with 100 SS is scratch.

That post shows a lack of understanding how charts like this really work. :) Especially with only 24 dots or whatever.

This data is not Hank Haney research, it is data from TrackMan.  Regardless of your opinion of Mr. Haney, there is a direct correlation between club head speed and handicap or scoring average.  There are "outliners", but in general the best players have the highest club head speed.  Club head speed and distance are an advantage!

Quote:

Originally Posted by MyrtleBeachGolf 


I've been trying for 15 minutes to even comprehend this post?

It literally makes zero sense.

Someone please explain to me how a simple graph showing a correlation between a players swing speed and his handicap has ANYTHING to do with selling Titleist Velocity golf balls, and I will promptly reward you with as many 'skins' as the site allows me to award to a single post?

Nothing in this graph, in any way, directly or indirectly makes any suggestion about buying a certain golf ball.

This graph isn't about driving distance vs handicap
This graph isn't about ball compression.

I just can't figure out how swing speed vs handicap relates to a golf ball at all?

I currently play the Titleist Velocity after switching from the Callaway Tour and trying the ProV1. Guess what, playing the Velocity isn't going to make me swing any harder. And reading this graph doesn't somehow validate my choice of the Velocity.

What in this graph of Swing Speed vs Handicap says anything about a choice of golf ball?

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkling8 

 

It obvious (from the chart) that swing speed correlates with low HC. Also, I imagine that swing speed correlates with distance. So, distance correlates with a low handicap.

 

His claim (which I'm not saying I agree with) is that Titleist is using this as a marketing strategy to get higher handicaps to buy their "distance ball", because distance correlates with a low handicap.

I think he must be incorrectly assuming that since OP has a Titleist logo as his avatar that he must be from the company.  (Not too far fetched, considering the other "jumps to conclusions" he made that Myrtle pointed out above)