Clubhead Speed... What's Yours?

[mutadayen]

That's a good point. Granted, there are some on the tour who are shorter but can still produce high speed (Camillo V. comes to mind), but generally the bigger guys can produce higher speed because of their extra length (Bubba Watson, John Daly, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, JB Holmes, etc). I remember an interview with Tiger woods saying that if Michael Jordan was a ••••••••er and had his mechanics down during his athletic hey-days, he'd be afraid to see how far he could hit because of this extra length and agility. That's a good point...not a determining factor of course, but a good point...

[Hustle]

I think we need to make room for the fact that Tiger is at least 6-2 with long arms, alot of the top touring pros are big men. They can create huge arcs in their swings most 5-7 to 6 foot golfers cannot create.

Exactly, that is why you do not see midgets playing on the PGA... This is a big man's game. If you are under 6 foot you should give tennis a try...

[iacas]

I think we need to make room for the fact that Tiger is at least 6-2 with long arms, alot of the top touring pros are big men. They can create huge arcs in their swings most 5-7 to 6 foot golfers cannot create.

Tiger's not 6'2", nor is Phil the 215 or whatever he lists in the media guide. Editing of height/weight has gone on as long as there have been media guides. 6' even is a good guess, maybe even 5'11.5".

Anyway, he's not 5'8" like the average U.S. male or whatever average is. And his "80%" is more an approximation than anything else. He routinely swings at about 120 in tournament rounds, and I think getting 20 MPH more would be something I'm not even sure he'd try - he might fear injuring himself. Most of the long-drive guys, IIRC, swing about 135-140. I think I remember them saying that if they swung any faster, the balls deform too much to fly as far or something.

[larlev]

I thought that the SS is at it's highest just before impact and after impact...the whipping motion through the ball. Why would it matter how tall you are?

[iacas]

I thought that the SS is at it's highest just before impact and after impact...the whipping motion through the ball. Why would it matter how tall you are?

Imagine you're sitting in a bucket attached to a rod that we can extend from 1 foot radius to, say, a 100 foot radius.

If we tell you we're going spin you around in your bucket at 1 RPM, would you rather we set the radius at 1 foot or 100 feet? Which do you think will be going faster? That's why height can matter. Not as much as in my example, of course, but it matters a little.

[BASHERBAKER69]

My swing speed is 95-105 mph, im 5 ft 9 and weigh 12 stone. On a good day i can hit it 290 yards. Someone else can do the number work here. Is that feasible from a physics point of view?

[Hustle]

My swing speed is 95-105 mph, im 5 ft 9 and weigh 12 stone. On a good day i can hit it 290 yards. Someone else can do the number work here. Is that feasible from a physics point of view?

Yes, from a physics standpoint hitting it 290 yards at your size and swing speed is very possible. But to know for sure, I would need to know exactly how far your first shot went, before teeing it up again and getting it out there to 290...

jk

[Fletch09]

And his "80%" is more an approximation than anything else. He routinely swings at about 120 in tournament rounds, and I think getting 20 MPH more would be something I'm not even sure he'd try - he might fear injuring himself.

This is the truth on Tiger's swing speed. I have no idea what CBS is trying to pull with that video from the Buick. Tiger does NOT swing the driver 139. Check it out the next time he plays on the Golf Channel. They'll have the doppler measure him with the driver.

The long drive guys swing 135-140 but they are swinging 50 inch clubs. 5 inches adds approx 10 mph to your club head speed.

[larlev]

Imagine you're sitting in a bucket attached to a rod that we can extend from 1 foot radius to, say, a 100 foot radius.

The 1 footer will be going faster...less distance to travel.

Just like a smaller tire will rotate faster than a big tire.... Wouldn't the smaller guy normally be using a shorter shaft...so it would all be relative...wouldn't it?

[iacas]

The 1 footer will be going faster...less distance to travel.

I'll chalk this up as a massive brain fart... You're wrong on the first one and on the second you've changed the situation...

Wouldn't the smaller guy normally be using a shorter shaft...so it would all be relative...wouldn't it?

No, most of them use drivers the same length. 44 to 45" is standard, on Tour and on shelves.

[Brokecollegestudent]

139... are you sure you're not thinking of your ball speed... 139 clubhead is a pretty outlandish claim... not saying it is untrue... it just takes one hell of an athlete to accomplish such speed.

how the hell do you guys do that quote thing?? <-- didnt realize there was a "quote" button below the post, hahahahaha. wow get a clue.

Anyway, yea it said 139. It was basically a baseball swing though. I played baseball for 20 years, and was always a tape measure homerun hitter. I know i couldnt believe and i started thinking about my chances as a long drive contestant, but never went after it. I dont swing that hard anymore, and i could only swing that hard MAYBE 5-8 times without causing some injury, haha. So no, i wouldnt take that swing to the course, but i would take it to a show-off contest at the simulator.

[larlev]

I'll chalk this up as a massive brain fart... You're wrong on the first one and on the second you've changed the situation...

OK hold on...your saying a bucket is attached 1' from a center hub, and also at 100' from a center hub going 1rpm. If I am describing this correctly the 1' bucket will be traveling faster.....or should I say it will make more revolutions.

And actually more and more drivers are now 46"

[iacas]

OK hold on...your saying a bucket is attached 1' from a center hub, and also at 100' from a center hub going 1rpm. If I am describing this correctly the 1' bucket will be traveling faster.....or should I say it will make more revolutions.

I guess it wasn't actually a brain fart...

Two buckets going 1 RPM are going to make the same exact number of revolutions - it's right there in the definition. The one with the larger radius will have to travel further in the same amount of time and will, thus, be traveling faster. Like... 628 feet per second (versus only 6.28 feet per second for the 1' bucket). Taller players tend to have longer arms and a larger radius from their spine to the clubhead, and gain a few miles an hour (tops) in clubhead speed because of their height if they can swing, rotationally, at the same speed. That of course assumes everything else is equal - the lag they achieve, etc. So, height is an "advantage," but a small one.

And actually more and more drivers are now 46"

Not on the PGA Tour, no.

[Pat007]

I'm 5ft 8 and 155lbs and had a swing speed of 105MPH. I got fitted for a G10 driver with a ProLaunch Red shaft and my swing speed is up to 108 MPH due to shaft flex according to the launch monitor. I love physics!

[DavidFehertysBike]

Tiger's not 6'2", nor is Phil the 215 or whatever he lists in the media guide. Editing of height/weight has gone on as long as there have been media guides. 6' even is a good guess, maybe even 5'11.5".

Tiger cannot be 5'11 or 6 foot. Im 5-11 180 and he looks as if he is considerably bigger man than I am. I checked out the pga site and he is listed at 6'1 185, and I find that even hard to belive.

[Dent]

That is a hell of a range. Something's not right there.

I never really did average there, I did my slowest to my fastest.

[Kltdefer]

Tiger cannot be 5'11 or 6 foot. Im 5-11 180 and he looks as if he is considerably bigger man than I am. I checked out the pga site and he is listed at 6'1 185, and I find that even hard to belive.

It must be what he was in 1997. I guessing he has put on at least 20 pounds of muscle in the past few years.

As far as clubhead speed, it's been too many years but it's about 110 or so.

[JaY_B]

Did someone imply earlier that golf smith swing simulators were accurate

The problem with this topic, is that despite the obvious fact being very few people swing the club head 110 mph + No one is willing to listen, Tiger swings it in the 120's, he works out and swings it as well as anyone, yet people on this forum claim to swing it faster than him