swing speed

[wildcorndog]

I checked my swing speed the other day and it was anywhere from 85 to 88mph... Realisticly where should i want it to be.... A few of my buddies checked theirs, their speed was closer to 95mph. I guess I don't get it because we all hit it about the same distance off the tee box.

[senorchipotle]

I checked my swing speed the other day and it was anywhere from 85 to 88mph... Realisticly where should i want it to be.... A few of my buddies checked theirs, their speed was closer to 95mph. I guess I don't get it because we all hit it about the same distance off the tee box.

i'm going to go out on a limb and guess you're talking about your driver. your swing speed should be where it's within your comfort zone and will ensure that you keep your mechanics, hit the ball in the sweet spot, and ultimately put the ball in the fairway.

there are a few reasons why you might be hitting as far as them with a lower speed: equipment, point of contact on the face, and trajectory. technology can give you an edge over someone with older clubs. as far as hitting it in the sweet spot, this is the most important factor of all. i too was on the launch monitor yesterday hitting the new nike VR. i hit one drive 326 with a ss of 116, then my next shot i hit 296 with a ss of 118. the difference was 30 yards, just because i hit it lower on the face. as far as ss goes, there's no point in swinging as hard as you can if you're out of control. i know that around 115 i can hit the ball well and put it in the fairway(most of the time). i can swing faster, but then my swing breaks down and i usually end up out of balance in my backswing and hit the ball on the very bottom of the face, which is counterproductive. in fact, i did it this weekend trying to drive a 340 yard hole. quite embarrassing. depending on your size, strength, and flexibility your ss will vary. but mostly it's all about developing a feel, and trying to duplicate it, like every other golf shot. i start my hips and turn them as hard as i can, and pull my hands on a direct line at the ball keeping my angle intact between my shaft and arm. my feel i want is to hit the ball with my right shoulder, i want to take all the energy i stored up on the backswing and release it into the ball with all the right side of my torso like i'm hitting a low curveball, or better yet driving in a nail with a long skinny sledgehammer. don't forget to keep your weight back and head behind the ball. that is all.

[Randy4h]

Everyone should want their swing speed to be the maximum it can be WITH CONTROL. It does no good to try to overswing just to match your buddies. If golf was only about distance, there wouldn't be the need for scorecards.

You should feel good that you are getting more out of your swing than your buddies. It could be that your driver fits your swing better than theirs, or you are hitting more on the sweet spot than them, or the ball you are using suits you better. Play your game, not theirs.

[Fatphil]

swing speed is interesting but the smash is more important (ball speed divided by ss), the higher the number the more solid the strike. (duh). I learned golf in the '70's when Jack was saying "hit it as hard as you can" that screwed me up for years. Had to start from scratch with the only thoughts of: swing plane, square blade, and impact...didn't care if my ss was 70 mph, just wanted to make a solid hit.

My ss is now in the mid 90's...I carry it 240 maybe a bit more on a good day...I play 6500 yard tracks (not 7300)...and I'm a much happier golfer.

[DavidFehertysBike]

I agree with the jist of what others have said. 90mph in the center of the face is better than 110 off-center. Thats why so many advocate swinging at 70-75% to make sure you get that good contact. I could probably swing my driver upwards of 115 if i wanted to, but i just would have to deal with the fact id have no idea where that ball is going to end up. Instead i keep it around 105 and get above average distance of about 270-280. And i can control it which is even better.

[jamo]

My swing speed is normally 105-110 MPH, but I can get it up to 115-120, it is just much harder to control, and my swing becomes excedingly long. Keep in mind these numbers could be off, the speed things at my local golf store can be very wrong.