Driver swing speed vs. irons

[SoundandFury]

Saw my swing speed the other day while I was looking at some used drivers, and I feel like my driver swing speed is disproportionate to to my irons. Never had iron speed measured, but my 150 club is my 9i, and a hard 6i can roll out past 190. My driver swing speed is around 95-97 when I'm warmed up and swinging hard. I can get to 101ish, but I'm swinging out of my shoes and god knows where the ball end up (though that's sort of the case when I pull the driver in general).

Does this sound right? If not, any recs on increasing driver swing speed?

[jbishop15]

Driver speed is typically faster, or at least that's what I've always come across.

Looking at the pros, you rarely see them rip at an iron like they do a wood or driver.

[SoundandFury]

Originally Posted by jbishop15

Driver speed is typically faster, or at least that's what I've always come across.

Looking at the pros, you rarely see them rip at an iron like they do a wood or driver.

I get that.  What I'm saying is that if I hit my 9i 150+, I would think I'd be able to hit my driver a little harder than mid 90's mph.

[04v8s4]

Yes...this does seem a little low. My 9i goes about 140-145 and my driver SS is 103-105 with a nice agressive swing. As you mentioned....i can swing a few mph faster but the control and balance go out the window.

[14ledo81]

Take a video of your swing.  If you have decent forward shaft lean with your irons, that could be why you are hitting them farther in proportion to your driver.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by SoundandFury

I get that.  What I'm saying is that if I hit my 9i 150+, I would think I'd be able to hit my driver a little harder than mid 90's mph.

I would agree.  My driver SS is 107-108 and my 9 iron distance is 150 max .  Obviously there are a lot of other variables, but I would guess somebody who could hit a 9 iron that far could swing a driver a little faster than 96 mph.  Somethin's fishy.

Where's you get that measured?

[SoundandFury]

Golfsmith.  Same machine that told me I striping a 9* R11s 285 down the middle of the fairway (I wasn't, and I can't).

My driver distance is probably 240-245 average, with the occasional 260 in there when the stars align.

[Parker0065]

Originally Posted by SoundandFury

Golfsmith.  Same machine that told me I striping a 9* R11s 285 down the middle of the fairway (I wasn't, and I can't).

My driver distance is probably 240-245 average, with the occasional 260 in there when the stars align.

LOL, your response made me laugh!

We have a Golf Galaxy in my area that produce screwy numbers in their hitting bay. I can go anywhere else in town and get numbers that make sense and match what I do on the course, so first off I wouldn't put a lot of faith in some of the big box pro shop numbers.

But either way your numbers you stated you see on the course seem way off, 150yd 9-iron, and a 240yd drive. It could be a number of things from an equipment problem with your Driver, a swing problem with how you hit the Driver, or your distance calculations may be less than accurate, or a combination of all of the above. You might want to think of finding a reputable Pro and sign up for a "Driver Fitting"! It's usually around $50 but may save you some hassle in the long run whether you need a new driver or need to fix your swing.

[Mozgolf]

My driver, 95 ss, buts me at about 125 yards with a 9 iron. Sure I can hit it 150 if I want to, but in which direction I would never know.

[dennyjones]

At Christmas time I went thru a fitting at Carl's Golf in Michigan and my driver swing speed was 88 mph with my 7 iron 77 mph.   I know that is slow by I'm wondering if the driver speed is usually faster than the iron swing speed.

[Crusher47]

I just went through this at Golfsmith last weekend, my Driver speed was between 90-95mph and 7 iron speed between 72-78mph.  The driver is much lighter so it will be faster, but I figured they would be closer in speed since the iron is heavier and will give more momentum, but apparently not.  I'm lucky to get 200-220 yards with the driver, but during yesterday's round, using the cart GPS unit, I actually hit a 260 yard drive, which was really cool.   My 7 iron normally only gets me 130-150 yards depending on how well I get contact and don't make stupid mistakes like topping the ball or looking up and hit it off the toe and into the water hazard like I did yesterday as well.

[Mr. Desmond]

We're assuming normality here. Several things can influence speed - technique, relaxation or tension in body and arms, attempting to control instead of letting it go... If I was the OP, I'd post a swing video, and/or jump on an LM with his driver and 9i and see what happens, hitting one, then the other.

[bjwestner]

Originally Posted by SoundandFury

Saw my swing speed the other day while I was looking at some used drivers, and I feel like my driver swing speed is disproportionate to to my irons. Never had iron speed measured, but my 150 club is my 9i, and a hard 6i can roll out past 190. My driver swing speed is around 95-97 when I'm warmed up and swinging hard. I can get to 101ish, but I'm swinging out of my shoes and god knows where the ball end up (though that's sort of the case when I pull the driver in general).

Does this sound right? If not, any recs on increasing driver swing speed?

In my opinion, this does not sound right.  My swing speed with my driver is right around 100mph.  In normal conditions (i.e. at least 60 degrees outside), my drives average 250 plus.  In those same conditions, if I swung as hard as I could with a good lie and maybe some wind help, only then could I get my 9i to 150.  You say that this is average for you (this is great and I am jealous).

This sounds to me like a ball striking issue and not so much a swing speed issue.  If I were you, I would approach this as making sure that you have the right driver/shaft to maximize the ss that you already have.  It says that you are an 18hc, if this is accurate, then why is this the case?  You are hitting your irons pretty far (many people including myself would love to hit a 6i up to 190 consistently).

How far are you averaging with your driver?  How many FIR are you averaging per round?