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What's your handicap and driver swing speed / distance?


BKN1964

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TL/DR: Please post your handicap index, and your driver swing speed and/or carry distance.

 

A link to this article http://www.swingmang...-speed-chart-2/ was posted yesterday in another thread.

 

I'm 53. My driver swing speed is ~90 mph and my carry distances correlate to the distances in this article http://www.golfwrx.c...ng-speed-chart/ . I'm currently a 20 index.

 

The chart in the first article "Handicap VS Average Driver Club Speed", correlates a 90 mph driver swing speed with ~16 handicap. After seeing the data I thought "My swing speed and carry distances are going to limit me to being around a 16 index or so." However, I know that a lot of this data is the average for ALL golfers, which skews things. Also, my boss is a 4 index and carries his driver around 225 yards (he's 1 year older than me). Also to keep in mind: The article referenced is selling swing speed training, so I'd expect them to spin their information around making your slow swing speed seem more limiting than it really is.

 

So I'm curious: What's are some "realistic" handicap potentials for various swing speeds based on the participants in this forum?

 

Added after seeing 4 replies:

 

Based on the replies so far, I sat down and thought about my scoring potential on my home course given where my tee shots normally end up. The course is rated 69.9 / 126.

 

My criteria for determining my scoring potential was based on my distance for my approach shot vs. 150 yards: If my approach shot is 140 or less, I have a good potential to make par most times. 160 yards or more I'm more likely to bogey. Right around 150 yards can go either way.

 

Based on the above, my "likely" scores if I play well range from 73 to 78, which indicate an index range of 2.7 to 7.8 if my calculations are correct.

 

Does this sound reasonable as a basis for setting a handicap goal based on my swing speed, which seems to be my limiting factor?

 

Edited 10/18/18 (post #76)

 

Let’s take a few minutes to regroup.

 

Several people have commented that increasing your swing speed will give you the potential for a lower handicap. I don’t think many people would argue that a higher swing speed, and therefore the ability to hit the ball farther, wouldn’t give you that potential.

 

However, that’s almost the opposite of what this thread is about. I have to believe there are plenty of golfers like me; people who have slow swing speeds and high handicaps and spend the majority of their practice time trying to significantly increase their swing speeds in the belief that it’s the key to getting their handicaps down, but continue for years with high handicaps and never make any progress.

 

In the responses so far we’ve seen what I was hoping to see; numerous golfers with relatively slow swing speeds and handicap indexes that I would be very happy to own. This “proves” to me what many on this forum have been saying, which is that most of us would be better off working on learning to score rather than trying to hit the ball farther. I recall Monte Scheinblum commenting in a thread that he’s seen a lot of good swings ruined in the pursuit of more distance.

 

I’ve plotted the responses so far (hey, I’m an analyst, that’s what I do!). While the trendline definitely correlates higher swing speeds to lower indexes, we can see that there are plenty of golfers with sub-100 MPH swing speeds carrying indexes in the single digits. A few of these are even down below 90 MPH.

 

This tells me that if we (slow-swingers) start spending a lot more time learning to score instead of trying to swing significantly faster (full swings focused on accuracy instead of speed/distance, dialed in short-game, etc.), we have a decent chance of shooting significantly better scores, even with our slow swing speeds.

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I'm older, under 100 mph swing speed, 6.7 (it'll be back up around 8 I'm sure by end of next spring, lol). Know guys older than me, same or less swing speed who have much lower handicaps, know younger guys with much faster swing speeds who have higher handicaps. My daughter's boyfriend is easily above 100, young and strong and lucky to break 95, lol.

 

Just don't think I'd put a lot of stock in how well anyone plays or potential based off swing speed, nor should you.

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Agreed. Ive got a friend who, though young, just doesn't swing his D fast at all - 94, maybe; he plays off 5 when he is playing often. I swing 112/113 when warm on Trackman; more like 116 on GC Quad these days and that's slower than I did when I first started playing again a few years ago and he has to give me shots. I would say that you probably need low 100s to threaten the course rating from beyond 6800 yards.

Oh, and contact really matters! I can bleed 40 yds in carry to a bad heel strike, but it is a population wide correlation that probably holds up decently well.

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Added to the original post after the replies so far:

 

Based on the replies so far, I sat down and thought about my scoring potential on my home course given where my tee shots normally end up. The course is rated 69.9 / 126.

 

My criteria for determining my scoring potential was based on my distance for my approach shot vs. 150 yards: If my approach shot is 140 or less, I have a good potential to make par most times. 160 yards or more I'm more likely to bogey. Right around 150 yards can go either way.

 

Based on the above, my "likely" scores if I play well range from 73 to 78, which indicate an index range of 2.7 to 7.8 if my calculations are correct.

 

Does this sound reasonable as a basis for setting a handicap goal based on my swing speed, which seems to be my limiting factor?

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51 years old

Index is 0 to +2

Driver swing speed 97 - 99

Carry 225 - 235

Total 245 - 255

PING G400 Max - Atmos Tour Spec Red - 65s
Titleist TSi2 16.5* 4w - Tensei Blue - 65s

Titleist TSi2 3H (18*), 4H (21*) - Tensei Blue 65s
Adams Idea Tech V4 5H, 6H, 7H ProLaunch Blue 75 HY x-stiff
Titleist AP2 716 8i 37* KBS Tour S; Titleist AP2 716 9i 42* KBS Tour S
Cleveland RTX-4 mid-bounce 46* DG s400
Cleveland RTX-4 mid-bounce 50* DG s400
Cleveland RTX-4 full-sole 56* DG s400
Cleveland RTX-4 low-bounce 60* DG s400
PING Sigma 2 Valor 400 Counter-Balanced, 38"

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Age - 37

 

Swing speed is 95-100 mph, typical driver is carry 238 and then total distance depends on course.

 

Handicap - 4.3

Driver: Titleist Tsi3 w/HZRDUS Smoke Yellow TX 6.0 
3 Wood: Cobra King Speedzone/HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 70

5 Wood: Callaway Mavrik Subzero/Aldila Rogue White 70
Long Irons (4-6): Wilson D7 Forged/DG120TI
Short Irons (7-P): Wilson Staff Model Blade/DG120TI

Wedges (50/54/58): Callaway Jaws MD5 w/TI S200
Putter: Original Odyssey White Hot XG No. 7
Ball: Titleist Left Dash

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Age 59

Swing speed 95

Carry on a good drive 240 (though rare) average 220.

HCI is 13.5 that plays out to 15 strokes on my home course.

Driver: Callaway Paradym 9 set to 10 Draw

3W Callaway  Epic Flash

5w Callaway Epic Flash
Hybrids: 4-5 Epic Flash    
               6-7 Big Bertha 

               7 Ping G430 played as an 8 

Irons: PXG Gen4 XP 9-GW

Wedges: PXG 0311 52 56 degree Forged

Putter: Odyssey Rossie Pro 2.0 

 

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Op imho you’re looking at this wrong. You seem to think that your distance is capped and will limit your potential. First as you can see plenty of low caps that don’t hit it a mile.

 

Two as a 20 I’m assuming you’re swing has plenty of room for improvement. As your swing improves you’re likely to hit it further do to improvement in strike, and increased swing speed from better mechanics.

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Age 30

Swing speed average 106

Carry 265-270

HC 14.4

 

For me after analyzing some rounds, I could easily be a 9-10 cap if I just putted better. Not improving accuracy.. chipping... anything but purely making a few more easy putts.

 

It's to the point where I may actually stop working on my swing and just spend 20-30 minutes everyday on the practice green.

 

 

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Age 30

Swing speed average 106

Carry 265-270

HC 14.4

 

For me after analyzing some rounds, I could easily be a 9-10 cap if I just putted better. Not improving accuracy.. chipping... anything but purely making a few more easy putts.

 

It's to the point where I may actually stop working on my swing and just spend 20-30 minutes everyday on the practice green.

 

I here ya man! I averaged 34.5 putts this season, if I can get that down to 30.5 next year I’m at 4.3. Putting is my main focus for practice from here on out.

910D2 9.5*- RIP Alpha 70x
910f 17*- Diamana D+ 82x
910h 20* Hybrid - S400
712 CB 4i-Pw - S300
SM5 51*, 55*- S300
TVD 59* M - S300
Studio Select NP2

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Age: ????

 

Stroke Average: 70.41 (3 Most Frequent Slope and Course Ratings I will play, course number one and two are the same just one is the back tees the other is the BACK tees and course three is my work club); 1. 77.9/155 2. 74.5/142 3. 70.0/131)

 

Swing Speed: 112 Average (Per Last Trackman Session)

 

Average Carry Distance: 282.0 (Per Last Trackman Session

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I'm older, under 100 mph swing speed, 6.7 (it'll be back up around 8 I'm sure by end of next spring, lol). Know guys older than me, same or less swing speed who have much lower handicaps, know younger guys with much faster swing speeds who have higher handicaps. My daughter's boyfriend is easily above 100, young and strong and lucky to break 95, lol.

 

Just don't think I'd put a lot of stock in how well anyone plays or potential based off swing speed, nor should you.

 

I think I'm looking at it just the opposite. I think we all know that a high swing speed doesn't automatically result in a lower handicap. Sounds like quite a few people here have what I would consider very good handicaps with modest swing speeds, which is what I was attempting to discover with this thread.

 

 

Op imho you're looking at this wrong. You seem to think that your distance is capped and will limit your potential. First as you can see plenty of low caps that don't hit it a mile.

 

Two as a 20 I'm assuming you're swing has plenty of room for improvement. As your swing improves you're likely to hit it further do to improvement in strike, and increased swing speed from better mechanics.

 

I don't doubt that my swing could improve. However, based on most of what I've read so far, I can make a LOT of progress by spending

less time trying to gain more speed, and more time focusing on a) improving my driver accuracy at my current swing speed, and b) improving my ability to score from 150 yards and in. Sounds like a few others could as well.

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