How hard do you swing?

[Dan Drake]

With a driver on a hole with no penalty areas?

 

As hard as I can without falling over.

 

Everything else is a bit less, give or take.....

[GolfMinimalist]

I've found there isn't much difference in swing speed whether I feel like I'm swinging all out or hard-but-in-control. As long as I'm not crazy aggressive out of transition, I can swing at full effort and have good results.

[TheSphynx]

Ever since tiger said he swings 80% in that book... everyone’s brain is stuck on swinging 80%.

 

I just have a hard time believing that when someone pulls a 7 iron, and their “stock” swing is 80mph, they have the ability to ramp it up to 100mph

[Socrates]

I try to swing MY 100% most of the time. How many times do I try and take something off it and hit it just as far as usual? If I need a little more or less distance, I have more success flighting it a little differently by moving it around in my stance to change the launch angle.

[Golfjack]

It's just a feeling. Harder doesn't equal faster anyway, unless you are used to wailing at balls. Swinging harder and out of sync isn't going to be consistently longer than a regular swing. I want a smooth consistent swing not a hard erratic one.

[Jwin323]

I swing HARD. Really f@#%&ing HARD. So hard, when I contact the ball, the wax flys out of my ears.

[Springbok45]

> @ThunderBuzzworth said:

>

> Take a look at Keopka’s yardage book - his FULL 8 iron goes 178 yards but his 3/4 8 iron which means HIS 75% “feeling” goes 170 yards. Don’t get it twisted, there is NOT a single golfer in the world that swings 80% at anything other than a wedge. EVER.

 

I get the point your trying to make, but swing length is not the same as effort, the those two shots will be very similar "effort" levels the difference is the time/distance the clubhead is traveling to the ball so the subsequent speed at impact is different and the subsequent launch characteristics change the shot out come.

[JB_Holdings]

Mostly 100% except wedge shots.

 

[srksi]

I play a knockdown shot where I hit a club like a pitch shot. I keep my stance narrow and my backswing short and controlled. My thought is not to swing hard or fast, but that I am not going to pivot as deep and build torque. It’s just an easy turn like a 50 yard pitch with a 60 or a bunker shot. I’m about 1.5 or 2 clubs shorter with this shot. So instead of 7i 155 I would hit 5i. That’s 88% from full for a dinky little pitch. I don’t think I could do 80% and not fall asleep.

[1Mordrid1]

For me it is more about tempo and length of backswing. Over time I found that trying to vary and control how fast or hard I am swinging has too much of a negative effect on ball striking consistency. So I would say I am in the 80% group.

 

As for people saying no one swings 80%, the issue I see with that is that you are only thinking in terms of total speed, not effort. Maximum effort does not equal maximum efficiency. In fact the "harder" you swing the less efficient your swing becomes. So in theory if I can swing with 80% effort but still get 95% of my "maximum" speed then I should be able to maintain better control of my swing compared to somone who is using 100% effort for 100% speed.

 

 

[double_d]

I have no idea. I think if I tried to think about it, it would screw me up. I guess I try to swing in tempo and balance, so that's probably 85-90%?

[ani5009]

Off the top of my head, I want to say I swing it at about 80-85% but seeing these comments about the difference between 100% and 80% in club head speed I'm thinking maybe I mean more 80-85% effort as opposed to 100% effort. And I wouldn't be surprised at all if my 100% effort was actually slower mph-wise since I'm sure my sequencing and tempo would be all thrown off and I wouldn't get the same out of it. Either way, I try and focus on a smooth tempo and a strong turn in the backswing, and then really unwinding down and through the ball without really thinking too much about how hard I'm swinging it.

[ChipNRun]

Swinging 80% to balance power and control... I first heard that idea in the 1980s. That's when Tiger, born 1975, was still in grade school.

St. Louis golf guru Maria Palozola reframes our out-of-control discussion as: find your breaking point. The idea is to swing as hard as you can without losing balance and control. With 100% being the hardest you can swing a club, what percent should a normal golf swing be of your maximum ability to swing? Is a "full swing" like 80%, 90% or maximum effort? Or much less? - My Golf Instructor

[Pepperturbo]

Yep, kinda weird how some people think they can play the game like Tiger or...

It's my experience even though average Joe golfer likes to think he can adjust his swing on command, it's more smoke up his..than reality. First off, he's not that tuned to details of his swing. Second, if blowing smoke wasn't the case, he'd still be playing the traditional SW/LW as opposed now carrying 4 wedges. Why does he carry 4 wedges? On account average Joe can't adjust his swing mechanics to make two wedges do the work of three or four. Have a good day.

[BB28403]

THis may be a bit off subject. But recently I was watching this YouTube right in England called “johnathantaylor golf “. So he was testing out the new garmin personal launch monitor .

He mentions clubhead speed and ball speed and also carry distance.

his clubhead speed was 105 but the ball only went 222 yards. That’s does not seem very far for that clubhead speed .

is clubhead speed and swing speed the same thing?

[Jack Pearsall]

he swings hard generally...90%...he is trying as he gets older to change his swing into a more smoother, more focused on excellent contact rather than the more ‘feel’ based approach he uses now...he needs to ameliorate the effects of a violent downswing move as his lower back cannot sustain the aggression into older age...he is willing to give back some yardage to facilitate this...his first step has been a shaft change. Not sure how this will go...

[Socrates]

Still goes to what your perceive vs what is reality. You might think that you are at 80%, but in reality, you are more likely closer to 90-95%. Just like a lot of people think they have a really good swing and yet it is terrible when you see it on video. The only thing that matters is if the ball goes where you want it to.

[JStang]

I'd say I'm a 90% guy. I can easily squeeze another 5-10 yards out of my irons if I swing all out. That is, of course if I hit the center of the face.

[sprcoop]

Didn't read all posts but did see that some think pros don't leave much in the tank. Tony Finau might be a freak but average 127 bumped it to 136.8 for a 200MPH ball speed. That's 92%.

Average Golf Swing Speed Chart | Swing Man Golf Golf Digest - Tony Finau crushing it with a 200 mph ball...

 

 

[RobertBaron]

I feel like I swing as I hard as I can without losing balance, coming out of my swing or moving my head. I have no idea what percentage that amounts to but I know I could probably swing a few ticks harder but the risk of a bad shot rises dramatically.

[scooterhd2]

95% on anything but a wedge. I rather hit a full iron, then taking more club and laying off. Anything less than close to full effort throws me off and leads to fat shots.

[MPStrat]

To me, this isn't a particularly helpful conversation because it's all about what people feel like and describe what they are doing as opposed to what they're actually doing. Tell someone that swings driver 113mph to swing 50% effort and they're probably going to swing it 90mph. I've never heard a tour player say they try to swing out of their shoes on every shot. I've heard many say they try to swing smooth and in balance. These things are all subjective. A lot of players could benefit from some more violence in their golf swing and some are naturally more physical and need to calm down a little bit and be more patient.

[dmecca2]

Pros dont swing at 80-90% of their swing speed, when they say 80-90% they mean effort. This may only equate to 1-3mph of swing speed.

 

One of the best things to do for your game is to go watch the pros live and take notice of their effort level. Even the farthest hitters dont look like theyre trying to crush the ball.

[Krt22]

That is not because they aren't trying, it's because their swings aren't full of flaws and wasted motion. They can exert a lot of effort without losing balance, which makes it look they aren't really trying. Opposite is true for ams, when they try to swing hard they add speed in the wrong places and can get out of sync/out of balance and thus feel like they are swinging much harder.

[dmecca2]

Agreed. And i dont mean to say they arent trying, It's just they are able to input less effort to achieve high swing speeds. They may be inputting 80% effort, but because their swings are technically sound, they are only losing 1-3 mph of swing speed if they were to swing 100% effort.

[Jkfuller]

I'd have to say about 90-95% on just about all full swings.

[Socrates]

Not physically possible to use 20% less effort and only lose 1-2% of speed. Again, that's what you might perceive, but is not reality.

[bladehunter]

Interesting Point.

 

But i I keep coming back to the point that’s the game is played based on feel and perceptions , not on launch monitors and stats. So I suspect the usable truth is in the middle.

[Sean2]

I don't try and kill the ball. I start the transition "slowly" and allow the swing to gain momentum from there. I find I have better balance, hit the sweet spot more often and hit the ball farther.

[Krt22]

I think a lot of ams are disillusioned by their own feels though, we all know feel isn't real.