Distance measuring

[DrBrown]

Has anyone ever seen a chart that had a general guide for swing speed versus ball speed and/or distance? I just got back from a golf school and Im happy with my results but me and the teacher agreed I need a little more swing speed and distance. I'm not going to just start swinging harder but I do need to get some more velocity somehow! Anyway, I know that I swing 98mph and Im driving around 270 on average which is not enough for competitive golf. I need to spend an hour on a launch monitor or something to figure out what exactly gets me X yards of distance and what the swing speed was. I was just hoping someone out there had a chart or webpage that explained what the average ball spin, distance and carry would be given the swing speed. Anyone know a quick and dirty formula?

P.S. Anyone ever buy a swing speed meter to practice with? I was debating on it but I dont want to waste $100 if they arent overly accurate.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

With your driver, it is roughly 2.5 yards per MPH Swing Speed, give or take depending on your swing and driver.

 

[DrBrown]

That seems close for high swing speeds, but me only swinging 98mph it seems incredibly impossible to hit it 300 yards and I have done that on several occassions in the past w/out help from the wind or roll. :shrug: Maybe I actually swung like I had a pair of balls that day heh. But I know Tiger is usually swinging around 125mph which would put him ~312 yards. Thats actually about where he hits them when he goes after it, sometimes farther when they have the course dried out and the fairways are mowed down.

 

[Matthew_22]

I probably wouldn't buy a swing speed meter just yet, first I'd try and borrow one from somewhere for a little bit and see what you can work out with your swing and clubs.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

That seems close for high swing speeds, but me only swinging 98mph it seems incredibly impossible to hit it 300 yards and I have done that on several occassions in the past w/out help from the wind or roll.

You figure that although you probably average 98, every now and then when things go right you may be hitting 115. I know when I am on a launch monitor, I average about 105, but maybe 1 out of every 5 or 10 will be above 110. Plus club path and ground conditions have alot to do with it. If you hit a draw or onto harder ground you will get more roll.

Here is a swing speed tester that I have used that is accurate and runs around $150, alot of club pro's and club builders use this, I used to borrow one from my old instructor. It will do a basic calculation of distance based on the club and speed. It is accurate for speed, but whether it is worth it probably depends on how much you want to concentrate on speed.
http://www.swingmate.biz/swingmate_features.html

I've tried to get info on inexpensive monitors, but have never found anyone that would recommend one until you get up around $800 or so.

Here is another thing that may help chart distance, it is pretty accurate for me and alot of people have said the same.
http://www.csgnetwork.com/golfclubdistancecalce.html

 

[DrBrown]

Holy crap that charting was accurate. I mean its within 2-3 yards on every single club in my bag.

I dont want to blow the money on a swing mate just yet. I know I will pick up another 3-4mph with a mechanical change that honestly needs done. But my goal is to swing at 110 by summer because Im planning to play some competetive golf and if Im not getting the drives out there to 300 yards at a lower trajectory I have no chance of reaching the long par 4's with a shorter iron.

Thanks for the link!

 

[IrishGolfer]

Has anyone ever seen a chart that had a general guide for swing speed versus ball speed and/or distance? I just got back from a golf school and Im happy with my results but me and the teacher agreed I need a little more swing speed and distance. I'm not going to just start swinging harder but I do need to get some more velocity somehow! Anyway, I know that I swing 98mph and Im driving around 270 on average which is not enough for competitive golf.

Hey Dr. B
I swing about 98-100 and I too hit it about 260 (average). I play off 5 h/c and have never faced the problem of being (or thinking) "short". My limitatiions are accuracy and a short game. What do you mean "competitive golf"?

btw This year I have been trying to increase club-head speed by a few mph by swinging a weighted club and stretching, but I don't want to sacrifice accuracy for length. But overall I am happy with length.

Unless you are playing scratch competitive golf or aiming for the tour, I think 270 is just fine on an average swing. IMHO of course!

 

[VtDivot]

1. Stretching excercises
2. Leg and Oblique muscle development
3. Abdominal muscle development
4. Back and sholder muscle development

This will increase your ss.

 

[DrBrown]

I want to start playing some more tourny's in the local area and maybe try to qualify for some mini tour events next year at the latest. So the 270yd drive is decent but when everyone else hits wedge into the greena and you are hitting a 6-7 irons its a slight disadvantage. My short game usually picks up the slack but I dont want to make it pull double time just to keep up when getting 5-10 more yards shouldn't be that tough.

I have been using a bowflex the past year a few times a week and just recently started stretching but I dont see my ss getting higher. Im a pretty accurate ball striker as is so my concern is about speed right now.

I've did a lot of searching online for specific golf muscle related exercises but I never get anything more than "work out the tri's, shoulders and lats!". Thats great and all but I dont know what specifically would be beneficial. I know building muscle and reducing your flexibility is bad which is exactly what I've done this past year or so.

 

[ezra76]

Is that a Turbo in your avatar DB?

 

[VtDivot]

I've did a lot of searching online for specific golf muscle related exercises but I never get anything more than "work out the tri's, shoulders and lats!". Thats great and all but I dont know what specifically would be beneficial. I know building muscle and reducing your flexibility is bad which is exactly what I've done this past year or so.

I think the above statement is partly correct. Reducing flexibility is bad, getting stronger isn't. You don't have to put on a ton of mass (this will reduce flexibilty) to get stronger.

Use lighter weight, more reps and don't work out as often. Mix in some cardio (good for legs too). Look at guys like CH3 and Vasegas. These guys pound the ball because of their flexibilty and strength.

 

[DrBrown]

ezra76, yes that is the compressor that I polished for my turbo. Its a T04E 60 trim.

Charles Howell is probably in the top 5 most flexible torsos on tour. Whats more scary is he could actually create less tension in his take away if he focussed more on rotating his shoulder back iimmediately instead of waiting and it would probably lead to 3-4 more yards. But all that aside, I am not gumby by any means but I am probably 3/4 as flexible as say Tiger and CH3. I dont get my left side quite as far back or as high as they can but I think with the right workout/stretching regiment I could get there.

Anyone have a decent exercise for my back and shoulders?

 

[VtDivot]

ezra76, yes that is the compressor that I polished for my turbo. Its a T04E 60 trim.

Charles Howell is probably in the top 5 most flexible torsos on tour. Whats more scary is he could actually create less tension in his take away if he focussed more on rotating his shoulder back iimmediately instead of waiting and it would probably lead to 3-4 more yards. But all that aside, I am not gumby by any means but I am probably 3/4 as flexible as say Tiger and CH3. I dont get my left side quite as far back or as high as they can but I think with the right workout/stretching regiment I could get there.

Anyone have a decent exercise for my back and shoulders?

Sholuders -
Military Press (aka shoulder press)
Front shoulder extensions
Side shoulder extensions

Back -
Kneeling Rows
Lat pull downs

 

[IrishGolfer]

Don't mean to be a dick here but look at Tim Clarke's stats at Augusta. He's only a small guy, and the dude average'd 279.62 Yards, 20 yards shy of Hefty et al. But man can he play.

I'm all for getting slightly faster in my swing speed too, but I'd take my 270 in the middle of the fairway anytime over 300 in the munchbags.

(The only time I get caught is when I'm trying to move a ball in heavy rough. I bit more uummpphhh may help to shift it, but I look back at my previous paragraph).

I'd recommend Yoga or Pilates for increasing flexibility and lots of stretching exercises.

Other than that I would reccomend working on 100 yards and in, my new mantra!! Spend 30 minutes on the chipping green rather than the gym.

 

[DrBrown]

You dont have to tell me that the short game is more important than the full swing, I will agree with you every time. The normal PGA Professional spends 60-80% of his/her time on a practice green tweaking their technique and touch. This is why someone that never hits a fairway at Augusta can still play near the top of the leader board. *cough cough* PHIL MICKELSON! He did hit some pure irons on the back nine but his scrambling all week is what won him the green jacket.

But I will still try to pursue getting my extra 10mph of swing speed, I think 5mph of that is attainable just based on lower body technique in my swing because I drop the hands a bit sooner than I could. The rest I can try to get from flexibility after stretching.

Thanks for the replies gents.