So, I got really curious the other day about how fast those guys on the PGA Tour actually swing the club. You watch them on TV and they just bomb it, right? Makes you wonder what the actual speed is compared to us regular folks hacking it around.
I started digging around, just typing stuff into the search bar like “pga pro swing speed” and things like that. Honestly, it wasn’t super straightforward at first. Different places gave slightly different numbers, which was a bit annoying.
Finding the Driver Speed
Most of the talk seemed to focus on the driver speed, which makes sense, it’s the big dog. After looking through a few articles and maybe some forum discussions, I kinda settled on a number that kept popping up.
- It seems like the average driver swing speed out there is somewhere around 113 to 115 mph. Give or take.
- But that’s just the average, you know? You got guys who really go after it, the bombers. Think like Rory McIlroy or some of those long drive competitors who sometimes play tour events. Those dudes are easily clearing 120 mph, maybe pushing 125 mph or even more on some swings. It’s nuts.
- Then you have other guys on tour who are maybe a bit shorter off the tee, more about accuracy. Their speeds might be closer to the 110 mph mark, maybe even a touch under. Still incredibly fast compared to me, mind you!
What About Other Clubs?
Okay, so driver speed is one thing. But they aren’t hitting driver all the time. I started wondering about their irons.
Finding specific averages for every single iron was harder. But generally, it looks like their mid-iron speeds, say like a 6 or 7-iron, are probably hanging around the 90 to 95 mph range. Again, that’s just a ballpark average I pieced together.
It drops down for shorter irons and wedges, naturally. But even their wedge swings are crisp and faster than you might think.
My Takeaway
Basically, what I figured out is that while there’s an “average,” the range is pretty wide. It depends heavily on the player, their build, their technique, and what club they’re hitting. The main thing is, they are all swinging it way faster and more efficiently than most amateurs.
Seeing those numbers kinda puts things in perspective. Made me realize just how athletic those guys are. Trying to swing like them without the training? Probably just asking for injury, haha. For me, knowing this stuff is interesting, but I gotta focus on my own game, not try to swing out of my shoes like the pros. It was a fun little rabbit hole to go down though, figuring out those speeds.
