Golf has dominated the sporting world since the 15th century. Many people are taking up the game as it becomes increasingly popular. It takes a number of things to become a really good golf player, including improving your swing speed.
Anyone looking for a way to improve their swing speed has several things to take into consideration. One such point is the golf ball speed, which is determined by the speed at which you hit it with the golf club. But how exactly do you measure your golf speed swing, and what impact does it have on your game overall? Let’s take a look.
What is Golf Ball Speed?
Ball speed generally is the speed at which a golf ball launches from the club head after impact. Unlike what many perceive, force is not the determinant of the distance the ball travels.
Speed is the main component affecting the distance covered. It comes from a combination of factors, which include club speed, quality of the impact, and the club used.
All these factors determine the distance of the ball once it launches. These factors, however, can be reduced in cases when the golfer hasn’t perfected their swing speed. The better the swing, the higher the compact shot.
What is My Golf Swing Speed?
Considering the distance which you have to hit the ball, all golfers discover that technique is generally involved. As the years pass by, individuals who are passionate about golf, realize how important custom fit equipment is. It helps to maximize driving distance and an overall average golf swing speed.
Generally, your swing technique doesn’t really matter. If you want to be a longer or better player, you need to have more swing speed.
Quite a number of beginners do not have a clue on how swift they can swing while striking the ball. The major equipment used to measure swing speed is a launch monitor system found at any golf store. There are other devices by which you can measure the speed, but the launch monitor is considered as the most accurate of these.
You need to strike the right balance between control and power to get a faster swing speed. Having a faster golf swing will help make you a better golfer.
About Measuring Your Swing Speed
The best determinant of how far a golf ball will travel is the golf club swing speed. Professional golfers are, however, able to generate speed through their form and the method which they use to hit the ball.
The use of technology is the best method in which golf club speed is determined at a golf practice or training facility. However, not all golfers are able to access or have the finances to have their club speed measured.
That does not mean that you cannot determine the speed at which your ball travels. With equipment like high-end launch monitors, you can determine your speed, once the ball leaves the club after impact.
There is no difference in this calculation to that of velocity; it is a simple the application of the distance divided by time formula. The measurement needs to be precise and it will ensure that the calculation provides an accurate result.
Accurate results are important because they are used in major calculations contributing to the perfection of your game. Once a golfer knows how best they can swing, they can determine how far the carry will be.
What is the Relation Between Speed of the Ball and Distance?
In simple terms, the faster the golfer hits the ball off its head, the longer the distance it is going to cover.
There are a number of factors that will influence the distance the ball is expected to cover. These factors include the launching angle, the atmospheric condition at the course, the location from which the ball was struck, among others. If any golfer puts this into consideration, they are likely to hit their target distance and speed.
As far as golfing is concerned, compare your ball speed with other golfers. This results in a clear idea of your position, what you need to do, and where you can find room for improvement.
As far as the golf swing is concerned, speed is everything to most golfers. In most cases, people do not understand that the use of excessive force in your game doesn’t guarantee you the best shots.
The key point is that the swing speed of a golfer is one of the crucial elements in every shot drive they make. Professionals determine their golf speed by the use of special machines, whereas amateurs can assess their swiftness based on the distance their ball tends to cover.
Maximizing Your Speed
There are four significant steps used to calculate the swing speed of a golfer. This is to help them attain an approximate value of how swift they can swing. These are:
- Have at least 10 balls with you. Drive them all and determine the distance the balls travel in yards. The distance should be measured where the ball hits the ground. In this step, you are not required to count the rolling distance as far as the total distance is concerned. Having a friend follow up and mark the spot where your balls hit will help you determine the distance. It is one of the essential stages of the whole process.
- After you have all the spots hit by your ball marked and recorded, remove the longest and the shortest distance drive from your data set. This is because it will reduce the effect of any unusual short or long drives that result from other factors, wind included.
- Once you are at this stage, you are almost done. This section requires you to find the average drive distance. This is achieved by adding all 8 of the distances, then dividing by eight. The final figure becomes your average distance.
- This is the final stage. In this step, you need to divide the average distance by 2.3; that is, if you followed the steps carefully. This will give you the average swing speed in miles per hour. This means that, if the average drive, distance sums to 300 yards, your average swing speed is 300 over 2.3, which is approximately 130.4 mph.
Considering the above steps, you can see that increasing your drive swing speed will also increase the overall distance that you drive your ball.
How Do You Maximize Your Golf Swing Speed?
Each golfer, amateur, or even professional, wants to improve. Everyone wants to hit the ball further (and more accurately).
Only a small percentage of about 15 percent of the club head speed will come from the rotation of your body. The other 85 percent will come from the swinging motion of your hands and arms. What people do not know is that a larger portion of power comes from the bottom half of your downswing. This happens when your wrist is unlocked just before the club strikes the ball.
This means that if you strike the ball perfectly right in the middle of the head, then the speed will head directly into the ball speed. In case you hit it in the toe, or loft, or slice the shot or heel of the head, the power transfer will not be efficient, and you will get a lesser ball speed despite what the club speed was.
The bottom line is that the ball speed will tell you much about your swing. If it is inefficient, then the speed will be less. If it is a perfect shot, then the distance covered by the ball will be long enough.
Factors Resulting in Different Swing Speed
There are correlating factors that cause different swing speed results. Some of these factors are the distance the club travels, the backswing, and how you complete the downswing.
In reference to professional golfers, you can see that the size of the player, the type of the club used, strength level, swing techniques, and the shot are other significant factors. Through practice, swing speed may be improved.
If you are working on your swing speed, you need to understand the exact source of your power, and that should be your greatest concern. The main thing is that increasing your swing speed is the most effective way to add more distance to your shot.
What You Need to Enhance Your Swing Speed
Here are some tips that you need to take into consideration anytime you are striking that ball to enhance your speed.
- You need to keep an evenly distributed tempo from the back swing all the way to the top of your swing. This should extend all the way to the impact
- Look at your arm straightness and positioning — more so its relationship to the impact accuracy
- You do not need to force the club too hard; just keep the movement fluid
- Change the way you strike the ball and adjust your form
- Lastly, check on your follow-through. This is known as the key transfer of power when hitting the ball
Are There Other Ways to Measure Your Speed?
As earlier mentioned, there are quite a variety of ways you can measure your swing speed. This all depends on which method is accessible to you. There are devices that you can purchase for personal use.
The accuracy or inaccuracy of the device depends on the device type and model. Some of these devices include speed radar, golf rangefinders, and this measures the distance of each shot, making it easy for you to calculate your speed, speed swing clips, among others.
Can a Golf Simulator Calculate Swing Speed?
Yes! A golf simulator is a device used to measure your swing speed. The differentiating factor is that it also measures the distance in addition to other important stats. However, the devices are commonly reserved for the pro golfer due to their high price.
However, golf simulator manufacturers are producing more affordable models, thus making it possible for everyone to use one. The disadvantage is that the accuracy of a system’s swing speed sensors varies from one model to another.
A Recap on How to Measure Golf Swing Speed
Now that we have given you all the information you need on how to measure your golf swing speed, how to improve it, and alternative methods, let’s recap on how you can quickly and easily measure your golf swing speed.
- Hit 10 balls using your driver
- With the help of a friend, measure the distance your ball drives to point of impact (not the bounces or rolls)
- Measure each drive in yards
- Cross out the longest and shortest distances
- Add the remaining distances together and divide the answer by 8
- This number is your drive distance
- Divide your drive distance by 2.3
- This number is your swing speed in miles per hour
Having a faster swing speed and longer drive distance allows you to hit the ball further on each hole, allowing you an advantage on the golf course.
Conclusion
Swing speed is how fast a golf club is moving at impact or how fast it is traveling when it strikes the ball. It serves a great role in the distance covered by the ball once launched. When it comes to how to measure golf swing speed, different methods can be used.
The speed at which a golfer swings differs from one golfer to another due to a variety of reasons. These reasons may be how fast the golf club travels from address to your backswing and then through to the completion of your downswing, among others.
Due to its importance, it is advisable to determine your golf swing speed. This can be achieved by visiting a local store with a golf simulator, by visiting your golf course, or a driving range and hitting several balls. Once it is done, use the average distance and divide the value by 2.3, thus determining your own swing speed.
Most importantly, if it is possible, have your speed measured on a launch monitor to get an accurate reading. By doing so often, your chances of improvement will increase.
