How fast do pros swing 3 wood?
A PGA Tour player averages around 108 mph with a 3-wood and 104 mph with a 5-wood. When you get into the 7-wood (yes, they are fairly popular amongst the pros) and hybrids, that average goes down to around 100 mph.
Rice conducts lots of studies using launch data, which you can read on his website, and tells golfers that if they want to hit the ball over 300 yards, they need to swing their driver about 108 mph.
| PLAYER | 3-WOOD (Avg. carry distance) | 5-WOOD (Avg. carry distance) |
|---|---|---|
| Dustin Johnson | 282 yards | 267 yards |
| Rory McIlroy | 293 yards | 273 yards |
| Jon Rahm | – | – |
| Matthew Wolff | 280 yards | – |
He has a driver swing speed of 122mph, a ball speed of 183mph and an average driving distance in excess of 320 yards. And where we try to wrestle our driver into submission, to watch Rory McIlroy in full flow is to wonder where the golfer stops and the golf club starts.
This shows how effectively you have used your club speed. Ball speed can quickly show if you are getting as much as you can out of your swing and your clubs. What is Tiger Woods' swing speed? Tiger Woods' average golf swing speed clocks in just over 120 mph.
Distribution Of Driving Distances
The majority of golfers average between 200 and 224 yards off the tee. Only 4% of golfers drive the ball over 300 yards.
Driver Swing Speed & Distance Chart
So to hit your driver 250 yards, you'll need to swing at around 100mph.
Bryson DeChambeau's average swing speed for the 2021 season is 133 mph. This is 19 mph faster than the average swing speed on the PGA Tour.
The 5 and 3 wood clubs are designed for longer shots, and with them, Tiger can cover 255 and 275 yards, respectively.
The 3-wood is the hardest club to hit off the fairway, so using it to just advance the ball is crazy. Hit your 5-wood instead. The 5-wood has more loft, so it's easier to get the ball in the air.
Why is it so hard to hit a 3 wood off the fairway?
A 3-wood has the deepest face of the fairway woods, hence a higher center of gravity, which again makes it difficult to get the ball in the air.
Jack Nicklaus, however, was recorded at the age of 58 with a swing speed of 118 mph (Source).
"First time I ever had my swing speed checked was '98. I was 58, and I was out at either Titleist or Callaway . . . and I was 118 miles an hour," Nicklaus said during a Wednesday conference call ahead of the release of a new documentary about his life.
From the top of his swing, John Daly has one objective: Power. To generate power, he finds ways of maximizing club velocity in his downswing. Daly's tournament swing speed average is 121.49 mph, which is third on the PGA Tour, behind only Tiger Woods and Bubba Watson.
Kyle Berkshire has some serious speed. The two-time World Long Drive champ cruises at over 145 mph of clubhead speed, and his longest drive in competition topped out at almost 500 yards. (You read that correctly.)
If your swing speed is 100 mph, your distance potential could be as high as 270 yards. But most golfers are woefully short of their potential. Two-thirds of the players in our survey weren't within 15 yards of their potential driving distance, and half of those were 30 or more yards short of optimum.
So, if you swing a club at 100mph, the maximum you can expect would 150 mph ball speed.
The average golf driving distance for an “average” male golfer is about 215 yards. The average driving distance for an “average” female golfer is around 140 yards. These figures are calculated using driving distance data from the USGA, additional data services, and average handicaps from the USGA.
In the late 1990s, John Daly was the longest driver on tour. He hit the ball just over 300 yards with each drive.
How far does Rory McIlroy hit a driver?
It's interesting to note that McIlroy, one of the longest hitters in professional golf, leads all PGA Tour players in average driving distance, at 326.6 yards.
Most golfers swing a driver faster than an iron because of the length and weight of the club.
However, clubhead speed and ball speed are two different variables. Clubhead speed is how fast the club is traveling when it reaches the ball, while ball speed is how fast the ball is traveling just after impact. While faster clubhead speeds generally result in faster ball speeds, there isn't an exact correlation.
The minor modification allowed Korda to drop roughly 400 RPMs and lower launch from 12 degrees to 11.5 degrees. Ball speed also increased from 152 mph to 154 mph, resulting in an additional 10 yards of carry distance (290 yards).
Brandon Matthews, who leads the Tour in average clubhead speed (126.6 mph) and ranks second in average driving distance (320.4 yards), responded to Tuesday's news that the USGA and R&A were attempting to curb hitting distance with a proposal that would modify the testing conditions for golf balls used in elite ...
Bryson DeChambeau hits his 7-iron around 200-205 yards on average. However, as mentioned earlier, these distances can vary depending on various factors such as weather conditions, course elevation, and the type of ball being used.
Is it easier to hit a 3-wood or 5-wood? For the everyday golfer, a 5 wood is easier to hit. Thanks to increased loft it's easier to get the ball airborne even if the average distance isn't as much as a 3 wood.
Throughout his career, Nicklaus would consistently hit mammoth 330-yard drives. Golf Digest estimates that the average driving distance has increased by 15.5 yards over the past 10 years, a period of time where metal drivers have been used.
Spieth was hovering just above the projected cut line, even after making an impressive par on the exposed 113-yard seventh hole, where he hit a punched 7-iron off the tee to 19 feet.
The tendency when you put a 3-wood in your hand is to sweep the ball or try to swing up. That's wrong. Just like with a 9-iron, you want to hit the ball and take a little turf after contact. You want to make contact with a 3-wood at that ball the same as you would with an iron."
Should you take a divot with a 3 wood?
YES, it's ok to take a divot while hitting a fairway wood!
Although you are playing the ball forward in your stance and attempting to make a flatter swing, you still need to hit slightly downward on the ball.
“If Jack in his prime could have played the clubs and balls these guys are playing today, he would have hit that sumbitch 400 yards,” Trevino told Golf Digest in 2010, with characteristic color. “I'm dead serious.” A search for a more scientific answer is hamstrung by a lack of data.
His iconic 1-iron pierced the headwind and hit the stick, some 220 yards away. We can learn exactly what it takes to hit long irons with laser-like accuracy from this timeless and perfect shot. Here is what Jack did so well and what you can incorporate to strike your long irons like the Golden Bear.
Ben Hogan hit his driver 265 yards, according to an article in the June 10, 1949 issue of Time Magazine.
Ranking 5th currently on the 2014 PGA Tour swing speed list, Koepka averages 122.33 MPH with his driver swing. Perhaps more impressively, he has topped out at 127.91 MPH, which is among the fastest speeds recorded all season on the Tour.
PGA Tour Swing Speed With Irons and Wedges
That leaves a 4-iron around 97 mph, a 5-iron around 95 mph, a 6-iron around 93 mph, a 7-iron around 91 mph, an 8-iron around 89 mph and a 9-iron around 87 mph. Wedge clubhead speed varies greatly depending on the type of shot a professional is trying to play.
The Slowest Swing Speed on Tour
Currently sitting 211 and last on the chart is David Hearn with an average clubhead speed of 103.58 miles and hour and a fastest of 108.44.
Is it easier to hit a 3-wood or 5-wood? For the everyday golfer, a 5 wood is easier to hit. Thanks to increased loft it's easier to get the ball airborne even if the average distance isn't as much as a 3 wood.
Jack Nicklaus, however, was recorded at the age of 58 with a swing speed of 118 mph (Source).
How many yards should a 3 wood hit?
3-wood: 125-235 yards
While you might be cutting off 30 yards from a driver, a 3-wood can give you a more accurate tee shot, which could be important on tricky or narrow holes.
Many golfers play it way up and try to sweep it. No good. You want to hit down on it, like an iron. With the ball in the right place, your shoulders will tilt back and your hands will hang below your left ear (right, top).
Daly's tournament swing speed average is 121.49 mph, which is third on the PGA Tour, behind only Tiger Woods and Bubba Watson. So if you're looking to add club speed to your game, pay close attention!
Arnold Palmer's 21 ace distances range from 122 to 245 yards for a total of 3,305 yards or about 1.8 miles of unbroken magic.
Teaching is biased toward maximizing distance, which requires one to hit up on the ball with very little spin. The ideal numbers for distance are readily available, yet nobody knows the ideal numbers for accuracy.
It's interesting to note that McIlroy, one of the longest hitters in professional golf, leads all PGA Tour players in average driving distance, at 326.6 yards.