So, I got curious about this whole ‘tour average ball speed’ thing recently. You watch golf on TV, right? And they flash these numbers up, guys hitting it miles. I started wondering, okay, what’s the real average out there on the PGA Tour? Not just the bombers, but everyone.
My first step was just paying closer attention when watching tournaments. I tried to mentally note the speeds they showed for different players. It wasn’t very scientific, obviously. Some broadcasts show it more than others, and they often focus on the big hitters because, let’s be honest, it’s impressive.
Then I thought, I should try and find some actual stats. Didn’t want to get bogged down in crazy complex data, just wanted a general idea. Spent a bit of time searching around, looking for articles or summaries that talked about average driver ball speeds on tour. It took a while to piece together a picture because different sources sometimes give slightly different numbers, maybe depending on the season or the specific group of players they looked at.
Hitting the Range Myself
After getting a ballpark figure in my head (and realizing those guys are seriously fast), I decided to see where I stood. I’ve got access to a launch monitor sometimes, nothing super fancy, but it gives ball speed. So, I booked a session.
Here’s what I did:
- Warmed up properly, didn’t want to just start swinging out of my shoes.
- Hit about 20-30 drives, trying to swing like I would on the course, not just going for pure speed.
- Made notes of the ball speed for each decent strike. Threw out the really bad mis-hits.
Honestly, seeing my own numbers was… humbling. Let’s just say I’m not threatening any tour averages anytime soon. It wasn’t terrible for an amateur, but comparing it directly to the pros? Wow. There’s a big gap.
What I really noticed was the consistency of the tour guys, even based on the limited stats I could find. Their average is high, meaning even their regular shots are fast. My speeds were much more spread out. Some okay, some pretty slow when I didn’t catch it right.
So, the takeaway for me wasn’t really about chasing their numbers. That seems pretty unrealistic unless you’re dedicating your life to it and have some serious natural ability. It was more about understanding the difference and appreciating the level they play at. It also gave me a clearer picture of my own game. Knowing my actual ball speed helps manage expectations on the course and focus on hitting it solid, rather than just trying to kill it.
It was a pretty interesting little exercise. Didn’t dramatically change my game overnight, but definitely gave me some perspective on what those ‘tour average’ numbers really mean.
