What is this Swing Speed Distance Calculator?
To use the swing speed distance calculator above, you just need to enter in the club speed of your driver. The calculator will give you a chart of the standard distances that you can hit every club, from drivers all the way down to a lob wedge.
The total distance that you can hit a golf club is effected by two different variables: your swing speed and smash factor. If you know these two variables, you can calculate your theoretical distance for every single club in your bag.
Swing Speed
Your swing speed is how fast your club head is moving as it makes impact with the golf ball in miles per hour (MPH). In order to get more distance from your hits, you have to increase your swing speed so that you can transfer more energy into the ball.
Smash Factor
Smash Factor is a multiplier that correlates to how well you make contact with the ball. Professional golfers who have a very consistent swing have a smash factor of 1.5. Amateur golfers who regularly make contact away from the sweet spot and hit shots off of the heel or the toe will have a lower smash factor (around 1.4).
In the swing speed distance calculator above, we automatically estimate the smash factor for you to make things as easy as possible. Since you are looking up this calculator, we assume that you are not a complete beginner golfer. Therefore, by using a smash factor of 1.47 and rounding your clubs to the nearest 5 yards, our estimate can be good enough!
How do you calculate swing speed?
There are multiple ways that you can calculate your swing speed:
- With a launch monitor
- By subscribing to an online golf class with video analysis
- At an indoor golf business
With a Launch Monitor
A golf launch monitor is a portable device that can measure your club and ball right before, during, and after moment of impact. It can provide instantaneous feedback about your shot, including:
- swing speed
- launch angle
- slice or fade
- theoretical distance
and a whole lot more! Sophisticated launch monitors can even connect right into golf simulation software so that you can play real life courses on your golf simulator at home (with a hitting net or impact screen and projector).
With a launch monitor, you will be able to find your club head speed easily.
You can watch the video below to get a better idea on how the FlightScope Mevo, a popular launch monitor, works.
By Subscribing to an Online Golf Course
Online golf lessons are popular online to improve your golf swing and lower your score. A lot of these courses include a personalized swing analysis, where a professional will watch a video of your swing and provide you with tips for improvement.
During this analysis, your pro will also give you stats about your swing, including your swing speed which can be entered above into the calculator.
Click here to view some of the best online golf classes and lessons.
At an Indoor Golf Simulator
Indoor golf simulator businesses like Topgolf, First Tee, or Divots provide you with an arena to go and practice your golf swing in. These businesses use commercial launch monitors to measure your swing speed after every shot.
While you are there playing a round of golf, note the swing speed of your driver.
Other Factors That Affect Golf Ball Distance
There are other swing and external factors that can affect the total distance your golf ball travels.
Golf Club Equipment
Like I mentioned before, golf club technology has come a long way in the last ten years. Premium aluminum, titanium, and carbon is used now to concentrate club weight into optimal areas that increase distance.
Golf Ball
Make sure that you choose a golf ball that is optimized for your swing speed. The compression rate of a golf ball is a measure of how easy energy transfers from the club to the ball when it is hit.
A low compression rate will allow lower swing speed players to get more distance. High compression rates require a higher swing speed to transfer energy, but allow players to shape shots with more control.
Click here to view the compression rate information for every single golf ball.
Quality of Hit (Smash Factor)
How well you hit the ball against the sweet spot of the club will affect how far the ball can travel. This is commonly called the smash factor and is a measure of your hit quality. One of the best ways to increase club distance is to work on hitting your balls consistently.
Launch Angle
Your golf ball’s launch angle off of the club will effect how well the ball is hit. If you have too low of a launch angle, the golf ball will come down and make contact with the ground before it has a chance to reach its full distance. A good launch angle will give your ball a good arch and optimize its distance.
Weather
Weather can have a big effect on the theoretical distance a golf ball can travel. If you are hitting into the wind, your ball’s distance will be limited. A side wind can increase the spin on your golf ball and take it off track.
The swing speed distance calculator above assumes optimal weather with no wind.
Altitude
Depending on where you live, the altitude can also impact the distance of your golf ball. High altitude has thinner air, allowing your golf ball to travel further. Altitude can effect the distance of a drive by up to 10 yards.
Athleticism
How athletic you are can also effect your swing speed and the distance you can get on your hits. More muscle will allow you to power through your swing and increase your speed. Good flexibility will allow you to rotate your hips easier and get more torque on your shots.
Player height can also effect your shot ability. A taller player should be able to generate more speed through their arms.
Putting it All Together
As you can see the in chart below, putting all of these variables together helps you reach an optimal swing and get great distance on your shots.
Calculator Error
The swing speed distance calculator above is meant to be used as a guideline only. I recommend going out to a driving range and verifying the values that you see above.
The calculator tool uses your swing speed to determine your driver speed. Every other club in your bag is automatically calculated based on:
- the difference in the club length
- the loft of the club
As your clubs get shorter and your loft increases, the theoretical maximum distance that you can hit goes down. Finally, the calculator rounded your club distances to the nearest 5 yards for simplicity.
For my swing speed of 100 miles per hour, the swing speed calculator above is accurate for my golf clubs.
What is the average golf swing speed?
The average driver swing speed for an amateur golfer is about 95 miles per hour. The PGA tour average swing speed in 2022 is 114 MPH. The average golf swing speed for a scratch golfer is 105 MPH.
In recent years, the average golf swing speed has come up around the world because of new advancements in technology. Heavier driver club heads allow you to generate more swing speed naturally as you complete your downswing motion.
