Golf is fun
Well-known member
Do you think it is purely holding back, or doing what is necessary to put the ball on a somewhat square club face?
My Swing Speed Journey
- Thread starter DeanoMK
- Start date
Do you think it is purely holding back, or doing what is necessary to put the ball on a somewhat square club face?
Springveldt
Well-known member
Definitely holding back on the first few. Once I start getting the ball on the face during the speed sessions and I realise I’m not going to sky it into the ceiling I can get the club up to 108mph while making contact.
Last night I just couldn’t get the club shifting like normal, fastest swing was 106.9mph while I’ll usually have 3 or 4 in the 108-109mph range.
I had 55 swings in the session last night, fastest ball was 158.9mph but I also had 36 of them carry over 250 yards with 17 of them over 260 yards.
Tuesday I had 44 swings, fastest swing was 109.2mph, ball was 160.5mph but I only had 20 carries over 250 and only 7 of them were over 260. Maybe I’m getting adjusted to the training and I’m finding the middle more consistently.
It definitely feels like I’m starting to register when I swing faster and what is causing it. I know based on my finish what speed range the swing will be in and where the ball has gone. My bad ones I end up with what feels like my upper body over my lead foot and I’ve turned too far left and the left leg is still bent. This usually loses me around 3-4mph and always pulls it left so I’m trying to feel like I put the brakes on at impact and stop my upper body travelling all the way over the lead foot. Those ones are the ones usually in the 106-108mph range with ball speeds over 157mph. It’s just trying to get consistent with it.
Springveldt
Well-known member
Went to the studio last night and my mate came along as well as he was wanting to practice hitting more from the inside with his driver.
I warmed up with the speed sticks, got the green one to 123mph and got him to do it as well as I was curious what he could get the sticks to as he’s quicker than me. To both our surprise he was slower with the speed sticks, I’m guessing it was because it was his first time doing them and he was holding back.
Once we started hitting balls it was obvious he was holding back, his driver was 111mph and ball speeds were in the 162-164mph range consistently. Those speeds were while we were playing Adair Manor, not just whacking it anywhere on the range. Meanwhile my ball striking was garbage, everything off the toe and drives usually in the high 140’s.
Our swing speeds were the same with medium/short irons but as you get up to 4 iron and longer he becomes much quicker. His 3 wood was about 105mph while mine was 99mph yet both of us are 91mph with a 6 iron. Clearly I’m swinging my irons too hard or my technique is crap with longer clubs.
I warmed up with the speed sticks, got the green one to 123mph and got him to do it as well as I was curious what he could get the sticks to as he’s quicker than me. To both our surprise he was slower with the speed sticks, I’m guessing it was because it was his first time doing them and he was holding back.
Once we started hitting balls it was obvious he was holding back, his driver was 111mph and ball speeds were in the 162-164mph range consistently. Those speeds were while we were playing Adair Manor, not just whacking it anywhere on the range. Meanwhile my ball striking was garbage, everything off the toe and drives usually in the high 140’s.
Our swing speeds were the same with medium/short irons but as you get up to 4 iron and longer he becomes much quicker. His 3 wood was about 105mph while mine was 99mph yet both of us are 91mph with a 6 iron. Clearly I’m swinging my irons too hard or my technique is crap with longer clubs.
garyinderry
Ryder Cup Winner
How do your length of back swings compare?
I can hang on ball speed with my mate when it comes to irons.
Once we get into driver im not even close. He has a noticeably longer backswing with the driver.
Golf is fun
Well-known member
Questions I would ask:
Can you really hang with your mate? I don't mean that in any derogatory way, just with irons he may well prioritise accuracy over distance, and so when comparing "like-for-like" say both of you maxing out, do you still keep up?
Do you observe any interesting patterns between the different sticks with your mate? I've mentioned it in a previous post, but my gaps both between the different weight sticks and my real driver don't follow the "normal" pattern that superspeed suggest, could your mate be the same?
Are there any significant equipment differences?
Do you get the same quality of strike on the longer clubs - face/path/centredness of contact?
Without knowing anything else though and assume you are equal with mid and short irons, I'd expect if the gap widens as the clubs get longer it's more likely to be a technique issue, than a strength/power/intent issue.
Springveldt
Well-known member
His backswing is shorter. He’s taller and not overweight like me.
Springveldt
Well-known member
I think you are right in that he probably doesn’t swing his irons flat out while I probably am. His strikes are much better but that’s also why he’s +2.4 and been club champion multiple times.
6 iron we where both around 91mph but his ball speed was 127mph while mine is usually around 121mph. My 6 iron is stronger lofted than his but he was carrying his 190 while I’m around 178 on great strikes (well great for me).
With the speed sticks it was his first time ever swinging them. His speeds followed the standard pattern for me with about 5mph difference between them but he swung his driver nearly at the same speed as the blue stick while playing a course, so that was his controlled swing to hit target. I would expect him to get the green one to 130mph at least based on his driver swings but it was only 119mph.
I’ll need to get him to come next week again and go onto the range and ask him to swing flat out to see what he can actually get it to. I expect he can get his 6 iron to high 90’s if he’s going flat out.
Springveldt
Well-known member
Second visit to the swing studio this year and although I haven't done any superspeed stick swings I do try and hit a few drives flat out just to see where I am. I bought some RCT balls so I know I'm getting proper spin readings now. I used to be a high spin player with irons but it seems in the 6 years since I got these irons things have changed. My 6 irons was dangerously low on any shots I got the face closed to path, even by just 1 degree, the spin would drop into the 4500 range which isn't ideal with a 6 iron. The swing changes I've been working on are going well though, can now get my 6 iron to 91mph while not feeling flat out and I had a few in the 126-128mph ball speed range and 190 carry. That's an extra club but I'm still quite inconsistent with this swing as it still feels weird.
As for driver, again anything with a face closed to path and it's just dropping out the sky. Since switching to a Ventus blue shaft I have been seeing lower spin but now it's ridiculously low, closing the face a touch brings the spin down to 1600 and I'm not launching it high enough to get any carry. Was weird seeing ball speeds of 154mph and getting a 180 carry because I launched it at 8 degrees with 1600 spin. Next session I'm going to loft my driver back up to 9 and maybe set it to be open a touch.
Promising signs though, had a swing at 111mph, ball speed was pants at 155mph though as I thinned it. I also had one carry 272 yards that I managed to launch at 15 degrees, if only I could bottle that up. Feels much easier to get the club to 108mph now when going hard at it and I'm seeing most of my drives over 150mph when playing courses.
As for driver, again anything with a face closed to path and it's just dropping out the sky. Since switching to a Ventus blue shaft I have been seeing lower spin but now it's ridiculously low, closing the face a touch brings the spin down to 1600 and I'm not launching it high enough to get any carry. Was weird seeing ball speeds of 154mph and getting a 180 carry because I launched it at 8 degrees with 1600 spin. Next session I'm going to loft my driver back up to 9 and maybe set it to be open a touch.
Promising signs though, had a swing at 111mph, ball speed was pants at 155mph though as I thinned it. I also had one carry 272 yards that I managed to launch at 15 degrees, if only I could bottle that up. Feels much easier to get the club to 108mph now when going hard at it and I'm seeing most of my drives over 150mph when playing courses.
Depreston
Club Champion
Finally went to the sim
Best hits were around 102 mph 240-8 carry course playinf speed was about 94-96
Would love to get that 102 to be my get the ball in play number may have to put some effort into it like whether it’s gym work or speed training
Best hits were around 102 mph 240-8 carry course playinf speed was about 94-96
Would love to get that 102 to be my get the ball in play number may have to put some effort into it like whether it’s gym work or speed training
