Swingspeed - 6 iron vs. driver

[UlyssesSky]

Shortly before christmas I was fitted for my irons and my swing speed with the 6 iron was in the low 80s, mostly between 80 and 83 mph.

Some time ago I had stumbled upon an article (or maybe thread in another forum) that said the 6 iron swing speed was roughly 80% of the SS with the driver.

So basically, I expected my driver swing speed to be around the 100 mph mark.

However, when I went to a driver fitting yesterday, my swing speed was only 93-95 mph, so more than 5 mph slower than expected on average. The fitting was done at the same place using the same launch monitor (Trackman), and the weather conditions were similar.

I'm just interested if this is something I should look into and see my pro about , or if the 80%-rule is just a very broad rule of thump and a 5 mph deviation is absolutely normal.

Also, if this is kind of unusual, are there any 'typical' reasons why some people may have a unexpectedly low driver SS vs. their irons?

Thanks.

 

[Region3]

I always thought it was about 85%.

My driver is around 103 and 6 iron 88 ish.

 

[Ethan]

I always thought it was about 85%.

Wot he said.

People vary, though.

 

[UlyssesSky]

Thanks!

It seems like my driver swing speed is in the normal range, but there's room for improvement...

 

[SugarPenguin]

Driver SS is 110 but my irons are like low 80s

 

[Imurg]

Last time I was measured my 6 iron swing was 83/84 mph and driver slower 98/100..

 

[chrisd]

How well you strike the ball is more important I believe.

 

[UlyssesSky]

Yes and no.

For any given club head speed, the better the strike, the more distance you get. This is also true vice versa, i.e. for any given impact location on the club face, the higher the club head speed, the more distance you get.

It's also understood that there's a trade-off between the two - if you try to increase your swing speed, the strike quality will typically get worse. On the other hand, you could slow your swing down to a point where you could basically guarantee hitting it perfectly (which would be an actual slo-mo swing for me), but the ball wouldn't go anywhere due to lack of club head speed.

The goal is to find the speed that allows you to maximise distance by finding the highest controllable swing speed that still alows for a decent average strike quality.

In neither of the two fittings did I try to absolutely smash it, expecially not with the irons, and since the driver SS seemed a little low based on the numbers I'd read I was wondering if this could mean I had some problems in my driver swing that kept me from hitting it as far as I maybe could.

 

[Ethan]

Driver SS is 110 but my irons are like low 80s

Is your driver very long in the shaft or your 6 iron short?

This is mostly about club length. If you swing each club with the same radial speed the club head speed will depend on length. Control will also vary, although I would say that it may be more complicated than simply related to speed. I suspect most golfers would find a very slow swing unreliable so there probably is an optimal speed part way along the scale where the speed and strike are optimised.

 

[drdel]

Say your Driver shaft is about 45 and the 7 iron about 35 then if you club head speed is 85mph with the 7, your Driver should give you a club head speed of about 109mph.

 

[SugarPenguin]

Is your driver very long in the shaft or your 6 iron short?

This is mostly about club length. If you swing each club with the same radial speed the club head speed will depend on length. Control will also vary, although I would say that it may be more complicated than simply related to speed. I suspect most golfers would find a very slow swing unreliable so there probably is an optimal speed part way along the scale where the speed and strike are optimised.

My irons are half an inch shorter than standard and my driver is 44 inch i think. I mean could I swing my irons at 90mph+ sure but whats the point? I think if you are hitting your irons for distance you are golfing incorrectly.
(basically I am not good enough to swing it fast and hit my irons well).

 

[USER1999]

I can smash a 6i with absolute confidence. I am less confident with a driver, so my swing speed is down on what it could be. However, on those days when I feel confident, boom!

 

[Ethan]

My irons are half an inch shorter than standard and my driver is 44 inch i think. I mean could I swing my irons at 90mph+ sure but whats the point? I think if you are hitting your irons for distance you are golfing incorrectly.
(basically I am not good enough to swing it fast and hit my irons well).

OK, but most people have a natural swing pace and the biggest factor differentiating 6 iron and driver clubbed speed is the length of the club.

 

[Essex_Stu]

90mph swing speed with 6 iron and around 108 with my driver. Both measured at precision golf.