What Is The Average Swing Speed On The PGA Tour?

It’s quick. Very quick. That piece of advice about swinging nice and slow... it goes out the window for tour professionals. It’s more ‘grip it and rip it’.

The difference between the best players in the world and your average club golfer, however, is that pro players can swing hard and stay completely in sync (most of the time).

Anyway, you didn’t come here for a lesson. You want to know how your swing speed compares.

Before diving in, let’s define swing speed. Also known as clubhead speed, it refers to how fast the clubhead is traveling immediately prior to impact with the golf ball.

There's a lot of focus on this number because gaining one extra mph can add up to three yards off the tee with your driver.

Clubhead speed is not the same as ball speed. To calculate ball speed, you multiply swing speed by your smash factor.

What’s smash factor, you ask? Smash factor is a measure of how efficiently the club transfers energy to the ball.

Let’s not get into the weeds too much here. The key point is that high swing speed alone does not guarantee distance if contact lacks efficiency.

At the time of writing - and this is unlikely to change too much over the course of the season - the average swing speed on the PGA Tour is 116.92 mph.

At the top of the table, Gary Woodland averages 127.6 mph. Naturally, his speed will fluctuate, occasionally exceeding 130 mph while dipping lower on other swings.

Regular PGA Tour viewers won't be surprised to see other big hitters like Michael Brennan, Aldrich Potgieter, and Marco Penge near the top of the rankings, as each maintains an average clubhead speed exceeding 125 mph.

Any discussion around clubhead speed needs to highlight Rory McIlroy, who is widely considered one of the most talented and longest drivers in the game.

The Northern Irishman can usually be found around the 124 mph mark.

We should also mention Bryson DeChambeau here, another of the game’s longest drivers.

By 2021, following several years focused on gaining strength and distance, his average speed reached 133 mph, with peak swing speeds approaching 139 mph.

Fast, yes, but not as fast as long-drive specialist Seb Twaddell, who has clocked 169.6 mph.

The players at the opposite end of the table might be slow in comparison to some of their PGA Tour peers - we’re talking around the 110 mph mark - but they still possess impressive speed.

For context, typical amateur male players with higher handicaps usually generate clubhead speeds in the 85–95 mph range.

Of course, no one struts around on the PGA Tour boasting about having the fastest clubhead speed or ball speed (OK, maybe Bryson did a bit a few years ago).

Maybe South Africa’s Potgieter could be forgiven for feeling a bit smug, given that he presently holds the title for the longest driving average at 330.7 yards.

However, they’re just numbers, and you could argue that the only one that really matters is wins.

Before you start trying to swing off your feet, remember: distance needs to be manageable.

If you are on a mission to boost your clubhead speed, it makes sense to work with a PGA professional. Poor sequencing and a lack of weight transfer might be robbing your swing of speed and power.

Meanwhile, an expert driver fitting can match you with the right shaft - giving you an easy win. There's also the gym, and plenty of strength and mobility exercises you can do at home.

Maybe don't go chasing Gary and Aldrich, though. Consistency over power wins most of the time.