What clubhead speed to get 250 yards?

Answer 1

There isn't a completely simple answer to this question, but I'll try and give you some 'rules of thumb'. As I'm sure you are well aware, the distance a Golf ball carries depends on quite a few factors, e.g.: a) atmospheric conditions b) clubhead speed at impact c) how close to the so-called 'sweet spot', on the clubface, the initial contact with the ball is, at impact d) the nature and characteristics of the golf ball and driver in use, which in turn depend on the manufacturer and model. Some balls, and some drivers, produce a more 'lively' impact than others, so that the ball leaves the clubface at a higher speed, even at constant clubhead speed. Also the ball spin characteristics are a variable and again this affects distance. However, having said all of that, here are some ROUGH guideline figures: With a typical, 'middle of the range' modern driver, with a loft of about 10 or 11 degrees, and a 'middle of the range' ball: 90 mph clubhead speed will typically produce about 200 yards of CARRY (not total distance) 100 mph -----------------------------"-----------------------225 110 mph -----------------------------"------------------------250 Now, there are some important things to remember about those numbers: 1) The figures assume a clubface SQUARE TO THE TARGET at impact and 2) The direction of the clubhead is STRAIGHT THROUGH TO THE TARGET at the instant of impact. and 3) The clubface contacts the ball AT THE 'SWEET SPOT' on the clubface. An important thing about point number 3 above is that, as another rule of thumb, for every quarter inch (6.3mm) away from the sweet spot the contact is, you will lose about 5% of distance. Many ordinary golfers, for much of the time, are half an inch or more off the sweet spot. So that's 10%, which equates to 20 yards on a 200 yard drive - quite a lot!! All this underlines the need for golfers to learn to hit the ball BETTER, rather than just trying to hit it harder. Now the above figures are CARRY, not total distance. The extra bit of distance is of course the 'bounce and roll' and this varies enormously when using a driver. On very soft ground you'll get virtually nil bounce and roll, but on hard, dry ground you might get 50 yards or maybe more. Under 'average' ground conditions, you can reckon on bounce and roll being about 10% of the carry distance. What I've said above is by no means an exhaustive explanation of the factors affecting distance, but it's a start. In conclusion, using the figures I've provided, you can deduce that you might expect a 250 yard drive with average modern equipment from a clubhead speed of just over 100 mph, assuming that bounce and roll is 10% of the carry distance, and assuming good, precise, square impact.