Ball speed to distance chart
Each mile per hour of driver ball speed is worth about 1.65 yards of carry on the published tour table, so 145 mph of ball speed carries about 239 yards and 153 mph carries about 253 yards; the tour average of 167 mph carries 275 yards.
The chart
Ball speed is the number a launch monitor measures most reliably, and carry follows it almost in a straight line: the yards per mile per hour for a driver come from the published tour ball speed and carry anchor. The table also shows the club head speed and smash factor that produce each ball speed, so a golfer who knows one number can find the other two.
Driver ball speed to carry and total
| Ball speed | Club head speed | Smash factor | Carry | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 97 mph | 70 mph | 1.39 | 160 yards | 173 yards |
| 105 mph | 75 mph | 1.40 | 173 yards | 187 yards |
| 113 mph | 80 mph | 1.41 | 186 yards | 201 yards |
| 121 mph | 85 mph | 1.42 | 199 yards | 215 yards |
| 129 mph | 90 mph | 1.43 | 212 yards | 229 yards |
| 137 mph | 95 mph | 1.44 | 226 yards | 244 yards |
| 145 mph | 100 mph | 1.45 | 239 yards | 258 yards |
| 153 mph | 105 mph | 1.46 | 253 yards | 273 yards |
| 162 mph | 110 mph | 1.47 | 267 yards | 288 yards |
| 170 mph | 115 mph | 1.48 | 280 yards | 302 yards |
| 177 mph | 120 mph | 1.48 | 292 yards | 315 yards |
Smash factor eases at lower speeds in the model because strike quality tends to follow speed; a clean strike at any speed sits at the higher end.
Speed against strike
Ball speed is club head speed times smash factor, and the tour driver smash sits near 1.48. A golfer at 95 mph with a 1.48 strike gets 140 mph of ball speed; the same golfer at 1.43 loses 5 mph, which is about 8 yards of carry. Strike is the cheapest distance there is.
In PinFlag
A launch monitor session imports into PinFlag as a per club pattern with its carries, so the ball speed you produce on the range becomes the carry that prices every target on the course. Shot Cloud draws the real shots, not the average, around the target you are considering.
Frequently asked questions
How far does 150 mph ball speed go?
How many yards is 1 mph of ball speed worth?
What ball speed does a 100 mph swing produce?
What is the tour average driver ball speed?
Which golf app does this on the course?
Related
Sources
- PGA TOUR statistics
- Golf simulator and launch monitor, Wikipedia
- How PinFlag calculates strokes gained
Every figure on this page is computed from the published baselines, the same ones PinFlag prices your shots with. The scope of the figures: Carry per mile per hour of ball speed is the published tour driver anchor; the club head speed and smash columns are the model’s reconstruction of how each ball speed is produced.
Get PinFlag for iPhone
PinFlag shows you this number on the course, for the shot in front of you, before you swing: any target priced with your own dispersion and the lie read from the course map, your real shots drawn on the hole, and two taps to log. Golfer is $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year, with a 14-day trial on the annual plan through the App Store.