Swing speed by handicap
The handicap model puts a scratch golfer’s driver at 106 mph and takes 0.95 mph off per stroke of handicap: 97 mph for a 10, 87 mph for a 20, 78 mph for a 30. The tour average of 113 mph sits 7 mph above scratch.
The chart
The formula is printed on every page that uses it: driver club head speed equals 106 minus 0.95 multiplied by the handicap. Every other club runs at the same fraction of its own tour speed, and the carries come from the published tour ball speed and carry table.
Driver swing speed by handicap
| Handicap | Club head speed | Ball speed | Carry | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scratch | 106 mph | 155 mph | 256 yards | 276 yards |
| 5 handicap | 101 mph | 147 mph | 242 yards | 262 yards |
| 10 handicap | 97 mph | 139 mph | 230 yards | 248 yards |
| 15 handicap | 92 mph | 132 mph | 217 yards | 234 yards |
| 20 handicap | 87 mph | 124 mph | 204 yards | 221 yards |
| 25 handicap | 82 mph | 116 mph | 192 yards | 207 yards |
| 30 handicap | 78 mph | 109 mph | 180 yards | 194 yards |
Why the spread matters more
The speed gap from scratch to a 20 handicap is 19 mph and 51 yards of carry, which the published fairway table prices at about 0.25 of a stroke per approach. A 20 handicap gives up about 13.7 strokes a round in the long game on Broadie’s split, so most of the gap is the pattern around the speed, not the speed.
In PinFlag
PinFlag measures the pattern the model cannot: every shot you log records where you aimed and where it finished, every launch monitor session imports as a per-club pattern, and Shot Cloud draws that pattern on the hole so the spread around your speed is priced before you swing.
Frequently asked questions
What swing speed does a scratch golfer have?
What swing speed does a 15 handicap have?
Does more swing speed lower your handicap?
What is the average golfer’s swing 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: The handicap model is the linear formula stated on the page; the carries are the published tour anchor at each speed.
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.