By Jaacob Bowden
It was 2007 since I last seriously competed in long drive. Despite not competing since then, I’m still a follower and a fan of the sport.
During the telecast of the 2015 World Long Drive Championships from the Winstar World Resort & Casino in Thackerville, OK, I jotted down some of the club data coming across the screen from various competitors who made it to the Final 16.
Curious how fast these guys swing?
The data I grabbed is below.
As you’ll see, the Final 16 long drivers swing very fast (141 mph) and hit the ball really hard (210 mph ball speed), very solid (1.48 smash factor) and awfully high (142 foot peak shot height).
To give you some perspective, PGA TOUR players average around 113 mph of club head speed, 167 mph of ball speed, 1.48 smash factor, and with a peak shot height of about 97 feet.
The average male amateur swings around 93 mph, has 133 mph of ball speed, and has a 1.43 smash factor.
2015WorldLongDriveChampionshipsStatsFinal16