Average Golf Swing Speed by Handicap and How to Measure It

Updated October 2026 for DeepSwing 3.3 on iPhone and 1.4 on Android.

The average male amateur swings his driver at about 94 mph (42 m/s). That is the figure for the "average golfer" with a 14.5 handicap in TrackMan's combine data, published in its article What is Club Speed? in September 2024. A scratch golfer averages about 110 mph, a PGA Tour player about 115 mph.

For women, the same data runs from about 79 mph at a 15 handicap to 90 mph for scratch players. The LPGA Tour average is about 96 mph.

Below you find the full tables, what a few miles per hour mean for your distance, and three ways to measure your own speed, from a launch monitor to the phone in your pocket.

Average driver swing speed by handicap

Swing speed in golf almost always means club speed: TrackMan defines it as the speed of the clubhead's center just before it meets the ball. The numbers below are TrackMan combine averages with the driver, as TrackMan lists them. The m/s column is our conversion (1 mph is 0.447 m/s), because Japan and most launch monitors outside the US show meters per second.

Two things stand out. Between a 10 handicap and a bogey golfer there are only about 3 mph, so speed alone does not explain a handicap. In the middle of the range, strike and direction do most of the work. And a scratch amateur swings only about 5 mph slower than the average tour player.

For irons, TrackMan gives tour numbers only: a 6-iron averages 94 mph on the PGA Tour and 80 mph on the LPGA Tour. For its virtual practice games TrackMan assumes about 80 mph with a 6-iron and 72 mph with a pitching wedge for an average male golfer.

What swing speed means for distance

Speed sets the ceiling. According to the same TrackMan article, 1 mph more club speed can add up to 3 yards with the driver. That "up to" matters, because the strike decides how much of the speed reaches the ball.

The number for that is the smash factor, ball speed divided by club speed. TrackMan writes in its smash factor article that a golfer would hope for close to 1.50 with the driver, and both the PGA and LPGA Tour average 1.49. With a pitching wedge the value is lower by design, around 1.25.

So take two golfers at 94 mph. One strikes it near the center at a smash factor of 1.45 and gets about 136 mph of ball speed. The other hits it off the toe at 1.35 and gets about 127 mph. Same swing speed, about 9 mph of ball speed apart, and that gap shows up in carry. Before you chase speed, check what your strike does with the speed you already have.

How to measure your swing speed

With a launch monitor

Radar and camera launch monitors measure club speed directly, and many of them also show ball speed and smash factor. If you have access to one at a club fitting or a lesson, that is the most precise way to get your number.

Ranges with ball tracking in the bays are a different case. According to its Toptracer Range page, Toptracer shows ball speed, launch angle and distance, not club speed. You can still estimate your club speed from it: divide the ball speed of a well-struck drive by about 1.45. A drive at 140 mph of ball speed points to a club speed of roughly 97 mph. Treat it as an estimate, because the smash factor of your strike is exactly the part you don't know.

With a small radar

Small radars that sit on the ground near the ball show club speed or ball speed after every swing. They are cheap and quick, but they only give you a number. They can't tell you why one swing was faster than the next.

With your phone

DeepSwing measures clubhead and ball speed at impact from a video of your swing, with no radar and no sensors. It needs a face-on recording (the camera looks at your chest from the other side of the ball) at 100 frames per second or more, and it keeps a speed history for each club.

On iPhone every capture mode records at 120 or 240 fps, so you get speed in Record, 1 Swing, Multi Swing and Live Coach as long as you film face-on. On Android only Record with the rear camera reaches 120 or 240 fps. Use the Speed button there: pick the club, tap Speed and walk to the ball. Once you stand still it records, stops after your finish and trims the clip itself. Some Android phones, mostly because of Samsung firmware, offer apps no high-speed mode at all, and DeepSwing tells you when that is the case. Our golf swing speed app page has the details.

Clubhead and ball speed are part of DeepSwing's full results, which come with DeepSwing Pro. The yearly plan starts with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers. Get DeepSwing from the App Store or Google Play.

How to get a number you can trust

One swing tells you very little. Warm up first, then hit five drives at full effort and look at the middle of the five, not the best one. Keep the test the same every time you repeat it: same club, same warm-up, same device, ideally the same time of day.

When you film for speed, put the phone on a small tripod about 2 to 3 meters (7 to 10 feet) away at hip height, level, with your whole body and the club in the frame. Impact has to be clearly visible. Motion blur, poor light or a club that leaves the frame can stop a measurement, so film in good light and not into a low sun.

Different devices measure in different ways, so compare your numbers with your own earlier numbers from the same device rather than with a friend's radar. DeepSwing keeps a speed history for each club, so last month's driver is always one tap away. It is free to download for iPhone and Android.

Faster, but not at any price

Speed training works, and it is its own topic. One rule from the range keeps it honest: if your club speed goes up and your ball speed does not follow, fix the strike before you swing harder. A face-on video shows you both numbers for the same swing, and the down-the-line view shows whether the extra speed came with a move that sends the ball sideways, such as coming over the top.

Our driver swing guide covers setup, contact and path, and the golf swing drills article sorts drills by the fault they fix.

FAQ

What is a good swing speed for an average golfer?

Around 94 mph (42 m/s) with the driver for men and roughly 79 to 83 mph for women with a 10 to 15 handicap, according to TrackMan's combine averages. A good swing speed is one you can still strike in the middle of the face.

What is the average 7-iron swing speed?

TrackMan doesn't publish an amateur 7-iron average. It lists 94 mph with a 6-iron for the PGA Tour and assumes about 80 mph for an average male golfer's 6-iron in its practice games, so an average 7-iron sits a little below that.

Can my phone measure my swing speed?

Yes, if the app measures from video and the phone films fast enough. DeepSwing needs a face-on recording at 100 fps or more. Every iPhone mode records at 120 or 240 fps; on Android use Record with the rear camera and the Speed button.

How do I convert mph to m/s?

Multiply by 0.447. 100 mph is about 44.7 m/s, and 40 m/s is about 89.5 mph.