Opinion & Analysis
Was Tiger Woods really swinging his driver between 124-and-128 mph at the Honda Classic?
In case you missed Tiger Woods in action at the Honda Classic last week, he looked strong with the driver en route to a 12th place finish. He didn’t find many fairways with the big stick, but he appeared to be swinging it fast and hitting it far — actually, he ranked No. 2 in driving distance (319.1 yards) for the week.
But, just how fast was he actually swinging the driver?
According to Brandel Chamblee’s research (he appears to be using live ShotLink data), Tiger was bringing it between 124.5 and 128.4 mph, as measured on hole No. 3 each round.
For those who think Tiger’s club head speed numbers (124.5-128.4) were off because they didn’t come with a corresponding ball speed,all you have to do is look at the smash factor to realize he didn’t hit any of those four tee shots solid. Speed was accurate. pic.twitter.com/B38HfivIJw
— Brandel Chamblee (@chambleebrandel) February 26, 2018
And just how high is 128 mph club head speed?
Tiger Woods club head speed has been measured today at 128.42 MPH.
That number would lead the PGA Tour every year since they started keeping track in 2007.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) February 24, 2018
Wait a second. If he was swinging the club that fast, shouldn’t his ball speed and distance be way higher? Well, it makes more sense when you look at the smash factor, which is surprisingly low. Smash factor is a ratio of ball speed and club head speed, and the highest possible (depending on who you ask) is 1.50. So Tiger producing smash factors between 1.416 and 1.456 means that while he was swinging the club very, very fast, he was missing the center of the club face, too.
Here’s top-100 teacher and GolfWRX featured writer Tom Stickney’s take: “As with anyone, this shows that not even Tiger is exempt from hitting the ball in the sweet spot. Usually when you try and swing at the upper end of the spectrum, you will find that impact quality suffers. Therefore, you must find your own balance between swing speed and centeredness of contact.”
Of course, there’s a number of different explanations for the numbers — from a few well-respected names in the golf industry, I might add — in the responses to Chamblee’s Tweet.
What do you think? Do you think Tiger was really swinging the driver that fast, and simply missing the center of the face? Or do you think the club head speeds were jacked up?
See what GolfWRX Members are saying about this in the forums.
- LIKE84
- LEGIT15
- WOW6
- LOL16
- IDHT3
- FLOP7
- OB7
- SHANK95
Golf's Perfect Imperfections
Golf’s Perfect Imperfections: Breakthrough mental tools to play the golf of your dreams
Incredibly important talk! A must listen to the words of Dr. Karl Morris, ham-and-egging with the golf imperfections trio. Like listening to top athletes around a campfire. This talk will helps all ages and skills in any sport.
- LIKE0
- LEGIT1
- WOW1
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK3
This week’s episode covers a wide array of topics from the world of golf including Max Homa’s win on the PGA Tour, golf course architecture, and how to avoid “paralysis by analysis” when it comes to your golf game.
This week’s show also covers the important topic of mental health, with the catalyst for the conversation being a recent interview published by PGA Tour with Bubba Watson and his struggles.
- LIKE1
- LEGIT0
- WOW0
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK0
As some might say, if you don’t take the plunge, you can’t taste the brine. Others might not say such a thing. I’m taking the plunge because I want to taste the brine.
Here you’ll find the second installment of “A Golfing Memoir” as we trace a year in the life of Flip Hedgebow, itinerant teacher of golf. For January, click here.
He could never explain his given name. Why would a German family name their son “cirE”? Some mistook it for Sire and thought him presumptuous. As a lad, with fingers crossed, he hoped that other kids hadn’t the intellectual gumption to search a Gaelic dictionary, where they would find the translation of … wax.
Why do mothers name their children such odd names, and why don’t fathers object? Flip’s father had made a career of objecting to every sincere and frivolous pursuit the boy had undertaken. Why not object to cirE? Flip stared into the morning sun, preferring the more-than-momentary blindness, and surmised that the old man knew that it was a battle he couldn’t win. Carry this bowling ball around for nine months, pulling on organs, muscles, and bones, and don’t let me pick his name? uh-UH. Stored it all up and took it out on the kid.
Considering the brief nature of February, cirE “Flip” Hedgebow feared that planning was overrated, and that much was beyond his control. He had transitioned many times before, from south to north and from north to south. After a few years, he gave little thought to each move. Yet, despite experience and wisdom, he felt possessed by neither. Flip was not wrong; the turbulence roiled beneath the surface of his calm demeanor. Work a pro shop long enough, and you learn to pass emotional tsunami off as a wink and a nod. If you can’t, you don’t last.
February was an odd month in the Sunshine state. The amateur snowbirds had departed, and the fairly-experienced ones began to arrive. Difference? Amateurs arrive for the first month of the new year, bask in the warmth, then head home for two or three more months of cold, and get sick. The fairly-experienced brood (usually 4-5 years into retirement or freedom) had figured this out, through pain and suffering. They made their reservations one month later, stunned that time was available for them. There was a reason for that, but Flip wouldn’t consider it for a pair more of fortnights. What the departure of the amateurs meant, was lower revenues, across the board.
Amateur snowbirds bathed in the deceitful glow of recent loosenings. They spent like there was no tomorrow when, for most of them, there were too many tomorrows. Their departure meant that registers wouldn’t ring (his mentor used that expression) like the chapel on Sunday. In the world of cirE, registers were tablets that used Square, and chapels didn’t do business like they did in the past.
The fairly-experienced crowd had settled into a February routine. No longer trying every new thing, they spent their Valentines month in nearly-perfect symmetry. They knew which restaurants to frequent, and which sales would appear in windows, at which appointed hours. Frivolous purchases were no longer their wont, as the writing on the wall began to show in greater clarity. Flip cared nothing of this…he cared about the diminishing returns and the lightening of his pocket clip. This generation suspected that March was the better month for rolling into northern Spring, but those who held those dates, weren’t giving up before a literal fight to the finish. So February it was.
Something else that the February armada offered, was time on the lesson tee. They weren’t giving up on youthful potential and conquest, at least not on the golf course. What they could not offer in the clubs, they could occasionally summon when money was on the line, and that would have to do. The majority of them accosted Flip over matters of distance and new drivers. The savvy ones asked when he could show them a shot or three around the green, or from the trees. If Flip ever had to run a Calcutta to save his life, he lived in the certainty that those savvy ones, those scramblers, would be the ones to back. Since all of them paid, the lesson tee was a bonanza.
No matter the month, Florida was a gold mine compared with New York. No taxes, and even the most frugal snowbird tipped and bought more than folks in rural Empire state. Flip’s nest egg needed to swell a few sizes, like the Grinch’s heart, before April Fools’ Day arrived. Something else that needed to swell, was his peripheral vision. For the second time in as many months, the potency and potential of the red-haired woman escaped his notice, as did the farewell wave she gave to Flip’s next student. Good things come to those who wait, but do they also come to those who miss?
- LIKE1
- LEGIT1
- WOW1
- LOL0
- IDHT1
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK1
Brooks Koepka WITB 2021 (January)
The death of the 3-iron and what it means for your bag setup
Rickie Fowler WITB 2021: New driver, irons…pretty much everything
Jason Day WITB 2021 (January)
Driver changes for Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas at the 2021 Phoenix Open
Farmers Insurance Open Tour Truck Report: Details on Adam Scott’s AutoFlex experiment, Jon Rahm’s new putter (and shoes)
Jordan Spieth pulls off incredible 4-iron tee shot on 100-yard par 3 at Pebble Beach
Brooks Koepka’s winning WITB: 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open
Interesting photos from the Waste Management Open Monday qualifier
Paul Casey’s winning WITB: 2021 Dubai Desert Classic
WITB GolfWRX Members Edition: Rickybooby25 (Including shafts built for Gary Woodland)
Recently we put out the call for our members to submit their WITBs in our forum to be featured on...
Max Homa’s winning WITB: 2021 Genesis Invitational
Driver: Titleist TSi3 (9 degrees) Shaft: Aldila Rogue Black 130 MSI 60 TX 3-wood: Titleist TS3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit...
Tony Finau WITB 2021 Genesis Invitational
Tony Finau what’s in the bag accurate as of the Genesis Invitational. Driver: Ping G425 LST (9 degrees @7, Big...
Tyler McCumber WITB 2021 (February)
Driver: TaylorMade SIM (9 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei White CK Pro 70 TX 3-wood: Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero (15...
-
Equipment3 weeks agoDriver changes for Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas at the 2021 Phoenix Open
-
19th Hole2 weeks agoJordan Spieth pulls off incredible 4-iron tee shot on 100-yard par 3 at Pebble Beach
-
Whats in the Bag2 weeks agoBrooks Koepka’s winning WITB: 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open
-
Whats in the Bag3 weeks agoJordan Spieth WITB 2021 (February)
-
19th Hole3 weeks agoBubba Watson lights up TPC Scottsdale by hitting 16th green with DRIVER
-
Tour News7 days agoGenesis Invitational Tour Truck Report: DJ testing driver shafts, Xander’s new irons
-
Equipment2 weeks agoAT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Tour Truck Report: What’s David Duval playing? Min Woo Lee debut, Rickie’s new ball
-
Whats in the Bag3 weeks agoSteve Stricker WITB 2021 (February)
ray
Mar 19, 2018 at 8:55 am
No way 128. He was going after it pretty hard at Arnold’s tourney and wasn’t hitting 180 ball speed.
Robert Parsons
Feb 28, 2018 at 8:36 pm
Measured hitting a fade?
Stephen
Feb 28, 2018 at 8:35 pm
This jurry-rigging won’t last for long. canna’ change the laws of physics
Christopher
Feb 28, 2018 at 4:06 pm
The 1.5 Smash Factor Ratio isn’t an absolute, it varies with the data gathering device. A perfect ratio with something like GCQuad is 1.45.
Seems like a storm in a teacup for 4 measurements over 4 different days with something that usually has decent +/- tolerances at best.
David
Feb 28, 2018 at 1:55 pm
Who cares?
Paul
Feb 28, 2018 at 1:39 pm
This has been one of Tigers problems all along. The harder he swings, the worst he hits his drives. I have seen him swing controlled and smooth and hit the fairway or al least the first cut. When he swings out of his shoes, the ball goes way right more often then not.
Steve Pratt
Feb 28, 2018 at 1:04 pm
As a long time TM owner, I don’t believe Tiger would miss a driver bad enough to get a 1.41 smash…that’s horrible. A tour player’s worst miss is usually 1.46.
So yah my gut feeling is that 128 he popped is an electronic outlier. If he does it again in his next tournament I will admit I was wrong.
DRod
Feb 28, 2018 at 12:43 pm
I will take a different approach; he is driving the ball terribly since his return. This is the worst I’ve seen Tiger off the tee. It could be a number of things, regardless of these numbers. Does he even have a driver that fits his swing? I don’t think he does. He’s experimented with several shaft combinations, both on the range and now the last two tour stops. Neither worked. This data means nothing…he needs to figure out his swing and that might entail equipment changes, including the ball. Just my 2-cents.
Bob Jones
Feb 28, 2018 at 12:18 pm
We care about this because . . .?
sean coxe
Feb 28, 2018 at 11:55 am
Would the ball he’s using have any effect?
Scott sinclair
Feb 28, 2018 at 11:49 am
I watch people hit balls on Trackman all day and Taylor Made drivers definitely have an amped up swing speed. Since Trackman gets the ball speed correct the smash factor will always be low.
Also the Callaway Rogue reads slightly lower swing speeds (from my experience) and therefore the smash factor is always high.
It is possible this was done on purpose on both companies behalf or not.
OG
Feb 28, 2018 at 9:56 am
Did it ever occur to any of you that maybe he was intentionally aiming for the heel on the face for say, a heel-cut? Smash factor would be lower of course.
Iain
Feb 28, 2018 at 6:13 am
That would mean every players data was wrong or do you think it was only Tigers that was wrong,!?
Mike C
Feb 27, 2018 at 8:40 pm
The smash factor makes no sense. Neither does a 6° Launch.
Ogo
Feb 27, 2018 at 11:17 pm
It only makes no sense to the ignorant and anti-science no hope duffers.
Woody
Feb 27, 2018 at 7:14 pm
Sure anyone on tour can go 128 for one hole…and to everyone who complains about numbers. It’s a golf website, these articles are meant to fill dead space.
Ogo
Feb 27, 2018 at 11:21 pm
High driver speed – higher risk and better/worst results. No secret here.
Doug
Feb 27, 2018 at 7:08 pm
I think the explanation is somewhere in the middle… bad reading, mishit, wind, etc. But if we accept that Tiger wasn’t hitting the sweet spot with his new TM M3 and it’s touted Twist Face technology to compensate for the mishit, does that mean Taylormade may have some explaining to do? It might make me start to window shop!
foreright
Mar 6, 2018 at 10:27 am
supposedly tour players don’t actually use the twist face
CrashTestDummy
Feb 27, 2018 at 6:38 pm
Too many factors involved (AOA, spin rate, launch angle, wind, turf conditions, smash, etc) to determine carry distance and total distance. However with that being said, I have found that all launch monitors are not 100% accurate exact science even though the numbers portray it as. Obviously, there is discrepancies with readings, but it doesn’t really matter a few yards here or there. The score is the important fact.
Ogo
Feb 27, 2018 at 11:16 pm
Only if launch monitors were as accurate as your Scotty/Bettinardi/Ping/Odyssey/Other Studio Tour Only putters…. and PXG clubs. Your need for perfect accuracy from launch monitors just reveals your high standards of performance.
Dana Upshaw
Feb 27, 2018 at 6:18 pm
I can’t begin to count the number of “caved” TM driver faces I saw the last six years I operated my shop. First hint was low smash readings with center hits. Radius gauge confirmed flat or caved faces. Hand the client a new club and with same swing speed smash goes up.
Easy driver carry computation is swing speed x 2.5. Watch the “pro tracer” numbers and run the numbers. You’ll generally be within a few yards of what PT will show for carry. Exceptional ballstrikers who produce high launch/low spin can use a 2.6 factor.
SK
Feb 27, 2018 at 5:54 pm
If Tiger was swinging ~126 mph average and his Smash Factor was depressed at ~1.436 average that can only mean he is not impacting the ball with a squared off club face.
His clubhead path may be on line but if his driver face is skewed slightly that will result in an undesirable initial ball path and errant spin axis which will lower the SM as well as push or pull the ball which he is doing. Simple vector physics.
Nick
Feb 27, 2018 at 5:49 pm
Not a chance he was swinging 128. Come on Brandel – it is so easy to tell by his swing that he’s not. 128 looks and sounds different than that! He’s probably around 119-122 Not a chance. He’s swinging fast for sure. 128 is like an LD guy in regular play.
What?!
Feb 28, 2018 at 1:48 pm
LD guys swing at 145mph or faster, with a regular 45 length they still top out over 140. 128 is not outside the realm, the top guys on tour have hit that number. In fact a newbie in last years US Open hit 130mph on the radar with a tour swing.
Johnnythunders
Feb 27, 2018 at 5:38 pm
Who cares? Why this age of fascination with computer generated numbers. Wow high ball speed, he’s back! Wow low smash factor, he sucks.
Did he win? No, 12th is all the matters.
The dude
Feb 28, 2018 at 10:16 pm
Idiot
njrp
Mar 1, 2018 at 7:56 pm
He lost again…get over it. I would be focussed on instead on how there is no way Tiger won’t blow out his four time operated on back swinging that fast. The only reason he did not blow out his back at a younger age because he let his knee take all the torqueing. Once he had to protect that knee he started to blow out his back.