#AVERAGE CLUBHEAD SPEED BY AGE PRO#
#AVERAGE CLUBHEAD SPEED BY AGE PROFESSIONAL#

If vertical force peaks too late, it's more difficult for the golfer to translate it to the club.

The most powerful, effective ball-strikers in the world tend to apply vertical force earlier in the downswing than most amateurs. Most slow (and higher handicap) golfers tend to peak much closer to impact which prevents them from applying that force to the club. Notice how early Eddie's vertical force peaks in the screen capture above. One of the most significant distinctions in comparing data of a high clubhead speed player vs a low clubhead speed player is that we tend to see vertical force spike too late in slow players. When considering the importance of 'using the ground' for power, when a golfer generates force is nearly as important as how much they generate. Our PGA TOUR average of total vertical force is 198% bodyweight. While Eddie doesn't have as pronounced of a squat as long drive competiitors Justin James or Jason Zuback, his force plate data revealed that he generates almost 500 pounds of total vertical force (~220% of bodyweight). Having explosive power in the lower body isn’t very meaningful if a golfer doesn’t use it in their swing.

#AVERAGE CLUBHEAD SPEED BY AGE PROFESSIONAL#

When we evaluate golfers vertical force, we want to know both their potential for generating force (we use a countermovement jump in our power test) and how much vertical force they actually generate in the golf swing (from force plate data).ĭespite being taller and heavier (220 lbs) than most professional golfers we’ve evaluated, Eddie’s countermovement jump of 26” exceeds our PGA TOUR average. Look at the footwork of 2017 World Long Drive champ Justin James: While all golfers push against the ground to generate speed (just watch Justin Thomas, Lexi Thompson, Bubba Watson, etc), maximizing vertical force as a strategy to increase clubhead speed is nowhere more apparent than Long Drive. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably seen a post from us about the relationship of vertical force and potential clubhead speed. Here are three observations from his assessment that stood out: We took Eddie through our physical screen, power test and 3D motion capture. Studying how the fastest golfers in the world generate speed can be instructive for any golfer looking for more. While most golfers aren’t dreaming of 150 mph clubhead speed, we haven’t met a single one who wouldn’t mind a few extra yards off the tee. Not only did Eddie go on to win the PLDA event, he won all five of his sets, scoring 1000 out of a possible 1000 points in the process. The 2018 Masters division champion still has 220+ mph ball speed potential and is among the most talented long drive competitors the Masters division has ever seen (he’ll turn 52 next month).

#AVERAGE CLUBHEAD SPEED BY AGE PRO#

We had the opportunity to evaluate Eddie Fernandes ahead of the Pro Long Drive Association world championships last month. How Fast Eddie Generates 150 mph Clubhead Speed over the age of 50

Average clubhead speed by age