Breaking Down The Average Driver Swing Speed For Women

In the modern era where distance dominates many golf discussions, understanding driver swing speed has become increasingly important – especially for women golfers.

While there’s plenty of information available about men’s swing speeds, finding detailed data about how fast women hit a golf ball can be challenging.

That’s why Golfing Focus, having already taken a look at what is a good driver swing speed for women, decided to examine average golfer swing speeds for women in more detail, breaking them down further by handicap and age.

And while we are at it we measured how women amateur driver club speeds compare to the very best women golfers on the LPGA Tour.

Golfing Focused Key Takeaways For Time Pressed Golfers

• The average woman amateur golfer has an average driver swing speed of 70 mph, while LPGA Tour professionals average 96 mph
• There’s a clear correlation between handicap and swing speed, with 4-5 mph separating each major handicap bracket
• While swing speed naturally decreases with age, skill and ball strike quality matter more than raw speed.

Average Women Driver Swingspeed By Handicap

When it comes to average driver swing speeds in women’s golf, the data shows a clear correlation between playing ability and swing speed.

The better the golfer and therefore the lower the handicap, the faster they typically swing the driver:

• Scratch or better: 90 mph
• 5 handicap: 87 mph
• 10 handicap: 83 mph
• 15 handicap: 79 mph
• 20 handicap: 75 mph (Bogey golfer)
• 25 handicap: 70 mph (Average woman amateur)
• 30+ handicap: 60 to 65 mph

These numbers based on estimates from Trackman, arguably the leader in golf launch monitor technology, Arccos, Titleist and master club maker Tom Wishon, highlight the exact same thing that the data in the men’s game shows.

That lower handicapped women players consistently produce higher driver swing speeds on average.

What stands out from this data also though is that the progression in driver swing speeds follows a relatively consistent patterns with roughly 4-5 mph separating each major handicap bracket.

This gentle progression suggests that as women amateurs improve their overall game, driver swing speed typically increases gradually rather than through dramatic jumps.

While every regular golfer can of course point to individuals they have played with who break the mould the link between higher swing speeds and lower handicaps is stark.

And when we look in more detail at the driver swing speeds of the best women players in the world on the LPGA Tour below the evidence for that connections is even more obvious.

Club/Swing Speed Matters But It Is A Balancing Act

And why does swing speed matter?

It is simply because analysis by the best stats analysts in the game also illustrate very clearly that driving the ball increased distances, that higher average driver swing speeds allow, directly impacts scoring.

What women golfers, like all players however, must understand is that while the link between higher swingspeeds and lower handicaps (via increased distance) is beyond statistical doubt they should not be looking to increase above all else.

And that is because what ultimately determines driver distance is not solely about increased swing speed.

Skill, translated to better impact location of where you strike the golf ball, is the single most important influence on driving distance.

And so important is skill in relation to how far you hit the ball that Arccos’ analysis of millions of amateur golfer’s shots concludes that it is skill is twice as impactful as age when it comes to driving distances.

Average Women Driver Swingspeed By Age

Women golfers of all standards will inevitably see changes in their driver swingspeeds as they age.

Unfortunately though the data available on this topic is limited.

Golfing Focus though was able to find a study of over 200 junior, regular and senior women golfers by Par4Success – a Golf Digest Top 50 Golf Fitness Trainer – over a 4 year period.

And here is their estimated median driver swing speeds for women of different age groups:

• 10 to 16 year olds: 83 mph
• 17 to 29 year olds: 93 mph
• 50 to 60 year olds: 73 mph
• 60+ year olds: 72 mph

Unfortunately no 30 to 50 year women golfers were part of this study and the small sample size limits its value to a degree.

But although the average driver swing speeds it reports for the younger age groups look like a clear over estimate given the handicap numbers we’ve already looked at the figures for women golfers over the age of 50 look more plausible.

Further given that Par4Success used Flightscope launch monitors for their testing, which give a 3-4mph higher swing speed measurement in comparison to Trackman, these figures track very closely to the 70 mph driver swing speed of the average women amateur golfer.

Driver Swingspeeds of LPGA Tour Pros Set the Standard

The LPGA Tour provides fascinating insights into what’s possible when it comes to women driver swing speeds.

The average LPGA Tour professional generates a driver swing speed of 96 mph, which is:

• 26 mph faster than the average female amateur and delivers an average driving distance 81.7 yards (74.7 metres) longer
• 6 mph faster than a female scratch golfer.

The best women golfer in the world at the moment, Nelly Korda consistently produces even faster driver swing speeds over 100 mph while the longest hitter on the LPGA Tour, Bianca Pagdanganan, records speeds closing in 110 mph.

3-time major winner and Olympic Champion Lydia Ko however continues to average below 95 mph proving that increased swing speed isn’t always the answer.

And while the top women’s pros average swingspeeds are clearly excellent what’s most impressive is how ‘efficiently’ LPGA Tour pros convert their swing speed into distance.

But while the average man drives the ball around 225 yards typically the top pros in the women’s game average a total distance of 260 yards. That’s an enormous 35 yards extra with close to the driver club speed.

For example, when you consider that the average swingspeed on the LPGA Tour is very close to that of the average male amateur (96 mph vs 93.4mph) you may expect because of this that they will hit the ball similar distances.

But while the average man drives the ball around 225 yards typically the top pros in the women’s game average a total distance of 260 yards. That’s a huge 35 yards extra with close to the same driver club speed.

And especially when Trackman state that adding 1 mph of swing speed can only increase distance by up to 3 yards with driver.

So increased distance is clearly not solely about increased swing speed and it is even more important that you focus on striking the ball in the middle of driver club face to maximise your driving distances!

Before You Go …

Driver swing speed is the key factor for determining a golfer’s ‘potential’ distance.

So to check out how far you ‘should’ be hitting the ball with the driver club speed you have in our next article

How Far Should Your Driver Swingspeed Go? 60 To 120 Mph Guide

And as part of our detailed look at women’s driver distances read our next article for the complete guide on how far a women should hit a driver again broken down by handicap and age.

The Complete Guide To How Far Should A Woman Hit A Driver

Other great posts related to this topic:

• Is Your Driver Swing Speed Any Good? The Fast & Slow Guide
• A Look At What Is A ‘Good’ Drive, What’s Bad And What’s Average
• The FULL Guide To What Is A Good Ball Speed For A Driver (By Handicap + Age)
• How Far Should Your Ball Speed Go? 100mph All the Way to 210mph!
• What Should Your Driver Attack Angle Be? Try Not to Be Negative
• Why Don’t Your Drives Go Far? Slow and Steady Loses the Race
• What Determines Driver Distance? Skill Triumphs Over All!
• 10 Ways to Get More Distance off The Tee With & Without Speed!
• Ideal Spin Rate and Launch Angle for Driver? That’s Personal!
• What Should Your Driver Attack Angle Be? Try Not to Be Negative
• How Much Does Driver Loft Affect Distance? Loft is Dynamic Too!
• Where is the Sweet Spot on the Driver Face? Take the High Road
• Going The Distance? How Far Should Beginners Hit A Golf Ball?
• Do All Golf Balls Go the Same Distance? Physics First
• Are Driving Range Distances Accurate? Golf Balls are a Problem
• What is Considered a Long Golf Course? The Long and Short of It