The Pursuit of 177.5 Ball Speed

Like many people, at the end of 2022, I sat down to create a list of New Year's resolutions. Amongst the cliche renditions of “I'm going to read more” and “I will conquer my fears,” a rather peculiar new years resolution sat right in the middle of the list. It simply read, “177.5 mph ball speed”.

Now the first question you may have [other than “Why would anyone make this a New Year’s resolution?” ] is, “Why such a specific number?” This number is not random; in fact, it was calculated by balancing my current swing specs and my future goals.

Terms

This article involves a decent amount of golf jargon, so here is a list of terms to brush up on and for reference.

Ball Speed: the speed at which the ball leaves the club face

Carry Distance: how far the ball lands/ how far the ball travels in the air

Launch Angle: the angle that the ball ascends into the air and travels off of the club face

Spin: the RPMs or Rotations Per Minute of spin on the ball

What Did I Do to Come Up With This Number?

To get 177.5, I used FlightScope’s online golf ball modeling widget, the trajectory optimizer. By plugging in my current spin rates, launch angles, and other metrics, I was able to fool around with the numbers until they gave me a result of a 300-yard carry. This, of course, with the driver.

When manipulating the numbers in the trajectory optimizer, I balanced them out so all factors/variables contributed equally. I didn’t want to drastically increase my launch angle to the point that would cause me to over-exaggerate my mechanics, nor did I want a lower launch angle [which would require excessive speed]. I finally landed on a set of values for these variables that were both attainable and balanced.

After calculating all of this, the ball speed number that gave me the most efficient distance gains was 177.5 at 300 yards of carry.

Why Do I Want to Carry The Ball 300 Yards?

I was at a point with my current distance [about 275-285 carry] where I would have to make my iron game my overwhelming strength to get the results I wanted at a professional level. Unfortunately, my iron game has never been my strength. While I’ve made great strides to improve it to a high standard, it became clear that it was not to the degree that would counteract my lack of distance.

Also, hitting it further would allow me to take advantage of my strengths [wedges and short game], maximizing my scoring opportunities. While everyone can improve from gaining distance, I saw it as an even bigger opportunity given my current natural strengths and weaknesses.

Of course, this is how I feel now and could be subject to change. I could decide I don’t need quite as much added distance as I think. However, you don’t have to look far when watching golf on TV to see why I’m taking this approach.

Most golfers on the PGA Tour are hitting the ball further, and those that contend on a variety of courses are pushing their distance close to or past the 300-yard carry mark. It seemed unnatural to simply outdo the competition by doing everything else better or hitting longer irons closer. Especially when it went against my playing style of; “hit it, find it” and have the short-game skills to get out of challenging situations.

Upon reflection, I also realized that most champions with that playing style had a fair amount of power in their game relative to the competition.

So How Do I Get Started?

Before swinging a plethora of broken shafts and speed training products in my garage like an unhinged maniac, I decided to take the safest, most intelligent approach to gaining distance. I did not want to do all of this and have my body become collateral damage.

I went to Par4Success in Raleigh to get evaluated for mobility, strength, and my readiness for speed training. The conclusion was that I was not yet strong enough to speed train safely with the intent of creating the speeds I wanted to. We determined I had to increase my three main strength lifts [squat, bench, and deadlift]. However, in the meantime, the added strength would also help improve my speed and reduce the amount of recovery I needed post-round. So, I momentarily practiced restraint in the speed training department and got to work in the gym.

Starting Speeds and Speeds Last Season

Before this process, my starting club head speed in late November 2022 was 112-113 mph.

Last season I was in the 110-111 mph range playing. I was at 114 mph with an old driver, but for control and accuracy reasons, I switched to a heavier shaft cut down 0.5 inches.

As of February 2023, I hit a personal best of 116 mph with the more accurate setup. My end goal will be to hit a personal best of at least 120 mph and to swing comfortably in the 117-119 mph range.

Please follow for part 2!

Can’t wait to update everyone on the progress!