Every 40 or so rounds, the golfer should reconsider getting new grips on their clubs. Other factors that could impact this decision is the amount of practice between rounds and the weather conditions most frequently played in.
We have all been there!
We hit what we think is a great shot with our driver and the ball just doesn’t seem to carry as far as you might expect!
Everything felt great, the ball seemed to be on the center of the face and you just can’t keep up with your playing partners. You even felt like you made a fast swing and swung hard.
A great disappointment in total distance is the ultimate outcome, leading to many people asking, why doesn’t my golf ball go far.
Why Doesn’t My Golf Ball Go Far?
Below I dive into the top 5 reasons why a golf ball doesn’t go far, let’s first talk about why distance is important. After the end of section on the top 5 reasons, I will provide a possible solution to get your swing and equipment on track to maximize your distance.
Why Is Distance Important in Golf?
Distance seems to be very popular lately, especially on the PGA Tour where the best golfers often are those that drive it furthest. The data is clear and distance is the king on tour! The further you hit the golf ball, the better chance you have of winning more tournaments. And there is a simple solution one should consider.
The further you hit your drive, the shorter approach shot you are left with. The analytics tell us the shorter your approach shot, the closer your approach shot ends up in relation to the hole. Which increases your chances of making the putt. Over time, this formula helps golfers shoot lower scores on average and be in contention more often, leading to more victories by those that hit the ball longer off the tee.
Reason #1 – Why Doesn’t My Golf Ball Go Far: Swing Speed
The single most important factor in golf ball distance, especially with the driver is your swing speed. If your swing speed is only 90 miles per hour, you are going to lack overall distance, even if your spin rate, center face contact are spot on and you have the right equipment and golf ball.
Swing speed is vital! The bottom line is the faster your swing, the further the ball will travel on average. The PGA Tour pros average around 113 miles per hour swing speed with their driver. This results in an average carry distance of 275 yards. While the LPGA Tour pros average around 94 miles per hour swing speed with their driver.
Resource: How to calculate swing speed (multiple options)
This results in a 218 yard carry distance on average. For comparison sake, the average scratch golfer has a total driving distance of around 251 yards.
| Senior | Average | Low Handicap | Tour Pro | |
| Driver Swing Speed | 91 and Below | 91-101 | 102-112 | 113-123 |
| Driver Distance | 210 and Below | 210-235 | 235-275 | 275-300 |
| 3 Wood Distance | 200 | 220 | 230 | 243 |
| Hybrid Distance | 190 | 205 | 215 | 225 |
| 4 iron Distance | 170 | 185 | 195 | 203 |
Solution
If you need more swing speed in your game, I would highly recommend the SuperSpeed Golf Training System as your go to solution. Many of the PGA Tours can be found swinging one of the three training sticks (green, blue, and red) on the driving range.
Resource: How to increase golf swing speed (5 options)
The easy to follow protocol, where you train every other day can result in a 5-8% increase as early as the first session, which could mean 20-30 in additional distance! I personally have been able to increase my swing speed by around 7-10 miles per hour through the SuperSpeed Training protocols! It has been a game changer and well worth the investment! Plus the training is fun to try to get your highest numbers yet as you measure your swing speed with a portable radar.
Check current pricing on SuperSpeed, here!
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Reason #2 – Why Doesn’t My Golf Ball Go Far: Ball Speed
Ball speed is the speed at which the golf ball leaves your club. For many of the tour pros this means a swing speed of over 160 miles per hour with some pushing into the 180s and 190s. The difference between club speed and ball speed is that the higher club speed doesn’t always translate into higher ball swing because ball speed is impacted by one’s ability to hit the center of the club face.
If you are swinging at 100 and hit the center of the face or swinging at 105, but hitting the toe of the face, your ball speed may be higher at 100 miles per hour. Hitting the center of the club face is vital and something a golfer should work on. When you combine the training with SuperSpeed Golf, along with some practice on center face hits, you can combine your increased swing speed with the an increase in ball speed by hitting the face more often.
You will see some golfers train above their actual playing speed on the course, which is fine and advised. When you come back to your golf course speed, you will find the center of the face more often, resulting in similar distance to your max speed, but missing the center of the face.
Solution
If you lacking overall ball speed and have a decent swing speed, I would recommend some impact tape to see where on the face your are hitting your driver. Go ahead and practice at least every other day on hitting the center of the face. This would be a good activity opposite of the SuperSpeed Training recommended above!
Reason #3 – Why Doesn’t My Golf Ball Go Far: Spin Rate
Too high or too low of a spin rate will wreck havoc with your total distance. Have you ever hit the shot that just seems to fly forever and slice through the atmosphere? This was a probably a result of quality club speed, center face contact with the perfect spin rate for your swing speed and launch angle!
Resource: Golf swing speed trainers: best options!
Did you know if you swing a driver at 103 miles per hour and on one driver your spin rate is around 2200 RPMs and on the next swing your spin rate is 4200 RPMs that you will potentially lose 30 yards of distance? It is crazy the lack of understanding around spin rates and the impact on your carry distance and overall distance.
The golfer who hits a driver 30 yards short is probably going to try to swing faster the next tee shot, when in reality the spin rate might be too high because of the angle of attack or wrong equipment.
Golfers can get stuck down the rabbit hole of total distance without ever taking into account the spin rate of their driver. Many of the pros strive to have a spin rate between 1800 RPMs and 2400 RPMS. If your spin rate gets too low the ball will knuckle and may not maximize the carry distance.
Solution
Test out your spin rate on a launch monitor. I would highly recommend having your own portable launch monitor that you can use to monitor your swing. It can help with club speed, ball speed and spin rate. My number one recommendation is the SkyTrak Launch Monitor, but Flightscope also has two quality options at different price points. Check out the current pricing below on these three fantastic options:
And my top 3 recommend affordable golf launch monitors:
Here are 5 Trackman Alternatives
Reason #4 – Why Doesn’t My Golf Ball Go Far: Wrong Equipment
The most common fault among amateur drivers and having the wrong equipment is the wrong shaft in the driver. Too many people might play a stiff shaft and overestimate their swing speed, while others may need to move to a stiff shaft to help with spin rate and other factors that influence speed.
Golfers spend hours of frustration and time at the local driving range and they may have the wrong driver in their hands. Some things to consider besides the shaft stiffness is the overall length of the driver and how the driver is set up if it has the ability to be adjustable.
The golfer should tinker with the different setup options until he or she is able to settle on the right setup for their game.
Solution
Go ahead and consider getting fitted. If you don’t have the money to get tested, at least know what your swing speed is and find the right corresponding driver to match your swing speed!
Reason #5 – Why Doesn’t My Golf Ball Go Far: Wrong Ball
The last reason a golfer might struggle with overall distance is that they are playing the wrong golf ball for their game. If your swing speed is on the faster side, you should highly consider the Titleist Pro V1 or Pro V1x. This golf ball has a solid feel off the driver face and can help maximize distance. If you are playing too low of a compression golf ball with a swing speed over 100, you might actually be losing distance.
For the senior golfer or those with swing speed below 90 miles per hour the lower compression golf balls might be the right solution for your game.
Solution
Test different golf balls out. If you are going with the launch monitor recommended above, you can measure your ball speed with each different type of golf ball and determine what is best for your overall distance and what you can control with quality with your irons.
Final Thought: Why Doesn’t My Golf Ball Go Far
The number one action you can do is start to train for additional swing speed with SuperSpeed Golf! The portable launch monitors are a great tech tool to have access to and can make practicing 12 months out of the year a reality. If you are ready to take your game to the next level, having the right training tools, tech tools and overall equipment is important.
If you are going to spend the time working on your game, make sure you are spending it in the right areas!
Don’t forget to check out SuperSpeed Golf, here!