The three stats which prove why Scottie Scheffler chasing a 180 mph ball speed would be very foolish

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Scottie Scheffler is head and shoulders above every other golfer on the planet right now.

Scheffler has won six PGA Tour titles this season, all since the start of May, including two major championships, a Signature Event and a FedEx Cup Playoff event.

Interestingly, Scheffler caused controversy with his comments regarding winning earlier this season, and the lack of fulfilment he gets from doing it.

However, I would argue that the reason why he is so good is because he prioritises golf when he’s on the practice range and the course, and his family when he’s off it.

Many top athletes bring their work home with them, so to speak, and that’s just not the 29-year-old’s way.

One of Scheffler’s superpowers is to grind out a good score whenever he’s not playing well, just like he did on day one of the Procore Championship last week.

His uncanny ability to get the ball in the hole while taking fewer shots than everyone else, by hook or by crook, is what differentiates him and the rest.

Scheffler broke a PGA Tour record this season by racking up 15 consecutive top eight finishes, and that streak is still active.

Aside from his mental toughness, though, what actually makes him so good? Let’s explore a really interesting theory behind why he is at the level he is right now.

Scottie Scheffler must stick with 177 mph ball speed average to maintain dominance

There is a real argument to be made that Scheffler’s 177 mph average ball speed is the perfect number.

He’s not the longest on the PGA Tour by any means.

Scheffler’s 177 mph average ball speed ranks as the 55th highest on tour. As we all know though, the world number one is ranked in first place when it comes to strokes gained off the tee.

The 29-year-old doesn’t need any more speed – he flies the ball 295-300 yards through the air at ease, and that’s all he needs.

Also, there is a real correlation between 180+ mph ball speeds and poor iron play, putting and scrambling.

Allow me to explain…

Let’s take the top 29 players on the PGA Tour regarding ball speed, all of whom average more than 180 mph.

Out of those players, only two of them feature inside the top 30 in strokes gained approach – Nicolai Hojgaard and Xander Schauffele.

Only three of them are inside the top 20 in strokes gained putting – Cameron Young, Rory McIlroy and Jake Knapp.

And just three players with ball speeds of 180 mph or over are inside the top three in the scrambling stats.

Out of all 29 players who average a 180 mph ball speed or more off the tee, only two of them feature inside the top 10 of any of the categories mentioned above, Young and McIlroy in strokes gained putting.

Meanwhile, Scheffler is ranked 1st in strokes gained approach, 1st in scrambling and 18th in putting.

So does a super-fast ball speed equate to deficiencies in other areas of the game? Is a 175-177mph ball speed actually the most efficient when it comes to mastering the game as a whole?

Scheffler is a shining example of why the answer to those two questions might just be ‘yes’.

Scottie Scheffler’s driving and approach stats in 2025 on the PGA Tour

Scheffler has dominated the game over the past few years, mostly due to his prodigious iron play.

The 29-year-old is an exceptional driver of the golf ball as well.

Here are his driving and approach play stats from the 2025 season, and they make for seriously impressive reading:

Scheffler is clearly unrivalled when it comes to his approach play.

Perhaps he has the control that he does with his irons due to the fact that he isn’t inside the top 30 when it comes to his clubhead speed and ball-speed numbers.

There is a very clear correlation between explosive power off the tee and underwhelming iron play.

In a world where golfers are constantly being told they need to increase their ball speeds off the tee, maybe the real answer to success lies in less velocity and more control.

Scheffler needs to stay right where he is, in the 175-178mph ball speed range, and he’ll be just fine.