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Driving Distance


jmr
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Here is the problem, it takes more then strength to hit the ball far. Most hign handicappers are high handicappers because they do not have a repeatable swing. If someone is capable of taking their driver and hitting the ball 280 on AVERAGE(meaning not once every 50 shots) then they are capable of swinging an iron and wedge.

I know it takes more than strength. But for me, it's not that I don't have a repeatable swing, because I can go dead straight down a course. My drawback is I have poor depth perception, and will often take too high a club and go over the back of a green, or I will leave it short. Then my short game isn't too great either. I won't even talk about the putting, haha.

Of course, that's just me, and I know a few will lie on the internet. I'm just saying it's not that hard to imagine someone bombing their drives, yet still making a lot of bogeys and double bogeys.
Listen, I think the majority of us "low" cappers are not questioning that you "high" cappers have the potential to hit a 285 (or ever 300) yard drive….but coming on here and spouting that you AVERAGE 285 yards is beyond ridiculous. We've all played with crappy golfers that generate crazy club head speed and "when they catch it" the ball goes crazy distances. These same guys also hit the ball just as far left/right as they do straight.

See the above quote. Plus, I'm not one saying I average 285, so let me get that one clear. I was saying 260(ish) in the rough all the time, but I sorted my swing to go straight, and lost 10-20 yards of distance.

However, I agree, a lot of these people may be just saying their longest drive. It's also possible that they do average 270+, because I know a guy at my course who does that, and he's an 18 handicapper. Okay, it's a bit lower, but it's not as if you're perfect to be off 18. He rips pretty much every drive. Has a horrid swing, and it's bizarre how he does it, but his shots are BOMBS. He's let down by his knack for catching all his short irons/wedges thin, and bombing them over the back. I'm in no means trying to start an argument, I just think it's not as absurd as some of you say.

Ben

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Without making it personal, the statistics are just screwed up. If you took the number of high handicappers who claimed to be regularly hitting 270+ yard drives as a fraction of those (like me!) who readily admit we're thrilled when we hit one past 200 on the course, you'd expect to run into these guys on the course all the time. Since encountering them in real life is rare, the conclusion is that most high cappers who make these claims are either lying or deluded.

In the bag:
FT-iQ 10° driver, FT 21° neutral 3H
T-Zoid Forged 15° 3W, MX-23 4-PW
Harmonized 52° GW, Tom Watson 56° SW, X-Forged Vintage 60° LW
White Hot XG #1 Putter, 33"

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The only thing you can truely messure is club head speed and ball speed. Go to a pro-shot and get fitted for a driver. Don't listen to the machine spitting out distance, but look at club head speed. That is were distance comes from period. After that its solid contact which increase the smash factor to give you a good ball speed. I been to a Pro-shop and my club head speed is average 116 mph. But if i want i can get it up near 120 mph. The issue is hitting it straight. I can be pretty accurate at around 115mph. I have had this measured at different places, all say the same area, 115 - 120 mph. So if i get solid contact the ball goes a long way.

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

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Who really cares how far other people hit the ball?

Mizuno MP600 driver, Cleveland '09 Launcher 3-wood, Callaway FTiz 18 degree hybrid, Cleveland TA1 3-9, Scratch SS8620 47, 53, 58, Cleveland Classic 2 mid-mallet, Bridgestone B330S, Sun Mountain four5.

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The guys who claim they hit the ball 280 yards never seem to produce evidence that they can do it over and over (video of their swings, testimonials from others they've played with on the forum, etc).

I didn't post it to prove how far I hit the ball, but here's the swing that carries my ball 260-265 yards on average.

http://thesandtrap.com/forum/threads...swings+of+2010 My average swing speed is 107mph. For guys to be "averaging" the 285+ yardages they claim, they'll have to be swinging quite a bit faster than I am in this vid.
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I didn't post it to prove how far I hit the ball, but here's the swing that carries my ball 260-265 yards on average.

Show off!

I've never had my swing speed clocked... but I'd venture to guess I'm probably in the high 90's. If you're carrying the ball 260 with that swing... I'd say my guess about my swing speed is probably right on. My typical carry is more like 225 - 230. If I swing out of my shoes... and catch the ball in the center of the club face... I might get the ball to carry 260 once in awhile. (Hit one this past Sunday that hit and hopped back a foot or two and w/ GPS measurement, it was 268... but it was the 18th tee and I was frustrated from making back-to-back 8's... so I tried to kill it.) I've posted my swing before, too. It's as ugly as you're likely to ever see. I'll repost it below. It now doesn't include that funky little front foot twist thing I was doing and I'm also taking the club back much more along the line than I was here. See what you think in terms of my estimated swing speed: CY

Career Bests
- 18 Holes - 72 (+1) - Par 71 - Pine Island Country Club - 6/25/2022
- 9 Holes - 36 (E) - Par 36 - Pine Island Country Club - 6/25/2022

 

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I've posted my swing before, too. It's as ugly as you're likely to ever see. I'll repost it below. It now doesn't include that funky little front foot twist thing I was doing and I'm also taking the club back much more along the line than I was here. See what you think in terms of my estimated swing speed:

Those children are getting a little close to the danger zone.

Mizuno MP600 driver, Cleveland '09 Launcher 3-wood, Callaway FTiz 18 degree hybrid, Cleveland TA1 3-9, Scratch SS8620 47, 53, 58, Cleveland Classic 2 mid-mallet, Bridgestone B330S, Sun Mountain four5.

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Those children are getting a little close to the danger zone.

Haha... no, they were pretty far behind me (like 20 yards or so). They're my kids... they just wanted to throw balls at the holes on the 'green' they were on. Trust me... if they were close, my wife wouldn't have been taking the video. She'd have been throwing something at me instead.

I would say your assessment of your swing speed is accurate or close to it. The little foot thing you did in the video resembles that of what Sean "The Beast" Fister does (long drive champion).

Never heard of him... I'll have to check it out. I've fixed that. I didn't realize I did it, to be honest. It wasn't until I saw my swing on video that I realized how SHORT my swing was, how much I rotated my hips away from the target, how far inside I took the club on the backswing, how badly that made me come over the top, and how goofy my footwork was. I've been able to remedy the footwork (some), and I've been able to take the club back more along the proper line (which has helped some with the over the top move). Anyway... yeah - it's better, but still ugly.

CY

Career Bests
- 18 Holes - 72 (+1) - Par 71 - Pine Island Country Club - 6/25/2022
- 9 Holes - 36 (E) - Par 36 - Pine Island Country Club - 6/25/2022

 

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Many of the people claim that they hit their driver 250 yards plus. They ask me how far I hit it and I tell them less than 250. On the course, it just so happens that my ball rolls past theirs. Lot of the time they do not carry the 200 yard water hazard that has formed in the recent rain storms.

Also, average drives on the golf range does not count... I average about a 250 yard 5 wood at the range since I goof off and just take a baseball swing at it. I've actually gotten pretty good at this and may take it to the course.

« Keith »

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Most hit the driver short, especially if they are a high handicapper and been there a long time.
I had some kind of breaktrough last year and started to smoke my 4i hybrid past people in the group that used driver.

and when you play hole4 from back tee at my home course a par4, its a 220yard carry to fairway or else it stops in the valley before it.
Not that many that goes beyond it carry.
I barely made it up but lacked the extra 10+ years to get a good roll.

This year it be a different course ;)

Robert Something

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Just throwing this out there:

http://www.pgatour.com/r/stats/info/xm.html?101

If you say your "average" drive is in the 280-290 range.... you're hitting the same "average" as people like Vijay, Freddy, Howell, Cink, Casey, AK.... basically you're "average" is the same as the top 50 PGA pros.

Just because someone has a good day and hits a few 300yd bombs, doesn't mean you average that distance now. How many times have you seen on TV a tour pro hit 320-350 on long par 4 or par 5? I've seen that a LOT in the last few years. Now, consider that their average is still somewhere 60-70 yards short of that. Can you see how there are going to be doubters when you say you average the same as them?

Driver: taylormade.gif Tour Burner 9.5*
4 Wood: taylormade.gif200 Steel 16*
Irons: taylormade.gif Burner '09
Wedges: taylormade.gif RAC TP Satin 54*, 58*
Putter: odyssey.gif White Hot Tour #9  Ball: bridgestone.gif B330

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I didn't post it to prove how far I hit the ball, but here's the swing that carries my ball 260-265 yards on average.

That's impressive CHS with your tempo. I'm jealous, too. Looks like you could easily get CHS over 110, but I suspect you'd rather not sacrfice the contact/accuracy you get with that tempo.

I top out at about 105 and drive it about the same, 260-ish. Wish I made it look that easy, though. Cheers, DoctorK

Competitive golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch course... the space between your ears.
~~Bobby Jones~~

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I'm curious to see how my drive distance stacks up with others on the site.. I feel like I am not hitting the ball longer and straighter than ever with less "effort" I will not drive the ball with a slight Push-Fade between 250-280 yrds. I feel like for an amateur of 2+ yrs. experience w/ high handicap of 35 I can not start focusing on my short game. I loose 1-2 strokes a hole for poor chipping. Yikes!!

The OP did not ask for averages. He's usually between 250 and 280 according to him. I personally have no clue what my Average driving distance is if you count every drive I hit. Most people have no clue really. Low or High HC'ers. Unless your anal about stats. and have a GPS there is know way of knowing. For me on a good day I drive the ball 240-250'ish, and have when the stars are all alined hit a couple 300 yarders.

Driver.... Nickent DX Evolver V2 65 stiff /07 Burner YS6+ stiff .
4 wood..... Nickent 4DX
Hybrids.....Tour Edge Geomax 22* 25* 28*
Irons.....TM R7 6-P + AW,SW,LW
Putter.....Odyssey White Hot XG 2 BallBag.......Callaway ORG 14 A.L.I.C.E. Ball........Bridgestone e6 / Srixon Soft Feel...

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thats pretty much it, my driving distance is probably Top 50 including ties. Believe me, i got plenty of witnesses, i had this power of the tee for about 10 years now. Its not like i am making this stuff up out of the fly, i am tour length of the tee and tour length with my irons. I lack all other aspects of being a tour player.

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

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thats pretty much it, my driving distance is probably Top 50 including ties. Believe me, i got plenty of witnesses, i had this power of the tee for about 10 years now. Its not like i am making this stuff up out of the fly, i am tour length of the tee and tour length with my irons. I lack all other aspects of being a tour player.

With that distance, you would be hitting driver-wedge on just about every hole. How can you be a 10? Are you that bad a putter?

Driver 905S, V2 stiff shaft
3-Wood 906F2 13 degree, V2 stiff
Hybrid 585H 21 degree, Aldila VS Proto
Irons (4-PW) MP-57, Rifle 5.5
SW & LW spin milledPutter TracyBall Pro V-1

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my handicap is somewhere between 16 and 21 (OOBgolf says 15.9, but I have not broken 90 yet this year)

My 7 iron is about 145-150 carry and my driver probably carries about 235-240 (on a well hit shot) with the full distance being about 255. I would say on average I am closer (and expect my driver to go) about 230ish.

In my bag:

some golf clubs

a few golf balls

a bag of tee's some already broken the rest soon to be

a snickers wrapper (if you have seen me play, you would know you are not going anywhere for a while)

and an empty bottle of water

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Note: This thread is 3115 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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