Driving Distance

[sean_miller]

There have been several times where in wind I out drive my playing partners with my 2-iron and them using driver. So in essence I dont worry about driving distance too much because I have other clubs I can go to to get the ball out far enough.

I made an enemy one day at a course just south of Edmonton (Alberta - Coloniale - back when carts weren't mandatory, but I digress). A guy was trying to sell my cousin and his friend these long shafted drivers (Killer Bees I think) but it was a fairly breezy day. They kept using drivers - their own and the Killer Bee for comparison - rather than hitting something a bit lower and more piercing. I used my 2-iron on every upwind hole and was the longest off the tee every time (my cousin typically outdrove me by a mile). No Killer Bee sales were made that day.

[Shanker]

My driving distance is not that great...admitting my flaws... :) When I do hit solid, like yesterday, low trajetory going up on a hill I did hit 230yds with roll. I ave maybe 190-200 carry...On bad days against wind driver is completely lost!

[GoldenTornado]

I play with one young guy who can't play a lick but somehow when his ball hits the ground (about 210 out) the freakin thing runs like a jackrabbit 50 more yards. No clue how the hell he does it but I suspect he lucked out and got a driver that fits him perfectly (and doesn't even know it). While I think a lot of club fitting for mid to high hdcpers is hocus pocus, the spin issue on drivers seems to be for real.

I've just become that guy.

I've been playing for about 3 years and had been playing a 12* R-flex driver, easy to hit and I could poke it out there maybe 240 a couple of times a round, and probably averaged 215 on a good swing. I constantly felt like I was hitting huge drives out there, and then they'd be much shorter than I thought. I got fitted last month and the numbers were very good on a stiff-flex 9.5* Callaway FT3 tour for my swing speed that tops out in the low 100's -- in the store. So I ordered one from CGPO. So now I'm hitting line drives and I might need a 10.5* driver -- but I might stay with this 9.5*. The rollouts are incredible, I've hit some GPS-measured 250-260 yard drives on flattish holes that I know I didn't carry over 200. I like to swing at 80% on the course (I actually bought R-flex b/c I don't feel like I can load a stiff all the time), and then I switched to S&T; which lowered my ball flight. It feels like I'm not hitting the ball as far, but with rollout I'm longer when I put it in the fairway, now that it's dried out a little from our wet winter. And when I don't put it in the fairway, I think it's staying playable more often -- instead of flying into trouble, it will hit the edge of the fairway and get slowed by the long grass.

[allin]

I drive the ball minimum a minimum of 350 yards each time. Typically I'll have to carry back up drivers because I tend to cave in the faces frequently. If the wind is at my back and I the fairway is hard, I could hit one as long as 400...

My favorite this year was a guy added to my group this weekend to make four. None of us is real long, but we had a healthy wind behind us on a short 500 yard par 5, he swore he carries his diver 280 average. Even with the wind which left me a guy who only carries the ball 210, 240 out he was only 5 yards closer, my buddy a low ball hitter, hit his three wood by both of us and he only carries his driver 225-230. He was short of the green often, and the pin every time on the par 3s. Every swing had an excuse or explanation attached. What guys like that don't understand is we only notice an area you excel in, chipping, scrambling, putting, working the ball whatever if we think we can learn something, otherwise nobody cares.

[colin007]

i always get a chuckle when i play with guys who had no clue just how long 300 yards is. im tall, pretty strong and athletic, and i hit the ball pretty hard. theyll see one of my good hits and say "whoah! that must be 300 yards!" and i'll say, thanks, but its nowhere near that far, and then i will show them the GPS that says something like 265, or 255, and they dont know what to say because that would mean theyve never even hit one over 210...

[bigoak]

Straight is long. I hit it about 195. I cannot reach the 235 yd par 3 with a driver but regularly get up and down from the front. I never get up and down from the pine trees on either side of the green. Are you trusting the yardage at the driving range? Some range balls fly 80% of the distance of a standard ball so driving ranges can fit into expensive real estate/ Tourist courses may have friendly distances. Country clubs with a complete measurement will be more accurate. use your laser or gps to measure your distances to be sure

[Spike McTee]

Does anybody know of an accurate formula for carry distance ? With a modern new driver and a good ball I have heard of anywhere between 2.3-3.0 yards per mph of clubhead speed. Any thoughts ?

[chilly]

Does anybody know of an accurate formula for carry distance ? With a modern new driver and a good ball I have heard of anywhere between 2.3-3.0 yards per mph of clubhead speed. Any thoughts ?

SS x 2.45 is pretty much optimal

[Shanks A Million]

…just keeps getting tougher and tougher biting my tongue

Ha, I know what you mean!

I drive the ball minimum a minimum of 350 yards each time. Typically I'll have to carry back up drivers because I tend to cave in the faces frequently. If the wind is at my back and I the fairway is hard, I could hit one as long as 400...

You too, eh? I've already replaced 15 drivers this year. I have trouble custom ordering my XXXXXXXXX shafts though, apparently they are hard to find in -8.2° torque models.

Really, why another driver distance thread? 99% of people have no idea how far they actually hit the ball. The guys that think they hit it 300 are typically hitting it 250 and the guys that think they're hitting it 250 are actually around 200. Internet distances = overrated. I cannot tell you how many times guys have seen me hit the ball and are just amazed with how far I hit it and THINK that my ball must have traveled at least 300 yards. I love the look on their faces when I tell them that I carry the ball about 260.

Exactly. 99% of all golfers I've ever seen overestimate. I swing the driver 110 mph, and I average 246 yards off the tee. My average good drive is around 265. When I really catch one in calm conditions, 280 is a great drive. Anything more is downhill, downwind.

These threads are ridiculous.

Is it just me, or does anyone else notice that the really long drivers here all have relatively high hdcp's, and the "naysayers" all have very low hdcp's? I guess it could be that as one's handicap gets lower, they automatically lose distance. Or it could be that as one's handicap get lower, they actually know their true distance.

I notice that too. I thought I hit it 300 when I was a 30 handicap. I know now that was a fantasy. I hit it more like 210. You'll notice the scratch and plus handicaps all seem to hit it shorter than the 15 handicappers... That's not because they actually hit it shorter, it's because they measure it more objectively.

[Longhorn High Golfer]

i am a high school teen(16) and there is a hole, par 4 that you can carry the water and be put right on the front of the green. gps measured, to carry the water is 275. i ALWAYS carry the water and never come short. my average drive, misses and all, is about 290-300. when i grip it and rip it i get 330-340 measured. my best is 364 with about 10 mph of wind behind me, so thats bout the best average 330-340 plus th wind.

[bodmanza]

Average would guess in the 260's. Last round I clocked one on a flat hole that is 320 yds to 40 yds (with gps) so 280.

[chilly]

i am a high school teen(16) and there is a hole, par 4 that you can carry the water and be put right on the front of the green. gps measured, to carry the water is 275. i ALWAYS carry the water and never come short. my average drive, misses and all, is about 290-300. when i grip it and rip it i get 330-340 measured. my best is 364 with about 10 mph of wind behind me, so thats bout the best average 330-340 plus th wind.

Do you walk across that water on your way to the ball as well?

[Shanks A Million]

Do you walk across that water on your way to the ball as well?

He doesn't need to; he can fly.

I hope he enjoys his career as a competition long driver.

[James_Black]

Do you walk across that water on your way to the ball as well?

lol!

340 yard average? Bubba Watson has an average of 301 yards. (top of the list) people please realise that 300 yards is an amazing drive. 340 all the time is silly.

[sean_miller]

lol!

What if it's true though - can you imagine playing with this guy?

"Hey, did you guys see where that went?" "Not exactly - our human eyes can't see that far. It probably burned up on re-entry though, so you'd better hit a provisional - use a 6-iron this time."

[jmr]

So far what I have learned after making this post is that YES its time to focus on other facets of my game, what many of the responders missed when criticizing my drive distance vs. handicap was the point that I give up 1-2 strokes per hole for horrible chipping/putting. At two strokes per hole goofing easy up/and downs I would already establish a 36 handicap!!!!

Generally what I was looking for is to find that yes my driving is acceptable and apparently above average. In the early days of my golf career (all years prior to 2008) my swing was way to hard and out of rhythm. I will try and get some swing videos up so you can see the nice relaxed tempo I now employ. Prior to league last year I played 15 times in '08 and probably 4-5 times per year prior to that, these events were typicaly focused on drinking / goofing off. I played a league last year for first time ever and all driving was snap hook after snap hook, I've addressed this by keeping my left arm straight and actually coiling. As a hockey and softball player my elbow was always out of place and I wouldn't coil the core. Especially as a hockey player I liked to try and SMASH the ball.

These concepts have been applied to my iron game and driving game, which is fairly free of bad duffs and huge hooks/slices. I often hit the ball straight now but off target and my distance control is shakey. There are a lot of factors involved for a new golfer to overcome. I.E.. what club to hit and at what swing height for varying wind conditions, green conditions, pin locations etc. etc.

I am a firm believer that distance doesn't count for squat if you can't consistently put the ball in play.

My focus for the coming weeks of golf league is to establish a good tempo for my pitch/chips and continue to practice putting, a lot of strokes are lost on and around the greens. Escpecailly for me who is w/ in lob wedge distance or chip distance on the par 5's I play after two strokes. Is it so hard to believe I can drive and hit irons well while being putrid as short game.

Granted I will now focus on keeping record of the drive distances (W/ Roll), all of your comments have been appreciated even the ones that may see beligerent.

I have learned to provide more specifics for such a detial oreinted group. As a new member of the forum and golf community I look foward to comming along and learning the ways.

[Fairway_CY]

...use a 6-iron this time."

Wait... but what if this kid and the guy who hit the forged 6-iron are the same guy? I mean... 250 yard 6-iron isn't too far behind a 340 yard drive... right?

CY

[Par Fore]

Wait... but what if this kid and the guy who hit the forged 6-iron are the same guy? I mean... 250 yard 6-iron isn't too far behind a 340 yard drive... right?

POW!!!!!

The Hammer!!!!!