Why, some days, you just don't get your distance?

[MiniJeffrey]

Hi guys

I have been golfing for 2 years now and something keeps bothering me. Why can't I seem to reach my distance on some days? Most days I'm comfortably reaching my distance, some days you just nail it and some days you aren't even getting close...  Why is that? Why are you feeling like taking good shots and still being 10 yard short of what you normally play? It's not just wind or temperature, it's just not hitting at 100% I think, maybe a little bit tired or not focused on crushing the ball?

Is it normal that some days you just don't play at 100% or is it something I should work on?

I want to perform good, but I also need to accept that I'm only human. I can't play every shot 100% like I want to I guess?

 

 

[Lihu]

Could also be warm up time. Some days, it takes a few holes to get warmed up.

[Patch]

I have always thought consistent  timing, rhythm,  and tempo were three main ingredients in achieving consistent ball distance. Obvious swing speed has something to do with it too. However if any of the other three items are off, then so will the swing speed. I don't think most golfers show up every time  with whatever their own "A" game is. I know I don't.

Ball impact position probably has something to do with distance. The lie of the ball probably dictates distance too. 

The lay of the land (fairway) will have an effect on the roll out after the carry, fresh mowed, vs three day old growth  will have an affect on distance. Ever notice how fast a fresh mowed green is when compared to the same green that has not been mowed in a while? Same with fairways. 

Some days we just hit the ball farther. some day we don't for various reasons. You just adjust,and play with what you got to work with that day. 

[saevel25]

Hi guys

I have been golfing for 2 years now and something keeps bothering me. Why can't I seem to reach my distance on some days? Most days I'm comfortably reaching my distance, some days you just nail it and some days you aren't even getting close...  Why is that? Why are you feeling like taking good shots and still being 10 yard short of what you normally play? It's not just wind or temperature, it's just not hitting at 100% I think, maybe a little bit tired or not focused on crushing the ball?

If you consider that most amateurs have a poor keys #1 & #2 it is understandable they lose distance. If you don't have a steady head then you are going to try to find contact through timing with your hands. That means you might flip early which is losing power. If you don't get your weight forward than you can't utilize your body correctly to optimize power. 

Some days you might be able to get those areas slightly better so you see more power. I played golf with a guy on Thursday that hit a few iron shots 5-10 yards over the green. It was even a chillier day. He just was nailing the irons with better contact. 

The better swing you get the more consistent your distance are and accuracy. 

[Big Lex]

I've noticed this in my game as I think everyone does from time to time.  There can only be a few reasons: 1. You are just swinging a bit slower that day (fatigue, temperature, injuries, your mood). 2. You are creating impact conditions which are giving you more spin and more loft, making iron shots fly shorter (although more loft sometimes increases distances depending on other factors, especially with the driver). Examples would be hitting the ball with a less optimal angle of attack, or with an open club face.    3. You are hitting the ball more off center than usual. With modern equipment, striking toward the heel loses lots of distance especially with the driver. Hitting really low or really high on iron faces can sap distance. 

FWIW, distance loss creeps into my game when I start playing tentatively. This can happen in very good rounds OR very bad rounds. In both cases, the pressure makes me start trying to steer the ball to avoid hitting it in bad places. Usually I only realize this after the round or sometimes multiple rounds. If I notice myself doing this, I can sometimes fix it by making myself swing really hard and loose at the ball on a few shots. Once I start to feel the ball compress again and fly further, it reinforces the action and I get the distance back. 

[phillyk]

Another item is golf ball.  If one day you're playing a pinnacle gold, next a pd soft or something, you'll notice a distance loss of 10yds on some clubs.  If not, then I'd say contact on club.  Even just hitting a bit high on the face causes loss of distance.

[mcanadiens]

When you are a higher handicap like me, the answer is usually the swing.

That said, I find myself having issues with being stiff some days. Stiffness, which usually occurs when I sleep like crap, limits my range of motion on the back swing and will whack 10 to 15 yards off even squarely hit balls. Of course, the number of balls I hit squarely usually suffers on these occasions. 

Really should get serious about getting into shape one of these years.

 

[Valleygolfer]

For me it is a break down in mechanics. I have been struggling with it since I have been back playing since an injury. Some of it may be due to flexibility as well.

[mdl]

At a 20+ handicap, I'd agree with others that the most likely culprit is simply not so great and inconsistent mechanics, so some days a few of your swing flaws are worse than normal all at once and you get worse club head speed or more inconsistent contact or different/worse club head path and the like.

But, I will say that variable distances can be an issue through the top ranks.  I can't remember which pro it was, but I saw a quote from some pro recently (maybe in GD, maybe elsewhere?) who was talking about his warmup routine and he said that part of it was a disproportionately large number of wedge and high iron shots because his distances with those can change by as much as 10 yards day to day, so he needs to dial in his short iron distances for the day at the range.

But again, as  20+ cap, I'd bet it's mostly a mechanics issue.

[mvmac]

The better swing you get the more consistent your distance are and accuracy. 

Right, if contact is inconsistent, the distance you hit it will also be inconsistent.

[JonMA1]

At a 20+ handicap, I'd agree with others that the most likely culprit is simply not so great and inconsistent mechanics, so some days a few of your swing flaws are worse than normal all at once and you get worse club head speed or more inconsistent contact or different/worse club head path and the like.

This is starting to make much more sense to me. I used to take exception with the idea that we have a consistent swing - good or bad. It didn't make sense because the variance between good and bad is so wide - at least with my crappy game. 

By thinking of a swing in general terms - or seeing someone's swing from a distance - it is virtually the same from swing to swing. But because it takes just the smallest, almost imperceptible error to flip, hit off-center, fail to shift weight precisely, or any of the myriad of flaws that can cost club head speed and/or distance, the swing, and often contact, feels the same.

The poorer the basic mechanics, the easier it is for those little errors to rear their ugly heads. At least. that's how I think I understand it.

What sucks is that even if I understand the concept, it doesn't do much good in diagnosing the exact culprit and correcting it.