How do you figure out your distances??

So, the yesterday I went to the driving range ($4 for a big bucket ) and I brought along a notepad. Each time I made good contact, I recorded how far the ball went. I'm thinking that I'll make a chart for each of my clubs and keep it in my pocket when I'm on the course.

I have trouble with depth perception, so once I get a distance marker I can just check my pocket and get an idea for which club to use.

HOWEVER:
How am I supposed to figure out distances, when the balls at teh driving range are rocks that don't go anywhere. On the course, I hit my 7i pretty much at 120 to 130, according to the guys I play with and according to the few times I've hit the green from about 140 or so out with it with the roll. At the range, I hit the same club at 100 right on the money.

I have this old hybrid I was testing out and it would only do 120 on the fly, when I KNOW I've hit it 150 on the course.

So, what do I do? Just add 10% to 15% to each distance from the range?

How am I supposed to get an idea what my club distances are?

How is any beginner supposed to learn?

((frustrating))


PS: A quick side story... I was trying this 60* club. I hit it perfect, 60 yards in the air, bounced once, and then landed in a small bucket on the back of the ball-pickup tractor which was out driving around. The two guys next to me started cheering.

Go late in the evening at your golf course when its slow and drop a few balls from the 100 yards 150 yards, pace off the yardage when necessary and remember to fix your divot marks.

Speaking of hitting the cart-guy - two months ago I nailed the guy from about 230 yards out with my driver. It was soooooo loud.

I usually learn my distances from just playing 18.

You should find out what type of balls your range uses. I don't think a 'regular' range ball makes that much of a difference with high irons. I read somewhere that for regular swing speeds an iron does not achieve the compression needed to make a huge difference. I could be wrong though, so please correct me if I am. The balls at my range are red Top Flite range balls which have decent distance.

I agree with ks8829. I go out with a buddy of mine at super-twilight, play 9 holes, circle back to #1 hole and practice. I get right next to a marker and try and hit the green. Then I pull out the notebook and compare to my range shots. I generally don't see more than a 5-10% difference. PS. Make note of the wind at the range. A slight breeze can affect high irons by a large degree.

That has been a big struggle for me of late, I have rededicated myself to the game this year and hope to be on a mini tour by 2010. As I have taken it more seriously distance has become more and more important to me. In the last six weeks I have picked up a club length just on regular play and practice, which compounds the problem.

being a driving range junkie, I know the distances are flawed (sometimes amazingly poor) and the balls do make a difference especially if you are a long hitter.

The only way to really dial it in, is playing regularly. Practicing on the course is a great idea and the only way to get a real read on distance.

Having worked on several golf courses through college and highschool even the course range distances are flawed....think about it, when you mow the range you need to move the marker, it NEVER goes back in the right spot, I was as diligent as possible but others weren't. If a guy moves it a few feet back and the next guy does the same thing...in a few weeks the markers are 10 yards off...the difference of pin high or OFF THE GREEN in many cases.

True, but probably not as relevant as the variance in range balls themselves. Seems like the newer ones fly 15-20 yards farther than the old ones anyway.

Well my point was NOT a defined certainty...just a point that the only true distance is on the course or with a range finder.

Are launch monitors better for recording your distance?

I always have a really tough time trying to determine how far I hit something at the range. Either that or the place I go has the yardage marked off poorly. Because it appeared as if my well struck drives would only go 200 yards. I know I'm definitely longer than that, at least I'm pretty sure. Maybe it's just deceiving, which is possible considering I have trouble with depth perception and determining distance.

You see fairly confident in your distance with your 7 iron. For starters, add about 10 yards for each club. Example: you hit 7 iron 120 yards. 6 iron should be 130, 5 iron 140, 8 iron 110, etc.

This is not an exact science but it will get you started.

The only way to figure out your distances more precisely is to play a lot and pay attention. Also, keep in mind that you are going to be playing your clubs to distances that you hit when you hit it well. You may go 10 yards one way or the other just because of how you strike a particular shot. I usually hit my hybrid (3 iron) about 170-175. Was playing exactly 175 to the green the other day and flew it. Must of got 190 out of that club.

The more you play, the better you will hit the ball, and the greater your distance will be. Always be attentive to what you are hitting and how far. It will change as you go.

For the record: Average distance of drives for an amateur golfer is about 200-210. Everybody thinks they hit it farther. It's been researched.

Only way to know for sure: record your distances.

Interesting, didn't know that.

However, I'm absolutely positive I've hit it longer on the course. When I hit a well-struck drive, I've gone 250.

I've hit 275+ on occasion, 265 just the other day, but once I started keeping track of all my drives (fairway only) I found that I average 215.

I keep a notebook in my golf bag, and note the distance on every swing while playing. It doesn't slow me down much, since I typically jot it down while walking to my next shot. It took me a few rounds, but I had it down pretty well after only a few rounds. Remember that your clubs are theoretically supposed to give you the same distance between clubs. What I mean is that if you hit your 7i 140, and your 8i 133 (a 7 yard difference), your 9i should (in theory) be about 126. That's just a guide, however, so you should keep a notebook to verify this. And keep in mind that roll affects things a lot. Any shot in the fairway or onto the green is probably going to roll a lot farther (unless the greens are really soft).

I feel your pain. I have recently made some changes to my swing (mostly just keeping things more loose), and I've gone from hitting a 7i 145 yds to hitting it 165-170.

How are you guys figuring out how far you hit?

Just estimating by subtracting the holes yardage from what you think you have left?

I work at a country club, and everyday at the range we use a distance finder to mark out the flags. This makes it pretty easy for me to figure out my range. If you hit your 7i about 120 then 8 should be around 110, 9 around 100, PW 90, SW probably like 70-75ish. Of course it depends on the ball, weather, course conditions and how well you hit it.

I hit my 6i from 200 out downhill and was pin high after the roll and everything. Do i hit my 6i 200? no way, 175ish.. I think, I just got a lesson so I'm hitting it further than I am used to.

That is pretty much the way. You should be able to fairly accurately tell what you have left from pacing off from yardage markers. Within 100 yards usually requires a little estimating.

The other day I played a course with GPS on the cart. It not only told you distance to pin, but also how far your drive was. Had to pay a little attention in between to what you had left each shot. You have to keep in mind that you will vary with each club, sometimes purposely (for instance, taking a little off a club). In general I try to swing at about 80%. That is where I figure my yardage for a club. I know I can try to give it a little more or less for 5 yards or so, either way. My yardages: Driver: 215. 3 Wood: 200. 5 Wood: 190. 3I/Hybrid: 175-180. 4I: 165. 5I: 150-160. 6I: 140. 7I: 125-130. 8I: 110. 9I: 100. PW: 90. 56*SW: 50. Notice there are some gaps 130-140 is an in between yardage for me. I usually try to take some off a 6I or (depending on conditions) muscle up on a 7I.

Thanks for all the advice.

I think I'm going to just start taking a little notebook. I'm going to start making notes as I go. Right now, score isn't too important to me since I'm so inconsistent. But, I want to be MORE consistent by playing more and getting comfortable knowing what I'm doing. Learning to quickly judge how far I've got left, a bit of quick math should tell me how far I've gone. Right?

So, I'll just make quick notes about each club and how far it went out on the course. I guess that's just the best way.

I'm glad I'm not the only one struggling to use driving ranges for distance. The balls they use around here are just random assortments of whatever they can get their hands on, it seems. Nothing is consistent out there.

Thanks again for the tips. I'm hoping I get the chance to play this weekend and try using a little book.