My First Gps Measured Drive

**oneoverwrx** · July 20, 2010

So...the guys i played with yesterday had a garmin g5 which is awesome cause it the exact unit i am planning on getting. It was really nice and wasnt nearly as big/bulky as i thought it would be. Anyway, I was hitting bombs all day, my driver was really on. I wasnt thinking anything of the measuring ability of a gps unit so i didnt think to ask. But on 18tee i set up and hit a beauty, on the card it says either 37x or 38x from the blue, fairly flat and straight. Now i usually always hit what i thought was 300ish yds. I was uncertain though due to slight bends and etc. Anyway the guy(Martin) with the gps says,"lets measure this one." And i was like,"sweet" as i had totally forgot about that feature......313yds. From where i was in reference to the sticks i thought it was going to be 330-340 but the card is slightly off. I was about 30yds from the green. This wasnt my best drive of the day but was a good one. Nice to definately know how far i can hit the ball.

Now you gurus, I would like an estimate of swing speed if you guys dont mind. I swung an iron at pro golf with a mizuno thing on it and it said 85mph 3 times in a row. I play a prov1x if that matters. Thanks in advance.

**The Road Dog** · July 20, 2010

I was fitted for Mizuno irons a couple months back. The fitter said the Mizuno tool approximates a 6 iron. Then he also added a 10 mph correction to estimate my probable driver speed.
Using his logic on your numbers your driver head speed would be 95mph. That doesn't support a 300+ yard average drive. In my case my swing was 95mph leading to estmate @105mph driver. I drove one 256 yards Sunday, measured with laser.

You need to find a swing monitor that a trained tech can work for you. Your numbers don't align.

CStaley · July 20, 2010

My first measured drive on a gps was 238. I would have sworn it was 265 because I was at the 150 sign and the sprinkler head on the tee box measured 415. They don't always measure correctly, folks.

**$2 Nassau** · July 20, 2010

My first measured drive on a gps was 238. I would have sworn it was 265 because I was at the 150 sign and the sprinkler head on the tee box measured 415. They don't always measure correctly, folks.

That's possible, it's also possible that tees were in a different spot.

VinoGolfer · July 20, 2010

As a new golfer, I got into a discussion of driving distances with some seasoned golfers recently. Every one of them maintained their average distance was 300+ yards. Except for one guy...the acknowledged best golfer in the group (scratch or under). He said his average carry was about 245-55 with another 20 or so for roll. He then went to the PGA website and pulled up some driving distances. Basically, all the other golfers were maintaining their drives bested the best of the PGA.

I suddenly have a whole new view on self-reported golf abilities. :)

CStaley · July 20, 2010

That's possible, it's also possible that tees were in a different spot.

The tees were one step behind the sprinkler head. But yep, you can't go off what's printed on the scorecard because the tees (should) move every day.

**oneoverwrx** · July 20, 2010

I completely agree. Tee boxes move around daily and markers and sprinklers can be off. However a gps unit such as the one he has is very unlikley to be incorrect. I usually hit the ball this distance. About the swing speed thing i used....I talked to my pro about a week after this and he said more than likley it was off due to my swing being so steep. I have since fixed the steepness and added alot of consistance to all my shots.

I also understand those of you who do not believe me on this distance. Completely understandable.

**plugged** · July 20, 2010

GPS can be off, the tees are almost always off, as are the distance markers on the course. The only way to know with absolute certainty is with a good quality laser rangefinder on a straight and level fairway.

**zeg** · July 20, 2010

GPS is unlikely to be off by more than a couple yards. A rangefinder might be more reliable under optimum conditions, but that's going to mean you've got a target to aim at either at your ball or at the tee box that is exactly positioned correctly. Aiming at the fairway or at a nearby tree, the tee marker, etc, is going to amount to at least as much error as a GPS is likely to have. Not to mention that a reasonably-designed GPS can actually report its error circles. Not sure if the golf GPSes do this, but they certainly could.

In a practical sense, other than rare cases, I don't think there's any reason to believe a rangefinder measurement is any more reliable than a GPS measurement.

**VolunteerGolfer** · July 21, 2010

In my best David Feherty voice "nice ball".

**Shanks A Million** · July 21, 2010

So...the guys i played with yesterday had a garmin g5 which is awesome cause it the exact unit i am planning on getting. It was really nice and wasnt nearly as big/bulky as i thought it would be. Anyway, I was hitting bombs all day, my driver was really on. I wasnt thinking anything of the measuring ability of a gps unit so i didnt think to ask. But on 18tee i set up and hit a beauty, on the card it says either 37x or 38x from the blue, fairly flat and straight. Now i usually always hit what i thought was 300ish yds. I was uncertain though due to slight bends and etc. Anyway the guy(Martin) with the gps says,"lets measure this one." And i was like,"sweet" as i had totally forgot about that feature......313yds. From where i was in reference to the sticks i thought it was going to be 330-340 but the card is slightly off. I was about 30yds from the green. This wasnt my best drive of the day but was a good one. Nice to definately know how far i can hit the ball.

Honestly? There's nothing to say here. You hit

one ball 313. That means nothing. Combinations of a pure strike, luck, hard fairways, and a favorable bounce can mean a lot. Your swing speed could be anything from 80 to 120 for all I know. A lot of people on occasion smash one just right, when the stars align. Meanwhile, as you have rightfully said, the distances on the card are never right. You often catch one and think it was 300, when in fact, it was maybe 265. People who measure their drivers by the card are just silly. And even so, driving distance is so variable, swing speed means something, but contact, compression, and proper fitting mean a lot more. A person with a 120 mph clubhead speed may average 180 yards for all we know. Swing speed and driving distance are not correlated.

**zeg** · July 21, 2010

Swing speed and driving distance are not correlated.

I think you might want to rethink that statement, Shanks. They most certainly are correlated. There are other variables involved, but I'd be quite surprised if swing speed were not the most important factor in determining distance for reasonable values of the others.

VinoGolfer · July 21, 2010

I would guess the "r squared" is pretty darn high between swing speed and driving distance. Any engineers on here have some regressions?

**Chillmoon91** · July 21, 2010

I think you might want to rethink that statement, Shanks. They most certainly are correlated. There are other variables involved, but I'd be quite surprised if swing speed were not the most important factor in determining distance for reasonable values of the others.

Yeah they are....too a certain extent though, smash factor, impact positon and where on the clubhead the ball is struck plays a big part

But hang on you,re swing speed with irons is only 85mph? dont pros average 95mph with irons and they do not go after the ball with an iron in their hand. Yet you drove it 313? wouldnt you need around 120mph swing speed for that distance hmmmm........colour me skeptical

**Shorty** · July 21, 2010

......313yds. ............ Nice to definately know how far i can hit the ball.

It's meaningless. You hit THAT drive that far under THOSE conditions. So what?

It will be greatly comforting for you next time you play a course with different fairways in different conditions to come up to a 313 yard par 4 and be able to belt your driver 90 yards short of the green.

**oneoverwrx** · July 21, 2010

Hopefully one day i can meet all you guys on a golf course. My driver is my best and most reliable club in my bag. I was not suprised at all by this distance as i am always in the neighborhood of 300+yds. During a lesson a few weeks ago with a wind in my face i was hitting driver and according to my pro (Jason Eberle) I was flying the ball 280yds. Not a SLIGHT WIND, A PRETTY STEADY WIND, flying the ball 280. Now i know this could be all made up and i could be some 10year old BSing you all so i understand the doubters. I am going to have to go to Pro Golf and get my driver swing speed read.

As far as me being able to drive the ball that far....as i said, this was a good drive, i would say about average. Didnt draw much so im sure it could have been better with a little more roll. If i had to guess a great drive I would say in the 330-340 range, fairway depending, bounce and roll as well.

I was very excited to have a proven 300+yd drive under my belt but regret posting about it on here. I should have known better than to post about it. As far as a 300yd drive being special....it isnt, I have friends that can do it and they shoot in the low 100s. As far as someone being able to drive the ball as far as a tour player.....totally believeable in my opinion. What makes them a pro is what they do after the drive, which is where i am lacking and is why i am a 9.0 hdcp.

One last thing....you guys are acting like i should only be able to drive the ball 250yds or something, i hit my 3 wood off the deck 250yds.

**ghalfaire** · July 21, 2010

So...the guys i played with yesterday had a garmin g5 which is awesome cause it the exact unit i am planning on getting. It was really nice and wasnt nearly as big/bulky as i thought it would be. Anyway, I was hitting bombs all day, my driver was really on. I wasnt thinking anything of the measuring ability of a gps unit so i didnt think to ask. But on 18tee i set up and hit a beauty, on the card it says either 37x or 38x from the blue, fairly flat and straight. Now i usually always hit what i thought was 300ish yds. I was uncertain though due to slight bends and etc. Anyway the guy(Martin) with the gps says,"lets measure this one." And i was like,"sweet" as i had totally forgot about that feature......313yds. From where i was in reference to the sticks i thought it was going to be 330-340 but the card is slightly off. I was about 30yds from the green. This wasnt my best drive of the day but was a good one. Nice to definately know how far i can hit the ball.

Something doesn't add up. Either your average driver swing speed is much higher than 85 MPH or your average drives are shorter than 300 yards. I carry a Sky Caddie and measure my drive distances. My average swing speed is 102 MPH (I admit I haven't measured it in a year) with the driver and average drive is 252 yards (varies between 240-265).

**design** · July 21, 2010

But hang on you,re swing speed with irons is only 85mph? dont pros average 95mph with irons and they do not go after the ball with an iron in their hand. Yet you drove it 313? wouldnt you need around 120mph swing speed for that distance

Believe it or not, some folks actually feel more comfortable swinging longer clubs. My driver ss is in the 125 range, yet I rarely exceed 90mph with my irons. I can't speak for the OP, but I play a fairly short home course, and when you are that long off the tee you have no need for an iron ss that exceeds 90 because you are hitting a controlled wedge (or even putter) into every par 4 and not much more than a 7-9i into most par 5's.

This topic has been beaten to death but I very highly doubt that he averages over 300 yards per drive. Do I find it reasonable that someone could hit a handful a round 300+ in the right conditions? Certainly.

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My First Gps Measured Drive

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