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Feel or actual yardage?


phillyk
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  1. 1. Are you a player that relies on the actual distance for the shot or one that feels the yardage and shot?

    • Feel the distance
      4
    • I need the actual distance
      19
    • Depends on what shot it is.
      24


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With all the cool technology in terms of yardages of the course that has come to golf, I was just wondering how many people rely on the actual distance to choose the right club versus being able to feel the yardage and hit the right club?

For me, I mainly feel the yardage, but I like to have a rough estimate of yardage once i get 220+ from the green.

Philip Kohnken, PGA
Director of Instruction, Lake Padden GC, Bellingham, WA

Srixon/Cleveland Club Fitter; PGA Modern Coach; Certified in Dr Kwon’s Golf Biomechanics Levels 1 & 2; Certified in SAM Putting; Certified in TPI
 
Team :srixon:!

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Interesting. I usually look at the target from the fairway, decide what kind of shot to play where, and then zap it with my rangefinder for an exact yardage. Once I have that number, I then pick the club and visualize my shot. Sometimes the club doesn't feel right and I will pick another. Knowing the distance has just made a huge difference in my ability to feel the right shot and to place the ball pin high or under the hole depending upon what the hole gives me. I believe that having precise info is better than not having it.

Cobra LTDx 10.5* | Big Tour 15.5*| Rad Tour 18.5*  | Titleist U500 4-23* | T100 5-P | Vokey SM7 50/8* F, 54/10* S, SM8 58/10* S | Scotty Cameron Squareback No. 1 | Vice Pro Plus  

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I used to just feel the yardage, but now that my game is much more precise, I do need my range finder and gps.

This helps a lot to learn what my actual yardages are in winter and summer.

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I just use the yardage markers on the course.  Once I know that, I can pretty well estimate what the yardage is and choose my club from there.

Whats in my :sunmountain: C-130 cart bag?

Woods: :mizuno: JPX 850 9.5*, :mizuno: JPX 850 15*, :mizuno: JPX-850 19*, :mizuno: JPX Fli-Hi #4, :mizuno: JPX 800 Pro 5-PW, :mizuno: MP T-4 50-06, 54-09 58-10, :cleveland: Smart Square Blade and :bridgestone: B330-S

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I prefer to know the exact yardages. I know my clubs and with the yardages I can then take other factors in, elevation, wind, etc. It starts with the proper yardage though for me.

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I use the course markers but inside of 200 yrds, I use the laser for such things as distance to front or back of green so I know a general minimum and maximum range.

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I like to know the distance unless I'm right around the green. Knowing the exact distance allows me to then visualize the type of shot I want to hit. I don't think there is one good answer to this question. That's the beauty of golf; you can hit a different shot in any situation on any given day. I love it.


Driver: R11s 9 with a Fubuki Tour 63 X-Stiff
Fairway Wood: R11s 15.5 with Miyazaki Kusala Black 83 X-Stiff

Hybrid: taylormade.gif 4 with Fubuki 515 X-Stiff
Irons: titleist.gif Forged 660 3-PW with Dynamic Gold X-100

Wedges: callaway.gif CC Jaws 52 and 58 Degree
Putter: ping.gif In Anser 2

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From 210 to 65 or so I want to know the exact yardage to the pin or target. I'll walk off from sprinkler heads or cart path indicators. I carry a GPS on my bag.

If I'm inside 60 or so, it's completely feel - I'll pace it off - and look at landing spots, but the shot itself - carry distance, trajectory, spin - is all FEEL based - Not a mentallly calculated "OK, hit this ball 43 yards ..."

driver: FT-i tlcg 9.5˚ (Matrix Ozik XCONN Stiff)
4 wood: G10 (ProLaunch Red FW stiff)
3 -PW: :Titleist: 695 mb (Rifle flighted 6.0)
wedges:, 52˚, 56˚, 60˚
putter: Studio Select Newport 1.5

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I just played my first full round using the SkyDroid Golf GPS app I downloaded to my droid. I actually shot my best score ever and I give a good amount of credit to that APP. I was able to tell when I should be using my PW vs GW vs SW also the difference in Iron distances really helped.

It gave yardages to the doglegs as well eliminating basically all the guessing from club selection. I dont think Ill ever play without a GPS again.

 Driver:callaway.gifBig Bertha 460cc 10* Hybrids: adams.gif A7 3-4H  Irons: adams.gif A7 5i-PW
Wedges: cleveland.gifCG 12 50*, CG 14 56*, CG12 60* Putt Putt:odyssey.gif White ICE Tour Bronze 1 Putter
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For pitches under 80 yards It is usually feel, anything above that I want yardages

:tmade: SLDR X-Stiff 12.5°
:nike:VRS Covert 3 Wood Stiff
:nike:VRS Covert 3 Hybrid Stiff
:nike:VR Pro Combo CB 4 - PW Stiff 2° Flat
:cleveland:588RTX CB 50.10 GW
:cleveland:588RTX CB 54.10 SW
:nike:VR V-Rev 60.8 LW
:nike:Method 002 Putter

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Probably should have chosen "it depends".  I use actual yardage whenever possible, but that's probably only accurate for some shots.  In fact, other than par 3's I probably only really pay attention to yardages for my second (third on par 5's) shot.

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Inside a full 58º swing I don't get the distance, but on anything else I use my rangefinder. I don't have a chance at guessing the yardage, I'm not able to see the difference between 140 and 150 yards.

Ogio Grom | Callaway X Hot Pro | Callaway X-Utility 3i | Mizuno MX-700 23º | Titleist Vokey SM 52.08, 58.12 | Mizuno MX-700 15º | Titleist 910 D2 9,5º | Scotty Cameron Newport 2 | Titleist Pro V1x and Taylormade Penta | Leupold GX-1

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Like most, it seems, I like to know the yardage for shots over about 70 yards.  For shorter shots, I go by feel.  For longer shots that are not stock shots---punching out from under trees, e.g.---I want to know the yardage, but it's not as simple as picking the club that goes that distance.  Usually then I pick the highest-lofted club that will stay low enough and play it by feel like it's a long chip.  Distance control suffers, but for these shots I'm usually happy to get out of the trouble and reach anywhere playable.

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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I prefer the exact yardage.  It is too easy to mess up on feel.  You can still mess up with the yardage, but that is the fault of the swing and/or contact.  I would hate to have a great swing and great contact only to find out my feel was off by 15 yards.

I will judge my rounds much more by the quality of my best shots than the acceptability of my worse ones.

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