Are most people exagerating their long drive exploits

**jfrain2004** · January 23, 2008

I consider my driving to be the strongest part of my game yet every time I read some post on the net I feel like I'm only half the man I thought I was. I've had my swing measured in 2 pro shops at 104 - 5 mph. I have got custom fitted with my driver, Cleveland HiBore XL, gold shaft, stiff, 10.5 Deg ( As the average pro plays with a loft of just short of 9.5 Deg and I figured as I swing 5 - 10 mph slower than the average pro I need at least 10 Deg loft so I have never bought into the amatuer with a 9 Deg driver lark )
Using a taped driver I'm I know I'm usually pretty close to the sweet spot of the club and my natural shot is slight draw. Why then do I find myself reading about folks with far higher handicaps, slower swing speeds, etc talking about 260 yrds upwards of carry when at best I carry it 250? I play with pro v X's and my launch angle is approx 13 Deg. Even a shot that only carries 230 or 240 leaves the club face at a blistering speed. What's more, I'm never beaten for distance off the tee and I have played with some very low handicappers so can someone tell me how long is a yard these days?

January 23, 2008

Well i'm one of those high handicappers and my drives average around 250, verified by yardage markers, hazard distances and gps on golf cart. Now have i ever hit it farther yep, two weeks ago on a 345 par for i hit it 30 steps from the front of the green. What I'm saying here is are these people claiming to hit it long every time out or once in a round or two, there's a big difference there. Heck everybody gets ahold of one every now and then.

**jdarmo** · February 19, 2008

I'm a fairly short knocker. I average 200-220. The longest varified drive is 251. I lost the "long drive" hole by at least 50yds!

**immts007** · February 19, 2008

I know that a lot of the guys I play with TOTALLY exaggerate their distance off the tee. But I just keep my mouth shut.

Like jdarmo, I'm a pretty short hitter and very inconsistent... so I would say, if I"m honest, I average somewhere in between 190 - 230. But improving!

**Dent** · February 19, 2008

Im younger, so id say I still have a lot of flexibility and a lot of swing power. I usually average around 265-270. But I haven't officially checked with a Rangefinder.

**golf_junkie27** · February 19, 2008

This topic was already covered. A thread was started, previously.

**nykfan4life** · February 20, 2008

I am problably one of the shortest out there at >200 yards. but I am only 15 and still need to get big

**lovemylabs** · February 20, 2008

I can slam a ball 260 with ease probably farther but my short game blows. with that said "some chicks may dig the long ball, but all the ladies love a winner".

**joseywales** · February 20, 2008

I tend to put what people say about their avg. drive distance in the same category as football rosters and how they exaggerate height, weight and 40 times. All in good fun though.

**lamebums** · February 20, 2008

I can slam a ball 260 with ease probably farther but my short game blows. with that said "some chicks may dig the long ball, but all the ladies love a winner".

Exactly. The reason why I'm not on Tour by now is because a 300 yard drive is still useless if it sends the ball out of bounds.

Still, chicks do dig the long ball.

(I outdrive everyone I play with 95% of the time or more but I only beat them half to two-thirds of the time.)

**thor** · February 21, 2008

I can hit it like 300plus.......
more like 250

I do think alot of people exagerate... I do sometimes

**Stuart** · February 21, 2008

Where I play, we have a really crappy range, with no yardage markers whatsoever. So I usually measure my drives by how far out I am from the pin or green. What makes this difficult is that many of the fairways of this golf course are sloped so it is unusual to find a flat straight fairway. The first hole of the course is flat and straight and on that hole, being the first drive of the day I am usually between 100 and 120 yards from the middle of the green, which translates into a 292 to 312 yard drive as the hole measures 412 yards from the blue tees, which I play from. The only thing unfair about using this as an indication of how far I drive the ball, is that I don't ever warm up on the range and this is usually the first ball I hit for the day.

**Leek** · February 22, 2008

I believe people don't intend to exaggerate, they see a long drive and believe due to markers etc. that it went a longer distance than it did.

My club hosted a US Open Sectional qualifier a few years ago. I went out and watched the Tour pros play it. It's truly amazing when you see them play on your course, where you know every nuance of the course.

Anyway, I went to a few holes that are pretty straightaway and watched them hit their drives. Guys that are NOT noted long drivers on tour were knocking the ball to places I've never seen any member ever hit a drive. Not only that, the course was playing longer than our normal "tips".

**JaY_B** · February 22, 2008

This is becoming an old subject lol, it's been discussed numerous times, with no definitive answer.
I have always said, and still will say that most the people on here do exaggerate their long drive exploits, not even just the high handicaps, but some of the low handicaps as well.

I feel that most people don't understand how far 280,290,300 yards is, so when they hit a big drive that goes about 250, they convince themselves its 280 +

Playing partners are probably a big influence as well, if they over hype someone saying how far they hit it (which is likely unjustified hype) the 'long ball hitter' will start to believe it.

I am a junior, playing off 5, I'm not long for my age, but I am by no means short and probably hit the ball about 250/260, so how nearly everyone on this forum (of all handicaps) hits it miles past me baffles me, A member at my club, who plays off 4 has the same hand speed through impact as Angel Cabrera and carries it about 280 + he has a good, powerful swing and hits the ball very solid, and still there are plenty of people equal or still longer than him.

The swing speed and quality of strike to hit anything 270 + is hard to achieve.

**ArjunGFX** · February 22, 2008

It amazes me how much people exaggerate this stuff online. I post on a lot of car forums and a unifying this is people are always talking about their 125mph swing speeds and 300 yard carries.... not realizing that those are HUGE drives. Like the above poster said.... 250, 260 on average... thats a pretty big drive. 280 is looong. These exaggerators are insulting the skills of the real deal tour players if anything.

**MasterOfTheBogey** · February 22, 2008

I dont think anyone by exaggerating their drives are insulting anyone on tour. I think if you told Tiger that I drove the ball further than him, he would respond to me by asking, How much money did you make on tour last year.

I am a fairly big guy (6'1" about 225) so I can put the ball out there. 280 avg. total, not carry. But, I was on TGW.com yesterday looking at some new Cobra Drivers and I looked at the reviews of some of the buyers, and one guy wrote. " I am a fairly small person 5'6" about 150 lbs. and I can bomb this driver 300 avg. " Now if he isnt exaggerating I believe the sun orbits the earth.

**PvtPublic** · February 22, 2008

I dont think anyone by exaggerating their drives are insulting anyone on tour. I think if you told Tiger that I drove the ball further than him, he would respond to me by asking, How much money did you make on tour last year.

That's the truth. I'm 6'5" and about 285 so I can give the ball a ride. When I went for my fitting when I got my 735.CMs, I had the pro laser-measure my drives to see if I needed to change anything there and I was just getting over 300. And my swing speed is in the upper 120s. I don't think I could hit it farther if my life depended on it.

**Sherpat** · February 23, 2008

Height and weight have about as much to do with driving distance as eye color. Just ask 5'9", 160 lb. Camilo Villegas (avg. 293 yds) or 5'10" 160 lb. Anthony Kim (avg. 304 yards, t-6 on Tour). ( http://www.pgatour.com/r/stats/info/?101 )

Or for that matter, all the sub 6-footers on the LPGA Tour who average over 250.

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