Thoughts on Distance

[Patch]

38 minutes ago, Gytaryst said:

My club head speed is 80-85. I'm not very consistent on striking it square. I tend to fade (or slice) most shots. When it feels like a solid hit it usually goes pretty straight; no L to R or R to L. 
Ball speed is 110-115

 

I think I read some where that driver swing speeds in the 75-95 mph range were considered average for golfers. That 180-205 yards also correlated to those speeds. I might be wrong though. 

 

[cooke119]

2 hours ago, Gytaryst said:

Thank you. I would LOVE to see 190 carry, 210-215. I suppose if you can do that after 3 back surgeries I should be able to do it. That's the same driver I use (exactly). 10.5 Cobra F Max (Offset), Aldila HM regular flex shaft, 45" 

I'm 6' and big. I've always been fairly active and weighed 220 ish my entire adult life with a size 36" to 38" waist. Big and powerful, broad shoulders, big neck, not buff... but not fat. I was always average at sports; not a jock, but not the last one picked in gym class either. Middle of the road. I've had a couple golf pros tell me I'm using only my upper body and arms when I swing, (probably because of the lower back and knee issues). After I gave up golf the last time, 6 years ago, I sold my clubs and got into home brewing beer. Just as expensive but didn't require as much physical flexibility. As a result I now weigh 275, (all in my gut). 

I'm not looking to win any long drive competitions. But if you saw me I'm 6' tall and look like I could hold my own in a biker bar fight. I know distance doesn't have anything to do with size, or strength, or any of that - but 150 yard carry 170 yard total??? It's embarrassing. If that's all I'm capable of that's fine, I'll give up golf and look for something I'm good at. Golf pros charge for lessons. I've had 3 lessons in the past 5 or 6 years and I'm not sure I noticed any difference whatsoever before or after any of them, (other than the $50 to $60 deduction in the bank account). 

Carrying all that weight is not good, (as you probably know}, for your overall health and golf.

Watch the LPGA and see how far the women hit the ball, I find it incredible. It is all in generating club head speed using your body from your feet up. I am not the one to give instructions so as I said I would watch "How To Hit A Driver" on this site under Swing Thoughts. It has helped me a lot.

But most of all, golf or no golf, concentrate on dropping the weight.

[Gytaryst]

1 hour ago, MarvChamp said:

The other idea is what people think about you is none of your business; in fact, they are more concerned about how they look than about you. Best, -Marv

Yeah. I could actually care less about what others think of me. I've been paired with guys who shoot in the 80's or low 90's quite a few times. It's uncomfortable. Everyone is all smiles and back slaps on the first tee and by the fourth tee everyone's just trying not to make eye contact. That's usually about the time I say, "Hey why don't you guys just go on ahead, I'm probably just slowing you down." You can see the relief wash over their faces as they say, "Are ya sure?" 

So it's not that I care what they think - I just don't like being in that position. And that's kind of the point of this whole thread. I enjoy it and I wouldn't mind pursuing it, taking some lessons, trying different clubs, different shafts... 

If it's a question of facing up to the fact that I'm probably never going to hit a 200 yard drive no matter what I do or how much I spend - I'm okay with that . I'll cut my losses and look for another hobby. 

What people think is the least of my worries

[Gytaryst]

2 hours ago, Patch said:

I think I read some where that driver swing speeds in the 75-95 mph range were considered average for golfers. That 180-205 yards also correlated to those speeds. I might be wrong though. 

 

Yeah, my club head speed is around 80 and the golf pro told me that was good. My carry distance is only 130-140 and total is around 160. I usually get 2 or 3 drives per round that go 175-180. In the past 5 rounds I only hit over 200 once, (210), and in retrospect I'm thinking it had more to do with miscalculating than actual distance. 

I don't know - I'll keep plugging away for now I guess. Like I said, my step-son took a video of me on the tee a few years back and when I watched it I was amazed. I was only going back about half way on my back swing but it feels like I'm stretching myself back around like a pretzel. 

I'll focus on getting rid of this beer belly and see if that helps

[butchammon]

Gytaryst,

Another option would be to gradually try to bring a club back as far as you can (don't swing).  Try it again, and then again, to see if you can keep your left arm straight (well, straight enough).  It exercises the back muscles and ligaments a little more than they are used to.

Check out this photo sequence of Tiger Woods.  How in the world he can do Image #4 in beyond me!  His body is completely spun around darn near 90 degrees!!! 😲

You'll be able to blast the ball past 200 yards!  Heck you'll be hitting it 225 soon after!  You just need to try a full swing with full rotation, as much as you can without any back pain.  You can do it! 😁

 

[MarvChamp]

10 hours ago, Gytaryst said:

If it's a question of facing up to the fact that I'm probably never going to hit a 200 yard drive no matter what I do or how much I spend

IT'S NOT AND YOU CAN! Some training and practice plus the right driver and shaft...You're on your way. That's what I wanted to impart to you on my post. Now into a wind and into an uphill fairway? Who knows? Conditions are conditions. Keep at it! Best, -Marv

[boogielicious]

14 hours ago, Gytaryst said:

Thanks everyone.

I now realize I asked a question no one can answer. I guess I'm grasping at straws. I was hoping I'd get an "I was in your shoes exactly and now I hit it 240 consistently - here's what I did..." response.

Right now the course I play is a winter "snow bird" resort community. 90% of the residents leave and go back to wherever from April to October. It's a nice course: par 72, 6,600 yards, 125 slope, 71 rating. It's 3 blocks from my house and I can play 18 holes with cart for less than $15 during the summer. I maybe see 2 or 3 other golfers the entire round. I play from the white tees which is (6,200 yards).

As fun as it is to go out by myself and have all the freedom and all the time in the world to devote to just improving my game at my own pace, part of thrill of the game (for me) is thinking that I'm going to eventually improve enough to not be embarrassed if I'm paired with others. Yes - it's an ego thing. I'm not so competitive that I have to be the best - at the same time I don't want to always be the worst in the group either.

So I'm just picked an arbitrary number of 200-220 yards off the tee. It seems like if I could consistently hit in that range, with an occasional 240+, and develop the skills for the rest of my game, I believe I could be good enough to not be worried about whether they pair me up with another group or not. If the chances are I'll probably never hit 200 consistently then I'll hang it up and find something else to occupy my time. I don't want to waste a bunch of time and energy on golf if I'm never going to be able to play at a mediocre level. 

I've had 3 lessons. One lesson I gave the guy $60 and he sat there texting on his phone while I hit balls with a launch monitor. Every now and then he'd say "Good job" or "Great swing." The last guy I only paid $40 and all I did was hit my 8 iron for an hour on a driving range - no launch monitor. 

I have no problem paying for lessons if they help. So far I'm not sure what the lessons did for me that I couldn't have done with youtube videos... but that's another topic. 

I know I'm not the only person in the history of the universe that's in my position. Just wondering if there was anyone out there with similar experience who could give me an idea of what I can expect.

I don't want to have to play par 3 courses from the ladies tees just to "feel" like I'm doing well. I'd rather not play at all.

 

You could try Evolvr for lessons. You video your swing and send it in. It is less expensive and guaranteed the instructor will not be texting while reviewing your swing, providing analysis and giving you a priority to work on. Distance loss can be due to sequencing in your swing. We develop habits that once corrected give us better contact.

With the course empty, you can work on your priority piece on the course, which is a huge advantage.

www.evolvr.com

 

[chilepepper]

I added distance to all my clubs , 10 yds +-,this past year by doing one thing. I went from 210 lbs to 185. 5 more to go. I lift weights and do some flexibility stuff and the biggie......diet.That’s all. 

[Gytaryst]

7 hours ago, chilepepper said:

I added distance to all my clubs , 10 yds +-,this past year by doing one thing. I went from 210 lbs to 185. 5 more to go. I lift weights and do some flexibility stuff and the biggie......diet.That’s all. 

Yeah. I think that's probably the best tip I took away from all the responses. For much of my early working career I had physically labor intensive type jobs that kept me in fairly decent shape; construction, truck driver, bee keeper, lumber jack, prison guard, concrete worker, warehouse, etc. Then I injured my lower back and that ended the labor intensive stuff. I started putting on weight (mostly in my gut). A couple of years ago I hit 275, (the most I've ever weighed). I decided enough was enough, bought a $1,000 treadmill and started a rigorous treadmill program 2X a day. I didn't lose much weight but what I did do was blow out my right knee. Now I have a screwed up back and a bum knee and can't do the treadmill. 

Not making excuses - I know I have to buckle down and get busy. I've just never had this much trouble losing weight before. In fact, losing weight has never been an issue at all. I've always been a healthy weight for my frame, and I've always been in slightly above average shape.

Being 80 pounds over weight and barely able to walk makes losing weight that much tougher. But that's the goal. 

I played guitar in bands most of my adult life. That was my hobby. I gave that up in 2014. There comes a time when you just look silly up there on stage trying to act like a rock star. I traded in all my musical gear for golf clubs and decided that would be my new hobby. That lasted about a year before I traded all my golf gear for beer brewing equipment. Brewing beer was my hobby from 2014 up until about 6 or 8 months ago. Got bored with it - sold everything... and then bought another set of clubs. 

So I have to overcome the past 5 years of brewing beer, a sedentary lifestyle, and gaining a massive amount of weight. But what else do I have to do

[leftybutnotPM]

8 minutes ago, Gytaryst said:

I started putting on weight (mostly in my gut). A couple of years ago I hit 275, (the most I've ever weighed). I decided enough was enough, bought a $1,000 treadmill and started a rigorous treadmill program 2X a day. I didn't lose much weight but what I did do was blow out my right knee. Now I have a screwed up back and a bum knee and can't do the treadmill. 
 weight. But what else do I have to do

The treadmill isn't going to make you lose weight. Reducing the food and drink you consume will. I walk 9 hours a week on a golf course and do not consider this to be in any way helpful for me keeping my weight down. I'm not saying that ot's bad - I love it - but if the heart rate isn't elevated, walking is good for mental helath and not a lot more. And - if you play golf in a cart you may as well be watching TV for all the (physical) health benefits people might think they achieve.

Eat less and move more. It's the answer in 99.9% of cases. But the eating less is the main thing. Unless you are cycling or running. But then you have other issues - knees etc!!

Edited August 6, 2019 by leftybutnotPM

[Zippo]

I'm 68, 6 feet tall and 270 and I've gained at least 50 yards on my driver since I started keeping records last December or so. I'm reaching greens that were well out of my range. I'm not hitting them yet, of course, but my distance has me a lot closer. Losing weight will help your back, for sure, but you still need to work on your flexibility too, in my opinion. I don't think distance is something that is just magically going to appear - at least it hasn't for me. I'm guessing it took a while and some work for you to learn to play music. It's going to take time and work to make a decent swing with your driver, too.

[uitar9]

On 8/6/2019 at 2:22 PM, Gytaryst said:

Yeah. I think that's probably the best tip I took away from all the responses. For much of my early working career I had physically labor intensive type jobs that kept me in fairly decent shape; construction, truck driver, bee keeper, lumber jack, prison guard, concrete worker, warehouse, etc. Then I injured my lower back and that ended the labor intensive stuff. I started putting on weight (mostly in my gut). A couple of years ago I hit 275, (the most I've ever weighed). I decided enough was enough, bought a $1,000 treadmill and started a rigorous treadmill program 2X a day. I didn't lose much weight but what I did do was blow out my right knee. Now I have a screwed up back and a bum knee and can't do the treadmill. 

Not making excuses - I know I have to buckle down and get busy. I've just never had this much trouble losing weight before. In fact, losing weight has never been an issue at all. I've always been a healthy weight for my frame, and I've always been in slightly above average shape.

Being 80 pounds over weight and barely able to walk makes losing weight that much tougher. But that's the goal. 

I played guitar in bands most of my adult life. That was my hobby. I gave that up in 2014. There comes a time when you just look silly up there on stage trying to act like a rock star. I traded in all my musical gear for golf clubs and decided that would be my new hobby. That lasted about a year before I traded all my golf gear for beer brewing equipment. Brewing beer was my hobby from 2014 up until about 6 or 8 months ago. Got bored with it - sold everything... and then bought another set of clubs. 

So I have to overcome the past 5 years of brewing beer, a sedentary lifestyle, and gaining a massive amount of weight. But what else do I have to do

Hey man-I can relate..I'm 66 and still playing with a similar age geezer rock band. Also a golfer who wants to always improve. Managed to get that hcp below 20 this year

I have a 94 year old friend, she has serious health issues, but gets out her door and walks three times a day sometimes for only 10 minutes at a time. Whenever she sees me she says "I walk like this,,,so I can continue to walk"

I'm gonna keep playing with the guys until Jimi or Ronnie take that guitar out of my cold dead hands.

I'm gonna keep playing golf until I meet Mr. Palmer.

We gotta keep going so that we can keep going.

The biggest thing that has helped my quality of life: no more drugs, alcohol or tobacco: and finding a stretching and strength regime that works for me.

I gotta keep going...to keep going

[RWC]

I will be 67 in a few weeks - and play to a 12 index. Based on my GPS watch, I am averaging 184 yards this season with my tee shots. Key for me is to hit fairways, avoid the dumb mental errors (fat chips, 3 putts, etc) and work on short game. I try to play from tees in the 5800 - 6000 length. I also have flexibility exercises I do each day and walk when I play.

Good luck with your game.

Bob

[cooke119]

Played with an older golfer, Don, who only hit his drives about 180 but his second shot was another ~180. The thing was he hit everything straight, 180 plus 180 = 360 yards meaning he was pitching / chipping on on par 4's. His short game was fantastic and he smoked us. He told us his loss of distance hurt him but he made up for it with his fairway woods/irons and his short game. What I'm saying is while you work on improving your drives, work on the rest of the game to make up for your lack of distance.

While we were in the woods looking for our balls he was always in the middle of the fairway or damn close to or on the green waiting for us, embarrassing. I learned a lot from Don may he rest in peace.

[butchammon]

@cooke119

That is exactly like my older friend from our Masonic Lodge.  He is a great guy and like a 2nd Uncle to me, named Richard Turochy, whom I nicknamed "Uncle Dick" around the Lodge, and as hilarious as it sounds, the name stuck!

Anyway, whenever "Uncle Dick" and I get a round of golf in, I would outdrive him by at least 50 yards.  I'm 58, and he's 78.  But yet, for every bad shot I make, he would be right on the money, 100% laser beam straight.  He'll drive 170-175, then hit an amazing 5-wood or Hybrid off deck, right up close to the green, and then chip it within 2 feet of the pin.

As my son-in-law teases me all the time:  Don't play "old man golf".  Those old guys can and will stomp your a$$ every time you step onto the course!  LOL... 🤣

 

[Carl3]

1 hour ago, butchammon said:

Don't play "old man golf".

I will repeat this again as I thought it was a great line from a 30 year old who had at least one drive about 330 yards. After I made a par put on a par 5 he said "I would rather triple like a man than birdie like a pussy". My 235 to 260 yard drives down the middle did not impress him.

[cooke119]

17 hours ago, butchammon said:

@cooke119

That is exactly like my older friend from our Masonic Lodge.  He is a great guy and like a 2nd Uncle to me, named Richard Turochy, whom I nicknamed "Uncle Dick" around the Lodge, and as hilarious as it sounds, the name stuck!

Anyway, whenever "Uncle Dick" and I get a round of golf in, I would outdrive him by at least 50 yards.  I'm 58, and he's 78.  But yet, for every bad shot I make, he would be right on the money, 100% laser beam straight.  He'll drive 170-175, then hit an amazing 5-wood or Hybrid off deck, right up close to the green, and then chip it within 2 feet of the pin.

As my son-in-law teases me all the time:  Don't play "old man golf".  Those old guys can and will stomp your a$$ every time you step onto the course!  LOL... 🤣

 

When Don was younger he would drive 250+ and played for money, which he made a lot of. Don use to make chubs for us in the early days, good fitter and swing coach but with age and injuries his shots became shorter and shorter, but as I said he made up for it by being straight and a great short game, he had such a feel around the greens. I miss playing and going to the range with him. He had a garage dedicated to making and selling clubs, grips, bags, balls, etc. which he used to supplement his retirement income. He even had a driving net set up in his back yard so he could watch you hit and try out different clubs. You also got a lesson every time you went there. We use to go there just to talk golf and the military, (he was in Special Forces during Vietnam) and drink a lot of beer. Always ended up buying something from him. He had connections with people from his days as a union official in the city, a lot if times he had "stuff" that happened to off the back of a truck, (if you get my drift). Interesting guy and a good friend.

[Vinsk]

4 minutes ago, cooke119 said:

Don use to make chubs for us in

.....too easy.😆