20+ handicappers hitting 300 yards (mild rant)

[TheNatural]

The dude that claimed a 370 yard drive give us the name of the course, so at the very least we can compare their online score card to a google earth map to confirm hole yardages and you can even gander your drive distance on the google.

I would have no problem posting those pics on here but I dont quite know how. Maybe I could copy and paste the image to MS Paint and paint 2 red dots , tee to 2nd stroke for mine. You could do the same. 370 is a wallop and I dont doubt you, Ive been told by a 30 yr golf veteran that one of mine was 350 (no assistance)and I didnt even think it was my longest, this guy played with me 20 or 30 times and i asked him which one he thought was the longest and I remembered the ball, also screwed up my 2nd stroke in the drink. Last monday I hammered a few but none went that far. Also my drive and HC are not related, but the improvements are showing and the HC will be under 20 in less than 5 rounds. People think I sandbag off the tee until they see me hit on a par 3. really dude post the website of the golf course. I always try to find a major tree fairway bunker etc to use a gauge of measurement on the googlemap. The easiest is when you clear a fairway bunker then you know at the minimum what your carry or total distance was. Nobody would dare say the Google was wrong, only your measuring and memory.

[skwon11]

Is this the longest lasting thread ever? I'm just curious. This thread is amusing though... b/c... who really cares? My handicap is in the 20's (hopefully not for too long) and I drive it 225... if you drive it 300+ and your handicap is still in the 20's... well... your short game must really suck!

[TheNatural]

In my case it went from wicked slice2007, then a wicked top2009-09... now ...its straight and long. When the drives stink I play into 100.

last week the best game ever for me , I drove great and shot an 89.(if i wasnt rushed an 86 but np)
Im less than 3 yrs on the course.

[Neco]

The dude that claimed a 370 yard drive give us the name of the course, so at the very least we can compare their online score card to a google earth map to confirm hole yardages and you can even gander your drive distance on the google.

Like I said, it was directly downwind with a 15-20 MPH gust pushing it.

It was hole number 12, a straight forward par 4 and the name of the course is Roy Kizer Austin, Texas public links. www.austinpubliclinks.com For those of you who find it hard to believe, I'm sorry. I found it hard to believe myself since like I said, my normal drives with my $20.00 Academy driver have been around 250. I bought some 3 1/4 inch tees and I used the Taylor Made Burner like I said and I managed to pop off 3 over 300 yard drives with one directly into the wind.

[jones]

I

I completely disagree with this. I have been playing a little over 2 years now (played about 15 times when I was younger) and the driver is easier for me to hit than the 7 iron -- and here is why:

To hit the 7-iron flushly, you must hit with the correct depth on the ground and in the correct spot. If you hit it fat (my issue) with the 7-iron then your shot will not go close to where you are aiming. Also, it will slice a bit. Either way you will not hit the green. Basically, the room for error is less with an iron due to the fact that you have to hit it off the ground. A driver is much easier to hit. You do not have to be as accurate with the driver because if you are little off the fairway it generally does not hurt as much. For me, I tend to bounce the driver off the ground before I hit the golf ball. When this happens, suprisingly, the ball tends to go dead straight and it generally only loses about 15-40 yards from a swing that does not bounce. I have had drives go 280 when bouncing the driver. Bouncing the driver tends to happen to me about once or twice during an 18 hole round and they are welcomed because they go dead straight. If I were to do the equivalent bounce with the 7-iron, the shot would end up fat and would not be close to hitting the green. The margin for error with irons is not as great.

Do you notice any similarities? I think if you had any understanding of the golf swing you would realize there are a whole lot of similarities in that driver, iron, and chip.

I won't speak for others that hit well with the driver and not as well with the irons, but I never learned anything about

: -a flat wrist -forearm/shaft relationship through release to create lag -cocking/uncocking I have read about but when I try to cock my wrists on my backswing it feels weird so I just do things naturally. My point is, when it came to hitting the golf ball I just went up and hit it. What I learned from a friend of my dad's who golfed at a driving range was: -the grip (I have a "baseball grip" where my right pinkie is squashed up against my left pointer--I do not overlap fingers...thumbs still faced downward). This is all and I did not learn until later that you can turn your hands to prevent slices, etc. I went up and hit the ball as hard as a could and sliced it about as far as it went down the range. I began playing by aiming waaay left. -keep the left arm straight in the backswing, which I probably still do not keep totally straight (I am a righty) Since then the only thing I have focused on is fixing the slice (aim). Lately I have been having issues going left a bit. Things that I have learned about are: -swing plane (used to go way over the top which caused the slices). Along with this comes keeping the right arm near my stomach to keep the plane down. -grip pressure and a strong grip to prevent slicing. -keeping the clubhead aimed at the target in the backswing (I can't focus on this easily because I haven't videotaped my swing) -ball position. I used to hit my drives with the ball in the middle of my stance. I learned less than a year ago this was a reason my aim was totally messed up. It is now right next to my left foot. These are the only things I pay attention to or have learned for hitting the driver. I never learned about the flat wrist or the forearm/shaft relationship or other things to create power. I also don't like cocking my wrists, I am pretty sure I do this somewhat naturally though. For me, power comes from knowing how to swing a baseball bat and combining that with the tools needed to straighten out the swing. I have been asked by people I have played with how I hit it so far and I can't really answer that question, I just tell them that I played baseball for a long time.

You aren't hitting 300 yard drives without most of those fundamentals in place and rock solid.

This is completely and utterly wrong when it comes to my situation. You are trying to put everyone in a cookie cutter scenario and that is not really feasible.

So basically, you have two scenarios:

My situation is above.

You are very confused when it comes to driving ability and I am assuming that other than golf, you've never played another sport for a good amount of time that requires the use of a something that needs to be swung.

[NM Golf]

Just to put everyone's thoughts to rest!

I would first say, wow, you really need to quit spending time hitting the driver and take those wedges to the range on occasion. Then I would call bull$*#t because there is no way someone with a 30 handicap can hit a 49" driver that straight that many times in a round, much less that far. You are so full of

I can smell it from here. Sorry man, hitting a driver that well makes it nearly impossible to be a 30 handicap. A 30 handicap very rarely breaks 100. If you hit the driver that well then friggin hit your putter for the next shot and you could be a 20 handicap.

THIS doesn't mean that I can't hit the ball 300 yards. I hit a 300, 320, and a 370 yard drive today.

Umm no, in fact I really think it was ridiculous claims like this that got this thread started in the first place.

You have basically thrown gasoline on the fire.

[Neco]

I would first say, wow, you really need to quit spending time hitting the driver and take those wedges to the range on occasion. Then I would call bull$*#t because there is no way someone with a 30 handicap can hit a 49" driver that straight that many times in a round, much less that far. You are so full of

Haha well I'm sorry all of you have that problem. Like I said, I have a driving range and a net. I have been focusing, since last July when I started playing, getting a sound fundamental

FULL swing. I have rarely worked on my shortgame and putting because I have only played golf about a dozen times and I don't have a par 3 or a green to work on around here. I have a good swing plane, I have good hip turn and wrist action and on occasion, I CAN BOMB A DRIVE!!!!! Do I need to take a video camera to the course to prove that someone can hit a drive and then totally screw up the rest of the hole or 3 putt? DO I?

[mdvaldosta]

Do I need to take a video camera to the course to prove that someone can hit a drive and then totally screw up the rest of the hole or 3 putt?

Yes

[grantc79]

I completely disagree with this. I have been playing a little over 2 years now (played about 15 times when I was younger) and the driver is easier for me to hit than the 7 iron -- and here is why:

I could definitely see this for lesser players simply because they have no idea how they do anything so a ball sitting up on a tee is easier to whack at than a ball sitting on the ground.

The simple fact though for good players is that a 7 iron is dramatically easier to hit and control than a driver just due to the fact that it is a much shorter club.

A driver is much easier to hit. You do not have to be as accurate with the driver because if you are little off the fairway it generally does not hurt as much. For me, I tend to bounce the driver off the ground before I hit the golf ball. When this happens, suprisingly, the ball tends to go dead straight and it generally only loses about 15-40 yards from a swing that does not bounce. I have had drives go 280 when bouncing the driver. Bouncing the driver tends to happen to me about once or twice during an 18 hole round and they are welcomed because they go dead straight. If I were to do the equivalent bounce with the 7-iron, the shot would end up fat and would not be close to hitting the green. The margin for error with irons is not as great.

I might question whether you could bounce the driver off the deck and hit an unassisted 280 yard drive but that's not the point.

There are a lot of guys like you that approach golf with a baseball mentality and that's fine but it doesn't really gel. The only sport that really gels with golf is hockey because a slap shot and a golf swing are pretty similar.

I won't speak for others that hit well with the driver and not as well with the irons, but I never learned anything about: -a flat wrist -forearm/shaft relationship through release to create lag -cocking/uncocking I have read about but when I try to cock my wrists on my backswing it feels weird so I just do things naturally. My point is, when it came to hitting the golf ball I just went up and hit it.

Go watch virtually every pro swing a club and you will see a flat left wrist throughout, a narrow angle between the left forearm and shaft coming down to the ball, and an uncocking and rolling left wrist at impact.

There is a reason for this.

This is completely and utterly wrong when it comes to my situation. You are trying to put everyone in a cookie cutter scenario and that is not really feasible.

Coming from someone who attempts to bounce their driver off the ground before they hit the ball in order to hit a good shot I think this only makes my case a little stronger that it isn't best to learn fundamentals with a driver in your hand.

But who knows maybe hitting the driver fat is the way of the future.

You are very confused when it comes to driving ability and I am assuming that other than golf, you've never played another sport for a good amount of time that requires the use of a something that needs to be swung.

I played baseball as a kid but beyond that no swinging sports. I only played basketball, wrestling, a little hockey, and lifted weights.

Your point that I have never played another sports that requires swinging something is true but doesn't really apply. This is a golf forum, not a forum for former baseball players who play golf like they did baseball. Barry Bonds cannot swing the golf club like a baseball player with much success nor can you. That said if you have a 10 finger grip, bounce your driver off the deck purposely, and hit all your irons fat you must be a fantastic putter to be a 15 handicap.

[tm22721]

On the par 5 12th hole at Barbados Golf Club I drove it 360 yards with a 30 MPH wind at my back. An 8 iron to the green then on top of everything I sank the 35 foot putt. Left the group's jaws hanging. The only eagle in my life. And my normal drive is less than 225 yards.

[denver_nuggs_15]

First off, sorry I can't quote anyone right now because I'm on the phone. So when I say "the guy who said this" don't take it as my being rude. And second, this thread is about AVERAGING 300 for a 20, not hitting 300 once or twice.
To the guy who hit 370, come on. Do you know how ridiculous this claim is for a 30 handicap? Or even how often a pro does that? IMO if pros average about 300, most amateurs (especially the bad ones) cant come remotely close. There are some who can but not a chance a bad player (20 HI) can if a great player can't.
To the guy who says that size doesn't matter, it most certainly does. If you gave Shaq Boo's driver fundamentals, he'd hit the ball farther. The larger your body (height and weight to a certain extent) is (all other things equal), the farther you could hit the ball. So size matters.

IMO those 20 HI that "average" but blame putting and/or chipping, wake up. I am a terrible putter...absolutely horrendous. I've had over 20 putts through 9 about 4 times this year. I've even had 23 putts through 9 with only 1 GIR. And I only drive the ball 250! And I'm a 14 handicap! If you hit 300 and putt terribly, you'd be better than a 20. Maybe there's some sandbagging (I hope not). Or maybe you guys aren't impressing anyone with your scores so you decide to embellish your driving stats as if to say, "I can hit the ball really far so I could be good if I wanted to, but I don't care that much. Yeah, I'm that fly." Just my opinion.

[lhshurdl3r]

First off, sorry I can't quote anyone right now because I'm on the phone. So when I say "the guy who said this" don't take it as my being rude. And second, this thread is about AVERAGING 300 for a 20, not hitting 300 once or twice.

I haven't heard anybody dispute the fact that a 20+ HC'er couldn't average 300 off the tee. IMO, I doubt there are any that could, maybe 1 out of every 1,000 or so... but that's a stretch. But then again, all it could take is having a shitty putting stroke. You could get on in 2 or 3... and just be a shitty putter lol

[Cesar]

Including all the bad drives where I had a push fade or something like that probably 250.

You ever been on a launch monitor?

Reason I ask is that you should be hitting the ball much farther than that with 116-120 MPH. Something isn't adding up. You're either missing the sweet spot, spinning it too much, or not launching it at the optimal angle.

[TheNatural]

You ever been on a launch monitor?

I agree

115 SS = 300 yards+

[Power_fade]

I swing 109 and can still hit it 283-288, so that stat is definitely messed up.

As for 20 handicaps hitting 300 yard drives, what about long drive players? They can hit it 400 or so, but those who don't practice lack any form of a short game whatsoever.

[Cesar]

I swing 109 and can still hit it 283-288, so that stat is definitely messed up.

I've played with some of those guys and have yet to find one that is anywhere near a 20 handicap. They may not be knocking on the PGA Tour's door, but they're stil lhovering around a 10 at worst.

To hit a drive 300 + yards isn't that hard these days with the equipment being used. To AVERAGE 300 yards is a whole different ball game. You need to hit the ball consistently well to do that and a 20 handicapper just isn't going to do that.

[iacas]

Do I need to take a video camera to the course to prove that someone can hit a drive and then totally screw up the rest of the hole or 3 putt?

Uhm, yeah.

[Pinseeker81]

I'd pay good money to be down to a 20. Scorecard says my overall is 37.1.