20+ handicappers hitting 300 yards (mild rant)

[Abu3baid]

Can't we all agree that in general terms 97% of high hcp can't hit it 300 and more importantly the ones that say they can are most likely exaggerating their ability ever so slightly?

[RayG]

The main focus of the OP is that how can a 20+ AVERAGE 300+yd drives. Truth is, they CAN'T. They can hit them 300 every so often, or maybe quite often. Question is, is it playable, find able, or even in the same zip code. The 20 comes from penalty strokes for OB, hazards, etc... and generally poor short games, IMHO. As I mentioned in an earlier post- I played with two kids that all they could do was drive it, and that's ALL they wanted to do. Hit it as far as they can from the tips (not that far, to be honest, I was within their distance range most of the time)- granted they were reasonably accurate for what they were doing. After the drive? No skills whatsoever and they seemed not to care, just get it over with and move on. A waste of $80 and 5 hours if you ask me.

[iacas]

inthehole, jandicap has SOMETHING to do with hitting it 300 yards, especially consistently.

When you say it has NOTHING to do with it, that implies a correlation of 0. The correlation is higher than 0 because quality of contact and "reasonably good mechanics" matter at least a little.

[bplewis24]

Can't we all agree that in general terms 97% of high hcp can't hit it 300 and more importantly the ones that say they can are most likely exaggerating their ability ever so slightly?

Depending on how we define "high hcp", I would agree.  I would like for all of us to agree, just doesn't seem likely.  There will always be a few guys claiming either them, or somebody they know hits it near 300 with regularity and then takes 4-5 strokes to get in the hole from 100 yards out every time.

I still remember the Blueman guy talking about hitting 80% of greens and virtually all fairways and being a 20 handicap because he four-putt often.

[nick1998bunker]

The lower the handicap the better the chance tht they can hit a long ball. But it is still very possible for a mid- high hdcp

[Dave2512]

Either way it's due to happenstance and certainly isn't something they do consistently.

[Lihu]

Can't we all agree that in general terms 97% of high hcp can't hit it 300 and more importantly the ones that say they can are most likely exaggerating their ability ever so slightly?

I don't think most people purposely exaggerate. The understanding that course distances are not actual distances from the tee to the pin have more to do with the misinterpretation of distance. Another issue is that putting is a completely different skill than hitting a ball far. Two people I know do actually 3 to 4 putt almost every hole. It's so ###ing frustrating watching them overputt the hole from 6 feet away, twice on the same hole. I have no idea why they do it. If all goes well with Mike's lesson, I might need to force them to take Aimpoint with me. I think Mike Austin had trouble putting as, well.

[Dave2512]

An abundance of 3 putts still doesn't get you to 20+ golf if everything else is half decent. The last update has me at 9.8 and I've had some recent 9 hole outings where I've shot 42-43-44 with more than 20 putts. Bogey plus golf is inconsistency across the board, 3 putts on top of inconsistent drives and iron play.

[Lihu]

An abundance of 3 putts still doesn't get you to 20+ golf if everything else is half decent. The last update has me at 9.8 and I've had some recent 9 hole outings where I've shot 42-43-44 with more than 20 putts. Bogey plus golf is inconsistency across the board, 3 putts on top of inconsistent drives and iron play.

18 holes x ( 3.5 putts average - 2 putts) = 27 extra strokes.

[Dave2512]

18 holes x ( 3.5 putts average - 2 putts) = 27 extra strokes.

You've seen someone do that? That can drive the ball reasonably well? I haven't.

[Slice of Life]

You've seen someone do that? That can drive the ball reasonably well? I haven't.

Yep. My buddy Mike. Drives it consistently in the middle of the fairway (albeit short), and is pretty decent with his irons. Can't do anything on or around the green...that's how I get all my strokes on him. If we're both 20 yards from the pin after an approach, I can get up and down, or at worst on and 2-putt for a bogey. He's probably looking at a double or triple. Almost every time...it cracks me up.

[Lihu]

You've seen someone do that? That can drive the ball reasonably well? I haven't.

Yes. It's frustrating to watch after a while.

[inthehole]

Either way it's due to happenstance and certainly isn't something they do consistently.

no arguement there

[RayG]

Yes. It's frustrating to watch after a while.

and profitable, I hope... I play with a similar short game type- he just can't seem to get it out of his head to NOT take a nearly full swing and suddenly STOP and try to chip. When he does FINALLY get on the green, he hits his putt AND tries to look the ball into the hole all at the same time. On a 10 foot putt, it's either 8-10 feet past, OR 6 feet short. Then the come backer is 6 feet past or 3 feet short. A 2 putt green is a rarity and a lucky one at that. 2 weeks in a row on the same hole, a relatively short par 5, he nailed his drive, creamed his second and came up 12 inches short of the hole with a slight uphill. Tap in time, right? walk up knock it in and take your eagle. Nope. Marked his ball, lined up the putt, addressed ball, took his stroke and left it 6 inches short- no stubbing, either. AND nearly missed the next tap in. And like I said, did the same thing the next week. He NEVER has lived it down- any gimmes for anything other than double have been rescinded.

[AntiTankNinja]

Swinging a driver can be maintained by most amateur golfers that only play a handful of times a year. So most amateurs can shake the rust off of the driver and find a few fairways during a round. But the 50 yard wedge shot will give them the most fits! Just because a guy hits it a long way, doesn't mean he is swinging out of his shoes and has a terrible smash factor. One of my good friends who plays maybe 10 times a year will out drive me on every hole, hitting it 310+, usually in or close to the fairway. He does it effortlessly. He is a monster...tall, strong and athletic. Just because my score is better than his, am I not suppose to accept that he hits the driver further than me? Honestly, when I just started playing golf, my driver was my golden club. I was hitting it longer than I do now for sure. Now most of my practice time has been put into the short game and my scores definitely benefited. Driver off the tee box is only a fraction of the game!

[bplewis24]

Yep. My buddy Mike. Drives it consistently in the middle of the fairway (albeit short), and is pretty decent with his irons. Can't do anything on or around the green...that's how I get all my strokes on him. If we're both 20 yards from the pin after an approach, I can get up and down, or at worst on and 2-putt for a bogey. He's probably looking at a double or triple. Almost every time...it cracks me up.

Doesn't count then

[Slice of Life]

Doesn't count then

Fair enough. He tees off with his driver, I hit my 3 wood. If we both hit it well, I have him by 30 yards. Haha. He's got me by 2" and about 30 lbs too, so I always give him crap about it.

[Jeremie Boop]

Last hole on Saturday, I played along with a high school or college kid. About 180 yd par 3 I hit 7i, caught off the toe, just short of the green. He hit a 9i just passed center green.... Yeah, a 9i..... I imagine this kid is probably close to scratch golf though, made a comment about how he eagled one of the holes earlier in his round.