20+ handicappers hitting 300 yards (mild rant)

[jewestcoast]

This thread reminded me of a fellow in our Men's Club who plays to a 20 or 21. A buddy of mine and I were talking about making eagle on the finishing hole, a dogleg-right par 5 of approximately 495 yards. I always walk up to this tee and exclaim that I will not be happy unless "I make 4 here" as a little form of motivation and this day he challenges me to make a 3.

The other guy jumps into the conversation and proceeds to let us know he has made eagle here twice and also has eagled our 9th hole, a straightaway par 5 of about 500 yards. My pal and I look at each other and both ask, almost at the same time, how he made eagle on either hole as he only drives the ball about 210 and that is when he stands on one? He swears up and down that he has and says he even has the balls he made 'em with!!! Additionally, after a little prodding, he also claims that these weren't holeouts from the fairway; he putted them in!!!
We still laugh about it.

Moral of the story: Golfers don't always tell the truth.
Period.

As for the 20 cap golfer driving the ball 300 yards? I have yet to meet this person. I will say that I have played with a guy who is a 19 who occasionally hits the ball close to where I do. This gentleman has a really stong grip, hits a hot draw/hook and when he connects, albeit rarely, he can sail one.

That smarts a little but I can find consolation when, even after busting one, he can't score with it.

[extremeld]

holy crap, this thread has rumbled on, i hadnt read it for almost 3 weeks.

my original point was AVERAGING 300 yards - oh by the way i could easily have called this 20 handicappers Averaging 280yards carry (lets take roll out of the equation) so put your hands up if your average controlled swing is 115mph minumum but more likely 120mph or more?

kenny
ps if you want to test it i have a handy radar device for sale which you can measure this with (assume 2.4 yards carry per mph swing speed on well hit shot and you are getting the truth.) ps jb holmes has fastest average ss on tour and is just under 125mph, the average tour player is 113/114mph

if you are able to swing at 120mph ish and make good contact you better not be a 20 handicapper!



k

[Fabfivefigo]

I've hit two 300 yard drives in my life. One was cart path aided and the other I'm at a loss to explain.

Unless the 20 is averaging 300 yards straight into the woods, I call shenanigans.

[Chas]

I've hit two 300 yard drives in my life. One was cart path aided and the other I'm at a loss to explain.

My guess is you were standing in the eye of a hurricane. Extreme low atmospheric pressure --> prolonged flight path. Did you by any chance notice a sudden lull in the wind?

I just love threads like this. They seem to develop a momentum of their own for some unknown reason .... will it ever end?

[AndreasS]

I haven't read through all 19 pages of this post so not sure if this was already mentioned... I swing around 110-115mph and used to hit the ball 240yds but with proper technique it now goes 280-290yds.
I always had the swing speed but my backspin used to be quite high (3,500-4,500rpm). I am now hitting up on the ball which has dropped that down to 2,500rpm.

My point is... swing speed alone cannot be the sole requirement for long drives. I too always hear about 300 yrd drives but have yet to see anyone abouve a 15 handicap hit it more than 260

[23Rounder]

Personally I don't hit the ball anywhere near 300 yards but I have seen a guy of 18 hit it this far. Obviously he can't hit it straight all the time (quite rarely actually) but if he does hit it straight it travels at least 270+ which being a 240-250 hitter is quite frustrating for me!

[Sherlockian]

Funny how the 300 yard driver gets the shanks and yipes when they actually take you up on playing a round. I have noticed alot of people make huge assumptions at yardage. I was a tournament rifle shooter in my younger days and still shoot a couple of matches each year. We use aperture peeps and irons sights and shoot at 300yards, 500yards, and 600yards. I know what 300 yards looks like from an upslope, downslope, side slope, upwind, downwind, and upside down. It's very funny that people say they have the accuracy with a golf ball that I have with a .308 match rifle. I have never witnessed a club/non professional actually hit a 300 yard drive, that includes the top scratchers at my local clubs and those guys are good.

[ElTigre]

Perhaps I am wrong.

This guy put it the best.

[ElTigre]

also all these people saying that they average 270+ yards and they are 20 handicaps.
270 is not 300, Don't give yourself 30 yards. Im pretty sure he means on a consistent bases.

[extremeld]

final average driving distance on the USPGA tour in 2008 was 287 yards

BUNCH OF WIMPS

[HighSchool Golf Freak]

Size and weight don't have a whole lot to do with how far you can hit the ball. I'm 6 foot tall and weigh 165 and although I can't drive it 300 yards, I believe my average to be somewhere around 270-280. Also, I know big guys who have decent swings but only get there 9 iron around 130-140 yard whereas me, a lightweight, can get a 9 iron to 150-160. Technique, most importantly weight shift and lag, largely determines how far you can hit the ball.

I have to agree with you. The longest driver per pound of his own weight hits the ball in the 250's as a sophomore in highschool. While that might seem as good, this kid is around 5' 4" and weighs like ninety pounds. If you know how to swing then it doesn't matter your size. But I think that these twenty handicappers are just saying there best drive ever. My coach could play as a pro given every part of his game except his putting. The guy cant make a putt from outside 2 feet, and therefore shoots in the high seventies

[extremeld]

Originally Posted by jjb333
Size and weight don't have a whole lot to do with how far you can hit the ball. I'm 6 foot tall and weigh 165 and although I can't drive it 300 yards, I believe my average to be somewhere around 270-280. Also, I know big guys who have decent swings but only get there 9 iron around 130-140 yard whereas me, a lightweight, can get a 9 iron to 150-160. Technique, most importantly weight shift and lag, largely determines how far you can hit the ball.
When I was a 20 handicapper, I remember driving a slightly uphill 296 yard hole to the back of the green. The ball had plenty of roll but wind was not a factor. Now, I know plenty of guys who are sub 5 handicaps who only hit the ball an average of 250. Distance is nowhere near close to everything and I'm sure there are more 20 handicappers who have driving averages in the 275-300 range than you think.




I have NEVER met a 20 handicapper who could average 250 yards let alone 300yards - see my post about the average driver on USPGA tour this year 287yards!

JJB if you cant drive 300 yards how do you manage to AVERAGE 270 -280 yards?

The very fact that a shot on to a short par 4 that measured less than 300 yards stands out in your mind is a bit of a give away as to how far you probably hit it on average.

The shots that stand out for me are drives onto 400 yard par 4 i.e. a lot further than my AVERAGE - if you are remembering a particular tee shot that is possibly not even 300 yards then it is pretty safe to assume your average at the time would be less than 250yards


MORE 20 handicappers that AVERAGE 275 - 300 yards? BS - i havent met a single one ever in 25 years of golf and a member of 2 courses nor have i played golf with anyone who has played with or knows of such a golfer.

i would bet that i could knock my 1 iron past any 20 handicapper claiming the mystical 300 yard driving average. If you can hit 300 yards on average you can go round a golf course in less than 95 shots.

Little addition to my post - pga tour player that averages closest to 300 yards below - tell me 20 handicappers match this guy of the tee with a straight face!!

Angel Cabrera 300.2 YARDS

[TyCobb]

I don't know if I 'average' 300 yards a drive, but I have hit many over that distance. But I also had a really bad slice which dropped my 'average' drive below 300.

I'm 6'2, 220, but it's my swing speed that allows me to generate the power. If it wasn't for playing baseball all my life, I probably wouldn't be able to hit it this far.

I just re-gripped my driver with an oversize Winn, so hopefully I'll be able to use a comfortable grip now to get rid of my slice. So we'll see if I'll be averaging 300 anytime soon.

[extremeld]

if you actually average 300 yards you will most certainly have hit many drives 350 - bit of wind and a little slope should see you do that

think about it if you are consistent you will still vary by 30 yards through a round best strike to worst to average 300.

285 - 315 lets say - so 315 is a perfectly struck drive with no wind or slope chuck in a slight downslope bit of bounce or breeze and you are pushing 340 - 350 no probs as your best tee shot of the round.

anyway done with this thread, until i see a 20 handicap do it i dont believe it.


k

[mako224]

Yes without a doubt there are 20+ handicaps that can average 300+ yards with the driver. How do I know?????? Because I was one!!!!!

How do you ask.......First a little background. I am 6'1 210 pounds and in good condition. I have also been blessed with a large wingspan, above average flexability and hand-eye coodination. I played High School and College Baseball where I was known for my hitting more than anything. When I first thought about taking up golf 6 years ago I began going to the driving range around the corner from my office. I got addicted to golf by pounding drivers at that driving range. That first summer I was at that driving range pounding drivers 5 or 6 days a week. I was hooked on hitting it far.

After 3 months of hitting balls on the range I played in a scramble and it was my first time on a regulation 18-hole course. At that point I had no game whatsoever but I could consistantly hit that driver dead strait and well over 300 yards, fairly accurately too I should add. That first summer I had no official handicap but I would guess it would have been close to 30 as I was shooting 110 to 115. I played several courses with GPS systems that summer and the longest gps confirmed drive was 345. That is my first year playing the game.

4 years ago I joined a private course just minutes from my house. I am a range rat who hits 30,000+ balls a year on the range. My first year there I had perhaps my most embarrassing golf moment on the course. I was playing with the assitant teaching pro on the 381 yard first hole. I outdrove the pro by a good 25 yards leaving myself a 30 yard pitch to the green. On my next shot I laid the sod over top of a wedge and advanced the ball about 10 yards. That was the story of my golf gane the first 3 years I played. A long perfect drive followed by wrecking the rest of the hole.

I have consistantly improved my game since then to where I could play to scratch if I had a better short game. These days I rarely even practice with the driver on the range. I spend 90% of my time on wedges and mid-irons because that's where I make or break my scores. I have actually lost a little distance the last 2 years but I still can hit a 300+ yard drive on demand. This past season I won the long drive at several of the tournaments I played with drives that GPSed at 335 and 310. The 310 was not even a well struck ball. I won another where they did not provide an official measurement. In the events I play, if I hit the fairway odds are I will win the long drive award.

I should add that this year my driver clubhead speed was 121 and 116 without trying to go at it. I know 6 years ago I was generating even higher swing speeds.....it sucks getting older.

So yes it can be done. Perhaps I was the exception to the rule as I was just learning the game.

[extremeld]

if your longest drive during a summer of golf is 345 there is no way you would be hitting at least 300yards as an average (You average only 45 less than your best tee shot? that is pretty unlikely) - no mishits? never sky one? hit in the rough etc etc they all count - dont care how many balls you were hitting i dont believe that you AVERAGED 300yards - how many times did you hit a poor tee shot? i know you didnt hit them all solid no matter how much time you spent at the range - top, slice, sky, toe, heel all counted? still averaging 300 plus even with a longest of the year of only 345? i would guess 30 yards less than you think. I know you have probably forgotton the ones you thinned and hit like a girl but if you count the ball that went 100 yards up and 200 yards forward where does that leave you?

flat out dont believe it

[mako224]

Learn how to read my friend. The 345 was the longest GPS confirmed drive. Not necessarily the longest. If you want to split hairs I have hit drives beyond 400 yards, in the fairway by catching the slope.

Call me a liar if you want, I personally don't belive you could have a 0.0 handicap either. Prove it you internet scratch golfer. So there.

[st0wgolf08]

Learn how to read my friend. The 345 was the longest GPS confirmed drive. Not necessarily the longest. If you want to split hairs I have hit drives beyond 400 yards, in the fairway by catching the slope.

Forgive me being the jerk here, but I say his chances of being scratch are much greater than yours of drives beyond 400, at an altitude under like 5000