Average Distances - How Far Do You Hit Each Club? (And Don't Lie!)

[Mr3Wiggle]

Originally Posted by bplewis24

This brings up a question I have about driving range balls.  Is there any accounting for their quality in terms of judging distance?  I go to the same driving range 3-4 times per week that has mechanical range stalls.  In other words, the tees are the same distance from the target flags every day.  I have always struggled getting my 8i to the 150 pin.  Only the best of my best swings typically get it there if there is no headwind.  However, on the course, I have hit my 8i 150 often.  I even hit my 9i 142-145 range a couple of times.  I just don't get it.

Any number of reasons.  They're cheap and not designed for performance.  They could be worn.  They could have a softer compression.  They could be designed to fly shorter.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by ApocG10

I think everybody understood he was talking about the average length of our good drives. You are just nitpicking to get at him.

No, actually they typically never do undertand that, which is precisely why I was adding clarification. Maybe you've forgotten how many threads there are on this forum where people are not allowed to post their "typical good drive" distance without being called a liar or somehow otherwise mistaken? Right now "iguy" is going off about this very topic in an "average distance" thread, and he's talking about "irons" for goodness sake. Imagine trying to calculate your "average" lob wedge distance? Do we include all the 10 yard chip shots? Do I include punch outs in my 8-iron distance.

[Jimdangles]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

No, actually they typically never do undertand that, which is precisely why I was adding clarification. Maybe you've forgotten how many threads there are on this forum where people are not allowed to post their "typical good drive" distance without being called a liar or somehow otherwise mistaken? Right now "iguy" is going off about this very topic in an "average distance" thread, and he's talking about "irons" for goodness sake. Imagine trying to calculate your "average" lob wedge distance? Do we include all the 10 yard chip shots? Do I include punch outs in my 8-iron distance.

you use your 8i for punch outs? arent you typically supposed to used the lowest lofted club possible (3i for example)

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by bplewis24

This brings up a question I have about driving range balls.  Is there any accounting for their quality in terms of judging distance?  I go to the same driving range 3-4 times per week that has mechanical range stalls.  In other words, the tees are the same distance from the target flags every day.  I have always struggled getting my 8i to the 150 pin.  Only the best of my best swings typically get it there if there is no headwind.  However, on the course, I have hit my 8i 150 often.  I even hit my 9i 142-145 range a couple of times.  I just don't get it.

Originally Posted by Mr3Wiggle

Any number of reasons.  They're cheap and not designed for performance.  They could be worn.  They could have a softer compression.  They could be designed to fly shorter.

Not as likely as it being the ball, but they could also have their yardages wrong on their 150 pin.  I used to practice at a really nice range that had one unusual feature ... the entire landing area from about 100 yards out and on was straight up a big slope.  I have no idea if the targets on that slope were measured to their exact distances, or to the distances your shot would probably go had it been allowed to continue to flat ground.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Jimdangles

Quote:

Originally Posted by sean_miller

No, actually they typically never do undertand that, which is precisely why I was adding clarification. Maybe you've forgotten how many threads there are on this forum where people are not allowed to post their "typical good drive" distance without being called a liar or somehow otherwise mistaken? Right now "iguy" is going off about this very topic in an "average distance" thread, and he's talking about "irons" for goodness sake. Imagine trying to calculate your "average" lob wedge distance? Do we include all the 10 yard chip shots? Do I include punch outs in my 8-iron distance.

you use your 8i for punch outs? arent you typically supposed to used the lowest lofted club possible (3i for example)

LOL?

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by Mr3Wiggle

... For me it's about feel.  I take the yardage into account, the elements, the terrain, and what I see.  ...

I really like this.  I am not knocking rangefinders and GPS (I just bought one, in fact) but it seems like people rely too much on the math nowadays and not enough on feel and their eyes.  Sometimes I look at the shot and it just feels like a 7 iron.  The yardage might say it should be an 8, but I can tell its a 7.

[Doodaddy]

I prefer Mike Tyson's Punch Out.

[BEAN]

I would say 265.

[Spyder]

With my Cobra S3 I average 272.4 according to my statistics chart at my home course.

With my Jack Hammer Hammer X driver, I'm cutting checks on a daily basis to help with the cost of windows in different zip codes. Seriously... get yours today.

EDIT: Also, I recommend investing in "The Hammer Man's Training Guide" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov6W4PAm_-c&feature;=related

[awmgolfer]

If I hit the sweet spot it's about 245 with roll on average, off center hits are around 220-225. We have one par 5 from an elevated tee box with a severe downhill slope that starts around the 200 yard mark, it can easily turn a 230 yard drive into a 320 yard drive, love it..lol

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Spyder

With my Cobra S3 I average 272.4 according to my statistics chart at my home course.

I kept stats for all drives and approaches the first couple months I had a laser rangefinder (a few seasons ago). After a couple months it became obvious that an average of mostly very long and some very poor drives was less desirable than the exact same average made up of not so long but very few poor drives. I shoot about the same scores either way, but seem to play quicker with the ball closer to the middle of the landing area.

[Spyder]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

I kept stats for all drives and approaches the first couple months I had a laser rangefinder (a few seasons ago). After a couple months it became obvious that an average of mostly very long and some very poor drives was less desirable than the exact same average made up of not so long but very few poor drives. I shoot about the same scores either way, but seem to play quicker with the ball closer to the middle of the landing area.

This year has been the worst for me with my driver, though it has been the longest also. With my FIR being extremely bad, I do play much better and lower my scores when I'm using a smooth "lag-friendly" tempo with my driver - as opposed to coming out of my shoes and nearly grunting like a tennis player lol.

It's tough as an amateur to realize this though and the majority of us think it's better to be as long as possible. My favorite clubs in my bag are my SW and LW, so leaving myself within 110 yards of the pin from the fairway is much more desirable to me than being 60 out from the pin in the rough, or under a tree, etc.

This is a huge part of the mental game though as well, and for me... putting and driving become wayyyy too mental and that's why I'm not able to break 80 this year. When we play short Par 4s that are 310 or 320 out, I keep telling myself that the fairways are rock hard... then a tail wind kicks up and I feel like I should be 2 putting birdies all day long. When I look at my card at the turn though, I'm dropping F bombs reading 5's that should have been legit Pars, because I ended up giving a stroke back to come back into play from being up against a damn spruce in the rough.

[NuclearMike]

230-240 in the fairway on a good day.

[mosnas]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

I really like this.  I am not knocking rangefinders and GPS (I just bought one, in fact) but it seems like people rely too much on the math nowadays and not enough on feel and their eyes.  Sometimes I look at the shot and it just feels like a 7 iron.  The yardage might say it should be an 8, but I can tell its a 7.

I have never owned a range finder and only use the GPS when it is provided on carts so growing up I had no idea what a 150 yard shot was.  All I did was base it to a familure shot I was used to on my home course.  I would look at the shot and try to picture where I would be on my home course (which I play everyday) and then pick the club according to that shot.

[luu5]

Originally Posted by mosnas

I have never owned a range finder and only use the GPS when it is provided on carts so growing up I had no idea what a 150 yard shot was.  All I did was base it to a familure shot I was used to on my home course.  I would look at the shot and try to picture where I would be on my home course (which I play everyday) and then pick the club according to that shot.

And you did not have yardage markings on course?

[i-Guy]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

I really like this.  I am not knocking rangefinders and GPS (I just bought one, in fact) but it seems like people rely too much on the math nowadays and not enough on feel and their eyes.  Sometimes I look at the shot and it just feels like a 7 iron.  The yardage might say it should be an 8, but I can tell its a 7.

I hear you on this as I am a feel player (regardless of my post earlier about the "Math"...LOL) but my pre-shot routine is as follows:

1) How far is it to where I want the ball to end up..."Target" (I use a GPS)

2) Is it uphill or downhill

3) What is the wind doing

4) Then based on the knowledge I have about how far I hit each club (math) I make a selection

5) Now with 1-4 done...I go into a feel mode and try to see the shot to the "Target"

6) Then focus on exectuing my swing to the "Target"

That is just my pre-shot routine... but unfortuantely in the heat of the moment, etc...I do not always properly follow it and see how many times I wrote the word "target"...I am trying to work on that and have found it more difficult then it sounds

[dsc123]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

I really like this.  I am not knocking rangefinders and GPS (I just bought one, in fact) but it seems like people rely too much on the math nowadays and not enough on feel and their eyes.  Sometimes I look at the shot and it just feels like a 7 iron.  The yardage might say it should be an 8, but I can tell its a 7.

Don't you think that your "feel" is based on the distance as perceived by your eyes?  Why not get more accurate information?  The GPS doesn't select your club for you; if the yardage says its an 8 and you think its a 7 you're allowed to hit a 7.  That "feel" is based on your perception of elevation or wind or other factors that the GPS doesn't pick up.  You obviously augment the GPS reading with those other factors.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by dsc123

Don't you think that your "feel" is based on the distance as perceived by your eyes?  Why not get more accurate information?  The GPS doesn't select your club for you; if the yardage says its an 8 and you think its a 7 you're allowed to hit a 7.  That "feel" is based on your perception of elevation or wind or other factors that the GPS doesn't pick up.  You obviously augment the GPS reading with those other factors.

Absolutely.  That is why I finally got my own GPS, and now I don't have to rely on playing partners or carts, or sprinkler heads anymore.

Where the extra information "hurts" me is when I come up to a shot, usually something less than a full shot, and all I have is the red dome in the middle of the fairway to go off of.  I look back and estimate I'm at about 80 yards, then see that the flag is in the front, so now we're talking 70-ish and now I know exactly what I want to do.  Then my dad walks up with his GPS and says "it says you are 86 to the middle and 69 to the front."  The extra info just muddles everything up because I already had decided exactly what I wanted to do, and now I am unsure and have to start the process all over.

So I guess it's not really the extra info that screws me up, so much as it is the timing of that info.  If my dad had already hit and was walking with me as I got to my ball and gave me the exact numbers originally, then I would have been fine, and perhaps even better off.

[And on a completely random note, that would actually be a fun tournament to play in:  One where you input your distances to the GPS or write them down, and you MUST play the club that matches the distance the GPS tells you.]