Flush hit distance?

[OU812]

Having all things being as equal as it can be, how much extra distance might one expect from hitting one flush vs a bit off vs a good bit off (toe or heal, but still straight)?

I was hitting some 3-woods off the mat, and they usually go about 200-210 on the fly, but I hit one the other day that felt really good, had a slight fade, and just went a lot further. I'd guess about 235 on the fly (there's a high net at the back of the range that's at 240).

1. Have others experienced pretty huge distance gains by hitting it really clean?

2. Does this translate to the irons as well? I have yet to see such a huge difference with my irons.

In any case, I need to start hitting more of them clean!!

[mdvaldosta]

I wouldn't call it distance gains by striking the ball clean, but rather distance losses by not hitting it well. I think it really depends on how badly you miss it, and the forgiveness of your clubs... but it's fair to say probably 20-30 yards on a driver and 10-15 yards on an iron way out towards the toe. Really more of a shot in the dark.

[iacas]

Yeah, it's all just guesswork. Really mis-hit it and you can lose 280 yards, after all. So, somewhere between 1 and 100%, depending on the club and the poorness of the mis-hit.