Skeptical of reported distances

[chspeed]

I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I couldn't find it.

I am skeptical of this forum's member's self-reported distances. How are people measuring these distances? What devices are they using? Is this in practice, when you can really let loose, or on the course during a real round?

I look at people claiming 290 yard average driving distances, which would put them within the top 50 on tour, and I have to wonder. I read a stat recently quoted by Dean Knuth that 9% of golfers have higher handicaps than they claim (they "forget" to put in bad scores, etc.) I wonder if it's the same thing with distances?

Yes I know, we have all hit shots that we caught perfectly, hit a downslope, and rolled to 300 yards on a dry fairway, but to AVERAGE close to 300 yards seems very rare on the golf course.

[PiKapp23]

Yea, this often makes me laugh. I have a GPS and will sometimes track distances on people I play with and I'll ask them how long they hit the ball. They are almost always way shorter than they claim (1 guy was consistently saying he was 30-50 yards longer than he was).

Among my partners I am consistently either the longest or second longest. My typical 'good' drives are about 220-240 (some days I'm longer than others). That's not to say I can't occasionally catch one just perfect and/or get that long roll and end up 280+, but that's the exception. Of course, we always have to remember not to compare to PGA Tour, though, because most of those guys could average 20-30 yards longer (or maybe even longer than that) if they really wanted to, but choose to not swing as hard as they can. Most amateurs like to swing at 100%. I have played with a number of people over the years that could consistently hit it 280+, but for most of those guys the ball would often be way offline or unplayable.

[chspeed]

Yea, this often makes me laugh. I have a GPS and will sometimes track distances on people I play with and I'll ask them how long they hit the ball. They are almost always way shorter than they claim (1 guy was consistently saying he was 30-50 yards longer than he was).

Especially if you truly average one's yardage, which includes those 100 yd duck hooks.

[RichF]

I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I couldn't find it.

Agreed.

Most claims made by folks over the Internet tends to be total bollocks. On Saturday/Sunday mornings, I often have a quick look on the 1st tee at the medal and matchplay games that occur at my local club and over the last 2 years, I've not seen one person carry the oak-tree that lies 260-270 yds down the centre of the fairway.In fact, I've not seen many carry it off the yellow tees. Furthermore, I'm also skeptical of those who play maybe 2-3 a month, have a golf-swing like a 90-yr old granny and yet claim to have a handicap of 8.

[GDWindowpane]

I'll play with the vanity handicappers any time; their money spends the same...

[deronsizemore]

Yeah, majority of the "average 290..." guys don't average more than 240ish or less I'd guess. Of course there are guys that do average that but majority don't. It's no secret that golfers tend to over estimate their driver distances anyway, but golfers also tend to forget the meaning of the word "average." Most golfers will hit one good out around 290 then wickedly slice 5 in a row that go about 240 and then say they average 290 since that was their best. That or they forget to include their topped shots into their "average."

I was recently on a Trackman getting fitted for a new driver and have a swing speed of 110-112 and typically carry the ball in the 265 range. One guy I know talks about my 300 yard bombs all the time and I just laugh and tell him I don't hit it that far and that I only carry it 265ish and they never believe me. His response is "I know you carry it farther than that because you hit it farther than I do and I hit it that far."

Most people just don't realize how far a 290-300 yard shot is. It's not intentional I don't think, they simply just don't know.

I just shrug my shoulders and go along with it. My final score is what makes the most difference to me.

[hippyboy]

I'm not convinced that most people deliberately lie about there distances, they geuinely believe they drive that far.

It was one of the worst things about getting a GPS & realising how "short" I actually am. most of my playing partners kept telling me I was driving 280-290 yards as I was some distance ahead of them & they drove 250, as it turned out I drove around 240-250 & they were/are around 210-220. As I got told all the time, by people that had been playing golf a lot longer that I had, I started believing that I was driving that far.

There are obviously some that lie about it, but there are also some that just don't know how far they drive.

[TN94z]

It is the same no matter where you go. I always have my skycaddie handy so I can quickly prove the "300 yard'ers." Most of the people I play with don't hit a ton of really solid shots, so when they really hit one in the sweet spot, they feel as though it has gone that much further. Then I will get up there and hit my 250 yard or so drive and be right beside them. It is funny to me, really. These are the same guys that will pull out a 9I from 150, swing out of their shoes, and wonder why they come up short. I finally got this point across to my cousin. I told him not to worry about distance so much and hit whatever club you need to hit to get to the green....don't try to match what everyone else is hitting. Now he takes enough club with a much smoother swing and hits the ball much better. He is probably about a club to a club and half shorter than me, but he is usually around the green now!

[billm408]

What's funny is that many people (not on this forum of course) will think of their career shot with a given club as their average. Watching golf on TV doesn't help either. All of the sudden everyone thinks that you're supposed to hit a wedge 150.

Of course that doesn't take into account that;
a) they're pros and hit it pretty much flush every time
b) the elevation change you can't see on TV really makes it a 135 yards
c) most pros are playing with clubs bent 4-6 degrees strong

My clubs have numbers, not yardages on the sole- YMMV.

[Leftygolfer]

I am very skeptical of people who claim to hit there 6 I 200 yards. There was a thread and there were people who said they had a 15 handicap and hit there 7I 180 yards. Yeah right. I get my distances from experience. I know I can carry it about 240 with a normal swing. This is the distance I will use when I am considering cutting a corner or a bunker. I have a range finder so I try to get the best information I can. When I am driving it well (I did a few weeks ago and I am not right now) I averaged well over 250. The way I figure this is I look at the holes yardage and what I have left to the center. Dog legs do not work. because I might have only 100 left on a 390 hole but I cut the corner and only flew it 245. But on a straight away hole I had 90 in and it was 370. But I nailed it down breeze.

I really try to be realistic. I know I can't hit my PW 135. I can 130 but if it is 135 I will hit a 9 under normal conditions. I know my max 8I is 150 carry. But if I have to carry it that far to carry water, I can promise I will hit a 7 iron over the back of the green.

Most poeple have no idea what they fly the ball. All they know is one time they hit it 300 so now they say they drive it 300 yards and forget to tell of the 50 yards of roll, down wind, dead flushed. Those details are unimportant.

[TN94z]

What's funny is that many people (not on this forum of course) will think of their career shot with a given club as their average.

I really agree with this. Watching golf on tv can really get people side tracked on their golf game. They seem to put too much emphasis on stuff that is really not that important IMO. I also agree that the distances reported on tv are misleading.

[deronsizemore]

b) the elevation change you can't see on TV really makes it a 135 yards

That's a big one the announcers don't tell you on TV. All courses look fairly flat on TV and they don't generally tell you what the wind is doing. Take Augusta National for example. I went this year on Monday and it looks fairly flat on TV. I had heard how hilly it was but you have no idea until you actually go. There's not a flat hole on that course. You could be 160 yards out severely down hill and they are hitting a 9 iron to compensate.

This just misleads the average golfer to think that in order to be good, they must hit a 9 iron that far as well.

[RocketSauce]

yeah, ive seen a FEW guys that can AVERAGE 290 off the tee, but they are FEW AND FAR BETWEEN. however, on the golf forums they are EVERYWHERE

[TN94z]

yeah, ive seen a

I am a member at a MMA forum as well, and everyone on there is a blackbelt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. They have all trained for years, etc...it's pretty funny when you see it on every board.

[mtsalmela80]

c) most pros are playing with clubs bent 4-6 degrees strong

Is that true? So is it accurate to say that an averages pros 4 iron is a stock out of the box 3 iron, and so on?

[Leftygolfer]

I am not sure about being bent that much. I had mine bent strong and they said the max I could bend them is 4 degrees. They also said the mizunos are the easiest irons to bend because of the way they are forged.

I can say that there is difference. My old irons I would hit my 7 160 and I got these and I just couldn't carry hit them that far. I would say a flushed 7 was only going 155. I didn't like that so I had them bent. Now I am back to my old distances. It was probably an ego thing but I just had to be able to hit an 8 from 150 for whatever reason. I don't mind hitting an 8 when others hit a 9, but 2 club difference wasn't ok for me.

[misty_mountainhop]

Check out this thread for an occasionally amusing discussion of the same sort of thing:

dodgy distances rant

[PiKapp23]

[QUOTE=billm408;300318]
c) most pros are playing with clubs bent 4-6 degrees strong [QUOTE]

Unless I'm mistaken (and that's very possible), I believe most pros are playing at least some of their clubs bent a little WEAK instead of strong. But then it's not uncommond for them to be playing larger gaps between their clubs than the average amateur as well. I know they are more concerned with getting specific yardages than what the loft is.