Skeptical of reported distances

[Mr3Putt]

On the Internet my average drive is well over 300!

That's just an average, a few of those drives are in the 350+ range.

What's wrong with you people? This is the Internet, no lying allowed.


Other important Internet stats: 6'1, 184, blond, blue, buff, gozillionaire!

[65withatriple]

I think its funny that people think that pros hit it further than ams. The average 5 handi. and under distances are probably close to the average pro. Some ams can hit it farther than many pros just as some weekend softball players can hammer a softball. Hes not a pro but can hit the ball as far as a pro baseball player. Most pros dont swing at 100% often and many ams do. Just because a pro can hit it 290 yds. dosent mean that you cant because your not on tour. I agree if you have a 15 handi your probably not averaging 290 off the tee but many can hit the occasional 290 yard drive. I play with many golfers who are not close to being pros but can avearge 280 plus on any given day. Thats a fact! Hitting the ball far isnt what makes a golfer good, its hitting it where you intented to hit it.

[grantc79]

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

Not too sure i would agree with that.

Many pros develop so much lag and forward lean at impact that they turn their wedge into an 8 iron. Thus many of your longer hitters would probably want their clubs bent a little bit weak. That said, each pro is picky as shit about everything they carry so who knows. But either way I can tell you with absolute certainty that most pros are not actually bending their 7 iron to turn it into a 5 iron.

[Bauer]

How accurate are fairway markers for the distance out in general? This is usually what I base my distances/club choice off of (obviously).

[TN94z]

I had always heard that Pros' clubs were 2 degrees strong. I had never heard 4.

How accurate are fairway markers for the distance out in general? This is usually what I base my distances/club choice off of (obviously).

Well, this can vary quite a bit. I have a skycaddie and on some courses they are almost the exact same. There is another course where there is quite a big difference. I would be afraid to say that all of the fairway markers are accurate.

[billm408]

[QUOTE=PiKapp23;300372][QUOTE=billm408;300318]

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

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.

IME, most of the tour pros are bending/tweaking their clubs weekly for the course they're playing. Especially wedges. That said, most that are playing perimeter weighted irons (through endorsements & contracts) are bending them strong. They don't need help getting the ball airbourne- which is a key feature of the club design- and actually need more help keeping the trajectory down.

You can easily bend a forged club 4-6 degrees, cast clubs will hold up at 2-4 degrees. I'm not saying that everyone does this, just that many do and that contributes to the misleading distances. Advances in design, materials and technology have changed what is considered "standard" lofts in irons. I have a set of blades from the 50's and the loft on the 9 iron is 50 degrees. A "standard" wedge is 48 today. Yonex was the first company I remember that did this intentionally. In the 90's they introduced a set of irons with heavy LCG design and 2 degrees strong. You want to sell lot's of clubs? Convince someone that they're hitting their 5 iron farther than ever... just don't tell 'em it's a 4 iron!

[billm408]

I had always heard that Pros' clubs were 2 degrees strong. I had never heard 4.

Could be... sometimes I just make this crap up!

[RocketSauce]

could be... Sometimes i just make this crap up!

lol!!!! .

[$2 Nassau]

Yeah, 290 seems to be the popular number. Nobody wants to say 300 so they shave it down a little. I'd kill to AVERAGE 290 and hit the fairway. I'm not sure what my driving average is for those shots that land in the fairway, not a large enough sampling size to give an average.

[$2 Nassau]

I had always heard that Pros' clubs were 2 degrees strong. I had never heard 4.

Try 2 degrees weak. A lot of them play with 50 degree PW's and so on.

[Brakkus]

I think distance is linked with self esteem.Guys don't want to brag about a 100 yd PW or 200 yd driver shot.I would imagine younger golfers are much more economical with the truth on this,as you get older and realise that your body is not how it used to be in your 20's then being more secure with what you can do becomes a reality.

From my own perspective I played with a Wilson Fatshaft for 18 months or so.Lots of weight and power and strong lofts because I could hit the 5 iron 190-200 flush,down to the 140 PW.
However I struggled with consistency because unless I ripped through contact I had no control if I wanted to swing smooth or take some off.Hurt me around the greens too with chipping.

Changed to the Macgregor Mactec and I'm now hitting 5 iron 175,down to PW at around 115.Hitting it far less but I'm now nailing approach shots and the scores are starting to come down.

Why brag about distance when accuracy is the key?

[TN94z]

Try 2 degrees weak. A lot of them play with 50 degree PW's and so on.

A few years ago I was told by a pro that many of his playing partners' clubs were 2 degrees strong. I am sure that may have changed for some reason and I am sure that the loft changes vary across the board.

[Marinemike]

Glad someone brought this up. I was starting to get really self concious about my 200-210 carry. CARRY. I have no way of building an average after rollout. I'm pretty proud that I can hit a lot of fairways even though it is a bit "short" . Adding a few more would be bittersweet...after all, it'll just mean I'll have to move back a teebox.

[chspeed]

Glad someone brought this up. I was starting to get really self concious about my 200-210 carry. CARRY. I have no way of building an average after rollout. I'm pretty proud that I can hit a lot of fairways even though it is a bit

Nothing wrong with that carry. If it's in the fairway, I bet it'll beat a 250 yard out of bounds shot.

[c4m]

this one tool I play with really believes he averages 300 yards haha but half his drives are sliced like crazy

[billm408]

150 forward + 150 right= 300 yards right?

[TN94z]

150 forward + 150 right= 300 yards right?

Or in a friend's case....150 right+ 150 drop down the fairway to a point where he thought his drive would have went had he caught it in the middle of the clubface with a good impact=300

[billm408]

Or in a friend's case....150 right+ 150 drop down the fairway to a point where he thought his drive would have went had he caught it in the middle of the clubface with a good impact=300

Ha- I know that guy! Always seems to find his ball in play even after everyone watched it bounce down the street in the neighborhood next to the course! Nice enough guy off the course, but just don't bet with him