There is hope to becoming a 300 yard hitter

[DiverDown]

I hit my first 300 yard drive yesterday. I've been golfing for about 5 years now and my goal is shoot mid-80's on average by the end of the year. I'm 40 years old.

Two years ago I was hitting 200 to 220 yards on average on my drives. I have fairly recently been able to average 240 to 250, although I've had a few around 270. I've really worked on not getting tense at the tee and allowing myself to relax and not try and crush the ball. I've also worked on getting more lower body into my swing. I've been much more of an arm swinger, but I've been understanding the swing better and realizing you must a get a full shoulder turn in (back facing the target), it naturally gets more of my lower body into the swing.

I'm writing this post because every now and then I see posts of "you are what you are" in regards to distance, or "it's genetics". Well, I don't subscribe to that at all.

When will I hit my next 300 yard drive? I don't know, but I know I have it in me.

[shankapotamus]

How did you measure it?

[DiverDown]

The hole was 347 yards from the white's, tee box 15 yards up from the marker, I was 10 to 15 yards off the green after the drive. I realize I'm not giving you dead accurate numbers but that's about the right estimate. I'd love to tell you I had a GPS going, but application I have on my phone did not have that course on it.

It was long..... for me at least.

[bioman]

He used a ruler. Does it really matter?

[bruce]

Good stuff,its a nice feeling when you catch one good.

[sam004]

Tom Watson has inspired us all !
Keep working at it.

[kris]

nice, i myself have gotten longer recently. just hit my first 250 yarder yesterday and it felt good!

[wrx_junki]

Congrats. I know as well that I have a 300 yard drive in me once in awhile with a solid strike in conjunction with one or two of the following: downslope, downwind, or hard fairways. My usual drive is anywhere from 230-270 since it has been quite windy lately. Which is a vast improvement from averaging around 220-230 just a month ago.

[Philly+15]

I hit the ball pretty good off the tee, it is a great feeling! Congrats! If I could only learn how to use that little club on the green I would be OK!! Again congrats on becoming a member of the 300 club!

[flopdarock]

im in the same boat...
i am by no means a longballer and half the time im pretty short off the tee avg about 230...
ive even taken power clinics to get more distance in my game since distance has been my enemy the past few years...
but i know i have it in me also... ive surprised myself a few times...
like today i was 'talked/teased' into attempting to drive the green which was 280 if i carried the trees... i got to the left fringe...
other than that hole and another long (for me) drive that went 270ish... all my others were in the 210-230 range...
it really inspires me hearing stories like yours cuz i see guys 30yrs older than me poking them out farther than me some of the time and have really easy non full swings... i get jealous admiring their ballflights

[Kingfisher]

There's a much simpler way to achieve 300yd drives, which doesn't involve any complicated swing thoughts or any physical ability.

Just join SandTrap.com and start to post on the forums. Soon (on paper) all your drives will be nuked 300yds down the middle and will be hitting 7i from 180yds.

The SandTrap.com, the place where golfers can come to feel good about themselves.

[DiverDown]

Nice. Just trying to encourage.

[madcityscott]

What differences have you made in your driver over those 5 years? Did you go to a lower lofted club?

[iheart8.0]

i kind of feel silly now, i have been hitting a cut/pull slice with my driver all sumer, all of my iron shots have been inconsistently straight with a slight cut, and my flop shots were pretty decent.

my whole swing thought has been turn the hips, (the bump) then try to pull straight down with the left hand.. this has been causing me to not give myself enough room in my swing thus resulting with an over-the-top swing plane.

now my only swing thought is get a full (smove, low and slow into the cather's mit, "turning my left shoulder under my chin) shoulder turn, then i just pull straight down while rolling my hands over (release) and keep my shoulder to the target line as long as possible(or you could imagine that your last name is written on your back and your trying to let the spectators behind you see your last name written on your back as long as you can throughout the swing) and my over-the-top swing plane is fixed.

its funny how important the mind is.

[shortstop20]

There's a much simpler way to achieve 300yd drives, which doesn't involve any complicated swing thoughts or any physical ability.

LOL, stir the pot why don't ya? j/k

[BirdIsTheWord]

The only people who don't believe 300 yard drives are possible are people who have never hit them. They think that there must be some catch: wind, downhill, colorado air, etc. They refuse to believe someone can do it because THEY can't or won't do it. 300 is the outdated goal, people have been hitting that for many, many years. Feels great, don't it? If I had to choose, I'd rather stick a pin than drive a mean ball. But I wouldn't forsake either one....

[TheNatural]

Good job. Next time you hit one long, take a look at your position and match your ball up with a bunker from tee, or a solitary tree, curve in a cart path anything large. Then go to google type the address of the course and click the map, hit satellite view. This tool is 99% accurate. Its your position thats the error in measurement. The map detail will show every tee box clearly and if your lucky enough to say roll up to a fairway bunker then you have a exact measurement. On google you can actually see the first cut off the fairway sometimes. It has reaffirmed my distance off the tee time and time again, the 300 yard drive is feels like nothing when your in a cart. Next time you hit one take a moment and look back to the tee box at all the real estate you cleared, its a bomb. It feels even longer when you hit one when walking, takes 4 minutes to get to the ball!LOL

[flopdarock]

no hope for me today... had 1 decent drive that was wind assisted 270... all the others i highly doubted went more than 210... frustrating