As Per "Average Drive Carry Distance"

[RS22]

I have a very high ball flight with my driver which I'm actually looking at changing with a new driver/shaft but I measure my flight because my divot is usually right next to my ball. Depending on the wind, downhill/uphill/flat, etc. I fly it roughly 280-300. I'm hoping by switching to the Titleist 909 D3 with the Fujikura Rombax 7Z08 shaft I'll be able to tame my ball flight to a lot lower trajectory and get more roll out of my tee shots. Flying the ball that far is great for the winter because there's no roll really anyways but for summer golf I get caught by shorter players when they get on some hard fairways and get a lot more roll than me.

[Chief Broom]

I don't worry about how far I hit my driver. I do worry about my distances with other clubs, but with the driver distance is meaningless to me. That isn't to say I don't want to hit it a long way but worrying about distance is generally counter productive when it comes to the driver. I find that when I worry about fundamentals, especially with the driver, and concentrate on good contact I stand a much better chance of getting close to my potential out of the club. If I could sign on the dotted line tomorrow where I'd only hit the ball 250yds with the driver but keep it in play I'd jump at the chance. What happens to me is that I start trying to go after a long number with the driver and that always spells disaster. Maybe I'll be playing with some long hitters, or I'll catch a couple really well and start thinking that's a number I should be seeing more often, then I'll start trying to force it with the driver and that never works. The irony here is I don't do this with any other club in my bag except the driver. I'm content with the knowledge that I hit a 9i 135yds. I'm content because I know that I can plan my game around a number like that and stand the best chance of scoring well. But the driver is the club you use when you need max distance, and I don't try to play it to a specific number. Perhaps that's my problem, always wanting to bite off more with that club than I should?

[zeg]

I just use the markers and estimate. Given the consistency of my drives, that's plenty of accuracy. At the course I play, there is a big colored "monument" (i.e., brick) in the ground that is the measurement point for the quoted distance, so you can look to see how far ahead or behind that you actually tee from. Usually it's less than 10 yards. There are 100, 150, and 200 yards-from-the-green markers (and sometimes a flag 250 yards from the white tee monument) that are good enough to estimate to within about 10 yards on the other end. On tees where I've driven right next to one of the markers, I've occasionally paced off distances and usually come pretty close. Obviously neither method is terribly accurate, but it'd be unusual for them to both be wildly wrong yet agree.

As for worrying about straight line distance versus the actual trajectory of your shot, that's a pretty minimal error unless it's a strong dog leg. If the fairway is 60 yards wide at the 150 yard stake and you're right at the edge, you only get about a 2% error by measuring perpendicularly to a line measured down the center of the fairway instead of taking the straight distance to the target. If you're worried about 153 versus 150 yards to the green, good luck on the tour.

Comparing a bit with Google Earth and all things considered, I think this gives numbers that are good to within about 10 yards either way. That's good enough for me.

[Fourputt]

Tees move on average ONE yard and a teebox isn't very long.

I used to think the same way... until I actually got to make accurate measurements. My course is also very well marked, yet using your method was still useless. By using your method I used to tell people that I averaged about 275 yards. I still hit the ball nearly as far as I ever did, yet now I know that my average is more in the 245 yard range.

Look at it like this. I hit a drive on a 520 yard par 5 hole last week. My ball ended up in the middle of the fairway, just short of the 250 yard marker to the center of the green (this marker is dead on, set up with a professional laser and verified by my own Bushnell Tour V2). When I measured the drive with GPS, it was just 240 yards from tee to ball. 240 plus 250 = 490.... what happened to the other 30 yards???? I rest my case.

[deronsizemore]

I used to think the same way... until I actually got to make accurate measurements. My course is also very well marked, yet using your method was still useless. By using your method I used to tell people that I averaged about 275 yards. I still hit the ball nearly as far as I ever did, yet now I know that my average is more in the 245 yard range.

I think that's consistent with why most golfer's think they average 280 off the tee. Simply cannot go by the markers on the course.

There's a short straight away 330 yard par 4 at the course I play at regularly. I've been on it more than a few times and know the ball landed on the green from the ball mark it left. I can guarantee you I do not come anywhere near carrying the ball 330 yards in the air.

[Gerardv]

[QUOTE=There's a short straight away 330 yard par 4 at the course I play at regularly. I've been on it more than a few times and know the ball landed on the green from the ball mark it left. I can guarantee you I do not come anywhere near carrying the ball 330 yards in the air.[/QUOTE]

That is why I'm going the GPS or laser range finder route. Right now the range finder is more likely because I can use it in long range rifle shooting. Anyway, I want to KNOW, not guess and if I want to achieve my goal of breaking 80 and doing it all the time by the end of next summer, I need to KNOW.

Actually, I think we would all benefit from knowing the truth and not deluding ourselves. I'm lucky, I am a short hitter and have no chance to convince people I hit it 280. Especially when the 12 year old girls at the station next to me on the range are hitting it 20 yards farther than me with our drivers.

[deronsizemore]

That is why I'm going the GPS or laser range finder route. Right now the range finder is more likely because I can use it in long range rifle shooting. Anyway, I want to KNOW, not guess and if I want to achieve my goal of breaking 80 and doing it all the time by the end of next summer, I need to KNOW.

I have a Bushnell range finder. One of the best golf purchases I've ever made. I really think it's taken a few strokes off my game each round since I purchased it a few couple years ago.

As for my actual carry distance, it's right at 265-270. So, only 60 yards less than the 330 yards I would have thought I carried it if I didn't have a range finder.

[zeg]

Odd. I just checked my course on Google Earth and my measurements were all +/- less than 5 yards from the scorecard figures. Maybe I'm just lucky and have a really boring, open, straight course that's well-marked.

[Gerardv]

I have a Bushnell range finder. One of the best golf purchases I've ever made. I really think it's taken a few strokes off my game each round since I purchased it a few couple years ago.

With your handicap I don't doubt what you say about the distance you hit the ball. In fact, I think you're the guy that blew up the "how far do you fly your six iron thread" by joking that you didn't realize the OP was looking for internet distance, not real distance. That was funny, no matter who you are - that was funny. When you hit the ball as short as I do it's easy not to lie. The story about the 12 year old girls is true - it happened to me.

[deronsizemore]

Odd. I just checked my course on Google Earth and my measurements were all +/- less than 5 yards from the scorecard figures. Maybe I'm just lucky and have a really boring, open, straight course that's well-marked.

They are out there, but few and far between.

With your handicap I don't doubt what you say about the distance you hit the ball. In fact, I think you're the guy that blew up the "how far do you fly your six iron thread" by joking that you didn't realize the OP was looking for internet distance, not real distance.

Yeah that was me on the other thread. I just hate the "how far do you hit it" threads. So many of them and yet new ones created daily and all filled with crap that makes others think they are inferior because they don't hit a 6 iron 200 yards. That's funny about the 12 year old girl. There are some kids that can really kill the ball these days. A 16 year old kicked my butt in a tournament this summer; -11 after 4 days of golf.