250 yards is a respectable carry distance

[zeg]

The markers at the range I go to are nearly always 20-40 yards short. Yet people, day after day, fail to realize it. They marvel at their 180 yard 8 iron, and start telling their friends about how some new technique with the left wrist, or maybe a change in weight shift is doing it. People also conveniently forget the wind. Some days, the wind is howling from behind, and people are just thrilled they're hitting it so much farther.

On my range, they just have colored flags and there are plates in the ground that have the distances from that specific plate to each flag. This alleviates the problem because it's obvious you have to adjust the distance to the flags based on where you are relative to the plates. Of course, this means there's only about 5 distances (and often two are the same, depending on the angle), but at least it's relatively accurate.

[soon_tourpro]

So, what it shows to me is, we all want to hit the long ball. Sure, it's fun, but it's a fantasy for most. To this day, I've never met an amateur golfer who could get a consistent 300, and I've met a lot of golfers, young and old. The longest driver I ever met hit the ball about 270-280 on an average good swing, and he could also hit his driver off the ground just as well as off the tee. He could hit nearly any club you gave to him. Of the 2 guys I know who could regularly hit it more than 250, both could hit a 1 iron easily.

I seldom meet people making 250 and 280 is those people having scratch or really low handicap.

My drives last year average around 220-240. I expect that to go up this year as I am working on technique, strength and flexibility. I also already made progress at the range even if its winter here, the ballcontact is much improved. I am aiming for 300 yards this year, but I take 260-280 any day. Most will try to enhance their distance, and seldom measure it using gps or similar. when they think they hit it long, they still are way short.(its a reality check for many) When you stand beside a long driver, and they put it out 100+ yards longer, you know there is more to gain ;)

[saevel25]

It doesn't help me when i run into a guy who can take out this old five wood and stick any shot from 150-180 on the center of the green. Some people have there ways to out play you even if you hit it long. Thats why golf is golf.

[sean_miller]

I seem to need the same club to the centre of the green from the 250, 200, 150, and 100 markers, no matter which course I'm on. All these courses are screwing up their surveyed distances the same way, so even though they're all be wrong, they're sure consistent.

[DJYoshi]

I seldom meet people making 250 and 280 is those people having scratch or really low handicap.

I've never tried hitting a 1 iron.... hmmmm.

I'd say I average around 260-265 based on GPS... capable of bombs 295 - 315 again...based on GPS distances... but I definitely wanna try hitting that 1 iron now

[NCSU_MSE]

I'd just like to echo the sentiment that a 250 carry is not just respectable...it's darn good. I get 240 yds (GPS-measured) total on my good days in the summer, and I'm one of the longer hitters in my league. I've bombed one 300 yards (GPS-measured) exactly once in my life, and that was because 1) my swing was really "on" that day, 2) the hole was 600+ yards and wide open, 3) I was hitting to a downhill-sloped fairway, and 4) the fairway was thin and hard, so I got a lot of roll.

And just to prove I'm no internet golf whiz, I'll go on to add that I flubbed a 3-wood, flubbed a hybrid twice, flubbed a 7, hit a PW to within 10 feet, and 2-putted for my triple.

[iacas]

An older guy to whom Dave gave a lesson yesterday said he hit his 7-iron 150 yards, but lately it's been just 140.

When warming up, he was hitting them 100 yards. Full swings. Every one - we watched. He's an 8 handicap, too...

Oh, and at the end, he was hitting it 120 with 3/4 swings.

[saevel25]

1 iron, that is a scary club...

[double_j]

1 iron, that is a scary club...

1 iron, that is a pointless club...

Unless you're into self torture, that is.

[saevel25]

It can't be one of those 1-iron hybrid clubs, thats cheating.. no it must be the flatstick. I play with a guy who uses one, he uses it on short par 4's.

[double_j]

I used to hit an MP-14 2 iron when I was younger. It was pretty reliable for a 220 or so off the tee but I only hit it off the turf when I wanted to lose a ball. It was really more of a novelty club for me and my friends than anything else. We would bet certain holes where everyone had to use the 2 iron off the tee.

Of course that was before they had hybrids and all of these new sissy clubs.

[Shanks A Million]

An older guy to whom Dave gave a lesson yesterday said he hit his 7-iron 150 yards, but lately it's been just 140.

And this is more common than you think. People get these crazy ideas that they hit it farther than they do. I actually need to keep myself from going the opposite, I have a habit of taking too much club, and flying over greens. I usually pull out a pitching wedge at 130 yards, 9 iron at 140, etc. I've blown a PW over the flag, and off the back of the green from 137 (measured via GPS that knows where the pin is each day), with almost no wind. I don't often do it, but sometimes I catch one hard that comes out really low, and lands really hard. I've worked on getting rid of that shot lately.

1 iron, that is a pointless club...

Why? The 1 iron is not some beast that was made to torment you, it's a golf club. It hits the ball just like any other club. Again, most people do understand with the 1 iron how hard it is to hit a club dead center, but fail to realize it with the driver, which is why I point it out. When you miss the center of the driver, you don't realize it as much, or at all in some people's cases. The 1 iron lets you know. The driver may still go when you catch it off center, but it won't go 300 yards.

Everyone I've known that could hit the driver 280-300 yards had little trouble hitting a 1 or 2 iron.

[thrasher]

And this is more common than you think. People get these crazy ideas that they hit it farther than they do. I actually need to keep myself from going the opposite, I have a habit of taking too much club, and flying over greens. I usually pull out a pitching wedge at 130 yards, 9 iron at 140, etc. I've blown a PW over the flag, and off the back of the green from 137 (measured via GPS that knows where the pin is each day), with almost no wind. I don't often do it, but sometimes I catch one hard that comes out really low, and lands really hard. I've worked on getting rid of that shot lately.

True true, back when I was playing a lot and my handicap was single digits, I had no problem regularly carrying my 2 iron around 230-235. That being said, my 2 iron has (I believe) 21* of loft, so a modern 1 iron would probably have 16-17* of loft.

Absolutely NO REASON to carry a club like that with all the fairway metals and hybrid options out there now.

[Shanks A Million]

True true, back when I was playing a lot and my handicap was single digits, I had no problem regularly carrying my 2 iron around 230-235. That being said, my 2 iron has (I believe) 21* of loft, so a modern 1 iron would probably have 16-17* of loft.

Of course not, but it is a good test of ballstriking ability. If a guy claims to drive it 300, and can't even pure a 1 iron off a tee, then forget it. 21° is actually a modern 3 iron. A modern 1 iron is about 14-16° of loft. My 1 iron had 16° of loft. A driver has less, but a much larger forgivable area. But to hit a driver 300 yards, you need a very high smash factor, so you need to hit the exact center of the club, or very near it. An inch off center, and you're losing 40 yards. If you put an impact decal or some tape on your driver face, and take a few swings, you might be surprised how far off center you hit it. I hit closer to the center than most, and I still get a good 1.5" circle with a few phantom strikes on the outer parts.

[kennay92]

how do you use this range measurment tool on google earth.

I used to hit an MP-14 2 iron when I was younger. It was pretty reliable for a 220 or so off the tee but I only hit it off the turf when I wanted to lose a ball. It was really more of a novelty club for me and my friends than anything else. We would bet certain holes where everyone had to use the 2 iron off the tee.

hey, if they work, why not use them to there best.

[Blades4me]

This distance thing reminds me of what Rosann Barr said about men and measuring length, "it makes sense when you realize that these ppl use 1 inch to repesent 1 mile"--I don't think that is the exact quote, but close enough to get the idea.

[wrx_junki]

For those guys that have driver SS of 100mph, what's the furthest you've hit? According to Google, I drove a slight downhill par 4 green that is 320 yards away. Also, on a flat par 4 out into the fairway about 300 yards away. Most of those machines at GG and Golfsmith clock me at around 100mph. I guess wind and hard fairways can do A LOT for your drives.

[Cussin hacker]

I have a 98-102 swing speed. Had it checked last year with a radar gun. Most of my drives are from 240 to 270. Depending on wear I hit the sweet spot. I did hit 2 300 yard drives last year. Guess my swing was right on and I hit the sweet spot dead center. I have a new driver I've only used 1 round. See sig. If that round was any indication of how much better I hit it. My driving will be much better and longer this year.