Driving Distance

[James_Black]

Bubba Watson drives it 300+ yards on average, with a Ping G15, yup yup

a 7* G15 lol

[Kingfisher]

Most of this thread is pure comedy

In order to put this baby to bed once and for all, why don't some of you guys who live close together arrange a game and a 'drive-off'? Go play a game at a mutually convenient course in your area. The believers can bring their big dog and the doubters can bring a GPS unit.

Anybody who claims to hit it anywhere near 300 should get aroused at the opportunity to prove it to other disbelieving golfers, so come on guys, grow some nuts and prove it.

Anyone who can back up their claims will be an instant hero

Anyone who can't will be publicly named and shamed

[Cussin hacker]

I've read a lot about touring pro's average driving distance on this thread, but what most are missing is that driving average on tour counts all hole's but par 3's. Many time's they will hit much lesser clubs from the tee to set up their second shot. Maybe a 3I, hybrid or a 3 wood. That lowers their overall driving distance a lot. If you were to average just their driver their average distance would be much higher. Even the so called short hitters, with a few exceptions, averaging just the driver, most would be 290 and over. Take the long hitters and their average would likely push 320. When those long baller's hit the hell out of it they routinely reach 350+. Phil spanked one a while back to 370. I can believe with driver only a high HC'er averaging maybe 270 if he is really good with the driver. Not the 300 some say. Years ago I had a 14 HC but couldn't hit a driver to save my life. So three times a week I hit the range on the way to work and hit 150 balls each day. Did that for 3 months. I finally became a very good driver of the ball, but it came at a cost. My iron play that was pretty good before suffered as I became a better driver. So yes I can see a guy that works with his driver a lot having a pretty good average for a high HC'er. Also there is a lot of BS being thrown around here to. My .02 on all of this anyway.

[deronsizemore]

I've read a lot about touring pro's average driving distance on this thread, but what most are missing is that driving average on tour counts all hole's but par 3's.

Actually, driving distance average on tour is taken from two holes per round, per tournament. They also ensure that two holes are selected that face in opposite directions to counteract the effect of wind.

Phil smacking one out there 370 is the result of a lot of roll. Those long drive competitors you speak of do hit it out there 350+ each time but they also have swing speeds in excess of 140 mph which is roughly 15-20 mph faster than Phil's typically swing. The shortest hitter on tour right now averages 261... so again, you'll not convince me that a 20 handicap golfer can average 280+. Sorry.

[sean_miller]

Anyone who can back up their claims will be an instant hero

My distance off the tee is apparently altitude aided. Whenever I played at sea level though, it's not even a 1 club difference from the fairway. Weird.

I took my new rangefinder to my favourite range yesterday. 150 yard marker: 151 200: 203 250: 270 to the mound it's on trees at back of range: 322 road behind range: 338 I guess those long distance boys' wild claims of a 340 yarder if you hit the road are actually accurate. I've never put one even close to the 322 tree - there must be an extra layer of distance in those range balls that I can't tap into.

[Arrogant_Kid]

If you know 15 handicaps who can consistently drive the ball 300 yards, you might want to re-evaluate what 300 yards is, or check the altitude or winds. The better I get, the farther I hit the ball. I used to think I drove the ball 300 yards or so when I was a 35 handicap. I really, honestly believed it too. I would go down to the range, and hit a few that flew the 250 sign, and boom, I was a 300 yard driver!

Nah. It wasn't that. He played D1 baseball in college, so he was fairly strong. He just couldn't putt. He seriously 5 and 6 putted

[sean_miller]

If you know 15 handicaps who can consistently drive the ball 300 yards, you might want to re-evaluate what 300 yards is, or check the altitude or winds. The better I get, the farther I hit the ball. I used to think I drove the ball 300 yards or so when I was a 35 handicap. I really, honestly believed it too. I would go down to the range, and hit a few that flew the 250 sign, and boom, I was a 300 yard driver!

What is a 15 handicap? I've played golf with many guys who are about a 15. Some can't hit it out of their shadow and they're never in trouble. They'll shoot 88-92 every time out. I've played with guys who can hit it really far and are always in the bush or the pond - if they get on a hot streak, or play a course with easy driving holes, they can break 80. Those are the guys who win low net at the club tournaments and seem to shoot the lights out at scrambles. I'm not sure what to think about those guys - some people just play better under pressure. These are the guys who never play well when it's windy or there's a bit of drizzle. On less than perfect day, they struggle to break 100.

I suspect anyone who's a long hitter at a double digit handicap would really be a single digit if they applied themselves. There are guys who hit bucket after bucket of drivers, so of course they get good at it. Chipping and putting takes touch and practice (and boat loads of experience) - all of the things long hitters find boring. Ever golfed with a Japanese tourist who can stripe the fairway and has no idea how to hit pitch from real turf or from the sand? It's not common, but it's not impossible either. Still, I too doubt the 280+ average combined with a higher handicap is very commonplace - only a small number of guys at this site (which is made up of almost 100% avid golfers) claim such stats. I'm not one of them either - my average is unknown and my index (once I have enough rounds) will be in the single figures (fingers loosely crossed).

[saevel25]

There is more to a handicap than scoring. Also look at this, what is the length of the course you are playing, 6000-6300. The Pro's are hitting 7000+ yard courses. I had to play a 7200 yard course before, highschool golf team, we always play the tips. It was 9 holes, but 3600 yards for the 9-holes. I was hitting it out there 275-280, maybe 300 if i tatoo one. That course ripped me apart, the extra distance having to hit longer irons compared to short irons is huge. That is why the Pro's are good, they can hit all there irons with such a small dispersion. With today's drivers, all distance is swing speed. I hit bombs of the toe of my driver before, the G10 is a monster, huge sweet spot. I know i can let loose because if i don't hit it dead center i am only loosing about 5-10 yards of distance. Not like my 975D i use to play, i can loose nearly 15-20 yards if i hit it off the toe, or to high on the face.

So, technology, course distance, ect... You can't just assume that long hitters are all tour prospects. Given, they do hit it long, but they have the capability in other aspects we don't.

[Cussin hacker]

Actually, driving distance average on tour is taken from two holes per round, per tournament. They also ensure that two holes are selected that face in opposite directions to counteract the effect of wind.

Thanks for the education. Still their average has lesser clubs than a driver involved. Also the guy that averages 261 can still bust one out to 290-300. I never said I thought a hacker could average 280. Maybe 270 I could believe. If a guy practices enough with a driver he could become a very good driver and still not break 90. Again just my .02 on the deal.

[deronsizemore]

Thanks for the education. Still their average has lesser clubs than a driver involved. Also the guy that averages 261 can still bust one out to 290-300. I never said I thought a hacker could average 280. Maybe 270 I could believe. If a guy practices enough with a driver he could become a very good driver and still not break 90. Again just my .02 on the deal.

The two holes in which distances is recorded on the PGA Tour are typically on long par 4's and par 5's. While there may be a handful of golfers for the week hit something other than driver, I'm guessing there's not many.

I've said it all along in this thread, sure any hacker can go out, swing out his shoes and catch one good and send it out to 270-280. But, getting one ball out there that distance is a far cry from averaging that it. I (nor anyone else) has ever said that it absolutely isn't possible for a hacker to hit the ball that far, it's just not possible for them to average that .Tthat's what these threads are usually based around; someone averaging that distance.

[Kieran123]

Ok, at Golftown last night I picked up an Adams Speedline Draw ( cheap and wanted to try it out ) and hit 10 drives.

They were as follow.

277, 272, 289, 285, 296, 294, 284, 279, 224 ( toed it :) 289


278.9 is the average of that ( I think? )

Now, I don't know how accurate that simulator is in there, also, they weren't all straight either

Didn't buy the driver BTW lol

[Shanks A Million]

Ok, at Golftown last night I picked up an Adams Speedline Draw ( cheap and wanted to try it out ) and hit 10 drives.

Inaccurate. The machines are tweaked to make you think you're hitting it farther than you are. And while those simulators are nice, they don't reflect reality. You're swinging hard and focusing entirely on contact, not looking up to watch the ball fly. I will admit, it was a nice try.

The two holes in which distances is recorded on the PGA Tour are typically on long par 4's and par 5's. While there may be a handful of golfers for the week hit something other than driver, I'm guessing there's not many.

The tour pros are also using clubs that are meticulously fitted for their swings, and they play specially made low spin heads not available to the general public. They also play on fairways much harder than we are used to, with more roll.

[Kieran123]

Inaccurate. The machines are tweaked to make you think you're hitting it farther than you are. And while those simulators are nice, they don't reflect reality. You're swinging hard and focusing entirely on contact, not looking up to watch the ball fly. I will admit, it was a nice try.

Wow, you need to relax a bit there buddy. I was swinging normally, and I clearly said they all didn't go straight....what do you mean ' a nice try '. You seem so defensive lol

Just relax, please I am going to the range tomorrow, with a rangefinder to see how I go.

[Shanks A Million]

Wow, you need to relax a bit there buddy. I was swinging normally, and I clearly said they all didn't go straight....what do you mean ' a nice try '. You seem so defensive lol

Oh come on man, don't even give me that. You play an R flex shaft in a 10° head, and feel you "need a stiff." Let me tell you, if you're hitting it 278.9, you need an X shaft and a 8.5°-9.5° head.

What I really, really, really love, is that these long driving 15 handicaps are able to hit ball right in the center of the face every single time with their off the rack driver, yet they somehow cannot control the face angle... Yeah, that makes a ton of sense. Come on, who's buying that? Again, I've played this game for more than 20 years, and I go to the range daily, and have gone to the range daily for 3 years. In all that time, I've never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever once met a 15 handicap who could even regularly manage 280, let alone 300. Yet, for some reason, many of these 15 handicaps told me they averaged 300. They come to the range, and see their ball cross the 250 marker, and say, "yeah, with roll that's about 270." I just smile and grit my teeth. What they don't know is the 250 marker is at 208 yards, and they landed short of it. They always, always, always, always, always think they're landing past it, but they're not. I have gone to the back of the range many times, and there's almost no balls past 220 yards. Keep in mind, these are not limited flight range balls, they're real golf balls. I've seen so many golfers for so long, that I have begun to understand what fantasy and reality are. People will do anything to think they're hitting the long ball, anything. They go to simulators that are jacked up, or they carefully miss-measure drives (though they don't realize it). It's a little sad that we've become so focused on distance, that we can admit the tour players have remarkable chipping, putting, and ballstriking skills, but we can't admit that they hit it farther than we do. That's sad.

[Meddle]

Wouldn't a better way to ask this question be what is your swing speed? Since swing speed is proportional to driving distance, if you average 300, your swing speed must be about equal to whatever Bubba Watson's swing speed is. And if you claim your swing speed is equal to one of the longest drivers on the PGA tour, then I can beat Lebron James in a dunk contest.

[Par Fore]

Wouldn't a better way to ask this question be what is your swing speed? Since swing speed is proportional to driving distance, if you average 300, your swing speed must be about equal to whatever Bubba Watson's swing speed is. And if you claim your swing speed is equal to one of the longest drivers on the PGA tour, then I can beat Lebron James in a dunk contest.

My thoughts exactly.....swing and ball speed.....although, it's also a measure of the altitude, ball spin, and roll.....ultimately, a swing speed of 90mph ain't gonna hit it 300

[James_Black]

Oh come on man, don't even give me that. You play an R flex shaft in a 10° head, and feel you "need a stiff." Let me tell you, if you're hitting it 278.9, you need an X shaft and a 8.5°-9.5° head.

calm down. I think you should take a break from this thread, it's not worth it anymore there's too many bubba watson's here.

[saevel25]

To bad you live in Florida for i would take you on that challenge. I doubt i can send you video of the proof, you probably say i put a golf ball there. I can always get someone to sign a piece of paper saying i hit it that far, with a picture of my GPS showing the distance, but i doubt you will believe it.

He doesn't need to play a 8.5-9.0. I play a 10.5, with a stiff shaft, about to get a x-stiff in there later this week. But, with the driver's today, there so low spin that its alright play a higher angle driver.