Driving Distance

[IceDave]

Is it just me or shouldn't this thread rather read "Whats your carry with a 7 iron?" since that is the club that most people use on the driving range (or should be using most of the time on the range). I confess that I do not know my carry with a driver. I know it is just further than my 3-wood which is just a little futher than my 2-iron.

Knowing your exact distances for 5 iron and up sound to me like useful information when you go out to play a round. Whether your driver is 210 or 240 really doesn't matter that much for most farways. Anyway shouldn't your performance with the irons give some indication as to how good you are with the driver?

My normal carry with a 7 iron is 145 meters (158 yards).

[Gioguy21]

since you asked...my carry with my 7 iron is 165-170.

[Fairway_CY]

My 7 Iron carry is between 145 and 155. I CARRY my driver, on average, about 215 to 220. GOOD shots will carry 235 to 240.

CY

[saevel25]

My carry for my 7-iron is 173-177 yards, i have about 13-14 yard gaps between my irons.

[chilly]

I guess I'm the only 15hcp with a mediocre short game that doesn't hit it 310 consistently...or 275 for that matter.

[saevel25]

Pretty much...

I shot 6 over for 9 holes yesterday, two holes i had double bogey (par-4's). Both my drives ended up 50 yards from the green, on two 330-340 yard par 4's. So guess what, 5 shots with in 50 yards, hmm, i wonder were i get that 10-15 handicap from. One of those holes i had to sink a 8 footer to save double bogey.

[nuck81]

One thing is for sure, this forum is great company with all the guys that strike the ball longer and straighter than almost all touring pro's. I'll sure learn a lot since they aren't playing on tour and are on a golfing forum.

Did I mention my one eye is fourteen inches......in CIRCUMFERENCE? At least I got that going for me.....

[i-Guy]

Is there a simple way to calculate "carry distance" with a driver if your average "Total" drives are 265-275?

I know that wind, roll, draw, fade, and many other things can dictate different total distances for each drive but I was just wondering if there is some simple way so that I can assume my carry distance (on the average) when playing the course. Now that we all have GPS devices I get all this carry information when standing on the tee over hazards but without sitting there hitting 10 drives in a row (which you cannot do at most courses) to see what my average is to carry the hazard…I have no idea really what my true avg carry distance is...I find myself getting in trouble when I did not think I should and then vice versa...clear as mud?

[double_j]

Pretty much...

You sure you weren't watching me play? Last round I was in a greenside bunker in 2 on a par 5, ended up with a 7. In my defense, it was a really tricky bunker shot (downhill lie to downhill shortsided green with the hole cut in the middle of the slope).

[sean_miller]

Is there a simple way to calculate "carry distance" with a driver if your average "Total" drives are 265-275?

Experience is good. There's a local course where the second hole is a dogleg right par 5. One round I pushed a drive over the trees by mistake and ended up in the middle of the fairway. Next time around I set up for a straight shot over the trees - carried it no problem. Same with the long fairway bunker on the right side of number 4. One day my push draw was a little more push and little less draw, but I ended up in the short rough about the same distance from the green as always - now I aim over the bunker and draw it back to the fairway - if it goes straight - oh well.

[saevel25]

OOOH... thats nasty...

Best time to get carry distance, early part of the year when it still wet out. Nothing like comming up to your ball and seeing the crater your ball leaves in wet ground.

I would just keep track over a few rounds till you get a good sample. Or ask your local driving range if you can hit a few before it opens and go out and pace it off.

What i don't get is the number of people who think length equals low scoring.

[MusTy]

Short game is one the most importent aspects of your game, you can hack round off the tee and on the fairway but still come in with a decent score if you have a good short game, yes driving is importent, especially for confidence but short game is 50% so work on both!!

[sean_miller]

Short game is one the most importent aspects of your game, you can hack round off the tee and on the fairway but still come in with a decent score if you have a good short game, yes driving is importent, especially for confidence but short game is 50% so work on both!!

The best round I ever shot (75) I had < 5 GIR. My best 9 on a full length course (35) I had zero GIR. Last weekend I had 8 GIR and 4 on the apron, but I putted like garbage and didn't even have a sniff at breaking 80.

The one good thing about having good consistent distance (whether off the tee or from the fairway) is that you don't need to work on it or dwell on it when you have practice time. A person who struggles with distance, may spend too much time trying to get another couple yards off the tee, rather than what's really important. Having confidence in a repeatable swing, and reproducible distance, allows you to focus on short shots, and of course, putting.

[ITgolfHack]

What i don't get is the number of people who think length equals low scoring.

My buddy is like that, it drives me nuts when we play. He always over-swings, loses 2 to 3 balls per 9, and is obsessed with hitting the long ball off the tee. I asked him once, what good is a birdie or eagle if it's smashed between 2 snowmen, I don't think he got the point.

[James_Black]

My buddy is like that, it drives me nuts when we play. He always over-swings, loses 2 to 3 balls per 9, and is obsessed with hitting the long ball off the tee. I asked him once, what good is a birdie or eagle if it's smashed between 2 snowmen, I don't think he got the point.

If I could drive the ball 300 yards on average I think I'd shoot pretty low scores.

[zeg]

Is it just me or shouldn't this thread rather read "Whats your carry with a 7 iron?" since that is the club that most people use on the driving range (or should be using most of the time on the range).

Maybe, but that doesn't stroke one's ego in quite the same way that talking about driver lengths does. After all, I only hit my 7I 260 most of the time, so where's the fun in that? Unfortunately, since even quarter-swing chips with my 64° fly 150+ and I have trouble with putts under 75 yards, I just can't get my handicap down.

[saevel25]

I think those clubs might be illegal, Yep MX-23 definetly a non-conforming club.

[d1rt]

Nah, even in Denver that's pushing it. You might want to remeasure your claim that you hit a 2 iron as far as most PGA tour players hit a driver. I can hit a 6 iron 200-210 on fairly easilly (I don't try to do this regularly of course, my 6 iron is a 170-180 club), and I would never be foolish enough to say I could hit a 2 iron 280. Anyone can hit their shorter clubs longer, but the length you hit the long clubs diminishes.

I don't really measure. I just hit the ball off the tee and subtract. Couple weeks ago I went 2-iron, 5-iron into a 500yd hole. I dont think there was any wind. Later in the round I hit the 2 on a 400yd hole and had under 100 left in. I did cut the corner a little.

Obviously I dont hit it as far from the fairway. But I do tee it up sometimes and that give me another 15yds or so. It's a iron off the tee so I can really rip it. Accuracy really isnt a problem when youre not trying to hit a flag. I don't know.