Distance study in this month of Golf Digest

[GolfBear]

I got a big dose of reality yesterday. My home course is short but extremely tight so there aren't a lot of holes where you can just open up and bomb the ball. So yesterday, I'm playing in a tournament and I'm driving extremely well. On the long drive hole I hammered a drive and if you had asked me on the tee I would have thought "that's 300 easy". Reality strikes as it was only 277 and I was 30 yards behind the leader. Needless to say, I was quite deflated. The harsh reality is that I probably average around 250 or less on my drives.

I've never been one that struggled for distance with a driver but age is undeniable. I certainly don't hit it as far now as I did when I was 18. The thing that has always puzzled me is that the guys I play with are all within 10 yards of each other on drives but they all hit their irons one full club farther than I do.

I'm getting a bit older now (44) and I'm thinking more about maximizing my equipment to make sure everything is properly fitted. I'm currently playing the Penta which I realize probably isn't the longest ball out there but I play it for the greenside performance not the distance and I'm not switching! What I'm wondering is:

1. In general, how much more distance does one gain (assuming same swing speed) with a semi-distance ball like the NXT? Is it 10 yards, 15, 20?
2. How much distance with the driver does the perfect combination of launch angle, spin & carry yield?

I've never really experimented with the distance chase and I'm wondering mostly about the driver distance effects

[DavidFehertysBike]

270-280 average, 115-120 mph average.

I hit my driver in that range, and i dont swing anywhere near that fast..lol. Im between 105-110. Ironically though, i swing my 3 wood closer to 115. Go figure.

[design]

I hit my driver in that range, and i dont swing anywhere near that fast..lol. Im between 105-110. Ironically though, i swing my 3 wood closer to 115. Go figure.

That's what I was thinking.

[msd3075]

I hit my driver in that range, and i dont swing anywhere near that fast..lol. Im between 105-110. Ironically though, i swing my 3 wood closer to 115. Go figure.

You are right; a clubhead speed of 115-120 should easily achieve 285-290 yards average total distance. That is assuming it's a properly fit driver.....

[golfro]

interestingly enough, when I tried out a X shaft (Aldila RIP, ProjectX6.5 driver shaft, Voodoo X), my swing speed dropped a bit (105-110ish) but my distance actually stayed the same and my smash factor went up a bit as well.

I use a stiff shaft right now and probably should be using a X-stiff and i'm not getting as good contact/smash factor as I would with X.

[trog2233]

These numbers are most likely correct for most of those handicaps. There are gonna be a couple a odd ones that skew the numbers.

My friend that I play with hits his drives about 290 or more and hes about a 25 handicap. His drives very rarely hit the fairway so its useless but he can kill it.

I'm about an 11 handicap and I hit most of my drives 230-250 yd range. No idea what my swing speed is.

[saevel25]

My swing speed is 117-120, and i can carry it consistantly over 260 yards. I live in ohio with nice humid air ;b

But there is no correlation. I would rather see Driving Accuracy, and GIR's.

Putting, GIR's and no penalties is the way to shoot well, period. If you don't three putt often then all that matters is GIR, because your either get a up and down or your making pars and bogeys. The only other thing that adds in is wasted shots, usually caused by driving accuracy not distance.

I hit my drives long, but i shoot 12-15 over par. Example, sunday, i go 5,7,6 6 over through 3 holes. Hole 1, drive 30 yards short of the green, great spot on a short par 4. Second hole, i hit my ball right on a par 5, but layed up to about 80 yards, so i am 80 yards from the hole in two, 5 more shots with in 80. No GIR on the first two holes. Third hole is a tough par 3 up hill, i ended up over the green, death from there, no GIR, and really bad short game hole.

The next 15 holes, i go 7 over par, with one over through the next 6. Reason, i hit the next 4 greens in regulation. big boost

[walk18]

I got a big dose of reality yesterday. My home course is short but extremely tight so there aren't a lot of holes where you can just open up and bomb the ball. So yesterday, I'm playing in a tournament and I'm driving extremely well. On the long drive hole I hammered a drive and if you had asked me on the tee I would have thought "that's 300 easy". Reality strikes as it was only 277 and I was 30 yards behind the leader. Needless to say, I was quite deflated. The harsh reality is that I probably average around 250 or less on my drives.

I often use distance balls for a few reasons.. They are usually about 10 yds longer for me which means longer drives and 1 less club into the green whic is nice. Even better though is that they are straighter off the tee because of less spin, so more fairways. Around the green, yeah they're just a little hotter off the wedge and putter face but for me that usually means a better chance of getting it to the hole.

[bplewis24]

Ironically, that's where people should really be calling bulls+++. Apparently 20 handicappers can hit their ball < 10 feet (on average!!!) from 100 yards. HAHAHA!!!

I do recall a thread where some folks were called out on that. People were mentioning how often they put it within a certain distance (10 feet?) from 100 yards and in, until somebody brought up some stats from the PGA showing that the top guys don't even do it that often.

Anyway, cue the next thread from a 20+ capper claiming 280+ driving averages in 5...4...3...

[Fat Slice]

..2...1

What I am going to quote you is a poll I started here to see if there really were any 20 cappers who claimed a 300 average

http://thesandtrap.com/forum/threads...nce?highlight=

You're chasing a bogeyman.

20 cappers say they occasionally crank one, not that they AVERAGE 300.

[bplewis24]

..2...1

A bogeyman? There are several things wrong with your conclusion:

1) You assume that every person who has claimed a 300 yard average (and yes, it has happened as I've seen it with my own two eyes) voted in that poll, which is a huge assumption. In fact those people are probably the main ones who would ignore that poll. That is human nature. 2) I never used the 300 yard figure, so that poll isn't 100% applicable. 3) I reiterate that I know of at least 2 occasions (maybe 3, not sure) where 20+ cappers have claimed 275+ on average or "regularly", and not "occasionally cranking one" as you're suggesting. Brandon

[sean_miller]

I do recall a thread where some folks were called out on that. People were mentioning how often they put it within a certain distance (10 feet?) from 100 yards and in, until somebody brought up some stats from the PGA showing that the top guys don't even do it that often.

It's easy to hit the ball 280+ for a person who's even remotely athletic. A lot of good athletes don't take up golf until they're older, if ever. A lot of avid golfers aren't very athletic. Take that for what it's worth.

[bplewis24]

It's actually really easy to hit the ball 280+ for a person who'sif even remotely athletic. Get over it.

I suppose I was incorrect about your reading comprehension skills.

Nice non-sequitur, though. Let me know when it's relevant to something that was posted. Brandon

[Shindig]

I hit my driver in that range, and i dont swing anywhere near that fast..lol. Im between 105-110. Ironically though, i swing my 3 wood closer to 115. Go figure.

If your handicap was higher, I'd say it wasn't ironic; I'd say you're probably making a freer swing than trying to kill it, and the speed went up.

However, given your handicap, you probably already know not to try to kill the driver to maximize the distance.

[sean_miller]

I suppose I was incorrect about your reading comprehension skills.

I actually reworded it - it's true that some people exaggerate distance, but it's also true that some people hit the ball a long way yet can't shoot a lower average score. The guys who exaggerate wedge accuracy are definitely out to lunch though.

[GolfBear]

It's easy to hit the ball 280+ for a person who's even remotely athletic. A lot of good athletes don't take up golf until they're older, if ever. A lot of avid golfers aren't very athletic. Take that for what it's worth.

I'd like some see some statistical data that backs up your assertion. Otherwise you're just making stuff up.

You're probably right in one respect, if you gave an athlete a bucket of balls and a driver they could probably hit a dozen or so that roll out to 280. Carrying 280 with accuracy is a mucher more daunting task.

[snofrog]

to me it sounds like a lot of people are trying to justify why they need to hit from the reds ; )

[sean_miller]

I'd like some see some statistical data that backs up your assertion. Otherwise you're just making stuff up.

I'm actually right in the respects you disagree with. Sure, it's anecdotal, but a lot of people who play sports on a regular basis have been heard saying things like, "I'll play golf when I retire".

Regarding "carrying 280 with accuracy". Who said anything about that? Apparently some guys will always find a way to move the net so anyone without a single digit index who hits the ball farther than they do is a liar.