Driver distance vs. Handicap

[sean_miller]

Have you tried using an intermediate target? With it, you can aim 1 foot in front of the ball, instead of 100 yards, or 10 feet down the line.

I pick a different type of intermediate target. When my driving is it's best I'm able to see a spot in the air where the ball will pass through. After hitting a lot of balls at an indoor golf dome - aiming at targets hanging from the ceiling - your perspective changes out doors. My most accurate shots are when trying to carry a bunker lip or a tree or when I'm trying to hit a gap between branches. Same goes for tee shots.

[Stretch]

After hitting a lot of balls at an indoor golf dome - aiming at targets hanging from the ceiling ...

I'm really battling to visualize this.

[Shanks A Million]

Why do you get so wound up, SAM, in threads like this? Why do you care how far someone says they hit the ball? It'd be one thing if your advice was along the lines of trying to open their eyes to something so that they may improve, but you don't talk to people that way - you basically call them liars and try to rip on them.

Perhaps... but then...

no, my putting is why i'm an 11. I can routinely 3 putt from 10 feet. not bragging, because it sucks, i just have a horrible time lining up on anything close. I actually draw my hunting bow right handed, and shoot only with my left eye open - its that bad. my home course is not difficult, (in fact, its only about 5,000 yards from the whites), but dont call me a liar when you dont have any idea about my condition.

When we both know this is usually BS. Find me one person who actually carries a high handicap because of their putting, and I'll believe them all. But to this day, I've met exactly

ZERO . I've played with person after person who claimed they were bad putters, but took 4 shots to get to the green, and then 3 putted, and said, "oh, my putting is costing me!" OK, so maybe it's a sensitive spot. But seriously, we all have them. What about when someone comes on here and says S&T; is a reverse pivot, and that the club path determines the initial direction. We all have our little rant zones.

[sean_miller]

I'm really battling to visualize this.

Although not the one I went to (since converted to 2 hockey rinks) it looked like this on the outside.

And like this on the inside:

[iacas]

OK, so maybe it's a sensitive spot. But seriously, we all have them. What about when someone comes on here and says S&T; is a reverse pivot, and that the club path determines the initial direction. We all have our little rant zones.

Look, the fact that you had to try to compare an issue of bad or incorrect facts with your "pet peeve" - one you can't prove or disprove AT ALL - shows how wound up you tend to get on the topic of distance.

Give it up. Your posts are more annoying than the original ones. You should just make your personal policy to consider the 300+ yarders to be trolls and then don't feed 'em.

[golfro]

Perhaps... but then...

You may not have met anyone but I certainly have. I have many friends who are great ball strikers who 3 putt way too often. Up until this recent few months, I was the same way. I can get the ball on fairway and on green in 2...then 3 putt for bogey.

I have friends who are just like that. Their rounds don't consist of shanks and slices and hooks off the tee. I have friends who can strike a ball very solid and really get the ball out there. Their problem is once its either on the green or around the green, the flubbed chip shot (which still happens to me), the bladed flopshot (again, still happens to me), a putt left short, a putt too long, a misread line, etc etc. Its not so much black and white as you make it seem to be. A person can be a 11 handicap for a million reasons, not just because they can't drive it 300. you tend to make a lot of general statements often and i understand you're only trying to get the point through, but for a lot of readers here, me included, its sometimes tough to read through the lines of what you say. On a seperate thread you mentioned that everyone thats not scratch flips. I'd beg to differ. I have friends who are double digit handicaps who don't flip. Again...its not so black and white. likewise, I drove 300 yards with a stock Ping stiff shaft. Of course I did it more consistently with a Stiff Prolaunch Red but fact remains, plenty of people still drive 300 with stiff shafts.

[dmc]

My index generally stays in the 6 to 7 range. My good drives are in the 230 yd range. I don't play the tips, but I play at 6500 yd, par 72, 136 slope. There are a couple of holes that I seldom hit in regulation. I played in a shamble the other day with a scratch golfer, he hits it in the 270 yard range. It sure made the game easier hitting from his drives. I had 6 birdies, something I never have on my own drive. Par 5's become reachable and I'm hitting much shorter irons into par fours.

There is no doubt that I would drop several strokes off my handicap if I was longer off the tee. I can putt with the best of them, but I have to be able to get there.

[Shanks A Million]

I'd beg to differ. I have friends who are double digit handicaps who don't flip. Again...its not so black and white.

Love to see videos of that.

[sean_miller]

I have friends . . .

LOL - no you don't!

[JoshKeller]

Have you tried using an intermediate target? With it, you can aim 1 foot in front of the ball, instead of 100 yards, or 10 feet down the line.

Yes, my alignment isnt much of a problem off the tee or with irons. for some reason, i just cannot line up my putts. anything further than 2.5 or 3' away is trouble. I did try a suggestion of using a blinder patch (over my right eye) yesterday, with better than usual results.

[alo1984]

Love to see videos of that.

^I have to agree with this.

[golfro]

Will see what I can do with video. I'm supposed to be playing a round this weekend with my friend Ryan, 12 handicap, good ballstriker, terrible greenside player.

[Zeph]

Yes, my alignment isnt much of a problem off the tee or with irons. for some reason, i just cannot line up my putts. anything further than 2.5 or 3' away is trouble. I did try a suggestion of using a blinder patch (over my right eye) yesterday, with better than usual results.

I meant to use the intermediate target while putting.

[MJP]

Zeph what's the best way you have found to do that? I've seen people hold up their putter but that just doesn't work for me.

[Zeph]

I used to aim terrible when putting. One time I hit a putt and my playing partner said "Hey, you were lined up 3 feet to the right". That's when I decided to do something about it. Today I use the intermediate target for every single shot on the course, from the driver to the putter.

I look at the line from behind, trying to see where I want to hit it. Once I've found the line, I pick out a spot somewhere in front of the ball where it will pass through on my line. Preferably not too far away, as it makes lining up the putter more difficult. Once I've found my intermediate target, I stand up and approach the ball, looking only at this spot . If I look at the hole or something, I'll most likely lose it. Once I'm over the ball (still looking at the spot), I line up the putter to my the intermediate target, then line up my body parallel to this. Once I'm all set up, I forget about the line and focus only on the speed.

Finding the intermediate target is sometimes more difficult, but it works. I'm looking for an odd colored straw of grass, patch of darker grass or something like that. I sometimes hold up the shaft of the putter to find the intermediate target if the hole is far away, but never to look for the break of the putt.

[golferfreddie]

Yeah, with an S flex shaft... You'd hit it off the face of the planet with such a weak shaft. Don't piss on my boots and tell me it's raining.

So I am not sure how you can make such generalizations based on the flex of a shaft. I tried several different shafts in that head before I bought it and that one worked best for me as a standard length driver. That V2 shaft is like a broomstick compared to most "stiff" shafts I tried. If you look at the bottom of my signature, I also have a XX flex shafted 6 degree driver that is 47.5" that I can mash too. I have tried several head and shaft combos over the years and the Superquad I have now has been the best mixture of length and consistency for my swing.

[MJP]

I used to aim terrible when putting. One time I hit a putt and my playing partner said "Hey, you were lined up 3 feet to the right". That's when I decided to do something about it. Today I use the intermediate target for every single shot on the course, from the driver to the putter.

Thanks, that helps a lot. I'll give that a try on the course as soon as the greens aren't punched.

[Fourputt]

Thanks, that helps a lot. I'll give that a try on the course as soon as the greens aren't punched.

I do it exactly like Zeph does, and believe me it works. On long putts especially, I used to sometimes hit the putt and watch dumbfounded as the ball rolled on a line that was 4 or 5 feet from where I thought I was aimed. Now if I hit the ball a foot off my intended line on a 30 foot putt, then it's usually because I twiched the putter, rarely is it an alignment problem. I still misread greens - that's inevitable - but I almost always start the ball on the planned line.