Are Kids Really Hitting It 330 Or Are They Just Bragging?

[RX Phoenix]

I posted on another thread about the fairways at pro tour events . . .
major roll, YES, grass is very short, ground is very firm, if you hit any downslope it's going to go another 20-30yds provided the ball comes down at the right run out angle. The courses we play rarely have that kind of condition.

Add a nice wind at your back and you've got 300+ right there, still a good poke. Augusta seems to have a lot of fairways that provide major roll, provided that you get the ball over the humps then it will run out down the slope. Which is one reason why the long hitters do so well there. They can sometimes get 40yds of roll if they hit it far enough in the air, whereas the short hitters are left with a long approach shot from the top of the slope.

[Indaruff]

I no I can't. I am a 14 year old petite girl that can usually get the ball around 200 yards and I am very proud of that.

[diesel]

I'm 17 and consistently hit 295 in the fairway, at sea level. I use(d) a Sky Caddie to measure all distances. Not leaving much on the tee, however, but also not trying to snap the shaft.

That being said, I do think that a lot more teenagers are hitting it over 300 than most 'adults' would like to admit.

[neudi]

I am 20 years old and almost 6 feet tall and i can consistently hit it 285-295...and i know where it is going everytime. I'm sure there are some 14 year olds that can hit is 300, but I think many of them are just bragging.

[NM Golf]

I am 20 years old and almost 6 feet tall and i can consistently hit it 285-295...and i know where it is going everytime. I'm sure there are some 14 year olds that can hit is 300, but I think many of them are just bragging.

Dude, noone knows where its going everytime, get real. With your +1.7 handicap I am sure you can play, but the best in the world don't know where its going everytime.

[Naruto]

I know where my drives are going every single time....okay there are the rare exceptions in which they actually go straight but for the most part as soon as i make contact i know how far right or left to start looking....and how high or low.

another thing...the drive chip and putt challenge isn't a good measure either, it's there very best shot not their AVERAGE.

so if we are going to say have you ever hit one over 300... but me in the 350 club, but we are talking more useful numbers here so my avg. leaves me in the 275 club....

I have a hard time believing the average teenager can drive the ball over 300 yards.....can some of you guys? sure if you say so. Personally i dont worry to much about my driver distance as much as my GREENS IN REGULATION which is a bit like my driver: Shorter than what I want it to be.

Now mind you guys once i go to hawaii and rip one 400+ with that 40 mph wind at my back down that 45* decline where i get 100 yards of roll...I will be the MAN on this site......You know it.

[neudi]

I misstated that...I appreciate you pointing that out. I do not know where it is going everytime, but I have a general idea of where it will end up most of the time...that is better...I am usually on target with my drives b/c that is what I work on the most, but thank you for correcting me.

[Ogg]

Just to confirm what Naruto said earlier about the perfectly manicured conditions, I can recall a conversation with the greenskeeper for TPC River Highlands and the work that they have to do before a tournament. Course is closed down before the tournament (1 or 2 weeks) and the fairways are rolled everyday. The rolling is done away from the tee boxes so that the grass does not catch the ball and slow it down. This adds many more yards to the roll (cannot quantify it though).

[Naruto]

GREAT INFO....i knew they cut the grass close for less resistance and to offer perfect tight lies, but i didn't realize that they rolled the fairways daily....

bet that would help my driving average....I COULD BE A CONTENDER...well if i could putt.

[RX Phoenix]

Just to confirm what Naruto said earlier about the perfectly manicured conditions, I can recall a conversation with the greenskeeper for TPC River Highlands and the work that they have to do before a tournament. Course is closed down before the tournament (1 or 2 weeks) and the fairways are rolled everyday. The rolling is done away from the tee boxes so that the grass does not catch the ball and slow it down. This adds many more yards to the roll (cannot quantify it though).

Good info . . . I've suspected that they are rolled, didn't know it was rolled away from the tee boxes, look at the roll the drives got at Torrey Pines . . . amazing! Adds 30 yds.

[Ogg]

Refuting my own post: I was just thinking more about this though and while they roll away from the tee boxes, how many times do you see the cross cuts on the fairways? Wouldn't this indicate that the grass is cut in 2 different directions and there for some is bound to be able to catch the ball?

[Naruto]

WELL even if they do cross cut the fairways how much resistance will a fairway thats cut to 1/32" (not sure how short they really are for tournaments but i know it's short enough to burn out after a week. they still get twice or three times the roll we get.

[Ogg]

Very true and I think the rolling helps so much. I cannot tell you how many times I have hit a drive and seen it roll 2 yards and you can see the large indentation from where my ball hit the fairway. I also happen to play on a very wet course here in NC so that does not help.

[jorruss]

I have played several rounds on courses right before or after PGA tour events and I can tell you that daily fee golfers will rarely play in the same conditions. The grounds crews, under pressure from the tournament commitee or PGA, shave down the fairways and greens to make it tougher. I played the TPC @ sawgrass on Tuesday after the Players Championship and the course was burnt out and crusty. The ball rolled forever. I have played Torrey Pines in August and I can tell you that the ball was not rolling like it was this past weekend. The south course played every bit of its 7600 yards. It was brutal. They most definitely shave it down for the pros, leading to 300 yard 2 irons and 360 yard drives. That is, if they don't roll off the fairway...

[Ogg]

I did the same thing about 10 years ago. We played TPC Sawgrass about 4 days after the tournament and I can recall my buddy and I trying to hit it in the rough since the course was so firm. We were taking these dime sized divots out of the fairway and it felt like every shot we hit was thin.

[NM Golf]

Tiger doesn't want roll, that is why he is not playing the Sumo. With the sumo he cannot spin the ball enough so he gets too much roll. He says he hits it far enough without having to have the ball roll. All roll does for him is get him into trouble.

[popey]

I am a 16 year old. Not the biggest built like some kids you see these days. On saturday i was hitting the ball the furthest i have every in my life and tried out a new titleist 904 fairway with stiff shaft.

I got to the par 4 16th and hit the 3 wood off the tee. It is a long tight hole that is around 500 yards and all the way up hill. It play about 530 into the wind. After hitting a great 3 wood off the tee into the fairway i hit another fairway from around 230-240. Got up to the green and found that i had flown the green by around 20 yards.

Considering it is the middle of winter and get no roll on the ball i think that it is a long way to hit the ball. I think it was mostly to do with the new stiffs haft on the club that was right for me as the ball just flew.

PS i have now bought my own titleist 904 and i am loving it.

[Ogg]

I work with a guy who has been known to exagerate just a bit. We got to talking about golf and how all of the people in his family were scratch golfers. Then he proceeded to tell me that the all carried handicaps in the 8-10 range. I asked him what it was scratch or 8-10 and he replied "Both!".

But his ultimate feat is talking about how he regularly hits the ball over 300 yards. He told me that he routinely hits is over the 300 yard sign at the driving range at Lochmere (my home course). So with the roll he was getting 330 easily. I chuckled to myself but told him that was seriously long. That Saturday I was walking up our tenth hole which runs right next to the driving range and noticed the netting at the back of the range with a 270 marker hanging on the netting. Had a good laugh to myself over that one.