Honestly, I hit it long

[gjsuicide]

I see a lot of comments about how internet forum writers (for lack of a better term) inflate their shot distances, especially driver.  Today I was at the driving range for awhile and started hitting my driver.  I hit several great (to me) shots.  Nice and straight, I thought to myself "wow that's far" as well.  Just for the heck of it I decided to try and swing out of my shoes and just launch it.  After a try or two (or twenty) it worked, I'm not slouch when it comes to size or strength (5'11" 185).  I watched the ball sail and thought to myself again "that has to be the longest ball I've ever hit."  It flew pretty much out of the range.  I looked for the furthest distance sign out there, 225.  Now mind you my ball did fly probably 20-40 yards past it.  Had it had maybe 20-30 yards of roll that is a max of 295 yards total.  No slouch of a drive for an amateur. And I REALLY crushed that thing.

It seems that everyone on here averages over 300 yards.  Now I am really a skeptic, even more than before.  Maybe people don't know the difference between feet and yards?  Pros are light years ahead of everyone in iron play, short game and putting, it only makes sense that they are in driving as well.  That's why they are on tour playing and we are here on the internet talking about it.

[XMScott]

I hit the ball 300 the other day. Granted it was down hill.

But i would never say i hit 300 consistently. More like 240. And hope it goes straight.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by gjsuicide

I see a lot of comments about how internet forum writers (for lack of a better term) inflate their shot distances, especially driver.  Today I was at the driving range for awhile and started hitting my driver.  I hit several great (to me) shots.  Nice and straight, I thought to myself "wow that's far" as well.  Just for the heck of it I decided to try and swing out of my shoes and just launch it.  After a try or two (or twenty) it worked, I'm not slouch when it comes to size or strength (5'11" 185).  I watched the ball sail and thought to myself again "that has to be the longest ball I've ever hit."  It flew pretty much out of the range.  I looked for the furthest distance sign out there, 225.  Now mind you my ball did fly probably 20-40 yards past it.  Had it had maybe 20-30 yards of roll that is a max of 295 yards total.  No slouch of a drive for an amateur. And I REALLY crushed that thing.

It seems that everyone on here averages over 300 yards.  Now I am really a skeptic, even more than before.  Maybe people don't know the difference between feet and yards?  Pros are light years ahead of everyone in iron play, short game and putting, it only makes sense that they are in driving as well.  That's why they are on tour playing and we are here on the internet talking about it.

We should make a list of all these guys claiming to average over 300. I can only think of about 1/2 dozen making that claim. Compared to the probably 100s of guys who've weighed in on the topic, that would explain why you put "everyone" in italics..

[gjsuicide]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

We should make a list of all these guys claiming to average over 300. I can only think of about 1/2 dozen making that claim. Compared to the probably 100s of guys who've weighed in on the topic, that would explain why you put "everyone" in italics..

Here is from 5 pages of a single thread, I got tired of copy/pasting.  This didn't include people who said 290 or 295... which is crazy enough.

bengals/redsox

mustangbryk

b_diddy746

extremeld

Stevin

denver_nuggs_15

onthehunt526

wrx_junki

cigarnut81

onamission

wedge player

ymerej1881

Edit: one guy was 298, I counted it. I am not trying to call anyone out, this is a friendly, fun discussion.  I really dont care.

[CG031]

Honestly, I really don't care. I bet I could hit the ball as far as you lol.

[gjsuicide]

Originally Posted by CG031

Honestly, I really don't care. I bet I could hit the ball as far as you lol.

I bet so as well.  My point was that my drives are not long, I hit the drive of my life and didnt match what a lot of people here are averaging.  Maybe if I were in their shoes I would "average 300+" as well, seeing as I have done it once.

[CG031]

Originally Posted by gjsuicide

I bet so as well.  My point was that my drives are not long, I hit the drive of my life and didnt match what a lot of people here are averaging.  Maybe if I were in their shoes I would "average 300+" as well, seeing as I have done it once.

Oh, lol.. I was just looking at the title. Yeah sure people overstate on here...but I mean there definitely are people out there that can hit it like 280-300 off the tee. Not just Pro's hit it that far.

[max power]

After over a decade of golf, sometimes with friends, often paired up with strangers I'd say the average decent male golfer (at least the large sample I've played with) hits their drives around 200-240 yds.  Some better, some worse, but the vast majority would fall in that range somewhere.  I'm sure some people exaggerate on purpose, but most probably have an honest misconception of how far they hit their drives.  There's also the fact that the abnormally long distance claims stand out more when we read them, and we probably tend to gloss over all they guys/gals who claim 230-240 yds for their drives.  I've only ever played multiple rounds with one guy who consistently out drove me, and he hit the ball shockingly far (also a low single digit handicap).  On Saturday my friend and I were paired up with two other guys, both pretty good golfers-I'd guess one guy was around an 8 and the other guy around a 10.  I thought the guy who was an 8 was just rocketing his tee shots, but we got to a hole that required 249 yards of carry off the tee to clear a desert strip.  I'd never played there before and asked him how I should play it, he said he couldn't carry it but that I should be fine.  He smacked a drive that ended up just short of the desert, and I stepped into my drive and managed to carry it about 255, total distance around 270.  I crushed the ball and when it was in the air I still had my doubts.  I had a couple 290+ drives and one 300 yarder (95 degrees and fast fairways).  I'm not bragging-I also had 3 3 putts that turned a 75 into a 78.  Who really cares I guess-I'd give up some distance for some more 1 putts.  The forums are also frequented by avid golfers, so we're gonna get more long hitters than we encounter in real life.  That being said, a lot of guys think 250 is closer to 290 or 300.

[jshots]

I have hit it over 300 quite a few times but I don't know that I average that much.

Pro golfers aren't always known to have the greatest fitness... only recently have some of them started focusing on it.

Of anything in golf, I think driving distance is by far the easiest to match a tour pro in.

[Ben]

My favorite golf quote:

"Its not about how far, its about how many."

[Zeph]

Is there a point to this thread? Before you pronounce yourself as a 300-yard hitter, buy a rangefinder and take accurate measurements on the golf course, preferably not on a Texas dry fairway sloping away from you.

[Gerald]

We have a par 4 of only 303 yds to the center of the green, three deep greenside bunkers on the left front and front and another deep bunker along the right side, but between the left front bunker and the bunker along the right ..... there is a 15 yds flat fairway....... If I would have to pay $10 for every guy that gets his ball upon that green for a week, I might loose a couple of hundreds......

Maybe they only carry 275-285 orso and I myself made a eagle on that hole a few weeks ago with a 10 ft putt.

I average about 230 meter (that is 255 yds), some are 20 yds shorter, some are 20 yds longer and once in a while I really pure one (and I am no long hitter by any means) it can be well over 300 yds.

Today anyone with a solid swing and a pure contact can hit 300+ now and then.

Last week I played with a +0.6 capper (like a pro), I don't where his drives came from,,,,,, geeeee most were over 330 yds, at our longest par 5 (585 yds) he hit a drive and a 5 iron to reach the green in two and when we reached the above hole that is 335 from the back tees, he pulled a 3 wood out of his bag and as I was thinking "clever guy keeping it short of the bunkers", long story short he ripped it and it went into the front greenside bunker.

At every golfclub there are a few guys that really hit long, 300+ for sure, no problem at all !

[Golf'nBiker]

It is do-able....this aint no fairy tale:

TUE:

#1 368, 2d shot... 62 yd to the pin

#5 451, 2d shot... 158 to the pin

#13 369,2d shot... 79 to the pin

#14 470, 2d shot...148 to the pin

#18 462 2d shot...173 to the pin

Granted it's 95* and we hadn't had any rain since the tornados in APR

[bkoguy07]

I mean when I first started golfing my driving was a lot farther now.  I used to swing out of my shoes and get it out there 260-270 if I stroked it well.  I have hit quite a few out over 300 but I hit many more slices.  Now that I've dialed it back a ton I'm considerably more consistant and straight, I get it out 250's carry but for some reason it doesnt roll out that far?  It rolls out maybe 5 yards.  I think I need a new driver as my ss might be a little fast for a R shaft and my R5 is kind of old.  (but it was free lol)

I've had a ton of people tell me I'm really long, which brings me to skeptism about so many people apparently out driving me everywhere I read on the internet.  Like you I'm not a small guy infact I'm much larger and I played quite a few different sports for a while.  O well.  I plan on getting fitted for a new driver soon so I'm kind of excited :)

here is a drive on a par 4 360 yards, you can see where you are supposed to exit with the cart slightly in front of me.  Easy halfwedge into the green.  (Given not all my drives are like this but I can definitely reach out there and the fairways were drive and it took a perfect line to where I wanted)

[ohiolefty]

I think some of the driving distances vs. iron distances claimed on this forum are often out of whack as well...but that gets into a more exotic discussion, doesn't it?

I'm pretty long. I average, on well-struck drives, somewhere north of 270 - my 'windless' carry is 260-265 if I hit it solid, and better if I 'crush it'. Now, how often do I hit it flush? I dunno...in 'mid-season' form much more often than not. In early season form or when I'm tinkering with something - less.

I'm pretty good. This is my 3rd summer of playing again after a 10 year hiatus from the game, now aged 30. If I could get my back to feel good more than 3 days in a row I think I could be scratch or better...

All that being said - there's a ton of horsesh*t on here regarding yardage. A ton. Anyone on here with a 20something handicap saying they're driving it 300 and hitting their pitching wedge 160 yards needs their head examined, at best. With some of the distance that guys claim...I don't know how they could play so badly and play most public courses which are in the mid six-thousands, yardage wise. They should be able to overpower those courses, even hitting it pretty crooked. But what do I know? I shot even par yesterday .

[arogolf]

Overall distance and how far it carries in the air/launch angle are two different things.   The longest pros carry the ball much further in the air with an optimal ball flight and have a predictable landing zone.

[saevel25]

Good job throwing a ball down on the image ;b

Can we get off this topic, yes people can hit it 300 yards, i have seen a few people who can, myself included. I really don't care much, my dad hits is 200-220, maybe 250 if he cranks one, and he can beat me in golf. Length isn't everything as the old saying goes ;)

The only way these people will believe it is if they see it, so might as well not bring it up on the forum.

[caniac6]

I usually aim for cart paths and sprinkler heads to get extra distance!