Hitting the long ball

[mikelegacy]

Originally Posted by NuclearMike

My "best" drive since I came back to golf last year put me 15 yards from the middle of the green on a 302 yard par 4, so hitting 280 consistently is just a pipe dream for me.  I hit the fairway with my driver about 75% of the time because I keep a controlled swing but only average about 230-240 yards with a few longer and a few shorter.  Of course, I'd rather have that drive in the fairway than a longer one that ends up in the rough or worse.

I agree with NuclearMike here.

I can attempt to crush the ball, and hit it 280 if I REALLY want to, but I will only hit the fairway 4/10 times, maybe less. I decide to take a smoother swing, and still have a slight fade, but it's more manageable and I can consistently his 250ish safely.

I think club head speed is a major factor, especially if you can keep it up with a club that has a little heavier head. Physics tells us that an R11 swung at 110mph is going to go farther than a Superfast 2.0 swung at the same speed. It's the age old Force = Mass x Acceleration.

Obviously that is a best-case scenario answer, but in theory, it's correct.

I would say the best thing you can do it to simply take a smooth swing that you feel comfortable and hit consistently with, and work with it over time to bring up your speed. You're not going to go to the range overnight with some magical tip and add 40 yards to your drives. It just takes practice.

[AmazingWhacker]

I play with a guy who is a very good golfer and can occassionaly get one out there in the 280 range.  Let me tell you, a 280 yard drive will make everyone in the vicinity say "holy ****"!  280 is freaking far.  It's so far that on 2 occassions we couldn't even find it even though we were pretty sure it landed on or near the fairway (hard to tell from way back there).  I guess that's why I am one of the "auto-doubters" to any one who says they average 280 or 300+.  I've played a lot of golf in my life and have never seen a 300 yard drive except on TV.  I'm sure they happen but they can't happen as frequently as they seem to on the internet.

So the deal with him is he always takes the same swing.  Whether driver or 5 iron - it always looks the same.  Pretty smooth although he does hit it hard.  Very consistent looking tempo.  What makes it go 280 sometimes is when catches it exactly in the middle of the clubface.  It's very impressive sounding and you know, just from hearing it, that sucker's long.  Otherwise there is no difference between an average drive and a bomb for him.

And I have noticed the same thing for myself, although I am not such a long hitter.  Smooth tempo, increasing speed and the more I hit it in the sweet spot, the farther it goes.  I know some golfers, like Pro's, can hit it harder to make it go farther .. but that doesn't work for me.  I rarely hit the exact center of the clubface . . .that's what I need to do more of.

[RonTheSavage]

Originally Posted by AmazingWhacker

I play with a guy who is a very good golfer and can occassionaly get one out there in the 280 range.  Let me tell you, a 280 yard drive will make everyone in the vicinity say "holy ****"!  280 is freaking far.  It's so far that on 2 occassions we couldn't even find it even though we were pretty sure it landed on or near the fairway (hard to tell from way back there).  I guess that's why I am one of the "auto-doubters" to any one who says they average 280 or 300+.  I've played a lot of golf in my life and have never seen a 300 yard drive except on TV.  I'm sure they happen but they can't happen as frequently as they seem to on the internet.

So the deal with him is he always takes the same swing.  Whether driver or 5 iron - it always looks the same.  Pretty smooth although he does hit it hard.  Very consistent looking tempo.  What makes it go 280 sometimes is when catches it exactly in the middle of the clubface.  It's very impressive sounding and you know, just from hearing it, that sucker's long.  Otherwise there is no difference between an average drive and a bomb for him.

And I have noticed the same thing for myself, although I am not such a long hitter.  Smooth tempo, increasing speed and the more I hit it in the sweet spot, the farther it goes.  I know some golfers, like Pro's, can hit it harder to make it go farther .. but that doesn't work for me.  I rarely hit the exact center of the clubface . . .that's what I need to do more of.

Count me in as an auto-doubter as well. I've sat in the stands at the range at a PGA Tour event and was in total awe of the sounds coming off drivers and fairway woods. 300 yard drives are so far you lose the damn ball in the distance LOL.

[bwdial]

Originally Posted by bigwave916

Totally agree with all four points but I would add acceleration through impact. Freddy Couples is producing highest club head speed in his swinig at the bottom of the swing and through the ball. Best swing thought I've ever heard for producing acceleration is to think of you back swing as a roller coaster going up the big hill until it rolls over the top and accelerates down hill to the bottom.(the downswing)

I may have that tattooed on the inside of my eyelids.

[mikelegacy]

Originally Posted by AmazingWhacker

I play with a guy who is a very good golfer and can occassionaly get one out there in the 280 range.  Let me tell you, a 280 yard drive will make everyone in the vicinity say "holy ****"!  280 is freaking far.  It's so far that on 2 occassions we couldn't even find it even though we were pretty sure it landed on or near the fairway (hard to tell from way back there).  I guess that's why I am one of the "auto-doubters" to any one who says they average 280 or 300+.  I've played a lot of golf in my life and have never seen a 300 yard drive except on TV.  I'm sure they happen but they can't happen as frequently as they seem to on the internet.

So the deal with him is he always takes the same swing.  Whether driver or 5 iron - it always looks the same.  Pretty smooth although he does hit it hard.  Very consistent looking tempo.  What makes it go 280 sometimes is when catches it exactly in the middle of the clubface.  It's very impressive sounding and you know, just from hearing it, that sucker's long.  Otherwise there is no difference between an average drive and a bomb for him.

And I have noticed the same thing for myself, although I am not such a long hitter.  Smooth tempo, increasing speed and the more I hit it in the sweet spot, the farther it goes.  I know some golfers, like Pro's, can hit it harder to make it go farther .. but that doesn't work for me.  I rarely hit the exact center of the clubface . . .that's what I need to do more of.

That's a bit extreme don't you think? Yes, most people are lying about their distances, but that doesn't mean hitting 300 is some sort of thing only gods of golf can do. I have a friend who is a terrible golfer because he makes dumb shots and can't hit irons/has no short game, but man can he crush a ball. He's hitting near 300 on the range all the time. I can completely follow the ball, and it looks far, but nothing like what you see on TV. I think saying you can barely follow a 280 yard drive is pretty crazy. If you average 250, (which is a decent distance, but probably average for most golfers that play Bogey golf or below) you think 30 more yards is going to make the ball invisible to the eye? I think not.

It bothers me when people think that 300 is some number that can't be reached, when in actuality, it can be reached by a lot of POOR golfers on the range, it just more often than not would be two fairways over on an actual course.

My younger brother has a beautiful swing, and he probably averages 280, but he's a strong kid, and he practices everyday. Around a 10 handicap, he is. His putting and short game kills him. That's the thing, someone could drive the ball 300 and straight everytime, and STILL be a 10-20 handicap, their short game could just be that bad.

The most impressive drive i've ever witnessed was just the other day by my bro (never been to a PGA event). He rolled one out to 349. It was incredible. The conditions were pretty average too, not too dry. Also, it maybe had a 5 yard downhill incline (so mostly flat). He shot it with his Bushnell rangefinder and I verified with my GolfShot app as we approached the ball. Pretty nuts. Obviously that isn't his average, but definitely impressive.

My point is, don't write everyone off. Obviously a lot of people are going to be lying about this. Like I said earlier, I could hit 280 every time if I wanted to play out of the opposite fairway 7/10 times. It's not like that number is unreachable, just incredibly hard to control when you get up there. You just have to be conditioned and athletic, obviously if you are 5'10" and 265lbs it's going to be a lot hard to reach that distance, but for someone like me (6'6" and 210lbs and playing sports non-stop my entire life), it becomes more about technique and control than about power and distance.

[bunkerputt]

Just to answer the OP question, and not get dragged into anything..

For me, it was technique.  I'm 6'3" and pretty strong, so I've always had a lot of speed, even when I had really bad technique.  My speed hasn't changed much, but my sequencing, release, contact quality and launch conditions have changed drastically.  This is all due to technique.  In fact, now I hit it a whole lot farther than when I started and don't swing nearly as fast (and don't pull muscles nearly as much :)  105-110mph on the driver is plenty these days.  I wish I could take a look at that old 220 yard drive with a 119mph clubhead speed just one more time because I would like to see just how crazy it looked.  I think I remember seeing one at 24 degrees launch and 6800 RPM spin on a monitor several years ago.....  Hilarious that people brag about that crap because it's terrible.

*edit*  I said "technique", but I might clarify and say "technique applied with athletic rhythm".  The athletic rhythm and proper loading is where the power comes from.  Technique is more about launch conditions and contact quality, though there's really a false distinction there.

[RonTheSavage]

Originally Posted by Mr3Wiggle

Thread has the potential for some epic BS.

I thought this deserved repeating. Post of the summer nominee in my opinion!

[AmazingWhacker]

Originally Posted by bigwave916

Totally agree with all four points but I would add acceleration through impact. Freddy Couples is producing highest club head speed in his swinig at the bottom of the swing and through the ball. Best swing thought I've ever heard for producing acceleration is to think of you back swing as a roller coaster going up the big hill until it rolls over the top and accelerates down hill to the bottom.(the downswing)

I agree - this is an awesome analogy!  Another one I like is Shawn Clement's idea of pushing a kid on a swing.  You don't push with all your might from the top, the kid would fall out . . .you gradually accelerate to the bottom of the pendulum and through it.   The longer the club, the bigger the kid.  A pitching wedge is like pushing a toddler on a swing and a driver like a 10 year old.

@MikeLegacy - like I said, I'm sure it happens.  I just never see it.  And I totally don't average 250 and I don't think most bogey golfers do, either.  I don't measure my drives so I have no idea what my average is .. but I bet it's closer to 150 than 250.  You have to take into account all those tops and flubs that go nowhere . .they really hurt the average.

Just for me, if I really belt one it might go 220.  On most courses (that I play at least) a 300 yard drive that lands in the fairway puts you within 20-40 yards of the green on a par4 and you reach every par 5 in 2.  Pretty hard to imagine doing that on a regular basis and being a 20 capper.   Just my opinion and it's not really the topic of the thread so I appologize for the drift.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by AmazingWhacker

- - snip - -

Just my opinion and it's not really the topic of the thread so I appologize for the drift.

No it really isn't. The OP requested some tips on how to get the most out of his driver. Nobody was asked how far they hit it, because long hitters know who they are, even though most of them gave up on this forum a long time ago. If you've never seen someone hit 300 yards, that's your business. Nobody really cares how short your good drives are or how limited your experiences are. People who can hit the ball a long way seem to know it can be done because they seem to know how to do it. The same techniques that produce long drives and booming long irons must be altered somewhat to produce accurate wedges and short shots around the green. Hitting all out doesn't work the closer one gets to the hole. The OP was trying, I believe, to either tap into this knowledge or to find out if it's even possible. Basically, is it just natural for some people to hit a longer ball?

[Infamous 273]

Originally Posted by AmazingWhacker

I play with a guy who is a very good golfer and can occassionaly get one out there in the 280 range.  Let me tell you, a 280 yard drive will make everyone in the vicinity say "holy ****"!  280 is freaking far.  It's so far that on 2 occassions we couldn't even find it even though we were pretty sure it landed on or near the fairway (hard to tell from way back there).  I guess that's why I am one of the "auto-doubters" to any one who says they average 280 or 300+.  I've played a lot of golf in my life and have never seen a 300 yard drive except on TV.  I'm sure they happen but they can't happen as frequently as they seem to on the internet.

So the deal with him is he always takes the same swing.  Whether driver or 5 iron - it always looks the same.  Pretty smooth although he does hit it hard.  Very consistent looking tempo.  What makes it go 280 sometimes is when catches it exactly in the middle of the clubface.  It's very impressive sounding and you know, just from hearing it, that sucker's long.  Otherwise there is no difference between an average drive and a bomb for him.

And I have noticed the same thing for myself, although I am not such a long hitter.  Smooth tempo, increasing speed and the more I hit it in the sweet spot, the farther it goes.  I know some golfers, like Pro's, can hit it harder to make it go farther .. but that doesn't work for me.  I rarely hit the exact center of the clubface . . .that's what I need to do more of.

Originally Posted by RonTheSavage

Count me in as an auto-doubter as well. I've sat in the stands at the range at a PGA Tour event and was in total awe of the sounds coming off drivers and fairway woods. 300 yard drives are so far you lose the damn ball in the distance LOL.

if you two had to estimate (+/- 10 yards) how far this drive went, what would your estimate be?  i don't have an official handicap, and have shot 280 based on the swing provided?  the only point i'm trying to make is that an average golfer (myself in this case) can still obtain an above average distance off the tee.

[Aquaguru]

Originally Posted by Infamous 273

if you two had to estimate (+/- 10 yards) how far this drive went, what would your estimate be?  i don't have an official handicap, and have shot < 90 over my last 6 rounds.  granted, this is in controlled conditions, and i have off days on the course.  that said, would you feel comfortable admitting that i average > 280 based on the swing provided?  the only point i'm trying to make is that an average golfer (myself in this case) can still obtain an above average distance off the tee.

Honestly I think with your swing your drives may carry 240, you may get 280 with roll.

Back to the OP.  The key for me on driving is all about speed.  I'm only 5'8'' 155lbs.  I have shorter arms to so I cannot get to parallel on my backswing easily.  So in order to drive it out there 260 I accelerate as fast as I can.  It really looks like I'm off balance but I don't feel it.  My driver is really about feel, I swing it different (ie plane, grip, tempo) every time out.  I usually figure it out after the first drive.

My farthest carry has been 270.  My farthest drive with roll has been 325.  Both of these were measured with my GPS using the shot distance program.

I do not consider myself a long hitter but I out drive all my playing partners and dad.  But when I get into tournament play I'm right in the middle of the pack

[NM Golf]

Hitting the ball a long way is not always a gift. If you notice the guys on tour that hit it long often have a difficult time finding the fairway. I am one of those guys and I actually am having to learn to tone it down a bit and hit driver a lot less. My driver swing speed when I got fitted for my driver in April was 124 mph average over 8 swings. My driver carry is around 300 yards at sea level. You can choose to not believe me if you want, I really don't care. All I am saying is I would give up 30 yards in distance to hit 20% more fairways.

To answer to OP, I don't know why I am able to hit the ball so far, I just always have been able to. I am pretty athletic played baseball in college, its just comes naturally.

[Jimbo Slice]

I enjoy the long ball and plan on hitting it often with acceptable accuracy. This is what I focus on.

Good lag will generate much more club head speed without swinging for the fences. Angle of attack and proper shaft properties to get ideal trajectory and spin. And you have to hit the sweet spot on the club face while having it in the neutral position at impact lol. Without lag in your swing you'll have to put in much more effort to generate the same swing speeds you could, as if you had proper lag in your driver stroke. Adding lag to your swing will greatly reduce club face accuracy until practiced greatly.

[Spyder]

lol I knew that this thread was going to be funny from the get go. So far it isn't too bad, but it's going to head into the doubters vs liars war soon.

I'm not sure who said it and I really didn't want to go back, but to say that you average 250 and that you "lose sight" of a 280-300 yard drive from your buddy because it is so far out there... that's pretty exaggerated and false, period. The ball takes off faster off of the club face, so you either see it or you don't. 30 yards of distance is not going to make your ball "disappear into the yonder" lol. In that case, the camera men working the tour would never be able to follow Bubba's drives because they're just too far and fast for the human eye to see when he lays it down 340 off the tee.

I'm not sure who is worse though, the "no way man, you're lying... impossible. I can't do it and I don't golf with people that can do it, so you can't do it - period." or the "Yeah I usually carry like 280 and get no roll-out, but yeah dude I bomb a few 300+ every time I go out!" type of person.

The biggest misconception in this thread is going to be people thinking that 270 is close to 300, when it's not. I personally average 270 and I have hit maybe 5 300 yard drives in my entire life. I'm talking legitimate 300 yards from point A (the tee) to point B (the ball at rest). Not reading the score card as a 500 yard Par 5 with a 90° dog-leg right, you shoot over the tree line to the fairway and you're 200 yards out. That doesn't mean you drove the ball 300 yards - that means you took a high-reward shot off the tee. I know a guy that plays like this and looks at the golf cart's GPS traveling yardage to his ball and swears by 320 yard drives. I try to explain that if his ball takes a short cut over the trees, and he follows the fairway with his cart, his ball did not travel that yardage but he will not hear it and can't comprehend elementary math.

Our home course even draws a black line through the hole showing you the yardage is where the line goes, which typically follows the entire contour of the fairway and stays dead center int he middle of the fairway. This guy still swears by 300 yard drives and doesn't get it.... You know, the ton of bricks is heavier than a ton of feathers believer. Annoying as hell!

[Stargaze]

Just as a reminder or even a clarification.  I'm not and wasn't concerned about hitting a 300 yard drive...I saw a guy hit 250 - 270 and he did it without killing it.  I knew it wasn't just raw power with his arms causing this.  To me, a 240 or 250 yard drive is my goal.  What I'm trying to do though is make my club do the work and not my body if at all possible.

[Mr3Wiggle]

Originally Posted by Spyder

lol I knew that this thread was going to be funny from the get go. So far it isn't too bad, but it's going to head into the doubters vs liars war soon.

I'm not sure who said it and I really didn't want to go back, but to say that you average 250 and that you "lose sight" of a 280-300 yard drive from your buddy because it is so far out there... that's pretty exaggerated and false, period. The ball takes off faster off of the club face, so you either see it or you don't. 30 yards of distance is not going to make your ball "disappear into the yonder" lol. In that case, the camera men working the tour would never be able to follow Bubba's drives because they're just too far and fast for the human eye to see when he lays it down 340 off the tee.

I'm not sure who is worse though, the "no way man, you're lying... impossible. I can't do it and I don't golf with people that can do it, so you can't do it - period." or the "Yeah I usually carry like 280 and get no roll-out, but yeah dude I bomb a few 300+ every time I go out!" type of person.

The biggest misconception in this thread is going to be people thinking that 270 is close to 300, when it's not. I personally average 270 and I have hit maybe 5 300 yard drives in my entire life. I'm talking legitimate 300 yards from point A (the tee) to point B (the ball at rest). Not reading the score card as a 500 yard Par 5 with a 90° dog-leg right, you shoot over the tree line to the fairway and you're 200 yards out. That doesn't mean you drove the ball 300 yards - that means you took a high-reward shot off the tee. I know a guy that plays like this and looks at the golf cart's GPS traveling yardage to his ball and swears by 320 yard drives. I try to explain that if his ball takes a short cut over the trees, and he follows the fairway with his cart, his ball did not travel that yardage but he will not hear it and can't comprehend elementary math.

Our home course even draws a black line through the hole showing you the yardage is where the line goes, which typically follows the entire contour of the fairway and stays dead center int he middle of the fairway. This guy still swears by 300 yard drives and doesn't get it.... You know, the ton of bricks is heavier than a ton of feathers believer. Annoying as hell!

I used to play a lot of golf at a club in South Florida.  There were a few members that could hit a ball pretty hard.  They could get to the par 5's in 2 and drive a couple of the really short par 4's where you could cut the corner.  There was a short par 5 on the front.  Probably only played 460 to 470 yards.  Usually had a cross wind so not much help there.  The tricky part was there was a small canal that ran completely across the hole about 260 yards from the tee.  The canal was only about 10 yards wide so a 270 yard carry would get over it, but I think I can count on one hand the number of times I saw a guy successfully drive the ball over that water and land it in good shape.  Nearly every time the guy would run it into the water or hit it way right or left and out of play.  A 270 yard carry without helping wind or downhill is no easy task.  Even harder to do and keep the ball in play.  Not many can do it with a smooth swing.

[RonTheSavage]

To clarify something I never said anyone was lying about how far they hit the ball. I did say that I was an auto-doubter, if that rubbed some guys the wrong way then my bad, I was just breaking balls. In my humble opinion to get the most out of the driver I think the biggest thing is to hit the ball in the center of the clubface with a smooth controlled swing. I think I saw this on this here where I guy said, swing easy and live with the extra distance.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Mr3Wiggle

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyder

lol I knew that this thread was going to be funny from the get go. So far it isn't too bad, but it's going to head into the doubters vs liars war soon.

I'm not sure who said it and I really didn't want to go back, but to say that you average 250 and that you "lose sight" of a 280-300 yard drive from your buddy because it is so far out there... that's pretty exaggerated and false, period. The ball takes off faster off of the club face, so you either see it or you don't. 30 yards of distance is not going to make your ball "disappear into the yonder" lol. In that case, the camera men working the tour would never be able to follow Bubba's drives because they're just too far and fast for the human eye to see when he lays it down 340 off the tee.

I'm not sure who is worse though, the "no way man, you're lying... impossible. I can't do it and I don't golf with people that can do it, so you can't do it - period." or the "Yeah I usually carry like 280 and get no roll-out, but yeah dude I bomb a few 300+ every time I go out!" type of person.

The biggest misconception in this thread is going to be people thinking that 270 is close to 300, when it's not. I personally average 270 and I have hit maybe 5 300 yard drives in my entire life. I'm talking legitimate 300 yards from point A (the tee) to point B (the ball at rest). Not reading the score card as a 500 yard Par 5 with a 90° dog-leg right, you shoot over the tree line to the fairway and you're 200 yards out. That doesn't mean you drove the ball 300 yards - that means you took a high-reward shot off the tee. I know a guy that plays like this and looks at the golf cart's GPS traveling yardage to his ball and swears by 320 yard drives. I try to explain that if his ball takes a short cut over the trees, and he follows the fairway with his cart, his ball did not travel that yardage but he will not hear it and can't comprehend elementary math.

Our home course even draws a black line through the hole showing you the yardage is where the line goes, which typically follows the entire contour of the fairway and stays dead center int he middle of the fairway. This guy still swears by 300 yard drives and doesn't get it.... You know, the ton of bricks is heavier than a ton of feathers believer. Annoying as hell!

I used to play a lot of golf at a club in South Florida.  There were a few members that could hit a ball pretty hard.  They could get to the par 5's in 2 and drive a couple of the really short par 4's where you could cut the corner.  There was a short par 5 on the front.  Probably only played 460 to 470 yards.  Usually had a cross wind so not much help there.  The tricky part was there was a small canal that ran completely across the hole about 260 yards from the tee.  The canal was only about 10 yards wide so a 270 yard carry would get over it, but I think I can count on one hand the number of times I saw a guy successfully drive the ball over that water and land it in good shape.  Nearly every time the guy would run it into the water or hit it way right or left and out of play.  A 270 yard carry without helping wind or downhill is no easy task.  Even harder to do and keep the ball in play.  Not many can do it with a smooth swing.

I've played a lot of courses where there are long forced carries  . . . if you wanted to take them on. Smart course design allows average hitters to get around no problem and allows bombers to challenge themselves. People who hit the ball a long way see the hole a different way. They can visualize carrying trees and hazards. They'll pick a line and setup aiming in directions a 200 yard driver never even imagined. But there's not always much to gain other than it's fun to cut a corner or carry a creek. When a round matters, laying up might be the smarter play. It depends on the day and the course. Sometimes flying the hazards leaves very wide landing area and sometimes it's not worth the risk. One thing is for certain though, a person who wonders whether to try and carry 270 yards with their driver is probably still capable of hitting the green with their second. True long hitters hit all their clubs long - especially their irons.