Why is it unbelievable I can drive 300+ ?

[Matt Filroy]

300 is amazing in my book

[Beachcomber]

Originally Posted by Jwat381

Wow, that's really impressive. Is that essentially "hitting up on the ball" as it's referred to?

Yep.

[Jwat381]

I usually try to do this, I just suffer from teeing it too high. What I mean is I don't like to tee it high, but feel I have to in order to hit up on the ball.  Thanks tho, I'll use this.

Originally Posted by Beachcomber

Yep.

[Beachcomber]

Originally Posted by Jwat381

I usually try to do this, I just suffer from teeing it too high. What I mean is I don't like to tee it high, but feel I have to in order to hit up on the ball.  Thanks tho, I'll use this.

Get some impact tape - and see where you're hitting the ball off the face of the driver.  If you don't have impact tape - get a Sharpie marker and simply draw a large black dot on the ball - where your driver clubface will impact the ball.  The large dot - especially right after applying it with the marker will transfer onto the face of the driver.  This will give you an idea of where you are hitting the ball on the face of the club.  (Don't worry - the marker will wash off the face of the driver easily)

Experiment with different setups at address and ball placement.  It really depends on where your low point is at with your driver.  If you do your best to look like this at impact...

Then you can have a negative or even flat (zero) Angle of Attack numbers and still hit the ball far with your swing speed.  But mastering your craft (consistent center contact) coupled with your average swing speed and a positive Angle of Attack - you will BOMB the driver.

[xSmithy]

Originally Posted by phillyk

I'm young and naive still, so I'll go ahead and boast about my driving too.  I certainly don't average over 300, but I'm close.  Yesterday I had 2 370yd drives (both witnessed by 2 people I didn't know before hand), both downhill quite a bit and on par 5's in a wet climate, at sea level (parred 1 that had the drive in the fairway and birdied the other with the drive 5 yds left of fairway).  My longest drives have come with the help of a cart path bounce, the hole was flat at the same course as my previous boast.  Both went 380 that ended in the center.  Now the question is, do I boast a lot about it?  Not as much as I used to.  I don't care for driving more than 300 anymore because I do it so often.  It's only on the ones I murder that I boast.  The next thing I'd like to boast about is that I can put those approach shots within 10ft every time...  sadly that doesn't happen, although I am getting close...

Was literally going to post that a far more gratifying thread title would be 'I stick my irons to 10 feet and less every time' - since I re-took up golf 18 months ago I could hit the long ball pretty good but would too often miss the green entirely from 100 yards and less, nothing more soul destroying than launching a drive down the fairway and missing the green when everyone you are playing with is expecting you to stick it close. In the off season I put a lot of time and effort in to my wedge distances and my general iron play and now I'm hitting a lot more greens in regulation which I think is the more important yard stick - so much so that I hit the ball terribly from the tee yesterday but still managed to shoot 81 around a par 73 including 5 birdies.

Sounds like we are in similar places, i used to love being known as the guy who creamed his drives (i would say I'm probably one of the longest at my club) and loved the feeling of my playing partners being astounded as I hit it a long way - now I'll settle for being the guy who keeps it in play, manages the course and makes good scores.

My moment of realisation came on a recent golf trip to Spain with my dad and his friends, they were all astounded at how far I was hitting it and all remarked how I showed them how golf is supposed to be played but over the course of the week I came third and had a lousy 18 points on one particularly tough course where I just went for everything and hit driver on every hole. The novelty of hitting it far quickly wears off but bettering PBs and improving every time you hit the course, i don't think I could ever get sick of that feeling!

[bplewis24]

My smash factor is 1.69 with every club.

[Beachcomber]

Originally Posted by bplewis24

My smash factor is 1.69 with every club.

Start a thread!!!

[AmazingWhacker]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber

The highest smash factor that I've heard on record is 1.54.  The goal should be 1.5 - especially with your stated swing speed.  It is one thing to concentrate on Smash Factor - but you should also monitor your Angle of Attack.  Check this out - if you really want to maximize your distance off the tee.  You can see having an 'ascending' or positive Angle of Attack is what is going to increase your distance off the tee.

Go watch some videos of Andrew Rice (Youtube)... He uses Trackman and has some great advice on how to maximize your distance off the tee.

According to this chart you need a swing speed of over 105 and hit it perfectly  - and on an upward angle to even come close to hitting it 300 . . so I guess I stand corrected and it's totally reasonable that people who just started to play, hit monster slices and have very high handicaps could do it.  Makes total sense.

[Darksun22]

I was at the bar today and played 30 holes cause it rained outside.

After the 30 holes I made a video of my driver  (my burner 2.0 because I busted the face of my rocketballz)

I also made a hybrid video.

Only got about 5 swings of each because my wife was ready to go eat.

Driver was 319 with carry of 307 i think  ( I posted it in my video after the swing)  Ball speed 186ish    launch 11 Degrees because it has a 10.5 face

Hybrid was 285 (not my best attempts, but gives you an idea)   165 ish ball speed,  18 degree loft.

Uploading the videos now, on my way to the mexican place to eat so may take a min on 4g.

This was after a lot of golf so a few more yards would be easy fresh...   I did hit a 364 yard drive on a par 450yd par 4.  Looked at my score card after the first 18 and average drive said 312.7.

For the record I shot a 81 and won 50$.  :P   Free mexican.

Then I tore them up on the par 3 course,  and my game blew up and went to hell on the front 9 on The Judge.

Ill repost when videos are up.

[Dave2512]

Originally Posted by AmazingWhacker

According to this chart you need a swing speed of over 105 and hit it perfectly  - and on an upward angle to even come close to hitting it 300 . . so I guess I stand corrected and it's totally reasonable that people who just started to play, hit monster slices and have very high handicaps could do it.  Makes total sense.

You forgot to mention you have to strain to the point of sharting to get it done.

[zeg]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

If you already extrapolated where your off-line drives would end up if they travelled 50 yards farther (and with more spin) then you might be right. The extra penalty strokes might be offset by having shorter approaches.

Are you saying that basically 75% of your drives leave you a shot to the green?

Probably not worth continuing this discussion much further, but I was considering someone who had similar stats to mine, not literally extending my own drives. Depending on the course it might make a big difference, I suppose. I wasn't considering it in all that much detail.

The 75% number is a ballpark figure, but on up to about a 400 yard hole, then yeah, I'd probably have a shot at the green more than half the time. Some of the time I'm in the fairway but on the wrong side of a dogleg, etc, though, so just being on or near fairway doesn't translate into nice approaches.

[ApocG10]

Originally Posted by Jwat381

I usually try to do this, I just suffer from teeing it too high. What I mean is I don't like to tee it high, but feel I have to in order to hit up on the ball.  Thanks tho, I'll use this.

I had this problem. I had to buy tees with markings at the proper heigheing to get over the mental block. The thing is, your hitting at the very bottom of the upswing, so its not necessary to tee it too high.

[ApocG10]

When your at the launch monitor, you guys dont use impact face tape to see exactly where your shots are making contact? I find them toi be an amazing tool.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by Darksun22

You must have never played on a Sim.

We own a $40k+ simulator in our indoor academy. I've used it several times.

I've even used it when you can drag a little slider in one of the settings windows so my 5I goes 280.

That was my point.

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by AmazingWhacker

According to this chart you need a swing speed of over 105 and hit it perfectly  - and on an upward angle to even come close to hitting it 300 . . so I guess I stand corrected and it's totally reasonable that people who just started to play, hit monster slices and have very high handicaps could do it.  Makes total sense.

Does my sarcasm detector need calibrating?

[Jimdangles]

I would like to take up the free round of golf in Vegas offer. I'll be there in a couple weeks. But if his swing speed is 105 I think 1 in 20 is easy. Hard to boast about doing it I a course as I would never try and swing out of my a** on the course. Especially if Vegas flies farther. The other day I was driving really well and almost found I was swinging harder was easier to hit solid. Hit 1 of my drives that 36 hole day ABOUT 300 yards. Give or take. As I know now distance isn't that important (as long as I'm farther than my friends). :) if Vegas flies farther it can happen 1 in 20. Especially if he's claiming they are rarely in the fairway.

[Jimdangles]

Was I too late to the party?

[AmazingWhacker]

Originally Posted by Jimdangles

I would like to take up the free round of golf in Vegas offer. I'll be there in a couple weeks. But if his swing speed is 105 I think 1 in 20 is easy. Hard to boast about doing it I a course as I would never try and swing out of my a** on the course. Especially if Vegas flies farther. The other day I was driving really well and almost found I was swinging harder was easier to hit solid. Hit 1 of my drives that 36 hole day ABOUT 300 yards. Give or take. As I know now distance isn't that important (as long as I'm farther than my friends). :) if Vegas flies farther it can happen 1 in 20. Especially if he's claiming they are rarely in the fairway.

I don't think you can hit one 300 with a 105mph swing unless you get a long roll-out.  To claim an unqualified 300 yard drive, in my opinion, it needs to fly 270, minimum.  Prodigies aside, most novice golfers would probably need a swing speed north of 130 to hit a 300 yard drive . .and then you'd never be able to find it to measure it.