Why is it unbelievable I can drive 300+ ?

[ApocG10]

Originally Posted by Darksun22

I think that is exactly what i said.

Someone said no way I could do what i was claiming because thats how far Bubba hits.  I said no, Bubba hits it way further when he tries to hit a long ball.

So yea, we agree.

Bubba can hit 400 with a LD driver, I can hit 360 with a LD driver,  He has a good 40-60 yards on me and that is a TON in the LD world where if you can improve 5 yds you did a good month of work getting it there.  (Mind your, some of the LD pros have ANOTHER 50yds on Bubba, so I need to improve by 100yds and double my accuracy to be at a high level LD player.)

You don't seem to understand that Bubba does not need a long drive driver to hit 400. He does it with a regular, 46" shaft G20. Shots with a shaft over the legal limit dont count or matter to anyone here.

[ApocG10]

Originally Posted by Darksun22

I can and have more than a few times. If you watch my swing ( Which BTW is my regular driver swing, not my long drive swing, with my regular driver, not my LD Driver) You will see that I generate a lot of club speed.  I average 133 with my regular driver and 137-138 with my LD driver.  This is measured accurately multiple times by multiple different machines.

My drive numbers are range numbers, and indoor sim numbers. Which are really close depending on humidity and wind.

I will say 350 is a very well struck ball for me.  More often you will see 330.   I said 360 earlier because that is my longest recorded ball in a charity LD  (358).

Ill post a range video of me with me LD driver when it is done.  I just snapped my Geek in two, and think I may have messed up the head.  I just ordered a new one and the shaft is sitting at my club guys shop.

I have 2 more LD clubs, but they are 370cc and I just can't hit them past 320ish.  So no use making a vid with them.

Let me get this new club put together and ill show you its no lie.   Only problem will be that my range is 320yds, so when I carry the hill in the back you will just have to trust me from there.

You dont seem to understand that we dont give a shit what you can do with a LD driver. We want to see you hit 300 with a regular one.

Most of us here are golfers, not LD competitors. We dont care what you can do with an illegal club. But you cant seem to get that through your thick skull.

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by Darksun22

I have 2 more LD clubs, but they are 370cc and I just can't hit them past 320ish.  So no use making a vid with them.

Personally, I won't make a distinction between 320 and 340, or whatever.  I do agree with Apoc though, post your distance with the regular driver.  If it's 300 or 320, etc, I don't really care.  Those are both pretty freakin far.

[divot dave]

Originally Posted by ApocG10

You dont seem to understand that we dont give a shit what you can do with a LD driver. We want to see you hit 300 with a regular one.

Most of us here are golfers, not LD competitors. We dont care what you can do with an illegal club. But you cant seem to get that through your thick skull.

www.midol.com

[Spyder]

Originally Posted by Darksun22

I can and have more than a few times. If you watch my swing ( Which BTW is my regular driver swing, not my long drive swing, with my regular driver, not my LD Driver) You will see that I generate a lot of club speed.  I average 133 with my regular driver and 137-138 with my LD driver.  This is measured accurately multiple times by multiple different machines.

My drive numbers are range numbers, and indoor sim numbers. Which are really close depending on humidity and wind.

I will say 350 is a very well struck ball for me.  More often you will see 330.   I said 360 earlier because that is my longest recorded ball in a charity LD  (358).

Ill post a range video of me with me LD driver when it is done.  I just snapped my Geek in two, and think I may have messed up the head.  I just ordered a new one and the shaft is sitting at my club guys shop.

I have 2 more LD clubs, but they are 370cc and I just can't hit them past 320ish.  So no use making a vid with them.

Let me get this new club put together and ill show you its no lie.   Only problem will be that my range is 320yds, so when I carry the hill in the back you will just have to trust me from there.

I am going to make one final attempt to convey some logic here. When you're repeatedly talking about your Long Drive equipment and/or stats, you're no longer talking about golf or legitimate skill in the game of golf. Now you're talking about a sideshow ability and talent.

When I am telling you that you cannot drive the ball 350 yards, I am telling you that you are not going to use a regulation or USGA approved driver to achieve a 350 yard drive under any circumstances and/or conditions on any golf course. That is what I am telling you, however you keep missing the actual point at hand and you continue ranting in paragraph/bullet-point form about your "LD" accomplishments.

Hopefully you understand more clearly now that this topic was never intended as a "How far can you hit a 50" Driver?" thread. Long Drive competitions are using golf equipment to compete in Long Drive competitions which by no means is even close to golfing. This would be equivalent to bragging about how good you are at hockey... street hockey that is, because you can't skate on ice - but generalizing and repeating how damn good you are at hockey.

[dak4n6]

Quote:

I am going to make one final attempt to convey some logic here.

$1000 says you will be back on this thread.

[daSeth]

Okay, I will admit that there is some lack of judgement in my post. My point was more directed to a certain type of baseball player, the bigger hitting types, if you will. 1st base, 3rd base, outfielders etc... The big hitter attribute in baseball typically does not apply to middle infielders, pitchers and catchers (though pitchers generate quite a bit of rotational force that could apply to golf). Even in hockey, some guys have high velocity slap shots, some don't.

So I will refine my point, take a big hitter type in baseball or hockey at anywhere approaching an elite level, give them some time to adjust to the mechanics of golf, I'd still submit that a month of practice five days a week would be fine, they won't have too many issues hitting a golf ball 300+. Doing it on a regular basis, is another thing (another refinement). Scoring, still, an entirely a different matter.

I'll also, note that my assertion in no way does my point apply to all types of atheletes. Example, family member of mine was a world class swimmer. Could not hit any sort of golf ball for his life. Never learned to either. I don't suppose he ever will...

Here is another piece of IMHO that you guys can take with a grain of salt:

I myself don't hit 300+. I don't see much use for it, TBH. I would rather be 250-270 and in play (trying to get to fairway... still a work in progress). I have built my swing around keeping the ball down because my home course has a lot of wind. It's hard to get the ball long without a high launch angle. I gave up on the notion of hitting the ball far and my handicap has benefitted from it substantially (was around 20, now 10.3).  It doesn't hurt that the chipping and putting is much better either.

I consider myself a decent athelete. I grew up hitting baseballs and golf balls. At any rate about two years ago, I started playing softball and going to the batting cages pretty regularly. I bought some training videos for hitting a baseball. Pretty soon, I was in the 70MPH cage hammering balls pretty hard, making contact pretty regularly. In the softball games, I was hitting a ball over the fence (320') every other game or so. About that time (understand, I haven't played golf in 4-5 years at that point in time), I go on vacation with a buddy. We go out to play a round of golf. I start the first round and am absolutely killing the ball. I can't give you the exact numbers because frankly I don't remember them. But I did hit several drives that day, over 300 yards, in play. Of the four par 5s, I putted for eagle on two. On the other two, I was just off the green in two, chipping and putting for birdie. I ended up scoring poorly for the day, let's say low 90s, I forget. The chipping and putting was pretty bad and hey, I hadn't played in 4-5 years. This is strictly IMHO, but there has to be a relationship between the baseball training and the driving distance...  Maybe a training idea for some of you that want to hit the ball further???

At any rate, I play softball against plenty of guys that hit the ball over the fence every other at bat and some of then 2 out of three. I have seen some of these guys hit balls so far, it's mind-boggling. I'd submit that any one of those dudes, given a month of practice, five days a week, could hit a golf ball 300+.

Complete side note... my buddy who plays anywhere from a 4-6 handicap, gets absolutely owned by the 70MPH pitching machine.  Doesn't even make contact.  I don't think the PGA guys would make great baseball players.

[LovinItAll]

Most of us here are golfers, not LD competitors. We dont care what you can do with an illegal club. But you cant seem to get that through your thick skull.

Waaay too lazy to look, but I thought LD competitors used legal equipment. Is there a shaft length restriction I don't know about? What do they use that's illegal? Not saying you aren't 100% correct, I just don't follow the LD stuff. Another question: all things being equal, how many mph does each inch of length add to driver?

[tiger187126]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LovinItAll


Waaay too lazy to look, but I thought LD competitors used legal equipment. Is there a shaft length restriction I don't know about? What do they use that's illegal? Not saying you aren't 100% correct, I just don't follow the LD stuff.
Another question: all things being equal, how many mph does each inch of length add to driver?

http://golftips.golfsmith.com/longest-legal-driver-length-20152.html

Quote:

Standard driver length

The length of a golf club is measured from the tip of the grip to where the clubhead meets the ground. The standard length for a men's driver is in the 43-inch to 45-inch range; graphite clubs are often an inch longer, or 45 to 46 inches, since steel shafts weigh more and the length of the graphite shaft balances the shaft. Players can be custom-fit at a golf shop for the proper length of their club shafts.

Legal driver length

Under the Rules of Golf, the maximum length of a club is 48 inches. Clubs must be at least 18 inches long and cannot exceed the 48 inches. Lengths of putters is now a concern due to the proliferation of long putters in golf; however, the 48-inch limit of shafts in the Rules of Golf does not apply to putters.

Too long drivers

In their attempts to sell golf clubs and satisfy the recreational player's thirst for length off the tee, several companies have manufactured drivers in excess of the 48-inch limit. One company brags that its 6-foot-long driver will allow tee shots of 400 yards and even offers a 12-foot driver. Trick-shot artists often use drivers with shafts of 65 inches or longer. However, these clubs do not conform to the 48-inch limit in the Rules of Golf and cannot be used in official tournaments.

Long and legal

Even long-driving competitions, which customarily included competitors who used drivers with lengths of 52 to 60 inches long – clubs that provided wide swing bases and allowed for prodigious drives – have now tightened their rules to meet the 48-inch limit. The search for more length has shifted from shaft lengths to driver head composition and loft, as well as matching drivers to a type of ball

[daSeth]

Oh, last point... in college I took an English class.  Professor was super concerned about the new media, the Internet.  Main concern was that people could say whatever they want without being correct, without being objective, without reference and without proof.  But, isn't that why we love it?  Honestly, who cares about who lies and about how far they hit the ball?  Work on your own game.

If Jimbo is lying, what is that to me?  What is that to anyone but Jimbo?

[koodon]

Not a doubter. I don't really care. Can you hole out from a fried egg in a bunker consistently? Can you chip in from 30 yards? These are impressive things. Hitting 300 yards with all the new drivers in the market is not a big deal ... unless of course you are doing it with a wooden driver from 1972. That would be impressive! Still none the less wouldn't care.

[Dave2512]

Originally Posted by daSeth

Oh, last point... in college I took an English class.  Professor was super concerned about the new media, the Internet.  Main concern was that people could say whatever they want without being correct, without being objective, without reference and without proof.  But, isn't that why we love it?  Honestly, who cares about who lies and about how far they hit the ball?  Work on your own game.

If Jimbo is lying, what is that to me?  What is that to anyone but Jimbo?

But I don't think anyone called him a liar. People tried to point out that with his swing and inexperience it probably wasn't going as far as he thought it was. Some of it was lost in translation too. He started the thread and it read like he was convinced he could do it all the time. Turned it meant only sometimes, with little accuracy and only if he swings so hard it causes Ox like grunting. In the end I don't think many doubted that was possible. I stand next to people on the range doing that all the time.

[Beachcomber]

Originally Posted by koodon

Not a doubter. I don't really care. Can you hole out from a fried egg in a bunker consistently? Can you chip in from 30 yards? These are impressive things. Hitting 300 yards with all the new drivers in the market is not a big deal ... unless of course you are doing it with a wooden driver from 1972. That would be impressive! Still none the less wouldn't care.

It really isn't a big deal.  I find this thread amusing.  But I'll tell you... Legitimately hitting 300yd drives is pretty rare - and extremely rare for the average golfer - even with today's technology (head/shaft/ball).

[bunkerputt]

Any LD competitor could hit one 350 with a standard driver.  Probably exactly one.  Then he'd need a new driver.  That's why LD clubs are smaller, thicker-walled and less forgiving.  Bubba also couldn't hit one 400 if he wanted to.  He's Bubba long, but that's not Sadlowski long.

[LovinItAll]

Tiger182176: (can't seem to quote your reply): So it says that LD competitions now require 48" drivers or less....is that right, or do the big LD events/competitions still allow for longer drivers? I knew there were trick shot guys that used super long shafts.

[tiger187126]

Originally Posted by LovinItAll

Tiger182176: (can't seem to quote your reply):

So it says that LD competitions now require 48" drivers or less....is that right, or do the big LD events/competitions still allow for longer drivers? I knew there were trick shot guys that used super long shafts.

on their site (LDA) it looks like they'll let you get away with a 50" shaft, but it must be USGA conforming (i'm guessing everything but shaft length must follow USGA rules).

also for your other question earlier, i saw a couple people say that 1/2" shaft length can increase swing speed by 2-3mph, but i can't confirm that's 100% accurate.

anyway, this whole thread is humorous as the majority reaction is either "nuh, uh, no you can't" or "so what, i bet you can't putt/chip."

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by tiger187126

Quote:

Originally Posted by LovinItAll

Tiger182176: (can't seem to quote your reply):

So it says that LD competitions now require 48" drivers or less....is that right, or do the big LD events/competitions still allow for longer drivers? I knew there were trick shot guys that used super long shafts.

on their site (LDA) it looks like they'll let you get away with a 50" shaft, but it must be USGA conforming (i'm guessing everything but shaft length must follow USGA rules).

also for your other question earlier, i saw a couple people say that 1/2" shaft length can increase swing speed by 2-3mph, but i can't confirm that's 100% accurate.

anyway, this whole thread is humorous as the majority reaction is either "nuh, uh, no you can't" or "so what, i bet you can't putt/chip."

Which is ironic because if someone were to admit they'd be even more likely to be called a liar, even though many [former] professionals are in the booth or elsewhere because they can no longer chip or putt well.

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

Which is ironic because if someone were to admit they'd be even more likely to be called a liar, even though many [former] professionals are in the booth or elsewhere because they can no longer chip or putt well.

That's probably a lot different.  Those pros went from a +5 to a +2 or something I'm guessing?  Some of the long drivers have their lack of chipping/putting adding 15+ strokes to their handicap.  That's the hard part to believe.  While I don't think it's as simplified as some would make it, I DO think there is a correlation between handicap and driver-length-limits at the higher handicap thresholds.