Why is it unbelievable I can drive 300+ ?

[daSeth]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

Are you just talking about drivers or all clubs?  I prefer an X shaft in a driver when using irons with DGS300. S shaft in 3-wood, and the stiff steel shaft I put in my Callaway 2-hybrid is money - maybe a club shorter than the original stock "S" graphite shaft but my "shot cone" with that club is very narrow now. With graphite it resembled a half circle. On our par-5 18th hole, there's a lot of junk in play off the tee. You have to carry  ~275 to comfortably clear the bunker on the right. I carry it more often than not and when I don't, I tend to have hit enough of a push or pull that the bunker is basically never in play. For posterity, my 150 club is typically a 9-iron (PW-8 depending on the weather and the shot at hand).

I was mostly thinking of driver at the time in trying to answer Jimbo's question.  But now that I think about it, I don't see a reason why it wouldn't apply to all clubs.  Golfsmith does not make a distinction looking back at the link.  I do think that higher-speed swingers have more to benefit in the long-shafted woods with an increase in shaft stiffness that with a similar increase in stiffness in shorter-shafted irons.  The penalty for missing with the longer clubs is higher because the departure from the target line is greater over longer distances.  In other words, hit a 9-iron 5 degrees right and you miss the green.  Hit a driver 5 degrees right and you are in the woods.

From the sound of it, you are a fairly big hitter, and a switch to stiffer-than-stock shafts helps the accuracy...  Any idea what your swing speed is?  I'd think if you are carrying 275, it has to be well north of 105...

[2nd Time Around]

Way to go Jimbo! I respect the fact you went out and did the trackman session and posted the results.

While on the course do you give it your all with your driver or do you just take a normal swing? Reason I ask is I just started golfing again after more than a decade away. Back in the day my game was really ugly (usually around 115 with some outliers below 110 and some above 120) but I swung from my heals and occassionally hit a 300+ yard drive, but way more often than not the results were nowehre near optimal! ;-) If I had to guess I probably averaged not much more than 200 yards.

I've put in a lot of range work this summer and got out on the course for about 20 rounds of 9. I've also toned down my swing, striving for consistency and better ball striking. This past weekend I played two rounds of 9 and on the 6 holes I broke out the driver I hit 5 of 6 fairways and the drives ranged from 275 - 295 total distance. I haven't been that long or consistent all summer, but it's been steadily improving. These two rounds my driver was unusually good to me and probably an aberration. I doubt I'll have two more back-to-back rounds like that next time I go out, but the point is I'm getting much more consistent and enjoying the game much more than when I had the occassional 300+ yard drive.

Disclaimer: Those distances were determined using Google Earth so they're not spot-on, but probably within +/- 5 yards or so.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by daSeth

Quote:

Originally Posted by sean_miller

Are you just talking about drivers or all clubs?  I prefer an X shaft in a driver when using irons with DGS300. S shaft in 3-wood, and the stiff steel shaft I put in my Callaway 2-hybrid is money - maybe a club shorter than the original stock "S" graphite shaft but my "shot cone" with that club is very narrow now. With graphite it resembled a half circle. On our par-5 18th hole, there's a lot of junk in play off the tee. You have to carry  ~275 to comfortably clear the bunker on the right. I carry it more often than not and when I don't, I tend to have hit enough of a push or pull that the bunker is basically never in play. For posterity, my 150 club is typically a 9-iron (PW-8 depending on the weather and the shot at hand).

I was mostly thinking of driver at the time in trying to answer Jimbo's question.  But now that I think about it, I don't see a reason why it wouldn't apply to all clubs.  Golfsmith does not make a distinction looking back at the link.  I do think that higher-speed swingers have more to benefit in the long-shafted woods with an increase in shaft stiffness that with a similar increase in stiffness in shorter-shafted irons.  The penalty for missing with the longer clubs is higher because the departure from the target line is greater over longer distances.  In other words, hit a 9-iron 5 degrees right and you miss the green.  Hit a driver 5 degrees right and you are in the woods.

From the sound of it, you are a fairly big hitter, and a switch to stiffer-than-stock shafts helps the accuracy...  Any idea what your swing speed is?  I'd think if you are carrying 275, it has to be well north of 105...

I don't know what my club head speed is (never had it checked - distances and ball speed yes, but club head no) and since it's not exactly useful information out on the course I probably never will. If a driver feels too boardy or too soft (i.e. like the club head is lagging behind and will be tough to square up) then I don't care for it.

[Hendy]

This thread got me interested enough to sign-up and post. I'm 5'11, 160lbs, 33 y/o s, I'm based in Toronto and play courses around here mostly.

I only drove balls when I was about 16 on my farm and that was my "junior golfing career". Ha! I started playing golf properly when I was 24 and played maybe 20 rounds that year and played maybe another 20 between the start of this year. This year I got to play about 15 rounds. I would never talk abou my driving distance because I shoot 100+ and it's nothing to get revved up about... plus you end up sounding like a douche. Having said that, I can hit 300+ if the "stars align".

@JumboSlice - I have a similar background to you... played lots of sports as a kid—anything I could possibly play—and that definitely helps (Hockey, Baseball, etc.) Also interesting, I think we could probably line up our swings and they would be mirrors of each other. Left leg bending backwards, lots of twist, lots of explosion. I just got a set of clubs this year—a buddy's R7s—and bought a driver. I was previously borrowing clubs or had a thrown together set. I went to Golf Town here and spent 2 hrs hitting a new drivers for fast club head speed and wildly inconsistent play. I ended up buying a Callaway Razr Fit. The virtual golf rooms they have had the club head speed at around 100-105 consistently. The pro was insistent on not getting a stiff shaft. I have a regular shaft. I had a "spray" that was pretty ugly and the pro, who was in his 60s had me correct my address and my grip and that had a tremendous affect on my ability to hit straight. The "V" in my left hand grip was pointing towards my left collarbone and we rolled it over so it pointed towards my right collarbone and it immediately fixed a wicked slice. It feels extremely uncomfortable, but you have to get uncomfortable in order to make change in any sport (think free throws or a batting stance).

[wadesworld]

Everybody knows some guy who played linebacker who can hit it a country mile.  The two times a round he keeps it in the fairway.

I'm not meaning to belittle it - just saying that I've played with some guys who were bad golfers who could knock the snot out of the ball when they happened to get ahold of one.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by wadesworld

Everybody knows some guy who played linebacker who can hit it a country mile.  The two times a round he keeps it in the fairway.

I'm not meaning to belittle it - just saying that I've played with some guys who were bad golfers who could knock the snot out of the ball when they happened to get ahold of one.

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For one, yes you are, and secondly, no they don't. Did you read any of the other driving distance threads?

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

For one, yes you are, and secondly, no they don't. Did you read any of the other driving distance threads?

Are you suggesting this isn't accurate?

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Aj8M-WGVRuL7ZPAR9joGos9c-o-K3SHBVn0-zL0ak6w?feat=directlink

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by bplewis24

Are you suggesting this isn't accurate?

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Aj8M-WGVRuL7ZPAR9joGos9c-o-K3SHBVn0-zL0ak6w?feat=directlink

LOL!  No roll???  Shouldn't that say something like "1 1/2 country miles?"

Also, I think your smash factor has a typo ... should probably say 2.34, no?

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by bplewis24

Quote:

Originally Posted by sean_miller

For one, yes you are, and secondly, no they don't. Did you read any of the other driving distance threads?

Are you suggesting this isn't accurate?

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Aj8M-WGVRuL7ZPAR9joGos9c-o-K3SHBVn0-zL0ak6w?feat=directlink

EDIT: after rereading his post and your table, my question was answered.

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

LOL!  No roll???  Shouldn't that say something like "1 1/2 country miles?"

Also, I think your smash factor has a typo ... should probably say 2.34, no?

Clearly a typo on the smash factor.  Trackman needs to be fixed.

[cooke119]

300+ is great and I don't doubt you, but straight is better. My teacher is 68 and has medical problems. He only hits it about 180 to 190 on a good day. But they are all straight, every club in his bag! And his short game is unbelievable, he has that touch around the greens , thus he shoots in the low 80s. I'm just saying that distance off the tee is not even half the battle. My golfing buddy says that the driver is the least importnat club in the bag, and I believe him.

[Reg5000]

Originally Posted by Jimbo Slice

I've recently posted in a few threads mentioning I hit some 300+ yard drives. Even a 326 yarder measured with my gps. I've only been playing for 10 weeks and have a 27 handicap. I've been called a few names and would like to continue any conversations/debates with doubters or believers in this thread, instead of continuing in the other ones.

Any input good or bad is very welcome. Cheers

I believe you and Im sure most people here do to believe it or not just alot people are the keyboard warrior type and start shit at the drop of a dime man.  Just keep playing and practicing dont worry about nay sayers.

[Lihu]

Heh, if you are swinging at 105, there is no R about it.  It's XS or S but more than likely XS.  And whoever recommended R for you, the two coaches, I'd recommend finding new coaches.  The shaft should match the swing speed, not the level of play.  Being a beginner and having the wrong equipment is pretty tough.  It would be equally hard for a beginner, swinging 80 mph and playing an XS 9.5*.  The ball wouldn't ever get off the ground.  At 105 mph you swing a lot faster than the average recreational player and faster than some really good players out there.  Have you given a 9.5* or an 8.5* a go?  Generally higher swing speed translates to needing a lower loft for the driver.  I'd also recommend swinging around 85%, it's hard to control your body and the club when deliberately trying to swing slower.

Thanks for the response, I have been swinging at the 85% level (found empirically with lots of money spent on range balls). Wish I had communicated with you on this forum before buying my first club. I agree with everyone about fitting, that's what I finally ended up doing. However, Jimbo has mentioned that he doesn't wish to spend the money on fitting at this time. So, with his swing speed XS would not hurt him even if he does not get fitted. It would help change his moniker to "Jimbo long and straight", but he could still use the stiffer shafts.

[LovinItAll]

I'm just saying that distance off the tee is not even half the battle. My golfing buddy says that the driver is the least importnat club in the bag, and I believe him.

I disagree. Look, if you can't hit driver very far because of a medical condition, that's one thing. If one has no physical limitations, though, driver is an important club.....maybe one of the top two most important in the bag. I'm not saying it's necessary to hit it 300+, but getting the ball out there and in play is critical to shooting low scores (low-mid 70's). For most single digit HC'ers, once a course gets past about 6600, I'm not sure they're breaking 80 if they remove driver (given that they hit 3w ~220). For guys that are still trying to break 90 or who are content to shoot in the 80's, driver may be less important. For better golfers, though, driver is an important club.....certainly almost half the battle, IMO.

[Jimbo Slice]

Originally Posted by 2nd Time Around

Way to go Jimbo! I respect the fact you went out and did the trackman session and posted the results.

While on the course do you give it your all with your driver or do you just take a normal swing? Reason I ask is I just started golfing again after more than a decade away. Back in the day my game was really ugly (usually around 115 with some outliers below 110 and some above 120) but I swung from my heals and occassionally hit a 300+ yard drive, but way more often than not the results were nowehre near optimal! ;-) If I had to guess I probably averaged not much more than 200 yards.

I've put in a lot of range work this summer and got out on the course for about 20 rounds of 9. I've also toned down my swing, striving for consistency and better ball striking. This past weekend I played two rounds of 9 and on the 6 holes I broke out the driver I hit 5 of 6 fairways and the drives ranged from 275 - 295 total distance. I haven't been that long or consistent all summer, but it's been steadily improving. These two rounds my driver was unusually good to me and probably an aberration. I doubt I'll have two more back-to-back rounds like that next time I go out, but the point is I'm getting much more consistent and enjoying the game much more than when I had the occassional 300+ yard drive.

Disclaimer: Those distances were determined using Google Earth so they're not spot-on, but probably within +/- 5 yards or so.

When I first started posting about hitting the long ball. Some of the people made it seem like I had only one swing of 100% power. This is not true. I do indeed have 3 driver swings. One at 80% one at 90% and one at 100%. These three different swing speeds range from 105ss - 115ss- 125ss. The less swing speed the more accuracy for sure. Cranking up to 125ss is me swinging hard as humanly possible and rarely making decent contact, and 5 out of 100 might go straight. Toning down to 90% power 115ss helps me to make better contact, but its still far from reasonable when talking about accuracy. I have indeed been using my 80% 105ss driver swing as of late on most shots, but I still do crank out my power swing when feeling frisky.

[RonTheSavage]

Congratulations Jimbo, I admit I was dead wrong! I'll be having crow dor dinner this evening. Now if I could only get my 235 ish yard drives to stay on the course..............

[Lihu]

When I first started posting about hitting the long ball. Some of the people made it seem like I had only one swing of 100% power. This is not true. I do indeed have 3 driver swings. One at 80% one at 90% and one at 100%. These three different swing speeds range from 105ss - 115ss- 125ss. The less swing speed the more accuracy for sure. Cranking up to 125ss is me swinging hard as humanly possible and rarely making decent contact, and 5 out of 100 might go straight. Toning down to 90% power 115ss helps me to make better contact, but its still far from reasonable when talking about accuracy. I have indeed been using my 80% 105ss driver swing as of late on most shots, but I still do crank out my power swing when feeling frisky.

I would guess that your comfortable swing speed also depends upon how many warm up shots you take. I also noticed that your handicap dropped. Good work.

[2nd Time Around]

Originally Posted by Jimbo Slice

When I first started posting about hitting the long ball. Some of the people made it seem like I had only one swing of 100% power. This is not true. I do indeed have 3 driver swings. One at 80% one at 90% and one at 100%. These three different swing speeds range from 105ss - 115ss- 125ss. The less swing speed the more accuracy for sure. Cranking up to 125ss is me swinging hard as humanly possible and rarely making decent contact, and 5 out of 100 might go straight. Toning down to 90% power 115ss helps me to make better contact, but its still far from reasonable when talking about accuracy. I have indeed been using my 80% 105ss driver swing as of late on most shots, but I still do crank out my power swing when feeling frisky.

I honestly don't know my SS. I do have a cheap accelerometer that attaches to the shaft. I have no idea how accurate it is (I'm guessing it might be juiced), but I pin it at 110 unless I really take something off it, and then the swing just doesn't feel comfortable. I think it's a little too slow for my current rhythm/tempo. Something just gets out of synch.

Anyway, here's to having fun and enjoying the game! As... challenging ...as it can be at times, the one thing we know for certain is there's always room for improvement. It can only get better, right? ;-)