Why is it unbelievable I can drive 300+ ?

[MSchott]

Originally Posted by Dave2512

This thread has twisted into something else so I hope this doesn't further derail it. Personally I don't get the fascination with long drives. Unless the course is excessively long how many times during a round is that particular shot even the right one to play? Most of the courses I play are in the 6400-6600y range and the only opportunities to bust out the long ball are the par 5's and the longer par 4's that don't dogleg. Hitting it long on the other par 4's could be trouble for all but the most accurate off the tee and even then it would require some significant shot shaping to get around trees and to avoid water and traps.

This isn't just an issue for amatuer golfers but all golfers. How many times have you watched a tournament on the tube and heard the guys calling it question a pros choice to use a driver off the tee? I hear it often and just as often they are right as the ball heads into the trees and leaves them with a tricky second shot. For the mortals with poor FIR percentages it seems more caution should be used when chosing clubs. Just because there's a driver in your bag doesn't mean it's a good idea to grab it. Far too many think they're going to hit the perfect shot when their own stats say they aren't.

I'm not sure what type of courses you play but nearly all the courses I've played over the years would easily accept a reasonably straight 280 yard drive. On the course I play most, maybe 3 holes would conceivably put you in trouble with a severely errant 280 yard drive and if you can play a controlled fade, 2 of the 3 would accept this shot.

[Dave2512]

I suppose I am referring to the guy that can hit a 3w, hybrid or long iron in the 240-260ish range. The ability to keep it the on the fairway without sacrificing much distance makes the driver a bad choice if it means rolling it through the fairway or hitting into a hazard. We have 7-8 holes at my home course where the driver is an option for those that can control it. But again I am referring to the guys that can accurately hit a legit 270+ drive. If you're not that guy the hazard that splits the fairway at 282y isn't a concern. Many of the guys I see out there are typical of what people have desribed here, the I hit it 270 but it's really 230 guy. The one's I get paired up with and out drive with my 19* hybrid can play their driver all day.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by MSchott

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave2512

This thread has twisted into something else so I hope this doesn't further derail it. Personally I don't get the fascination with long drives. Unless the course is excessively long how many times during a round is that particular shot even the right one to play? Most of the courses I play are in the 6400-6600y range and the only opportunities to bust out the long ball are the par 5's and the longer par 4's that don't dogleg. Hitting it long on the other par 4's could be trouble for all but the most accurate off the tee and even then it would require some significant shot shaping to get around trees and to avoid water and traps.

This isn't just an issue for amatuer golfers but all golfers. How many times have you watched a tournament on the tube and heard the guys calling it question a pros choice to use a driver off the tee? I hear it often and just as often they are right as the ball heads into the trees and leaves them with a tricky second shot. For the mortals with poor FIR percentages it seems more caution should be used when chosing clubs. Just because there's a driver in your bag doesn't mean it's a good idea to grab it. Far too many think they're going to hit the perfect shot when their own stats say they aren't.

I'm not sure what type of courses you play but nearly all the courses I've played over the years would easily accept a reasonably straight 280 yard drive. On the course I play most, maybe 3 holes would conceivably put you in trouble with a severely errant 280 yard drive and if you can play a controlled fade, 2 of the 3 would accept this shot.

I'm going to add my comment on this train of though into the Long Driving thread.

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by MSchott

I'm not sure what type of courses you play but nearly all the courses I've played over the years would easily accept a reasonably straight 280 yard drive. On the course I play most, maybe 3 holes would conceivably put you in trouble with a severely errant 280 yard drive and if you can play a controlled fade, 2 of the 3 would accept this shot.

It doesn't just depend on course, but what tees you play from.  From middle tees on most of the courses I've played, you can't just put it out there 280 and expect no trouble on a majority of the holes.  From the back tees, it's going to vary a bit more by course.  I try and play different courses every week, and on some of the better designed courses, 280 and not-precisely-down-the-middle can run out of the fairway and into hazards on more than just a few holes.  That's one of the reasons I tend to hit my 3w a lot.  And since I play in an NCGA Association league that plays from middle tees, I can't even hit that sometimes.

[Spyder]

Originally Posted by Dave2512

I suppose I am referring to the guy that can hit a 3w, hybrid or long iron in the 240-260ish range. The ability to keep it the on the fairway without sacrificing much distance makes the driver a bad choice if it means rolling it through the fairway or hitting into a hazard. We have 7-8 holes at my home course where the driver is an option for those that can control it. But again I am referring to the guys that can accurately hit a legit 270+ drive. If you're not that guy the hazard that splits the fairway at 282y isn't a concern. Many of the guys I see out there are typical of what people have desribed here, the I hit it 270 but it's really 230 guy. The one's I get paired up with and out drive with my 19* hybrid can play their driver all day.

Deer Pass Golf Course in Seville, OH  ( http://deerpassgolf.com/course/ )

The hole to the very right of the picture is a great example of what Dave is talking about here. The green is surrounded by water on 3 sides with a 40 yard fairway/"channel" that is approximately 80 yards long. The water on both sides of the fairway begins at 180 out. In this case, I play with a few guys that play the high-risk shot and come up heavily rewarded when they are Under GIR or very close to the green - but they're capable of doing so.

Me personally, I lay up with my 7i and play my GW to the green. Typically take a Par on the hole in question and I am very happy with that.

EDIT: This is Hole 4 - Par 4 306 White/311 Blue

[Darksun22]

I'm a long time reader first post.

I think I must chime in here (though it does not matter).

I personally am a very long hitter, I've busted 10+ faces and broken 30+ shafts in two with a clubhead speed of 130+ and ball speeds reaching 205ish. My current golf coach/Friend is setting me up for some po/am Long Drive stuff.

Even with all of the clubhead speed and power i produce with a 48.5 shaft length, 7 degree loft driver head and the stiffest flex shaft on the market, 340-360 is a monster.  (Live in northern GA where it is humid and usually a little damp not much above sea level).

Not that it matters, but I was an all state pitcher for my high school team 2 years and played 3 years of highschool golf. Im 6'3  225Lbs and I lay into the club.

I personally see no way that swing is producing over 220 carry unless you are half swinging in the videos.

220 is great if you are hitting it straight man, but I wouldn't go putting money down that you can lay out 270+ carry on a regular basis with a stock driver that is probably 9.5 degree loft, stiff flex,  46.5 inch shaft.

When im on the course with my TM Rocketballz 9.5 I average 290ish off the tee. (Though of course I could get more, but consistency is key here).

If you hit 300 on a gimic hole that says 440 on the score card, dog legs in, super hard fairways, 20yd elevation, and hit a burner.......  there is no reason to brag about that, everyone that plays 5+ rounds a year gets to play a hole like this.  Hell, I put one in the sand trap beside the green 2 weeks ago on 410 yard hole the hard doglegs to the left and the tee box is elevated probably 15 yards.   (probably a 330 yard drive for real,  but on the scorecard it looked like 405).

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Darksun22

I'm a long time reader first post.

I think I must chime in here (though it does not matter).

I personally am a very long hitter, I've busted 10+ faces and broken 30+ shafts in two with a clubhead speed of 130+ and ball speeds reaching 205ish. My current golf coach/Friend is setting me up for some po/am Long Drive stuff.

Even with all of the clubhead speed and power i produce with a 48.5 shaft length, 7 degree loft driver head and the stiffest flex shaft on the market, 340-360 is a monster.  (Live in northern GA where it is humid and usually a little damp not much above sea level).

Not that it matters, but I was an all state pitcher for my high school team 2 years and played 3 years of highschool golf. Im 6'3  225Lbs and I lay into the club.

I personally see no way that swing is producing over 220 carry unless you are half swinging in the videos.

220 is great if you are hitting it straight man, but I wouldn't go putting money down that you can lay out 270+ carry on a regular basis with a stock driver that is probably 9.5 degree loft, stiff flex,  46.5 inch shaft.

When im on the course with my TM Rocketballz 9.5 I average 290ish off the tee. (Though of course I could get more, but consistency is key here).

If you hit 300 on a gimic hole that says 440 on the score card, dog legs in, super hard fairways, 20yd elevation, and hit a burner.......  there is no reason to brag about that, everyone that plays 5+ rounds a year gets to play a hole like this.  Hell, I put one in the sand trap beside the green 2 weeks ago on 410 yard hole the hard doglegs to the left and the tee box is elevated probably 15 yards.   (probably a 330 yard drive for real,  but on the scorecard it looked like 405).

You're new. so maybe you aren't aware of GPS and laser rangefinders. It's now possible to measure a drive even on a dog leg. True story.

[Roblar]

Have I missed the trackman stats somewhere?

[Darksun22]

What I was trying to get at is that maybe the OP was figuring driving distance by looking at the scorecard that said "400" to hole.  Hit the ball and was at the 75Yd marker and said to himself.... wow a 325yd drive.

I'm new to the forum (well not really, just new to posting here) but I have 3 gps range finders lol... and actually use my Iphone app over them all now.

Everyone else was putting their 2cents in so I thought I would throw my comment in there.  The video the the OP put up is no where near a 270+ carry swing.  I hear it all the time from friends saying they consistently hit it 280 just to take them to the range and see them carry 240 with their best swings.

I got a funny story, kinda off topic, kinda on. But sells the point of ppl think they can hit it further that they really can. Skip the text below if you are not in story mood.

Since I do long drive stuff, I get called out a LOT (man testosterone and all) to do driving contests.  So I was playing poker at the bar that I golf at and someone says they saw me hitting the ball a few mins ago and bets 50$ they could out drive me best out of 3 but It doesn't count unless its in fairway.  He was a big guy, but to call me out in the bar I play in 5 days a week where i'm know for crushing balls was over the top cockey (and he was a regular)  Trust me when I say you can hear the ball contact from my attempts to crush the ball very profoundly from anywhere in the bar.

So we go over there and about 20 ppl follow us to the sim to watch the guy take his best shot at me.  I end up giving him 5 practice swings, (I take one with my 4 iron) and I end up giving him 5 drives to my 3.

He wants to go first, so he does.  He hits the ball well actually, first one in the middle about 270. Im thinking, this guy may just have 300 in him. So he continues to top his next few and puts one well struck one 275 in the middle and the puts one like 281 (if i remember right, just on the left rough, not on the fairway.  I told him he could take that one "whatever".

I get up, pull my 18degree 3Rescue out and put one up the middle 295 off the mat, put the club in my bag and say good game. He gets really mad and says its driver only, that the 3Hybrid don't count and I only have 2 left.  I contested for a second then said whatever.

So kind of pissed off I pull out my " Beast" club ( I carry 2 drivers, one long drive and other is my TM ) and put one just on the left rough 335 yards out.  He says something to the effect of "that sucks you only have one left now to beat me" (remember i gave him his in the left rough)...

So I get up and put one 320ish up the middle ( which is short for my LD club but i was being safe )  and collect my 50$ from the ******* that is now pretty pissed off and talking about how I played him and so on (though he wanted the bet to begin with).  To be honest, I wasn't even going to take his money, I knew he was making a bad bet. My plan was to say something like "just buy me a beer and were even" but he wanted to be an ass about it.

Maybe its just me, but when someone says..... " I drive 300+ yards all the time",  I really just want to see them do it.  It's actually nice to see a ripped ball 300 down the middle. It is no less manly if you can't though. I get beat by a woman at the bar (granted she was a head golf pro a few years back)  all the time.  She hits it smooth 190...  take the hybrid out and smooth 170....  putts for birdie,  and goes home with everyone's money.

I would trade my 300+ yard ability for down the middle 240 and arrow straight irons any day of the week. Got to play the cards you were delt.

Any other funny long drive stories?

[BWChuck]

Originally Posted by Darksun22

Even with all of the clubhead speed and power i produce with a 48.5 shaft length, 7 degree loft driver head and the stiffest flex shaft on the market, 340-360 is a monster.  (Live in northern GA where it is humid and usually a little damp not much above sea level).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darksun22

I get up, pull my 18degree 3Rescue out and put one up the middle 295 off the mat, put the club in my bag and say good game.

This will make for a good video to add to the above thread as well.

[Darksun22]

Originally Posted by BWChuck

This will make for a good video to add to the above thread as well.

If your asking for a video, sure.  It will be at the indoor sim because I play there 5x a week.  If your opposed to the Indoor sim the oh well. The sim is very accurate, I play course golf 2x a week and sim 5x a week and my club distances are almost spot on... Except for my PW,  For some reason on course its around 155 and on sim its 140???  Very weird and leaves a huge gap for my 9 iron which is 165ish.  Maybe the launch angle messes with the sim.

I could use some free tweaking.  Ill prob play tomorrow too, so Ill do a vid then with driver / 3 hybrid / 4 iron.

I broke my LD club in two 3 days ago, so give me a day or two for my friend to put the shaft on before I can post my 340-350 stuff.

4 Iron should be 250-265

3 Rescue reaches 305 max

Reg Driver is 330 max

LD Driver is 360 if I catch it perfect and don't break it in two.

Im pretty sure if i put up my reg driver vid with 190 ball speed and 330 distance you will trust me that I can get 30 more out of a Custom LD club.

As for your "Why is it unbelievable that I can drive 375+ in Denver?" .....   You lost me there.  Maybe because Denver elevation is crazy high?  Never been there so whatever.  I'd like to see 375+   that is Vegas material.  Maybe I missed your point?  If you start the thread with a vid of you blasting balls 300+ ill check it out. Sure.

Anywhoooo..... If I remember ill shoot an iPhone vid of me in the sim tomorrow and throw it up on here.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by Darksun22

Anywhoooo..... If I remember ill shoot an iPhone vid of me in the sim tomorrow and throw it up on here.

No thanks. Video of a sim is pointless. You may as well film yourself playing your character in Tiger Woods on your Xbox 360 or PS3.

[garybbq]

Originally Posted by Darksun22

If your asking for a video, sure.  It will be at the indoor sim because I play there 5x a week.  If your opposed to the Indoor sim the oh well. The sim is very accurate, I play course golf 2x a week and sim 5x a week and my club distances are almost spot on... Except for my PW,  For some reason on course its around 155 and on sim its 140???  Very weird and leaves a huge gap for my 9 iron which is 165ish.  Maybe the launch angle messes with the sim.

I could use some free tweaking.  Ill prob play tomorrow too, so Ill do a vid then with driver / 3 hybrid / 4 iron.

I broke my LD club in two 3 days ago, so give me a day or two for my friend to put the shaft on before I can post my 340-350 stuff.

4 Iron should be 250-265

3 Rescue reaches 305 max

Reg Driver is 330 max

LD Driver is 360 if I catch it perfect and don't break it in two.

Im pretty sure if i put up my reg driver vid with 190 ball speed and 330 distance you will trust me that I can get 30 more out of a Custom LD club.

As for your "Why is it unbelievable that I can drive 375+ in Denver?" .....   You lost me there.  Maybe because Denver elevation is crazy high?  Never been there so whatever.  I'd like to see 375+   that is Vegas material.  Maybe I missed your point?  If you start the thread with a vid of you blasting balls 300+ ill check it out. Sure.

Anywhoooo..... If I remember ill shoot an iPhone vid of me in the sim tomorrow and throw it up on here.

Interesting, I would be curious to see the video even if its in doors.

[3PuttKing]

Originally Posted by Roblar

Have I missed the trackman stats somewhere?

Lol nope. I hope you weren't actually expecting them....

[Gresh24]

Originally Posted by iacas

No thanks. Video of a sim is pointless. You may as well film yourself playing your character in Tiger Woods on your Xbox 360 or PS3.

Why?  The majority of people here know exactly how a person can hit the ball just by watching their swing.

[MSchott]

Originally Posted by bplewis24

It doesn't just depend on course, but what tees you play from.  From middle tees on most of the courses I've played, you can't just put it out there 280 and expect no trouble on a majority of the holes.  From the back tees, it's going to vary a bit more by course.  I try and play different courses every week, and on some of the better designed courses, 280 and not-precisely-down-the-middle can run out of the fairway and into hazards on more than just a few holes.  That's one of the reasons I tend to hit my 3w a lot.  And since I play in an NCGA Association league that plays from middle tees, I can't even hit that sometimes.

Obviously it depends on the course but in my experience, most courses if you play from tees that are about 6400 yards give you enough room to hit a 280 yard drive reasonably straight. I can understand this may not be the case on a reachable par 4 hole. There are also hole with wetlands restrictions that may force a layup but IMO these are poorly designed holes. Keep in mind I live in Michigan and if you are from Florida your courses may have a lot more water that comes into play although any hole that forces a layup on a long par 4 is a bad golf hole.

Lets look at Augusta National which is a traditional parkland course. There are no par 4 or 5's where you cannot use driver off the tee. I've walked Oakland Hills South a number of times and it's the same. A long hitter may not want to use driver on 5 due to a creek or on 7 due to a pond right of the fairway or on 16 due to the pond but all 3 can take a well struck driver without trouble.

[B-Con]

Why?  The majority of people here know exactly how a person can hit the ball just by watching their swing.

A swing on a simulator isn't the same as a swing on a real course. If you're not hitting a real ball at a real target, you can modify your swing without even realizing it. Even a swing on a driving range isn't perfect, but it's better than on a simulator.

[Gresh24]

Originally Posted by B-Con

A swing on a simulator isn't the same as a swing on a real course. If you're not hitting a real ball at a real target, you can modify your swing without even realizing it. Even a swing on a driving range isn't perfect, but it's better than on a simulator.

Come on, it isn't that different.  And I was being facetious anyway.