Not trying to be a jerk but seasoned short hitters, what is keeping you from hitting it over 250 on your drives?

[JerryTimes]

What's keeping me from doing it is a lack of time to practice and play rounds.  I finally got to the course yesterday, first time in two months, and basically my first 4 holes are my practice holes. I'd say my longest drive was about 275 yesterday, but on average I probably hit them around 210-220.  I hit two of them well, the 275 one I had a little wind behind me, and the other one that I hit well was about 250.

[tuffluck]

Flexibility has to be a reasonable answer. Not everyone can stretch their body the same. I have a buddy that has tried to take up golf and during his backswing he cannot straighten his left arm. It always bends, and he has worked on it for some time. This is an extreme limitation of a flexibility shortcoming, but I'm sure you get the point. Seems like a dumb question if you ask me...like a marathon runner asking another marathon runner why they can't break 3hrs even though they've been running marathons all their life.

[Johnny1putt]

My educated opinion is this:  It' mostly a technique problem.... but..... one who has good/very good technique and still only hits it 220-230.... his issue is simply this ---------- lack of fast twitch muscles.   Some people are just born to swing a golf club or baseball bat faster than others.  I knew and played with several softball players that were not big at all & killed the ball.  Then there were plenty of big dudes who were singles hitters.

I know a guy who is about 5' 10" & 195 pounds.  Averages 270-285 on his drives.  Granted... he is a very good player but just an average guy who plays once or twice a week.

Then I know another guy who is 6'2" & 235 pounds.  Hits it 230.  Yes his technique is not as the other dude but there has to be more than technique.

I say some are born with it...some not.

It's no different than baseball pitchers.  Why can one guy get it up there at 95mph and another one only 87mph?  Born that way....

[Valleygolfer]

My educated opinion is this:  It' mostly a technique problem.... but..... one who has good/very good technique and still only hits it 220-230.... his issue is simply this ---------- lack of fast twitch muscles.   Some people are just born to swing a golf club or baseball bat faster than others.  I knew and played with several softball players that were not big at all & killed the ball.  Then there were plenty of big dudes who were singles hitters.

I know a guy who is about 5' 10" & 195 pounds.  Averages 270-285 on his drives.  Granted... he is a very good player but just an average guy who plays once or twice a week.

Then I know another guy who is 6'2" & 235 pounds.  Hits it 230.  Yes his technique is not as the other dude but there has to be more than technique.

I say some are born with it...some not.

It's no different than baseball pitchers.  Why can one guy get it up there at 95mph and another one only 87mph?  Born that way....

Good points

[turtleback]

Because most golfers realize that in the large variety of factors that go into a good score, distance is a relatively small part of it.

[Reg5000]

Well to be honest Im the longest hitter on my course and I average at least 290-300+.  Only few people on my course take as long of a swing as I do and take the club back as far as me either.  Im a righty and I can see the club out of my left eye when I take it back and not many guys can.  So I say alot of it is just swing mechanics, flexablilty and just making good contact.

[teamroper60]

Originally Posted by Valleygolfer

I stated before, and I might have used a yardage too high, but I wanted to know what if people knew was holding them back from hitting a longer shot. I also would be curious to know why they haven't remedied it if they know. It is just that I see guys who are solid players hit short drives and post on this forum and as stated by another poster, there is a wealth of information here to help add distance without completely sacrificing accuracy.

I was interested to know peoples take on their game. I am not stating anything about how I do it or brag about anything. This is a forum in case you didn't know it and people can weigh in or not. I have quite a few threads that were not interesting enough for people to weigh in on and this one has some interest whether you see the point or not.

Yes I know this is an internet forum and that people can weigh in or not.   I even said I did not think you posted the question to brag.   You apparently completely missed why I am perplexed by the question as posed.

Long is one thing, shooting a low score can be an entirely different matter.    While being long can be impressive (and lead to comments like, "I wish I had his power."), scoring consistently low  can be another altogether.  Most people who play the game seriously are more concerned with their final score than how far they can hit a drive.

So let me rephrase what I am getting at..............   I don't get why do you care what is holding back others from hitting it farther than 250yds.    If you were concerned about why YOU couldn't hit it farther than that, I could understand your question but I get the impression you can, so why do you care?   If it is not bothering other people, why does it bother you enough to post the question?

[Lihu]

Not sure what you are talking about.

It means that someone like me should give up distance for control. His 230 yards would be like my 260 yards as far as positioning the approach shot. He'll probably make GIR, and I could be left with an extra pitch shot and lose the hole and $.

[Roblar]

Such an easy question to answer!

I can't hit over 250 because I suck at golf.

I can carry 220 and roll out close to 240 without, generally, being too far from the fairway.  But when I try to hit it 250+, I develop an instant 100 yard slice, and instead of being in the middle of the adjacent fairway, I'm suddenly beyond the far edge in the rough.

Sure, sure, I can hit a bunch of 260-280 yard drives at the range, and they even go pretty straight, but it all falls to pieces after my first miss on the course (usually the first tee).  If I don't over-swing, I can play better than bogey golf.  If I start playing strongman-longman, I'll be in the 90's quick.

Since I'm sure I answered your question, I'm guessing you can let this thread die a natural death now.

[Lihu]

Such an easy question to answer! I can't hit over 250 because I suck at golf. I can carry 220 and roll out close to 240 without, generally, being too far from the fairway.  But when I try to hit it 250+, I develop an instant 100 yard slice, and instead of being in the middle of the adjacent fairway, I'm suddenly beyond the far edge in the rough. Sure, sure, I can hit a bunch of 260-280 yard drives at the range, and they even go pretty straight, but it all falls to pieces after my first miss on the course (usually the first tee).  If I don't over-swing, I can play better than bogey golf.  If I start playing strongman-longman, I'll be in the 90's quick. Since I'm sure I answered your question, I'm guessing you can let this thread die a natural death now. :loco:

Nope, we can't let it die because a 14 handicapper who says he "sucks at golf" doesn't make sense. :-P

[David in FL]

Nope, we can't let it die because a 14 handicapper who says he "sucks at golf" doesn't make sense. :-P

Golf is relative..... I suck too, more often than I like! :-)

[hendog]

For people I play with or have seen play, it is 1 of 2 things:

1) Ignorance. They have no idea what makes a ball go far from swing path, to face angle, to ball spin etc. They swing and the ball goes where it goes and its usually not straight.

2) Fear/Restraint. Many people who CAN hit the ball far struggle to do so consistently so they pull back and try not to lose a dozen balls a day.

I have 2 perfect examples.

Friend A swings for the fences. He can crush it but its a terrible swing. When he catches it right it goes 265-280 depending on conditions. He does not know what is happening though. Some days he is on fire. Other days he drop kicks everything and slices the ball out of play. So for him it is ignorance but to his credit he does not care. He just plays to have fun.

Friend B is very calculated. He thinks about his swing, reads about technique, watches videos, buys good equipment. He can hit the ball a long way but sometimes its a long way OOB. He knows that a more calculated and calm swing will keep the ball in play more and ultimately improve his scores more than a few long bombs. So for him it is fear/restraint.

I try to incorporate both and find a balance. If I am feeling it I will cut it loose. If its wide open I'm going for broke. If I'm struggling or if the hole is tighter or short enough that a solid 250 would work, I pull back. Its all about personality and physical ability. The combination of the two will answer this question I think.

[dak4n6]

My son can sometimes regularly smack his drives >280. But, he also goes into months-long episodes where he can't control his path/plane, and he wipes the ball and it only goes 220. And of course, the ironic thing is that this is due to him trying to hit it too hard.

[LovinItAll]

Originally Posted by Valleygolfer

I am not really looking to call out high handicap people. More like the guys that play 10 or lower and are short off the tee but more consistent players.

<10 HC'ers have grooved their swing to a fair degree. If they're already short hitters, they'll have to make some swing changes to pick up any real distance. Swing changes = significant practice time for the changes to become visceral. Many players either aren't inclined or simply don't have the time to implement those changes. Just because someone says, "I wish I...." doesn't mean they're willing (or necessarily particularly interested) in doing what it takes to make said wish come true.

I wish I hit it ~260-265 every time. I know there's plenty of room for improvement in my mechanics, but I have other things to do. Could I really ever average 260? IDK, and I'm not willing to put in the work to find out. I'm not lazy, though.

[Datsyuk]

What the heck? I've seen a couple single digit handicappers who averaged just below 250 but to read this forum you'd think that was the norm and that people playing off 10 or less and averaging > 250 yards (with a DRIVER!!!) were the minority. Most single digit players I played with when I started were hitting > 250 wooden clubs. And they were 3-woods. When did golfers become so soft and weak. Seriously. Even I was questioning a guy claiming 125 mph as if it's like hitting 100 home runs in a major league season. Maybe he does swing that fast. And maybe a lot of other guys around here do too, but we don't get our swing's and ideal ball flight mapped out before buying a golf club. Our bad!!

[dak4n6]

Originally Posted by Datsyuk

What the heck? I've seen a couple single digit handicappers who averaged just below 250 but to read this forum you'd think that was the norm and that people playing off 10 or less and averaging > 250 yards (with a DRIVER!!!) were the minority. Most single digit players I played with when I started were hitting > 250 wooden clubs. And they were 3-woods. When did golfers become so soft and weak. Seriously. Even I was questioning a guy claiming 125 mph as if it's like hitting 100 home runs in a major league season. Maybe he does swing that fast. And maybe a lot of other guys around here do too, but we don't get our swing's and ideal ball flight mapped out before buying a golf club. Our bad!!

[Datsyuk]

Originally Posted by dak4n6

I just checked and it seems I wasn't responding to you so it turns out nobody cares what you don't understand.

[dak4n6]

How is it that you know what everyone else cares or does not care about?

Relax, I'm just sayin I did not understand the point you were trying to make. It's the internet - happens a lot.