Measuring shot distance

[RJN12]

As a newbie, I have absolutely no idea how far I shoot each of my clubs, and my sense of distance isn’t brilliant (doesnt help that I am used to metres and most discussions tend to be in yards). I’d like to get at least a rough sense of distance, I have a TomTom running watch which I figure I could use, or possibly an iphone app. I spent too much money on starter gear already, so would prefer not to get another gadget just yet. Any advice?

[saevel25]

4 minutes ago, RJN12 said:

As a newbie, I have absolutely no idea how far I shoot each of my clubs, and my sense of distance isn’t brilliant (doesnt help that I am used to metres and most discussions tend to be in yards). I’d like to get at least a rough sense of distance, I have a TomTom running watch which I figure I could use, or possibly an iphone app. I spent too much money on starter gear already, so would prefer not to get another gadget just yet. Any advice?

Go out to a course when it isn't busy. Go out to the 100 yard marker. Pick a club you think goes 100 yards. Hit about 10 shots. Pace off the distance to the average distance, disregard really bad shots. You might take the best 6 or 7 out of the 10 shots.

From there, just add/subtract 10 yards per club.

Typically, golf clubs are designed to have gaps of 10-12 yards depending on how far you hit the ball. Higher swing speeds will have larger gaps, depending on the iron set configuration.

[klineka]

Start using GameGolf. Its a free app you can use to track your shots and distances. There is a component you can buy that will allow you to tag each shot without having to use your phone, but I have played 9 rounds so far using just the app and it has been fine in giving me my distances. 

Play 3 or 4 rounds tagging your shots with the phone and you will start to get an idea of how far each shot goes, plus the minimums and maximums for each as well.

The GameGolf app also gives you other important pieces of data like GIR %, putts per round, and even distance left to the green. 

Its a ton of information and features packed in a free app as long as you dont mind having your phone in your pocket during your round. 

Tapping my shot has just become part of my preshot routine now, and most of the time my playing partners dont even notice. 

Edited October 19, 2017 by klineka

[Patch]

School play grounds, when empty of people, and is allowed is a good place to get distances. Myself, I use a dry lake bed  get my carry distances. Roll out after the carry is at the mercy of the course conditions. Uphill, down hill, flat, fast, or slow. 

After a while, the golfer, from previous expirience, will know what club to pull for the shot at hand. He may not know the actual distance, but will know which club to use. 

I have a personal, mental quirk when it comes to distances. If I see a 7i, full swing distance, I pull a 6i. I always take one extra club to allow for my not so perfect club/ball contact. This has served me quite well over the years. 

[Buckeyebowman]

On 10/19/2017 at 11:59 AM, Patch said:

 

I have a personal, mental quirk when it comes to distances. If I see a 7i, full swing distance, I pull a 6i. I always take one extra club to allow for my not so perfect club/ball contact. This has served me quite well over the years. 

That's a point. Once I learned my game, occasionally the yardage would tell me one club but the shot would "look" one club longer or, rarely, one club shorter. After a while I learned to go with my gut.

[Lihu]

On 10/19/2017 at 7:55 AM, RJN12 said:

As a newbie, I have absolutely no idea how far I shoot each of my clubs, and my sense of distance isn’t brilliant (doesnt help that I am used to metres and most discussions tend to be in yards). I’d like to get at least a rough sense of distance, I have a TomTom running watch which I figure I could use, or possibly an iphone app. I spent too much money on starter gear already, so would prefer not to get another gadget just yet. Any advice?

Game Golf has a free application for IOS.