Are most people exagerating their long drive exploits

[jfrain2004]

I consider my driving to be the strongest part of my game yet every time I read some post on the net I feel like I'm only half the man I thought I was. I've had my swing measured in 2 pro shops at 104 - 5 mph. I have got custom fitted with my driver, Cleveland HiBore XL, gold shaft, stiff, 10.5 Deg ( As the average pro plays with a loft of just short of 9.5 Deg and I figured as I swing 5 - 10 mph slower than the average pro I need at least 10 Deg loft so I have never bought into the amatuer with a 9 Deg driver lark )
Using a taped driver I'm I know I'm usually pretty close to the sweet spot of the club and my natural shot is slight draw. Why then do I find myself reading about folks with far higher handicaps, slower swing speeds, etc talking about 260 yrds upwards of carry when at best I carry it 250? I play with pro v X's. Even a shot that only carries 230 or 240 leaves the club face at a blistering speed. What's more, I'm never beaten for distance off the tee and I have played with some very low handicappers so can someone tell me how long is a yard these days?

[DiverDown]

I feel the same as you. I'm a mid-handicapper and my drives probably average 220, but only see people outdistance me marginally who claim to drive it 250 and above. I think some of it may have to do with distances measured at the range. I don't think many ranges are accurate at all. At one range I go to I can regulary put it at the 250 marker, but I certainly looks shorter than 250 to me.

[JaY_B]

I have always said most higher handicaps grossly over exaggerate the distance they drive the ball on this forum, however you will get the usual answers of "yes I hit it a long way but its not straight and my short game lets me down", make of it what you will, but no matter what anyone says I still believe most people are over exaggerating their average drives, but if saying they hit the ball a long way pleases them, let them get on with it :).

[jfrain2004]

So for my own peace of mind would you consider 260 in total to be a good drive? I'm comparing this against the tour average which is around 285 so to me being 25 yrds behind someone who does this for a living is not a bad distance ! If so then I take it my practice time would better spent on my putting chipping

[MrKadash]

Driving is all relative. It's no secret that scoring in golf occurs inside 100 yds., so I don't worry about it. I can only carry around 230 off the tee with a swing speed of around 105. I know a guy who hits it well past me and I beat him regularly. It's who can get up and down and who can putt that distinguishes the men from the boys.

[i-Guy]

I would have to agree that people (for the most part) over exaggerate the distances they hit their Driver (or any club for that matter)…I think it is a one time event versus the average kind of thing. Meaning just because you caught your Driver flush one-time with an all out swing and it went 280 yards does not mean that is the distance you can consistently hit a Driver…it means that is the distance you hit a Driver ONCE! I will admit that some hit it farther then others but for the most part there is an average that is based on swing speed, launch angle and or course conditions…speaking of average's, how about the way the U S G A defines the following:

Bogey Golfer: A male bogey golfer is a player who has a Course Handicap of approximately 20 on a course of standard difficulty. He can hit tee shots an average of 200 yards and can reach a 370-yard hole in two shots at sea level.

Scratch Golfer: A male scratch golfer is a player who can play to a Course Handicap of zero on any and all rated golf courses. A male scratch golfer, for rating purposes, can hit tee shots an average of 250 yards and can reach a 470-yard hole in two shots at sea level.

What do you all think of these definitions? See ya...

[hawkeye]

My answer would be YES!

It's a ego thing - distance is everything after all....!

[neudi]

So for my own peace of mind would you consider 260 in total to be a good drive? I'm comparing this against the tour average which is around 285 so to me being 25 yrds behind someone who does this for a living is not a bad distance ! If so then I take it my practice time would better spent on my putting chipping

Is it in the fairway, and is it where you want it, I would say yes. It shouldn't be about what everyone else is throwing out there, if you are enjoying the game and getting progressively better with your current drives then you should be very pleased with how you play. 260 in the fairway is a good drive and don't let people tell you otherwise.

[RX Phoenix]

If you hit it 260 you're hitting it long. Occassionaly downwind, downhill, good roll out you might get a 280-300. I've played with a few who do hit it longer, but it's rare.

Keep in mind that trying to hit it 280 leads to a lot of wildness in most swings, if you can put it down the middle 250-60 you're a real good driver of the ball.

Exaggeration of driver distance on forums is a given fact of life

And a lot of holes you need position more than length, if you hit it 280 and the ball comes to rest on a strong downslope . . . try hitting a fairway wood off of that! It's better to land in a level area.

[blkdiamond]

What, you don't believe me when I say that I can hit my driver 400+ yards? Also, I can't understand why the majority of everyone on this forum doesn't play professionally since everyone seems to be such great golfers here.

I admit it, I am lucky to get a 200+ drive, I tend to 3 and sometimes 4 putt and I rarely break 100. Now after playing golf off and on for 10 years I am finally going to get some lessons this coming spring so I figure by this summer I should be htting the ball 320+ yards off the tee with my 3-wood and I should be a scratch golfer, right?

Since I posted it on the Internet it must be true!

[golfEnthusiast]

Like others have allready said... chipping and putting is what really matters...

but it's funny how people exaggerate. my theory is that most people probably say take the distance on their longest drive ever, and say that's their "average" driving distance

[bogeyme]

What, you don't believe me when I say that I can hit my driver 400+ yards? Also, I can't understand why the majority of everyone on this forum doesn't play professionally since everyone seems to be such great golfers here.

It has to be true because I read it on the internet and everyone says that what's on the internet is the truth.

I agree with most of you that many people exagerate about the lengths of their drives.

[Shindig]

I'm not surprised by the quantity of better-than-average players on the board. The averages for an average golfer have to include the idea that some bogey golfers took a few lessons, bought some clubs, and play maybe once every month or two. These guys, if they work out, aren't doing golf-centric exercises, they don't practice regularly, and they probably don't have properly fit equipment. These things bring down average distances.

Meanwhile, I'm at the gym at least 4 days a week - sometimes as much as 7 days - and my exercises are golf-centric. My equipment fits me. I practice regularly, even during the school year. My distance isn't above average (I more or less fit the USGA definition of "bogey golfer" for distances). But I know I'm far from alone as someone who focuses some non-golf time on improving my golf.

[JaY_B]

I'm not a gym expert, but Shindig going to the gym 7 days a week will do more harm than good, your muscles need time to recover, your running the risk of injury at the moment.

[mikelz]

.... ....Why then do I find myself reading about folks with far higher handicaps, slower swing speeds, etc talking about 260 yrds upwards of carry when at best I carry it 250? I play with pro v X's. Even a shot that only carries 230 or 240 leaves the club face at a blistering speed. What's more, I'm never beaten for distance off the tee and I have played with some very low handicappers so can someone tell me how long is a yard these days?

From some of the comments, I think a yard is about two feet. I love playing those guys.

[sjhwilkes]

Yes people exaggerate, men especially :)
It is possible to hit it a long way though...
A decade ago when I first took up golf I remember going to a Ping fitting session in London and selecting and buying my T-ISI driver, it was a nice range with decent balls and I was pounding them repeatedly into the fence which was at 290 yards, the Ping guy was pretty impressed.
Skip forward to last year when I started playing again and my drives go 255, sometimes rollling to 285, not bad, but I begun to doubt my rememberance of the above, thinking I must have exaggerated big time, I'm 35 now, so not in that much poorer shape.
Finally last week I went to the range every day for a change. Sure enough by the end of the week I was able to knock crappy range balls over the top of the fence at 240 yards.
Sorry this was a long ramble with very little point, people do exaggerate, but some also hit it a long way, I don't think that's the most difficult part of the game, modern drivers and balls have seen to that - 300 is attainable now. Don't forget that the PGA longest drives are all over 400 now!

[mancest]

I think most golfers figure there average drive the same way I used to, they take there longest 10, subtract the hooks or slices drop out any skyballs and the like and use those.

I used to think my average was 240, I have now realized that I probably carry the ball about 225 with my driver and with roll I am looking at 235 or so. and that is on a well struck ball. More likely overall average is probably in the 215 range . It is tough to accept that, but when I think about the pop up I hit that went 160 or so, and the one I hooked into the trees... the 215 is probably accurate to optomistic for me.

One of the things I learned, was that my handicap started to go down when I started swinging the clubs the distances I could regularly attain instead of the one monster shot I remembered (hitting a PW for 120-125 instead of a GW or SW). my $0.02.

[pjsnyc]

This thread makes me feel A LOT better about my driving distance :) 225ish seems to be my avg...with the occasional 250+