Stop Lying About Your Distance - It's Pissing Me Off (Rant Thread)

[Lihu]

12 minutes ago, rehmwa said:

OMG, you’re giving away all our swing secrets!!!

You...must...be...stopped...🙈

[Pretzel]

2 hours ago, Double Mocha Man said:

You are old, you have a bad back, you hit a golf ball 300 yards... aaaaand you expertly play Beethoven's Sonata Sympathetique in c minor.  Are you challenging for the "Most Interesting Man in the World".  "I don't play much golf but when I do I leave the flagstick in."

He's clearly just Kim Jong Il, back from the grave to tell us tales of his 34 at Pyongyang Golf Course.

All distances comes down to is if a golfer is physically able to swing a golf club fast (110 mph+) and make solid contact. Even some terrible golfers can do this if they're in good shape and get lucky with center face contact. Better golfers do it more often just because of better technique and improved consistency in strike. Not everyone will be capable of 300 yard drives, and not everyone capable of a 300 yard drive will ever even hit one.

There's a lot of factors to it, but the basic gist is that 300 yard driving distance (and even anything above 250) isn't something a golfer at any amateur level of golf (scratch or worse) should expect since a scratch golfer is only expected to be able hit the ball 250 yards per the USGA and its rating system. Hell, the median guy on tour still "only" hit the ball 296.2 yards in 2018.

[NZ Golfer]

On 1/5/2019 at 8:50 AM, Pretzel said:

He's clearly just Kim Jong Il, back from the grave to tell us tales of his 34 at Pyongyang Golf Course.

All distances comes down to is if a golfer is physically able to swing a golf club fast (110 mph+) and make solid contact. Even some terrible golfers can do this if they're in good shape and get lucky with center face contact. Better golfers do it more often just because of better technique and improved consistency in strike. Not everyone will be capable of 300 yard drives, and not everyone capable of a 300 yard drive will ever even hit one.

There's a lot of factors to it, but the basic gist is that 300 yard driving distance (and even anything above 250) isn't something a golfer at any amateur level of golf (scratch or worse) should expect since a scratch golfer is only expected to be able hit the ball 250 yards per the USGA and its rating system. Hell, the median guy on tour still "only" hit the ball 296.2 yards in 2018.

I'm certainly fit as I've ever been ... Generally even since the early days hit past most of the guys I play with even guys that are -10 LOWER HC ...I must be a freak ...heaps of power but trouble controlling it as HC-15

Only back playing after surgery to my right arm so didn't use my driver as didn't feel confident enough as I do with my 3w.. but on Tuesday(after 1hr+ on driving range) on the first hole PAR5 551yards I used 3w + Hybrid to just be off the green (close enough to use the putter) cross-slight back wind hot dry conditions ... now I could try 20x times and not repeat the feat as I usually my best results is with Driver+3W ... Now I did hit the ball in the perfect location as the hole slightly doglegs left at 290-300yrds 

Cromwell Golf Course - Hole 1 - Central Otago Golf

 

Edited March 13, 2019 by NZ Golfer

[billchao]

I'm sad I missed this thread back in January 🤣

[Nave]

Once another player joined our foursome. He was around 6'6 tall. Every time he hit the driver, the impact was extremely loud and one could hear the ball take off like a rocket. Seriously though.

However his distance was always just under 300 yards.

I was curious and checked his driver club head - it was an illegal 750 CC head.

What's even the point? I thought tour pros actually use smaller clubheads for their drivers.

[Drexelius]

Totally agree with DaveP033. I'm an older, fatter, single digit handicapper that only carries it about 245. With a little help from a downhill, some helping wind, or a nice roll-out on a dry summer day, it might make it out there 280 on occasion. But what matters is the score that's put onto the card when the ball drops into the bottom of the cup - it doesn't really matter how it got there. Equipment (balls, clubs) have helped us keep our distance about the same as it was when we were a bit younger but, trust me, we know that. Let people claim what they want - if that 1 in 10 300-yd drive is what keeps them coming back, let it be. I'll be happy to take their money at the end of the round.😁

[saevel25]

2 hours ago, Nave said:

What's even the point? I thought tour pros actually use smaller clubheads for their drivers.

Maybe 430 to 460 is the range for PGA Tour driver size.

I think a smaller sized driver head might give the PGA Tour player a slight swing speed boost to do less air resistance on the club head.

2 hours ago, Nave said:

Every time he hit the driver, the impact was extremely loud and one could hear the ball take off like a rocket. Seriously though.

Probably because of the 750cc driver. I suspect a larger clubhead would produce a louder sound.

2 hours ago, Nave said:

However his distance was always just under 300 yards.

So? You have a few small PGA Tour players who bomb it. Still, majority of the long distance hitters on tour are 6'-2" or taller. I know a guy who is 5'-10" tall and hits it 300-310 yards. He just swing super hard.

 

[IowaGreg]

Remember when Hawkeye said he came out of retirement because he was bored.  Went golfing and shot an 18..........  LOL

[The Recreational Golfer]

I read a golf magazine that had 217 tips to get more distance. I did all of them and drove the front nine.

[KevinX]

Once people come to terms how they really hit the ball. They will become better golfers. I think i average 230 to 240 off the tee. sometimes when it comes together once or twice it will go 260. Far and very few between. Most people i play with really think they hit it a ton. most can't hit it father than me. the one that do are only a few yards ahead. Figure your true driving distance then play the right tees. for me i always play 6100 to 6400 and change courses. anything 6500 and above my short game need to be perfect. Only time i play a course longer is when i play the Black at Bethpage. I believe 6500 to 6600 off the whites. Its always funny when people tell me they hit 280 but for some reason they can't out drive me. When i tell them how far they hit it. They come back and say it was a miss hit. You'll never play good til you come to terms how far you can hit each club

[hoganbenn]

You are right on Kevin buddy....from golf digest....

Also buried in the current USGA/R&A Distance Report is a positive sign that new technology may be helping the weakest of average golfers. While that study showed mild gains across most handicap groups, the worst players saw dramatically higher gains in driving distance. According to the report, players with a 6-handicap or less only saw driving distance increase two yards from 1996 to 2017 (234 yards to 236). Meanwhile, those with handicaps greater than 21 saw a 23-yard gain (165 yards to 188).

[Groucho Valentine]

Theres alot of toxic masculinity goin on up in hyeah. 

[saevel25]

10 hours ago, Groucho Valentine said:

Theres alot of toxic masculinity goin on up in hyeah. 

[NZ Golfer]

I wish at times I didn't hit the ball as far as I do many times on the course it puts me in much worse positions where playing off the blue tees is safer many times.. yesterday I played in my local men's club comp 40 odd guys etc

First time I've played this year (injury surgery 5months out from the game) 

My driver isn't the most accurate currently and need much more work to get the swing right,,  but my 3 wood is so used that for all but two drives....(usually around the other way)

Now I had no issue hitting the 3w Aeroburner straight 250yards+ yesterday ..  now maybe I'm wrong and its much shorter as that what I'm hearing on this thread by many better golfers that mid-higher HC players are dreaming thinking they can hit 300yard drives ...

Well if that's the case how did I reach to the side of the green on a 552yard PAR5 with a 3w then a 5 hybrid ???  slight crosswind would have helped --here's a pic of the hole 

Cromwell Golf Course - Hole 1 - Central Otago Golf

 

Am I a freak .... 110mph-118mph swing speed

[pganapathy]

26 minutes ago, NZ Golfer said:

I wish at times I didn't hit the ball as far as I do many times on the course it puts me in much worse positions

Am I a freak .... 110mph-118mph swing speed

Yes, 110 to 120 mph is freakish.  Very few amateurs can get that kind of clubhead speed, along with good contact.  When you achieve that, with centre face contact, 300 yards is definitely possible. But 3 wood and 5 hybrid to the green either came about because of a tail wind or downhill hole, or possibly both.  Another possibility is dry and hard surfaces, letting the ball run a lot.  That is definitely not normal

[billchao]

5 minutes ago, pganapathy said:

Yes, 110 to 120 mph is freakish.  Very few amateurs can get that kind of clubhead speed, along with good contact.  When you achieve that, with centre face contact, 300 yards is definitely possible. But 3 wood and 5 hybrid to the green either came about because of a tail wind or downhill hole, or possibly both.  Another possibility is dry and hard surfaces, letting the ball run a lot.  That is definitely not normal

It's on the faster side of the spectrum but I don't consider 110-118 freakish. That's basically tour average. 130+ would be freakish IMO.

[pganapathy]

Just now, billchao said:

It's on the faster side of the spectrum but I don't consider 110-118 freakish. That's basically tour average. 130+ would be freakish IMO.

I agree that is tour average, but how many amateurs you know who can hit that fast.  Agreed, 130 is freakish even for pro's but when you take the average amateur, this is considered freakish.  If you treat it by people grouping, then 130 is average in the Long Distance hitters

[billchao]

2 minutes ago, pganapathy said:

I agree that is tour average, but how many amateurs you know who can hit that fast.  Agreed, 130 is freakish even for pro's but when you take the average amateur, this is considered freakish.  If you treat it by people grouping, then 130 is average in the Long Distance hitters

There are more than you think. Lots of college players can swing really fast and they're all amateurs. 110-118 is going to seem pretty pedestrian in a few years time and it already is by high level standards.

I guess I just have a different standard for "freakish". Long Drive guys have freakish speed. 110-118 is achievable through good technique and decent ability. I'll never hit 130 no matter how hard I train.