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

[colin007]

The woods are full of short drivers as well.

[Strandly]

I don't disagree with the OP that people are... mistaken about how far they hit the ball.  I fail to see what handicap has to do with distance though.  I've seen all sizes of people spray the ball all over the place every distance possible so I don't think handicap has much to do with it.

[ncates00]

11 minutes ago, Strandly said:

I fail to see what handicap has to do with distance though

It's quite obvious.  The more speed a person has, the more they are doing right in the swing to achieve that swing.  Thus, the person is more likely to be a lower handicap because lower handicaps do more right in their swing.  Again, it's not a hard rule but a standard.  Better players turn clubhead speed into ballspeed whilst controlling face to path pretty regularly. 

[NZ Golfer]

The woods are full of long drivers....Harvey Penick

Yes as many courses are designed to hurt the wayward bigger hitter ..with bunkers and more trees rough 280+ yards out etc certainly is at my local where the shorter hitters can get away with a poor drives etc but if I'm slightly offline 280-320yards out can be a word of hurt.. actually one straight hole I aim for a set of trees between two fairways 280yards out fade lands in my fairway straight to draw the other fairway (still with a good look at the hole) ... but a slice goes out of bounds

[boogielicious]

5 hours ago, colin007 said:

The woods are full of short drivers as well.

I’ve never thrown my driver in the woods. 😄

[iacas]

2 hours ago, NZ Golfer said:

The woods are full of long drivers....Harvey Penick

So are the lists of major champions.

[phan52]

On 6/16/2019 at 1:16 PM, CharlieB said:

 

The woods are full of long drivers....Harvey Penick

Jack Nicklaus to Ted Williams: "We have to play our foul balls".

To add my two cents, I stopped lying about my distance a while ago because, frankly, I was just lying to myself. It has made me a better player to a degree because I now select the correct club for the shot. I can't hit a wedge over 110 yards any more, and on and on through the whole bag.

Edited June 17, 2019 by phan52

[brice]

I feel like club head speed is more correlated to genetic luck and age that you started the game than handicap

[Double Mocha Man]

In the minor leagues leading up to the major leagues they can teach you how to throw a fastball faster.  It has to do with technique and specific weight training.  Genetics and age can play a part.

I know my swing speed is faster now than it was when playing in college.  It's mostly through technique.  A little bit through improved equipment.  Though I've still left some speed on the table...

[Shindig]

6 hours ago, brice said:

I feel like club head speed is more correlated to genetic luck and age that you started the game than handicap

Genetic luck and age of start definitely play a part, but there is a correlation between handicap and driving distance, so I'd bet there's a relationship between handicap and clubhead speed. 

[brice]

9 hours ago, Shindig said:

Genetic luck and age of start definitely play a part, but there is a correlation between handicap and driving distance, so I'd bet there's a relationship between handicap and clubhead speed. 

Yea I'm not denying that there is a correlation between handicap and driving distance, but I just get the impression that the two factors I mentioned have a stronger correlation. I think the data that suggests that 5 handicaps on average hit their drives 240 or however far includes a lot of folks who started later in life, and in my experience (which is purely anecdotal evidence) those that start later in life usually struggle to create a powerful motion in their golf swings. I guess a better way to put my hypothesis is I think that handicap probably has a very good correlation with average smash factor, but it may not be quite as strong for average distance.

[David in FL]

On 6/16/2019 at 7:15 PM, boogielicious said:

I’ve never thrown my driver in the woods. 😄

But there are days that I’ve wanted too!  

[Shindig]

13 minutes ago, brice said:

Yea I'm not denying that there is a correlation between handicap and driving distance, but I just get the impression that the two factors I mentioned have a stronger correlation. I think the data that suggests that 5 handicaps on average hit their drives 240 or however far includes a lot of folks who started later in life, and in my experience (which is purely anecdotal evidence) those that start later in life usually struggle to create a powerful motion in their golf swings. I guess a better way to put my hypothesis is I think that handicap probably has a very good correlation with average smash factor, but it may not be quite as strong for average distance.

As someone who started later in life and still views a 215 yard drive as a great shot, I really like how you phrased this.

[Jacob M]

30 minutes ago, brice said:

Yea I'm not denying that there is a correlation between handicap and driving distance, but I just get the impression that the two factors I mentioned have a stronger correlation. I think the data that suggests that 5 handicaps on average hit their drives 240 or however far includes a lot of folks who started later in life, and in my experience (which is purely anecdotal evidence) those that start later in life usually struggle to create a powerful motion in their golf swings. I guess a better way to put my hypothesis is I think that handicap probably has a very good correlation with average smash factor, but it may not be quite as strong for average distance.

I'm thinking it's probably more a correlation between current age and handicap. Younger players haven't known anything but bomb and gouge, whereas I was taught to keep it in the fairway. Also younger players (especially low caps) have increased flexibility, muscle mass, and stamina. Also there has been significant advancements in knowledge regarding things such as ground force, lag tension, etc. Tougher to teach an old dog new tricks.

[Buckeyebowman]

On 6/17/2019 at 4:29 PM, phan52 said:

Jack Nicklaus to Ted Williams: "We have to play our foul balls".

To add my two cents, I stopped lying about my distance a while ago because, frankly, I was just lying to myself. It has made me a better player to a degree because I now select the correct club for the shot. I can't hit a wedge over 110 yards any more, and on and on through the whole bag.

The story I read described a conversation between Sam Snead and Ted Williams. Williams was criticizing golf since "the ball just sits there, and all you have to do is hit it!" Whereupon Snead replied, "That's true Ted, but we have to climb up in the stands and play our foul balls, and you don't!" 

On 6/18/2019 at 4:47 PM, brice said:

I feel like club head speed is more correlated to genetic luck and age that you started the game than handicap

The first can lead to the second. Even teachers as derided as Hank Haney is here says that how far you hit the ball determines your potential in golf! Nicklaus advised to teach kids to hit the ball long, even if it's crooked. You can straighten out the crooked, but it's hard to teach long!

[hespeler]

I can also add to the list of those who say swing speed can increase with proper technique.

I was fitted for clubs 2 years ago at age 43 and was swinging my driver about 100-101 mph.  Now two years later at age 45 with a better, more reliable swing I'm swinging about 105 mph.  Gained 5-10 yds on average with my driver and 3-wood as well.

[boogielicious]

I played with a guy today who legitimately can hit it 300 yards. He reached the green on a 310 yard par 4. He was hitting 3 though because the first shot went into the woods. He must have lost 10 balls during the round. Young guy, baseball player.

[Double Mocha Man]

2 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

I played with a guy today who legitimately can hit it 300 yards. He reached the green on a 310 yard par 4. He was hitting 3 though because the first shot went into the woods. He must have lost 10 balls during the round. Young guy, baseball player.

That's not golf.  That's an ego thing.  Like a rookie pitcher who wants to throw his 98mph fastball all the time and get a lot of strikeouts.  He does, but at the cost of giving up a lot of runs, too.  Throwing vs. pitching.  

The son of a good friend of mine is like that. Former minor league baseball player.  He hits 3 wood off the tee and still gets it out there 290 to 320... two fairways over.