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

[billchao]

1 minute ago, iacas said:

@billchao, you don't even need that stuff. Here's a shot hit with a 100 MPH clubhead speed on flat ground with no wind:

306.8 yards. 100 MPH clubhead speed.

Flightscope lies. Everyone who doesn't agree with my point of view lies 😜

37 minutes ago, AltGolfer said:

From now on i shall not be known as AltGolfer but by Mr. 500 and i'll tell them exactly what you stated if someone questions my drives...  I can't lose! Win Win Situation baby!

Sure, go ahead. NOBODY cares.

[JonMA1]

51 minutes ago, AltGolfer said:

From now on i shall not be known as AltGolfer but by Mr. 500 and i'll tell them exactly what you stated if someone questions my drives...  I can't lose! Win Win Situation baby!

Trust me, that's not what you'll be known as.

[Buckeyebowman]

On 8/26/2018 at 5:17 AM, billchao said:

I don't. It's just a question and you seem awfully aggressive about it.

Well, I can appreciate the OP's point! There are an awful lot of guys out there lying to themselves! My buddy included! But when he has 270 in on a 500 yard par 5, he refuses to believe that he "only" hit it 230 off the tee! Ego is a powerful force.

A couple of years ago, quite by accident, I hit a perfect tee shot that went 299 yards! This was verified by on cart GPS. I don't know how I did it, and there is no video record of it to study. I'm just gratified that I managed one like that in a year! Doesn't mean I go around bragging about 300 yard drives!

As for my buddy who thinks he hits it a lot longer than he does, after a couple years of cajoling I finally got him to move up to the Senior tees. Golf immediately became a whole lot more fun! We weren't slugging our brains out all day!

Edited August 28, 2018 by Buckeyebowman

[Pretzel]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

@billchao, you don't even need that stuff. Here's a shot hit with a 100 MPH clubhead speed on flat ground with no wind:

306.8 yards. 100 MPH clubhead speed.

But hey, that's just science. @AltGolfer is talking about a simulator. 😛

Even with more reasonable numbers, such as a 14 degree launch and 2400 rpm of spin you still get similar carry numbers depending on what altitude you decide to calculate for.

[Moxley]

18 hours ago, iacas said:

I get the general tone that score is ultimately what matters… but distance plays a pretty big role in determining your score.

Yes, but i mean it's relatively unimportant to me what distance other people are getting.  This is especially the case for distance, because, although I'd agree that it plays a big role in the score (perhaps the biggest role), it seems to be one of the things that is difficult to change (without sacrificing control) other than by doing major work on the body. Gym work and similar is a step too far in terms of what I can realistically do to improve my golf. I just accept that some people's 7 iron will be a 6 or even a 5 iron for me, and work on what I can change to score better.

If a peer is getting more sand saves than I am, then that is something I can probably take away and improve upon. 

 

[billchao]

2 hours ago, Moxley said:

Yes, but i mean it's relatively unimportant to me what distance other people are getting.  This is especially the case for distance, because, although I'd agree that it plays a big role in the score (perhaps the biggest role), it seems to be one of the things that is difficult to change (without sacrificing control) other than by doing major work on the body.

You can increase distance by improving your swing. Better mechanics lead to a more efficient motion, less wasted energy, and more speed at the right moment. Better contact will increase ball speed.

[Groucho Valentine]

I play in many amateur tournaments and most of those guys/kids are hitting the ball at least 270 from the tee. About 280 seem about average. So I dont think as many people lie about their distances as maybe 10 or so years ago. Technology has really helped the low and even higher handicaps pick up 10-20 yards. I hit the ball as far now as i did when i was in my 20's even though I'm not quite as fast. Distance helps with scoring, but its not everything. You can play scratch golf being 250 or less from the tee, IMO. 

[JonMA1]

3 hours ago, billchao said:

You can increase distance by improving your swing. Better mechanics lead to a more efficient motion, less wasted energy, and more speed at the right moment. Better contact will increase ball speed.

So true. And even a small adjustment can result in substantial improvement.

I loaned LSW to my playing partner. All he did was tee the ball up a little higher and he gained probably another 10 yds on average.

Another example is my drives that slice lose 20+ yds over those those that draw or fade slightly. Reduce the frequency of those slices and my average goes up.

Sure, there are many golfers who are clueless as to how short they hit. But it doesn’t mean everyone is. There are plenty of guys at any course who regularly hit 250+. 

[mcanadiens]

4 minutes ago, JonMA1 said:

Another example is my drives that slice lose 20+ yds over those those that draw or fade slightly. Reduce the frequency of those slices and my average goes up.

After awhile with the slicing it almost gets to be a problem when you finally straighten a few out. Aimed the expected slice at the water hazard at the backside of a dogleg last week and striped a 250-yarder right into the water.

Got all of that one ... SPLASH!

 

Edited August 28, 2018 by mcanadiens

[lastings]

 

Evidence.  To be honest, I’m not even very long amongst my regular group.  Pretty average, actually.   There are plenty of people out there that can average 260 off the tee, and not all of them are lying when they say they do so. 

[NM Golf]

7 hours ago, Moxley said:

Yes, but i mean it's relatively unimportant to me what distance other people are getting.  

This^^^^

Why do you care how far someone else hits the ball? As a society I believe we are all way to concerned with what someone else is doing. Worry about yourself. The only time I worry about someone else is when their score is lower than mine! 😜

[Jeremie Boop]

Hiding nothing this is every drive I recorded in the time I've had this driver. I think it's close to 3 years? Average 257, typical 266, longest 345.Lots of shorter and longer, left and right, etc.

That said, any of us able to provide proof that we are able to hit over 250 regularly, even reaching out to 300 often enough that we can confidently say "Yeah, I can hit it 300 yards" are probably not going to be the ones you are talking about anyway.

[poolman88]

I 100% agree with the opportunity it just gets plain ridiculous sometimes, guys routinely lie to themselves about hitting it 320 just because they hit that one drive 3 years ago on that downhill downwind par 5 that went 330 yards. I get what your saying and trust me don't let some troll on reddit who thinks he's bubba Watson get under your skin. There's a lot of morons always trying to impress the world. 

[Casualgolfer]

I wouldn't read too much into some of the distances the tour guys avheive either. Watched alot on tv where they get massive amounts off roll due to the way the course is set up. 

[cutchemist42]

On 8/26/2018 at 7:08 AM, Vinsk said:

I think some discrepancy occurs because most people are basing there yardage from the course, not on a TrackMan with a relatively level area. They’ll read a sign at the tee that says Par 4 420yds. They don’t really know from where exactly that is measured, it’s downhill, etc. they get to their ball and shoot/step off from sprinkler/yardage marker and see they have 120yds to the pin and thInk ‘wow...I just drove it 300yds!’  If you took that exact drive, same wind but on a level surface with a monitor it reads 265yds total distance. Just a thought.

I think every golfer having time on trackman would be amazing. My game improved so much with even Gamegolf yardage.Wish it was more accessible, maybe someday...

 

I would love to know my pure distances with no wind, slope, etc.

Edited September 29, 2018 by cutchemist42

[StefanUrkel]

Most people don't lie. They are just ignorant. Not just men and golf. Most men and women think they are good looking, smart, special, in shape, etc.  Fact- 50 percent of men and women are below average in looks.  

[ChetlovesMer]

A couple of years ago, I was playing with a couple neighbor friends of mind. They are both about my age (Circa 50). Anyway, he was all excited about his son-in-law joining our foursome. While we were heading over to the first tee he was telling me his son-in-law's average drive is like 350 yards. 

Of course, I was a little skeptical, but whatever. Turns out this guy really does hit it a long way. I'm not sure if he averages 350, but I can tell you every drive this guy hit was over 300. And some of them were out near or at 350.

 

AND NOW THE REST OF THE STORY> So, while he certainly hit is ball a long way. None of them were in the fairway. None of them were truly wild misses, but someplace in the general direction of the green. We were playing a links style course. So, every hole, all four of us teed off. Then three of us would hit approach shots and then all four of us would trample around in knee deep grass trying to find the son-in-law’s golf ball. This happened nearly every none par three hole. The course is fairly hilly too, so we almost never actually saw his ball land. We’d be like it’s over that 3^rd mound out there someplace in that general direction.

He also hit approach shots incredibly long as well. Hit PW from like 160 out. As you could imagine on a links course this is a huge waste of time. His ball would be up the air forever. The wind grabbing it and tossing it someplace where you didn’t need it to be. “Why don’t you hit a flighted 7 iron or even a knock  down 6 and control the ball to keep it near the pin?” I’d say … “That’s not how I play the game.” He’d respond.

Me and my guys shot in the mid 80’s. This son-in-law shot over a hundred. He could hit it a country mile, but he had no idea how to play golf. I do think he had like 2 or 3 birdies, when everything worked out for him. Otherwise it was triple bogey city.

Afterwards we’re in the clubhouse eating lunch and my neighbor and his son-in-law are talking about how unlucky he got during his round. In my head I’m thinking, just knock a 4 iron into the fairway then knock a short iron up on the green. It seems a lot simpler than the way you’re playing it right now. To this day, my neighbor tells me about how good his son-in-law is. “He hits it a mile; He’s really good, isn’t he?” And I’m thinking half that statement is true.

[Pretzel]

51 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Hit PW from like 160 out. As you could imagine on a links course this is a huge waste of time. His ball would be up the air forever. The wind grabbing it and tossing it someplace where you didn’t need it to be. “Why don’t you hit a flighted 7 iron or even a knock  down 6 and control the ball to keep it near the pin?” I’d say … “That’s not how I play the game.” He’d respond.

Someone who hits their pitching wedge 160 yards (my PW yardage is 150-155 on a full swing) will not also be hitting a 7 iron from 160 unless they're trying to go underneath a low tree branch or escape from trouble. That said, a flighted 9 or 8 iron would have suited him better if the wind was blowing a lot, but with that kind of swing speed you'd be making a half swing or so to get the 6 iron to go that short when you could get better results from a shorter iron using solid technique. 

I don't usually hit my short irons and wedges as full swings, I tend to hit more of a knockdown controlled shot that bumps 5-10 yards off, but it doesn't have much to do with links golf and trying to keep the ball low. It has more to do with the fact that I don't want to have my wedges and 9 irons spinning off the front of greens like they do at specific courses otherwise.