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

[ChetlovesMer]

4 minutes ago, Pretzel said:

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.

You are right, of course. I didn't really think about it that way. I was just putting it into distances that I can relate to. Generally, if I'm faced with a 160 yard shot, that's where I'd flight a 7 iron in (maybe knock down a 6). I guess I was thinking more about what club I'd use, not which club he should use. But I only hit my PW 125. My bad. I guess the point isn't which exact club the guy should use. It was more about the concept that you don't have to max out the distance of every single club in your bag to play good golf. 

[Jeremie Boop]

2 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

You are right, of course. I didn't really think about it that way. I was just putting it into distances that I can relate to. Generally, if I'm faced with a 160 yard shot, that's where I'd flight a 7 iron in (maybe knock down a 6). I guess I was thinking more about what club I'd use, not which club he should use. But I only hit my PW 125. My bad. I guess the point isn't which exact club the guy should use. It was more about the concept that you don't have to max out the distance of every single club in your bag to play good golf. 

Depending on the courses the guy plays, maybe he never has much reason to play knock down or flighted shots. If you don't play them it's not really something that I've found to be easy to just do. I work way more on full swing mechanics because that's way more important for me, so when I try a knock down shot on the course it rarely works out. Either I pure it and it flies full distance, or I overestimate how much to take off and come up way short.

[Pretzel]

5 minutes ago, Jeremie Boop said:

Depending on the courses the guy plays, maybe he never has much reason to play knock down or flighted shots. If you don't play them it's not really something that I've found to be easy to just do. I work way more on full swing mechanics because that's way more important for me, so when I try a knock down shot on the course it rarely works out. Either I pure it and it flies full distance, or I overestimate how much to take off and come up way short.

Another good point, it's all in what you know how to do and what you've practiced. I got good at flighting my wedges when I used to work at a course where the range had one flat in the center of a green at 145 yards. If I hit a full gap wedge I'd end up towards the front of the green, and a full pitching wedge was the back of the green. It was a real gap in my yardages, and so I hit a LOT of flighted wedges until now it feels more comfortable to me with wedges than a full swing.

[ChetlovesMer]

I didn't mean to get us onto the topic of flighting wedges and short irons. Although, it's pretty interesting. Learning to flight my short irons and wedges has really helped my game. One of the drills that helped me a ton. Is to go to a range that has target greens. Get out which ever club will get you to the center or a target green. Then play one to the middle, one to the back and one to the front all with the same club. I've improved a lot using that simple game at the range. 

However, I digress. I guess I was just telling this story to go with the whole this guy said his son-in-law could hit it 350 and he was right. The guy is a bomber. So, therefore not everyone is lying about how far they hit it. 

I would also say there's more to golf then just hitting it really far. But maybe that's me being envious. My Arccos smart distance for the driver is only 264. 

 

28 minutes ago, Pretzel said:

Another good point, it's all in what you know how to do and what you've practiced. I got good at flighting my wedges when I used to work at a course where the range had one flat in the center of a green at 145 yards. If I hit a full gap wedge I'd end up towards the front of the green, and a full pitching wedge was the back of the green. It was a real gap in my yardages, and so I hit a LOT of flighted wedges until now it feels more comfortable to me with wedges than a full swing.

by the way, you're PW is my 8 iron. Therefore, you must be lying about your distances. ….. Again, maybe I'm just envious. 

[DaveP043]

24 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

by the way, you're PW is my 8 iron. Therefore, you must be lying about your distances. ….. Again, maybe I'm just envious. 

I've played with (actually against) @Pretzel, he ain't lying!  

[TN94z]

On 9/28/2018 at 8:20 PM, cutchemist42 said:

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.

Trackman opened my eyes. I greatly underestimated my swing speed and carry distances. It's quite a bit better than I had been thinking for years. I just went to a fitting with a trackman this past weekend.

[Pretzel]

44 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

By the way, you're PW is my 8 iron. Therefore, you must be lying about your distances. ….. Again, maybe I'm just envious. 

You're right, it appears I underestimated slightly 🙂. Game Golf pegs my PW at 158 yards, with a pretty clear and visible gap between the flighted wedges (in the 130-145 range) and the full swings. Haven't played much this year with the Game Golf though, mostly because I haven't played much in general (I'll need to fix that before applications for the 2019 Newport Cup begin!), so distances could have changed since then. I know I did lose about 5 yards per club switching to my current MP4's from my old S55's, so that could also account for the difference there.

This is all lighthearted jest by the way, I don't mean to attack or make you feel ganged up on. You're free to believe what you'd like, I was just giving a bit of perspective on why someone who hits that distance would find your suggestion a bit strange if you mentioned that he should hit some knock down shots with a 6 or 7 iron.

50 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

I didn't mean to get us onto the topic of flighting wedges and short irons. Although, it's pretty interesting. Learning to flight my short irons and wedges has really helped my game. One of the drills that helped me a ton. Is to go to a range that has target greens. Get out which ever club will get you to the center or a target green. Then play one to the middle, one to the back and one to the front all with the same club. I've improved a lot using that simple game at the range. 

I think what might be a little bit of a better variant on the same idea, for most players anyways, is to pick a club that would get you to the back of the green with your normal "full" swing and then try playing that club to the front, middle, and back of the green. For most golfers it's best to avoid overswinging and trying to hit the ball further than you normally would with a club. I, personally, try to avoid it unless it's really needed - if I need to clear a tree or other obstacle and require more loft as a result. It's good to know how to hit the ball further with a club if you absolutely have to, but it's not something I regularly practice since in many of those cases you're better off hitting a low shot instead (unless you live in Colorado, where bushy evergreens like blue spruce mean you don't get to go low as often).

Practicing shots other than just full swings is a good idea though, specifically taking just a few yards off it to cover any gaps between clubs. Full swing mechanics are where the bulk of most people's focus (myself included) belong though, and the rest can just be mixed in along the way.

 

[gjunkie57]

What ticks me off are leagues that assign tees based on age and not ability. I am hitting from the whites with guys who hit it as far as I who are hitting from the golds (up tees).

[ChetlovesMer]

Do you like Game Golf? I'm a big fan of Arccos.

[bkuehn1952]

Hitting a golf ball a long way is great if it leads one to get it in the hole in par or better with some frequency.  The ultimate measure of a golfer is the score at the end of 18 holes.  I tend to tune out when discussions center around how far one hits their driver or other clubs.  I am impressed by those players here on The Sand Trap who combine distance with the ability to score, as demonstrated by a low handicap.

Someone wants to talk about how far they hit a golf ball, that is fine but I won't be part of the audience.

[Lihu]

On 8/26/2018 at 1:48 AM, AltGolfer said:

Before you make a smug comment. Yes, it bothers me too no end. Tired of the male ego. 

Most amateur golfers averages 220 yards(yes with roll) if they are lucky.

I mean just the other day i was talking about this on reddit and some guy said I'd be lucky to hit 260 with my slow looking swing. 

I've rarely ran across anyone who hit it further than i do. Usually only time this occurs was when i use to play AJGA tournaments as a junior and these guys shoot under par on the regular.

Most people also don't even read the articles provided and brush it off stating it has "old people" mixed into it. If they actually read the article it goes by handicap. That "old guy" who has a 5 handicap can out-drive your 30+ handicap ass anyday and i put my house on it.

Smug, smug, smug ... 😂😂😂

260 yards with a controlled swing is already pretty darn good, why are YOU complaining?

The average golfer with a handicap only hits 208... the average male hits like 190 😁

[ChetlovesMer]

13 hours ago, Pretzel said:

I think what might be a little bit of a better variant on the same idea, for most players anyways, is to pick a club that would get you to the back of the green with your normal "full" swing and then try playing that club to the front, middle, and back of the green. For most golfers it's best to avoid overswinging and trying to hit the ball further than you normally would with a club. I, personally, try to avoid it unless it's really needed - if I need to clear a tree or other obstacle and require more loft as a result. It's good to know how to hit the ball further with a club if you absolutely have to, but it's not something I regularly practice since in many of those cases you're better off hitting a low shot instead (unless you live in Colorado, where bushy evergreens like blue spruce mean you don't get to go low as often).

Practicing shots other than just full swings is a good idea though, specifically taking just a few yards off it to cover any gaps between clubs. Full swing mechanics are where the bulk of most people's focus (myself included) belong though, and the rest can just be mixed in along the way.

 

I like your idea. I'll give it a shot if it ever stops raining. Most likely I'll stick with my method though for three reasons. 1 - I find myself doing this during rounds sometimes. When I am between clubs, I will sometimes play a draw with the shorter club, especially if I'm hitting it well that day. It then generally goes a bit further for me. 2 - I like to play my "normal" iron shots with something less than a full finish. (not sure if that makes sense.) When I want to draw it, or hit it a bit further, I go full finish. If I really want to draw it, I hit my finish as if I'm standing under an 8 foot ceiling, and wrap the finish around my body. To hit my "normal" shot or a fade, I just think "finish high". Not sure if that makes sense, but seems to work for me. 3 - The third reason I like my method is I'm getting old. (Almost 50) so I believe that trying to push my shots out further with my irons helps keep me quick and flexible. (If that really doesn't work I don't want to know, because I believe it does so leave me alone. 😉) 

Other than that, I have to be honest. I don't work on mechanics... almost never. I used to. I started playing golf in 1990. Got my handicap down to 10 by 2005ish. I've been a 10 or so ever since (sure I've dipped down into single digits and I've slipped upwards sometimes too). I'm guessing my swing has changed over the years, but not a whole lot. My driver isn't as long as it used to be. My irons are pretty similar in length. (Although they are more delofted now than they were back then, so....) Anyway, I don't work mechanics, when I go to the range I like to hit shots. I'll get with a pro for a help now and then if something comes off the rails. (Usually its either the driver or the putter that suddenly gets our of whack.) I'll fix a problem, but with life, job, family, etc... I'd much rather sneak out for a quick 9 holes then spend time rebuilding my swing. 

[MonkeyGolfer99]

On 8/26/2018 at 10:33 AM, sofingaw said:

Also, as I mentioned, but your roid-rage or whatever failed to read:

I hit enough shitty shots (OB, tops, sky-balls) to drop my true average quite a bit. Probably more like the 220 or even less that you mentioned. This (among other things) would help account for the atrocious HC index I hold. 

Think of it like this: I “SMASH” a down-hiller 290-300 (fairly easy swing for me, FWIW), then on the next hole, hook one into Narnia OB.

Guess what? 

My driving average is now 140-150. 

But on any given swing, with possibly 50% accuracy, I can very likely hit it as far, or further than you. No sweat. 

It’s not ‘male ego’ or lying. It’s just real life. 

 

Funny thread this but I like your post :)  I've been monitoring my drives a lot recently as we had a very hot and dry summer and I was hitting freaky long drives due to excessive roll.  Anyway, come the wetter weather and I was shocked how much distance I was losing.

I cranked the loft a bit to help get more 'air time' and now reckon a solid hit may carry 260.  Yes, I'll hit the odd 300+ drive (usually wind assisted but every now and then I middle one and it flys) but I'll hit many more loose fades out of the heel or horrid duck pull hooks that are lucky if they carry 200 yards.  I would say, looking at other golfers I play with, I hit it farther than most and often win the long drive comps on away days etc.  I'm not saying this to boast either as I know many hit it longer and straighter more consistently

So like you (and I imagine many amateur golfers) my average would probably be low 200s but this is brought down significantly by hitting too many duff strikes.  And strike is the big thing for me, not power.  But, if you have both, then you're in Mcillroy/DJ territory . . . 

 

[NM Golf]

18 hours ago, gjunkie57 said:

What ticks me off are leagues that assign tees based on age and not ability. I am hitting from the whites with guys who hit it as far as I who are hitting from the golds (up tees).

Oh I see this one all the time as a starter. The young guys strut back to the blue tees only to top their drive to the ladies tee. It's an ego thing, as we mature we realize that often our egos write checks our bodies can't cash.

15 hours ago, bkuehn1952 said:

Hitting a golf ball a long way is great if it leads one to get it in the hole in par or better with some frequency.  The ultimate measure of a golfer is the score at the end of 18 holes.  I tend to tune out when discussions center around how far one hits their driver or other clubs.  I am impressed by those players here on The Sand Trap who combine distance with the ability to score, as demonstrated by a low handicap.

Someone wants to talk about how far they hit a golf ball, that is fine but I won't be part of the audience.

You will find, the guys that really hit the ball a long ways are not that prone to want to talk about it.

[iacas]

On 10/1/2018 at 3:59 PM, Pretzel said:

Game Golf pegs my PW at 158 yards, with a pretty clear and visible gap between the flighted wedges (in the 130-145 range) and the full swings.

Not to take anything away from @Pretzel, because he does hit the ball far, but you'll notice, @ChetlovesMer, that @Pretzel lives and plays most of his golf in Colorado.

[BuckeyeNut]

I average 290 from the tee with an 8-iron.  I was playing with the Dalia Lama and he promised me enlightenment, so I've got that working for me.  

[alleztom]

1 hour ago, BuckeyeNut said:

I average 290 from the tee with an 8-iron.  I was playing with the Dalia Lama and he promised me enlightenment, so I've got that working for me.  

If you're with the Dalai Lama altitude is definitely influencing your yardages @BuckeyeNut🏔️

[Lihu]

12 hours ago, BuckeyeNut said:

I average 290 from the tee with an 8-iron.  I was playing with the Dalia Lama and he promised me enlightenment, so I've got that working for me.  

 

10 hours ago, alleztom said:

If you're with the Dalai Lama altitude is definitely influencing your yardages @BuckeyeNut🏔️

Nah, he plays with Dalai Lama and Neil Armstrong on the hollow metallic moon... 🤪

Then the Cannabis wears off and he realizes that he punched a bunch of holes in his living room... 😂

Edited October 3, 2018 by Lihu