Voted for 90%. This poll and the replies are enlightening.
I’m still working on going from ‘Overswing’ to ‘Swing’ in general.
Seems like most better players chiming in here gear it down lower than that..
I always figured that it would be much harder to get consistent distances swinging less than ‘full’. I have always believed my distance control to be a (relative) strength. Or, at least, knowing what club was the ‘right’ one. Seemed like ‘know exactly how far you hit each club’ was sound advice. It’s certainly repeated enough.
It still is, I think.
I guess the distinction here is that there isn’t just one number per club, and that the highest reasonably achievable number may not be your most consistent.
I can hit my 9i 150 (in some direction) on a good strike. But how often do I get a good strike? 10% of the time? 25%?
Maybe (it now seems obvious to say) I’d play better hitting it 130 or 140 50% of the time, (and straighter, more often)?
It all seems like common sense all laid out here in front of us.
But so does (did?) “hitting it as far as I can ‘putting a good swing on it’, and knowing that number.”
Seems like one way of thinking is a bit better for success.
I think the quest that most golfers have for distance, -and to be fair, the proven benefit of controlled distance- have had too many of us, myself included leaning toward a more full effort per swing.
Instead of thinking “I can hit it (x) far. Now just train to straighten it out”
I’m now looking to figure out “how far can I hit this thing and keep it straight?”
Insane that after spending 6 years playing, reading this forum, taking lessons, and loving golf, that this is just now permeating my skull.
I think it’s been especially hard because being a bit of a larger guy, I have never actively ‘chased’ distance per se. I’ve always hit it pretty far without a tremendous amount of effort. But, having ‘enough’, distance, I’ve never thought to give any up voluntarily either..