How much further does golf ball fly in Colorado?

I live in Colorado and I am trying to turn pro, but I have not played outside of Colorado very much. I was wondering if I hit the ball far enough to be competitive outside of the state. I have heard that the ball flies as much as 10% further in Denver than at sea-level. I also heard that a driver may only go 12 yards further in Denver than at sea-level, which would be about 4% (of course that number depends on how far the person or machine hit the ball). Anybody know an accurate percentage from personal experience?

I am usually a club to club and a half longer in Denver coming from scottsdale about 1000 feet above see level. aprox an extra 10 to15 yards per club

if colorado's anything like lake tahoe, it was about one club's worth of added distance

I played there in Jan/Feb. I hadn't hit a ball since Sept. My 6i goes 170 when I'm striking it well at 2200 ft. At 6000 ft, the 6i was going 190 in the air. Driving the ball 300 yards was easily within my capabilities.

Having lived and played 7000+ feet and at sea level, I would say about 1 club length. One thing to keep in mind is the humidity. In Colorado there isn't much but on Long Island its like 60% on a good day. I noticed when its very humid that distance gap may go up to a club and 1/2.

Between Orlando and Denver easy club and a half...7000 yds becomes 8000 yds . Pretty scary huh? 300 yds becomes 255. Amazing what air and humidity can do. Don't worry , we get around the course down here too.

I too live in CO, and came from New Orleans. On well sturck shots the difference is maybe at most a club, now on poorly struck shots, maybe one you catch just a little thin or heavy it just falls out of the air at sea level very noticeable.
Also keep in mind too the ball bends more at sea level, a 5-10 yard fade at altitude can be a 20-25 yard slice and likewise with a draw. Also makes it easier to work the ball on the otherside of that coin. (biggest reason why the Rockies should never have big curve ball pitchers on their staff)

I'm @ 5300 ft. Interestingly I didn't notice much of a difference last week when playing @ 2000 ft though it was quite hot. Maybe I should pay more attention...

As a native Miamian I'll never forget my first round in Denver, summer '85. On the second hole, a par 3, I was posing on my 8 iron tee shot to a 160 yard hole. It landed atop a utility shed 20 yards beyond the green.

drop it down the Grand Canyon and wait .............................

The one thing I have noticed is launch.

Mexico - Low Launch

Denver - High Launch

I hit my 8.5 SuperQuad sky high in Colorado. I literally can hit a 4 degree driver to a mid launch flight. It is just so easy to get the ball in the air.

Draws and Fades are exaggerated if you intend to hit those shots. I can call any shot I hit in Colorado.

The distances are longer in Colorado. That is a bad thing sometimes though. One time I flew a drive 345 yds past the fairway and into the woods. It was an elevated tee, no wind. The ball never came down and I only hit it like 250-270. I sometimes clip one 300. That is closer to sea level though. In Colorado, avg for me is 300.

My experience in CO was about one club more.

Thanks to all for your posting .. I am going to the mountains and will be playing at 7500 to 8000 feet from 1500 feet down here.. I will post my opinions later ..
Thanks again.

[quote]Draws and Fades are exaggerated if you intend to hit those shots. I can call any shot I hit in Colorado.[/quote]

I believe this is inconsistent with the physics of golf ball flight. Less dense air will have less effect on the flight of the ball. Winds aren't as effective at moving the ball nor is the sidespin as effective at curving the ball.

At least that's what I thought...

I split my time between Missouri (700 ft.), and Gunnison, CO (7700 ft), and have for years. I have found that the difference is about

one and a half clubs. Two cautions though. Because of the thin air and low humidity, it is harder, not eaiser, to work the ball. Also, the higher you hit it, the greater your distance. Occasionally I play a club in Crested Butte, CO. 9100 ft. It's silly. Have fun

High altitude golf makes us all supermen.

CB is way up there... Low landers have no idea what high launch and low spin really looks like...

I grew up playing in Denver and have since played and worked all over the country, I use the +10% basis when I go on vacation there. The only exception is the driver. In Texas, the ground gets so firm and the ball rolls so much, I find that I hit my tee shots about the same distance, if not a little longer here in Austin. I'm talking total distance, not carry distance (Denver carry is +10%), but the courses in Denver play much more lush, hence less roll.

I know when I go from Portland Or, where I now live to SLC, Ut to visit family its a one club difference.

The USGA has a table for calculating the difference. A 250 yard shot at sea level equates to a 271 yard shot at 6000 feet.

If you are a low ball hitter, maybe 1 club. High ball hitter, maybe 2. I'm at 3500 ft. and gain about 1/2 a club in Denver, lose 1 club at sea level. The one time I played Breckenridge, 9000 ft., didn't reveal much as it was cart path only and by the time I climbed to the tee boxes, breathing was the priority, not swinging hard.

You will notice that the wind at sea level will effect the ball more than at elevation.

I have read discussions about the baseballs flying at Coors Field in Denver. Articles said at about a mile high the difference was roughly 10% added distance.

Contrary to what should seem right, balls will fly further in humid air vs dry air as humid air is less dense (yes, I am correct you can look it up). Colorado traditionally has dry air, so that holds the ball back a bit.

So the next humid day we have, I'm headed to Crested Butte or Vail in search of a 400 yd drive...

I'll admit, I did have to check your claim and it turns out to be true. Kind of counter intuitive...

It's ~2500 feet elevation here, and about 1000 feet higher in Calgary, the nearest large city that I frequently visit. I see about one club difference between playing at sea level and at 3500 feet, less than a club between sea level and 2500 feet.

http://www.theweatherprediction.com/habyhints/260/

13% further than Kansas, which is flat as a pancake.

My experience seemed unusual. Driver didn't go that much further but as I got to my shorter irons the distance gain seemed to go up. Maybe I just noticed it more because I expect better distance control with those clubs.

We're a couple hundred miles north of Denver and about 1300 feet less in elevation. I noticed when I played in Montgomery TX this Feb(it was fairly cool) that I was about a club and a half shorter with the irons, and my normal drives were probably at least 20 yards shorter. Its really humbling to realize how short you really do hit it.

It depends on how hard you hit it.

[quote name='midasmulligan2000' date='23 July 2009 - 05:37 PM' timestamp='1248395848' post='1839751']
Okay .... this is a terribly rough estimate, but I have played golf all over the world ... and I think it is a perfect rule of thumb: One club length per mile above sea level.

I lived in Mexico City (for instance) for a couple of years ... Denver is actually low country in compartison (Mexico DF is around 1.5 miles above sea level). Almost exactly 1.5 club lengths. Have played in Colorado, and Montana, (and Japan, and China, and etc.). .5 miles is, actually, usually .5 club length. 1 mile is one club length.

No, this is not verified by robotic machines. It is, like, [i]totally[/i] subjective and anecdotal. But I'll bet if you assume it, and play by it, you'll find it to be surprisingly accurate most of the time.
[/quote]

I find this to be a pretty good rule of thumb. It pretty much agrees with my experiences in Portland OR (home, near sea level), Denver CO (mile high city in several senses of the phrase), and Steamboat Springs CO (even higher). Thanks for boiling it down so succinctly.

edit:

ps: some years ago I played in Quito Ecuador. Breathtakingly high altitude, seemed like all holes were downhill, fairways were hard and dry. For the first time in my life, all par fours were reachable in regulation. Then I came home ...