How far do you really hit it?

[Matt J]

I’m in a smaller town in northern Canada so I can attest to not seeing many guys flying it 280+

 

Depends on the area obviously haha. Florida probably saturated with bombers

 

We do seem to have a pretty strong golf culture.

[andrue]

I can carry over 260 and I've only played with 2 dudes in my life that can comfortably outdrive me, albeit I haven't seen it all, but if u can legit carry 280 or more that's damn impressive lol. It's amazing how this game brings out the delusion in people.

Watched an amazing young chap on Saturday. I was about to tee off the first (Par 4, 283 yards off the tips) with a group when three young'uns turn up (I'm 50, the others in my group were retirees). So we let the youngsters through. One of them stepped up with an iron of some kind so we assumed they were beginners playing it safe and there were raised eyebrows amongst us because they were using the tips. We were going to point out that the tips are really just for comps when he let rip and the ball almost ended up on the green. It had the distance but a bit too much draw and ended up ten yards left.

 

I don't know what iron it was but the other guys in my group said it was a 7i. It certainly had more loft than a 3 and didn't look long enough but I cannot fathom how someone can use a 7i to send the ball 283 yards. Even if they are in their 20s :o

 

Anyway we decided that if they wanted to use the tips it was probably best leaving them to it.

[deadsolid...shank]

Live and play in a small rural community. Between the two courses I play there are about a half dozen (that I play with at least occasionally) that routinely fly the ball 280+. I don't think it's that uncommon. If someone is a 250ish carrier and has never played with anyone longer then they really need to expand their circle of potential playing partners.

[manima1]

come play with some NCAA golfers. You will be out driven. on the regs. I agree that 260+ carry is very good. Excellent, in fact. However, I think one's experience is more than a little contingent on the courses you play and what the other players there are like. If you play a course where a DI team practices, you will see a bunch of guys who carry it well more than 280. It begins to seem normal. Heck, you'll play with women who carry it 245+. Doesn't mean everyone does, but it doesn't seem "impossible".

 

I would agree with this being that I said the (1) guy that's been longer than me comfortably was a former collegiate player. Never said impossible, but I just don't see it often at all at the places I play as stated in my previous post. Collegiate golfers represent the top <1% of players.

 

If my home course was (or was near) a training ground for collegiate players, I'm sure my experience would be quite different.

 

That being said, I don't think many of the 300y bombers here are former collegiate players.

[nsxguy]

I can carry over 260 and I've only played with 2 dudes in my life that can comfortably outdrive me, albeit I haven't seen it all, but if u can legit carry 280 or more that's damn impressive lol. It's amazing how this game brings out the delusion in people.

Watched an amazing young chap on Saturday. I was about to tee off the first (Par 4, 283 yards off the tips) with a group when three young'uns turn up (I'm 50, the others in my group were retirees). So we let the youngsters through. One of them stepped up with an iron of some kind so we assumed they were beginners playing it safe and there were raised eyebrows amongst us because they were using the tips. We were going to point out that the tips are really just for comps when he let rip and the ball almost ended up on the green. It had the distance but a bit too much draw and ended up ten yards left.

 

I don't know what iron it was but the other guys in my group said it was a 7i. It certainly had more loft than a 3 and didn't look long enough but I cannot fathom how someone can use a 7i to send the ball 283 yards. Even if they are in their 20s :o

 

Anyway we decided that if they wanted to use the tips it was probably best leaving them to it.

 

:lol:

 

 

[North Butte]

I was briefly a member at a club that was the home course of an NCAA golf team. I was playing golf with a prospective member who'd never seen the course before and as we were playing one hole, we walked right behind the green of another hole where three of the college guys were playing a practice round.

 

The hole that day was on a tiny little shelf in the back-left corner. It was a raised area maybe 10 feet in diameter with the hole cut next to the fall-off down to the rest of the green. I was pointing it out as an "impossible" pin position given that the hole was 430-something yards from the back tees (and nearly 400 from the regular men's tees). At the exact moment I said that, a ball plopped down out of the stratosphere and stopped six inches from where it landed a few feet from the hole. We stopped and watched and saw two more incoming artillery rounds, one hit the middle of the green and then another one on that little shelf.

 

Looking back down the fairway it was obvious these guys were something like PW from inside the 150 marker. It was not a hard hole *at all* for them, just required an accurate wedge shot to get close to the hole.

 

And this was circa 2004, I'm sure that hole has only gotten easier for college players 13 years later.

[smokey7817]

Wasn't the point of the golf digest article that the vast majority of us over estimate or lie about how far we move it out there with a driver? I know equipment and balls are much much better than they were even 15 years ago let alone in the time of Hogan, Snead and Nelson. But...........seriouisly, do we all really hit it further than Hogan, Faldo, Azinger, etc, hit it. My home track is a traditional older course with some pretty good players. Once you get out past the 260 yard mark I do not see a lot of divots and turf missing from the fairways.

[Ri_Redneck]

Flightscope Traj Optimizer shows that, in still air at sea level, it takes 164 BS, 2000 rpm spin and 12* launch to carry 280. That is attainable with a SS of 110 or higher. I would imagine that just about any decent young golfer could have the SS and ball contact to get 280 carry.

 

BTW, Each 1000' elevation change adds about 4 yds. In Denver, you could get 300 carry out of the same specs.

 

BT

[BForrester]

I carry in the 250 - 270 range on well struck balls. My course gets next to no roll out. Half the time my ball ends up next to its mark, and I'm not a high-ball hitter with a driver. They over-saturate the fairways and it drives me crazy. I'll get the occasional 300, but they've become the exception.

 

The par 5 17th at my home course dog-legs right over water, at a near 90 degree angle. The shortest carry is 242 and the longest around 265 (shot w/ laser). I routinely carry the shortest point by a good 10 - 15 yards, and have carried the longest on multiple occasions. My swing speed hasn't been measured since last March when I was fit for my driver and was usually in the 104 - 108 range, topping out at 111.

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

I know 99% of wrx'ers hit it 300+ but for the 1% who don't, where do you truly fall?

 

I feel like I'm a 290 guy but when its more like 260 on a good day.

 

At one point, I would have ridiculed this site with people claiming to hit 300+ yards. Now, I'm pretty sure many if not all of them actually do. Distance is all about loading the club and good technique.

 

I feel like I'm pretty close to the greens when I hit fairways. Otherwise, it's off a tree, in the woods, in the water, hooks 2 fairways over, etc. Average drive, 241? Average good drive 290 or more. It's possible for many amateurs to hit far, but the pros pretty much hit it higher and dead straight, different world. . .

 

7i- 165 carry

9i- 145 carry

5'10", 215 pounds.

[Lefthook]

come play with some NCAA golfers. You will be out driven. on the regs. I agree that 260+ carry is very good. Excellent, in fact. However, I think one's experience is more than a little contingent on the courses you play and what the other players there are like. If you play a course where a DI team practices, you will see a bunch of guys who carry it well more than 280. It begins to seem normal. Heck, you'll play with women who carry it 245+. Doesn't mean everyone does, but it doesn't seem "impossible".

 

 

I would agree with this being that I said the (1) guy that's been longer than me comfortably was a former collegiate player. Never said impossible, but I just don't see it often at all at the places I play as stated in my previous post. Collegiate golfers represent the top <1% of players.

 

If my home course was (or was near) a training ground for collegiate players, I'm sure my experience would be quite different.

 

That being said, I don't think many of the 300y bombers here are former collegiate players.

 

There’s a lot of segregation in the us in most areas of life including golf. If you find the right gcc and play with the gross group you will see a bunch of guys flying the ball past you - and a few “short knockers” right around you.

[Baitkiller]

Is 250 carry with 93 MPH CH speed viable?

 

Asking for a friend.. :stink:

[Socrates]

Is 250 carry with 93 MPH CH speed viable?

 

Asking for a friend.. :stink:

Highly unlikely. Might need a favorable wind and an elevated tee for that.

[hybrid25]

Is 250 carry with 93 MPH CH speed viable?

 

Asking for a friend.. :stink:

That's my swing speed, and I think 250 would be on the upper end. My carries are more like 240 yds

[nsxguy]

Is 250 carry with 93 MPH CH speed viable?

 

Asking for a friend.. :stink:

That's my swing speed, and I think 250 would be on the upper end. My carries are more like 240 yds

 

Agreed. I'm about 95 and 240 is my absolute max.

 

A "formula" that seems to be pretty darn close over many (apparently) legitimate claims here on WRX is carry = (roughly) SS x 2.5

[hybrid25]

Is 250 carry with 93 MPH CH speed viable?

 

Asking for a friend.. :stink:

That's my swing speed, and I think 250 would be on the upper end. My carries are more like 240 yds

 

Agreed. I'm about 95 and 240 is my absolute max.

 

A "formula" that seems to be pretty darn close over many (apparently) legitimate claims here on WRX is carry = (roughly) SS x 2.5

that formula seems very accurate!

[Kyrazzy7]

Great topic! As a professional club fitter, I have guys all the time who come in to my store and tell me how they hit it 275+ but don’t swing even close to 100mph with their driver. First thing they always say is “is this machine accurate? Doesn’t seem right. I know I hit it farther” haha

 

Anyways. For me. I swing driver right around 115mph. Average carry is 279 total right around 300.

7 iron carry is 186.

A new club I’ve been testing lately. The 2 iron tmb is carrying in the 240’s for me. It’s a beast!

Here’s a pic of a swing with the tmb

[Kyrazzy7]

Oops. Wrong pic. That’s my 3 iron haha

Here’s the tmb..

 

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

Those launch and spin numbers look like a driver, and not an iron. Unless you're teeing up the iron and striking even or up on the ball somehow?

In fact, the description says 1W in the top one and you see a picture of a driver in the second one.

I do agree with the people thinking they drive farther than they actually do, though. Most people playing with me think I average 300 plus yards, and I know I don't. Lol.

[spineshank]

I carry about 250-260 if i am really on that day. Generally I end up playing with people that think they carry it that far but are more in the 210-220 range.

[Kyrazzy7]

Those launch and spin numbers look like a driver, and not an iron. Unless you're teeing up the iron and striking even or up on the ball somehow?

In fact, the description says 1W in the top one and you see a picture of a driver in the second one.

I do agree with the people thinking they drive farther than they actually do, though. Most people playing with me think I average 300 plus yards, and I know I don't. Lol.

 

The 3 iron was off the ground hit with ap3. The 2 iron I did tee up. But both were irons. The description says driver cause I was on break at my store and didn’t change it.

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

Those launch and spin numbers look like a driver, and not an iron. Unless you're teeing up the iron and striking even or up on the ball somehow?

In fact, the description says 1W in the top one and you see a picture of a driver in the second one.

I do agree with the people thinking they drive farther than they actually do, though. Most people playing with me think I average 300 plus yards, and I know I don't. Lol.

 

The 3 iron was off the ground hit with ap3. The 2 iron I did tee up. But both were irons. The description says driver cause I was on break at my store and didn’t change it.

 

Makes sense, the spin numbers are also likely off as well.

 

I remember them being different depending upon the mode you set it. Once I was doing pretty much the same thing as you with a BB 6i and it was setup for driver, I got really strange numbers. A salesman walking by told me there was nothing wrong with the club then proceeded to change the mode to iron and everything looked reasonable. Kind of why I assumed that the machine interprets spin rather than actually measuring it.

[Kyrazzy7]

Those launch and spin numbers look like a driver, and not an iron. Unless you're teeing up the iron and striking even or up on the ball somehow?

In fact, the description says 1W in the top one and you see a picture of a driver in the second one.

I do agree with the people thinking they drive farther than they actually do, though. Most people playing with me think I average 300 plus yards, and I know I don't. Lol.

 

The 3 iron was off the ground hit with ap3. The 2 iron I did tee up. But both were irons. The description says driver cause I was on break at my store and didn’t change it.

 

Makes sense, the spin numbers are also likely off as well.

 

I remember them being different depending upon the mode you set it. Once I was doing pretty much the same thing as you with a BB 6i and it was setup for driver, I got really strange numbers. A salesman walking by told me there was nothing wrong with the club then proceeded to change the mode to iron and everything looked reasonable. Kind of why I assumed that the machine interprets spin rather than actually measuring it.

 

We use gc2 in our fitting bays. Don’t have to change modes for iron or driver but if you don’t set it to a real ball like on trackman you can get weird numbers. But we use real balls and real ball data.

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

Those launch and spin numbers look like a driver, and not an iron. Unless you're teeing up the iron and striking even or up on the ball somehow?

In fact, the description says 1W in the top one and you see a picture of a driver in the second one.

I do agree with the people thinking they drive farther than they actually do, though. Most people playing with me think I average 300 plus yards, and I know I don't. Lol.

 

The 3 iron was off the ground hit with ap3. The 2 iron I did tee up. But both were irons. The description says driver cause I was on break at my store and didn’t change it.

 

Makes sense, the spin numbers are also likely off as well.

 

I remember them being different depending upon the mode you set it. Once I was doing pretty much the same thing as you with a BB 6i and it was setup for driver, I got really strange numbers. A salesman walking by told me there was nothing wrong with the club then proceeded to change the mode to iron and everything looked reasonable. Kind of why I assumed that the machine interprets spin rather than actually measuring it.

 

We use gc2 in our fitting bays. Don’t have to change modes for iron or driver but if you don’t set it to a real ball like on trackman you can get weird numbers. But we use real balls and real ball data.

That might have been what he changed.

[Kyrazzy7]

Those launch and spin numbers look like a driver, and not an iron. Unless you're teeing up the iron and striking even or up on the ball somehow?

In fact, the description says 1W in the top one and you see a picture of a driver in the second one.

I do agree with the people thinking they drive farther than they actually do, though. Most people playing with me think I average 300 plus yards, and I know I don't. Lol.

 

The 3 iron was off the ground hit with ap3. The 2 iron I did tee up. But both were irons. The description says driver cause I was on break at my store and didn’t change it.

 

Makes sense, the spin numbers are also likely off as well.

 

I remember them being different depending upon the mode you set it. Once I was doing pretty much the same thing as you with a BB 6i and it was setup for driver, I got really strange numbers. A salesman walking by told me there was nothing wrong with the club then proceeded to change the mode to iron and everything looked reasonable. Kind of why I assumed that the machine interprets spin rather than actually measuring it.

 

We use gc2 in our fitting bays. Don’t have to change modes for iron or driver but if you don’t set it to a real ball like on trackman you can get weird numbers. But we use real balls and real ball data.

That might have been what he changed.

 

Yea. Could be. We also have gc quad for our tour van fitting bays. Like those better cause we dot the club faces and get speed, path, face angle data as well

[markjay1]

Great topic! As a professional club fitter, I have guys all the time who come in to my store and tell me how they hit it 275+ but don’t swing even close to 100mph with their driver. First thing they always say is “is this machine accurate? Doesn’t seem right. I know I hit it farther” haha

 

 

I'm just the opposite. I got on a launch monitor a few weeks ago and it showed my 7 iron at 155 (I usually hit it 145-150) and my driver carry as 230 (SS 93) and I said: "Is this machine accurate? I don't hit it that far." I was trying some new irons and I think the guy was trying to sell me up.

[Kyrazzy7]

Great topic! As a professional club fitter, I have guys all the time who come in to my store and tell me how they hit it 275+ but don’t swing even close to 100mph with their driver. First thing they always say is “is this machine accurate? Doesn’t seem right. I know I hit it farther” haha

 

 

I'm just the opposite. I got on a launch monitor a few weeks ago and it showed my 7 iron at 155 (I usually hit it 145-150) and my driver carry as 230 (SS 93) and I said: "Is this machine accurate? I don't hit it that far." I was trying some new irons and I think the guy was trying to sell me up.

 

Yea sometimes you gotta watch out. I’m not gonna name names but some places will turn up the altitude to sell clubs.

[BirdiesnBrews]

Great topic! As a professional club fitter, I have guys all the time who come in to my store and tell me how they hit it 275+ but don’t swing even close to 100mph with their driver. First thing they always say is “is this machine accurate? Doesn’t seem right. I know I hit it farther” haha

 

 

I'm just the opposite. I got on a launch monitor a few weeks ago and it showed my 7 iron at 155 (I usually hit it 145-150) and my driver carry as 230 (SS 93) and I said: "Is this machine accurate? I don't hit it that far." I was trying some new irons and I think the guy was trying to sell me up.

 

It might’ve thought you were a lady with those distances lol.

[markjay1]

Great topic! As a professional club fitter, I have guys all the time who come in to my store and tell me how they hit it 275+ but don't swing even close to 100mph with their driver. First thing they always say is "is this machine accurate? Doesn't seem right. I know I hit it farther" haha

 

 

I'm just the opposite. I got on a launch monitor a few weeks ago and it showed my 7 iron at 155 (I usually hit it 145-150) and my driver carry as 230 (SS 93) and I said: "Is this machine accurate? I don't hit it that far." I was trying some new irons and I think the guy was trying to sell me up.

 

It might've thought you were a lady with those distances lol.

 

If the machine could have noted my age (or my Medicare card) it would have had a lot more respect.

[Zurb]

It's always been a risky proposition on this site to mention how far you hit it. Typical response of "show trackman/videos" usually pops up. It's becoming a little more of a safe place here though. I play golf with enough baseball and hockey players to know that flying it 280 doesn't make you a special snowflake. Flying it 280 and hitting fairways, however, does.