Sorry but just HOW far did you say you hit your driver ? (Merged)

[bennycoop9882]

I'm about an 8 handicap and have a controled swing speed of about 108-112 mph. I can carry it about 275 on a solid well struck drive with no wind but that rarely happens in texas so really I can go substantially higher or lower depending on the wind. I hit it quite high though, even with an 8.5 degree and so I don't get much roll. I play with some other good players who don't carry as far but get quite a bit of roll and can get it past me. We are all in about the same spot though. One thing to consider is the temperature which can have a big effect. I live in houston where its pretty hot most of the year and I know it helps a bit with distance. I've played when it was 32 degrees and was consistently short with the irons because of that. As for irons, I know I don't get the efficiency that I should but if there was know wind I hit my 7 iron about 160-165. I can hit it farther but its no longer a 7 iron with the delofting. Other than those guys I regularly play with, I have never been paired with someone who was longer than myself. I know they exist I just don't ever end up playing with them. I think it supports the idea that there really aren't alot of people swinging 120. I think the average tour pro swings in the 110 range. Granted, they are trying to be accurate, they definitely are in the minority in distance. I do have one friend who actually swings in the 120 range and can bomb it about 40 yards past my drives. He hits his 8 iron about 175. He also is from west texas and plays with very strong grip and flights it pretty low. He can mash it though. Before him I had never played with someone who hit it that far.

[XYB34A]

I am just proud of the fact that I can hit it as far as I did in 1986. I was married, had two children and was a manager of a store that is a fortune 500 company. I was a monster with a balata ball, a persimmon driver and a 50 degree pitching wedge. I could walk 36 holes in a day back then. Thanks to all the people who have worked in the golf industry and made it so that I can still hit it as far. I can score even better now. I dont care how far you hit it, or how well you score. I just care if you pay me when we bet and I win, and if you ask me to play again if I lose. I just want to have a good attitude, take the game as it comes and have fun. People that make moutain's out of molehills are the world's major problem.

[stryper]

;)

[hoganfan924]

You must have a lot of short hitters in your area.

 

I'm 43 and 5'7" and one of the 2 or 3 longest hitter in my golf league of 20 guys (probably with the longest average). Everything is lasered and if I don't carry it at least 245, it's a poor drive (for distance). One range (with average quality range balls) has netting and telephone poles at 243 yds. I regularly hit it half way up the netting. Another range has tall pines at around 260 yds and better quality range balls. When I'm swinging well, I carry it 1/4 to 1/2 way up the pine trees. The course I play at weekly has a carry (or layup) on #17 that's 255 on the left half and 240 on the right half. I carried it every time I tried last year (about 7 times), a few of those on the left side. I play at 900-1000 feet above see level and have played with plenty of players over the years that can hit it past me as well. 280 carry isn't that unusual these days. Lot's of H.S. and College kids can carry it 280+

[8thehardway]

I'm the shortest hitter in my foursome - one guy drives it 280 - 300, the others around 250. At 220, I outdrive about 70 - 80% of the random golfers I play with but with the 10 guys I know, half hit it 270 or more. (One day this year I intend to play all second shots as if each drive went 280 in the fairway just to see how much difference it really makes.)

 

 

I never thought about questioning anyone's claimed distance on the internet - I can't see any advantage to misrepresentation, especially when I can tack on another twenty yards by movng to a different set of tees.

 

 

Handicap: 5.6

 

S/S: 80 mph

 

Driver carry: 180 - 190

 

"Smash" factor: 50%

 

7 iron (carry + roll): 153

 

GIR: 7 - 8

 

Fairways: 12 - 13

 

Putts: 27.8

[stryper]

I never thought about questioning anyone's claimed distance on the internet - I can't see any advantage to misrepresentation.

It does seem to be a recurring theme around here though...hence the ;)

[patrikhub]

i've always come from the school of swashbucklers, who swing as hard as we can, then go hit the ball with a high wedge, over the trees, back onto the green. my friends and i are all college golfers with indexes ranging from 4.7 to 7.2 .... but this year, i finally bought a sky caddie... so finally, even when we are one fairway over off the drive, we will really know if we popped a high draw 295 ;)

[cdesana]

The distance debate is a funny one, but it is hwo a player uses his ability to hit a long that matters. I would call myself long off the tee, at least by the standards I am used to seeing. I play in many local and regional qualifiers and do nto recall someone knocking it past me on a well struck drive.

 

Taking adavantage of distance is hitting lesser more accurate clubs into most greens. Being able to hit 3 wood, 5 wood and rescue clubs on shorter par 4's. And of course being able to reach the par 5's in two. Of the three advantages mentioend above, the one that gets lost in the shuffle the most is being able to play Fairway Metals and Rescue clubs off the tee when others are trying to bang driver.

 

The woods are full of long hitters, but this long hitter will take the fairway and more putts at birdie!!!

[Blues Golfer]

This discussion freaked me out a couple months ago, so I started to doubt my distances. Which of course meant I started overshooting the green with my irons. Thanks a lot guys.

 

Distance matters not a whit if you can't put your second shot within makeable birdie range.

 

Being a long hitter means exactly squat if you can't putt twice and be in the hole 18 times in a row.

 

My view is that distance varies a lot more with your propensity to hit the sweet spot, than it does swing speed, shaft flex, type of club, or how long it's been since you got some. I play with guys who can hit it just as far as I do, WHEN they hit it solid. But they hit it solid once a round, maybe twice if they get lucky, and I hit it solid 10 times a round. That's the major difference.

 

I'm a 7 at the moment, I hit my 7 iron 155 if I hit it well, 150 if I miss it a little, and 160 if I'm jacked up. I hit my driver anywhere from 250 to 300, depending on how well I connected, and how much roll there is in the fairway. I am 5 foot 8, 198 pounds and I carry it just fine, I'm a runner and athlete.

 

None of it matters to me if I don't make birdie putts, can't get up and down in two from the greenside bunker, and 3-jack when there's money on the line.

[BENNYSUPREME]

As stated earlier elevation plays a big part is how far you hit it. At sea level in GA i have to take 1 more than I do in Colorado, sometimes more.

 

Also some people play from tees they shouldn't be playing from, ex. I play from black instead of whites and thats why some might have higher scores.

 

Its like the old guys say drive for show chip and putt for dough. well they chipping need some work...

 

RATINGS: STROKE/SLOPE - MEN

Falcon: 74.2/137 Blue: 72.6/134 White: 70.5/128 Red: 68.2/120 Yellow: 65.3/115

[Fade2Left]

The hole is a 385 yard Par 4. Raise your hand if you wanna see me crush it 300 yards? Does 250 yard straight and 50 yards to the left = 300 yards? Wanna spend 5 minutes helping me find my ball? How about standing by while I try to make a miracle shot out of the junk? Would you like to see me chunk a shot from 60 yards because I never practice that shot? Ok... a pitch shot to the green and a two putt. Hey, is that a double bogey!?! I drive the ball 300 yards BUT with little accuracy. However, 250 yards with a nice easy swing feels a lot better with better results. I am not knocking or doubting anyone's abilities. My advice to myself (because I am not good enough to give anyone advise...15 hdcp) is find what works best for your game. If you can stroke the long ball...do it BUT be sure to practice your short game...OR if you are like me, get fitted for some hybrids and watch it fly. Getting fitted for a putter doesn't hurt either. One more note, leave your ego at the clubhouse and watch your scores drop. You can always pick up your ego at the clubhouse bar while you drink your beer and collect the money that you won.

 

My Sticks ( Not the fancy ones in my garage but the ones that work)

 

DRIVER- Cleveland HiBore 10.5*

3 Wood- PING G2 14*

Hybrid- PING G5 22*

2-Iron- PING G2 HL

Irons- PING i3 O-Size (4-PW)

GW- Cleveland 588 GM 53*

SW- Cleveland CG11 56*

Putter- Odyssey White Hot XG #9

Ball- Callaway Big Bertha/ Titleist NXT

[blade_man]

My internet stats:

 

Handicap: +2

 

3-wood carry 280 yards.

 

Driver carry: 300 yards.

 

7-Iron: 200 Yards

 

GIR: 16

 

Fairways: 14

 

Putts per round: 26

 

---------------------------------------

My real life stats:

 

Handicap: ~7

 

3-wood carry 240 yards.

 

Driver carry: 260 yards.

 

7-iron: 170 Yards Max

 

GIR: 9

 

Fairways: 8

 

Putts per round: 32.5

 

Very good!!!! ;)

 

Happens too often with few that won't play with fellow forum members!

 

Hey, there is an idea! Have a golfwrx long drive championship!! do sectionals, then regionals and a national! hummm of course have a seniors group! I'm in just to meet everyone!

[monkeyboy]

I have similar stats as you. Maybe a bit longer on driver :-)

 

I have found that some people have selective memory when it comes to their distance. One great drive takes precendence over 5 mediocre drives.

 

I also think that some people can really smash it hard and can get great distances whereas others just can't put it all together no matter how hard they feel they swing.

 

Bottom line = most people are legends in their own mind

[MrMulligan]

i read and understand the post, but at the end of the day, someone's distance and carry does not necessarily translate to their index. for example, on my BEST days, ill shoot 80-85. I have no problem scribbling a 90 on my card, thats just me. I typically shoot 85-95 and could care less cause im a recreational golfer, but im also a bomber. I play four man best ball tourney's ALOT with friends and family, and they love having me cause i kill it. For the longest time i would out-drive my father (9 handicap) with my 3 wood carrying it about 240-250 then getting a roll.

 

Today i currently play about Bogey golf, but-my R7 with speeder x flex carries over 275 quite often. Hell, ill play PW to 150 every shot. Im not saying this to toot my horn, cause at the end of the day, my old man STILL beats me almost every round. All im trying to say is who cares what people boast they drive, or carry it. Just cause tiger carries it 275 doesn't MAKE him the #1. His long game, + short game + putting make him #1. Not every bomber is scratch. Im the prime example.

[blakesmittkamp]

i usually carry it about 280 with a 15 yard roll directly in the omega bravo zone. but hey, it looks cool in the air...

[MrMulligan]

i would LOVE to enter a long drive competition. Anyone in CT interested????? im only here for another 6 weeks though, then TENNESSEE!

 

 

(anyone in TN interested, haha?)

[scotchblade]

I try not to think about distance, even though it's sometimes hard not to as much as it is hyped.

 

It's not how far, it's how many.

 

Whad'ya shoot? That's all that matters.

[larrybud]

I get a kick ut of lots of the posts here.

But why is it that just about everybody here has a SS of 120 mph, a smash factor of 1.6 and carries the ball 300 yards ( on tour, the average carry is around 270)? What makes it more interesting is that I usually card scores of 75-79, which is decent as an amateur, and if I had the swings they say they have, I should be carding 59 every round......

 

That's because inside of 100 yards is really where you score. Probably 80% of your shots are inside that range. So when you have some big hitter hitting it past you 30 or 40 yards, that's only happening a MAX of 14 times a round. Probably more like 7 or 8 times. But if you can get up and down 2 or 3 more times than him, you've evened things out.

 

I used to play with a guy in a scramble every year that was a 12 index, I was 6 or 7 at the time. This guy could bomb it long and straight, almost every drive. One of the best drivers of the ball I've ever met. So he'd knock one 40 yards from the green on some of the shorter par 4's, and proceed to throw up on himself trying to hit that shot. He was a fairly lousy putter as well.

[skinny99]

I am still a pretty new golfer,been playin about two years. I have played with a bunch of different golfers and I outdrive a lot of them hitting it about 250 in the air and getting some roll about,10-25 yards. With that said I have two guys I play with who can crush it,one is 6'2" 190 pounds and strong can carry it 290 most of the time. The other is a monster about 5'10" 175 pounds and I have watched him hit baseballs out of the ball ballpark,throw one from center field to home plate in the air and on a rope,he is just a great athlete it is nasty. He regularly hits golf balls 315 in the air and has hit a bunch over 350 total with roll. I hate him he also regularly shoots in the 70's from the the tips, it ain't fair but I watch him do it all the time. And to make it worse he can do it with most drivers including both of mine. I am sure some people pad there numbers(everybody is human)but there are people can do it. Todd

[scotchblade]

I gotta chime in again on how over rated distance is unless you are long and straight and have a solid short game to finish it off. Sounds like a highly skilled player to me.

 

On the days when it's just me and the course, I'll get a little creative and play "outside the box." Meaning, I don't hit drivers. For example, on short par 4s, I'll hit a four or five iron, leaving myself a 7 or 8 iron. On long, brutal par fours, a 2 iron hybrid, 7 iron and a short pitch. Similarly, how about laying up with a 6 iron on long par three and leaving yourself an easy pitch?

 

Guess what? You stay out of trouble and rarely have difficult recovery shots by being short sided, buried in a bunker or in ankle high rough. Or worse. That means fewer double bogies. Or triples. With a decent short game, you'll get your share of one putt pars. When you add 'em all up, surprise! You scored better than gripping and ripping.

 

Experimenting like this makes you realize there are many ways to play this great game.

[hoganfan924]

I gotta chime in again on how over rated distance is unless you are long and straight and have a solid short game to finish it off. Sounds like a highly skilled player to me.

 

On the days when it's just me and the course, I'll get a little creative and play "outside the box." Meaning, I don't hit drivers. For example, on short par 4s, I'll hit a four or five iron, leaving myself a 7 or 8 iron. On long, brutal par fours, a 2 iron hybrid, 7 iron and a short pitch. Similarly, how about laying up with a 6 iron on long par three and leaving yourself an easy pitch?

 

Guess what? You stay out of trouble and rarely have difficult recovery shots by being short sided, buried in a bunker or in ankle high rough. Or worse. That means fewer double bogies. Or triples. With a decent short game, you'll get your share of one putt pars. When you add 'em all up, surprise! You scored better than gripping and ripping.

 

Experimenting like this makes you realize there are many ways to play this great game.

 

That's great advice. Even Hogan said he intentionally missed greens at Augusta (even when in perfect position in the fairway) because he'd rather have an easy chip and tap in par putt, than be in trouble or have a nasty downhill putt. Then again, he was also a great chipper.

[scotchblade]

That's great advice.

 

Too bad I don't apply it more often! Notice I said when playing alone. When part of a foursome, it becomes more difficult to play this way, for obvious reasons. What will my playing partners think of me for not whipping out the mighty driver? That kind of thing. Then again, one shouldn't be concerned with what others think. I'm sure Tiger did not worry about what his fellow competitors thought of him when he hit iron off almost every tee in that Open at Liverpool a couple of years ago. What a clinic in course strategy - brilliant!

[joesgonegolfing]

Nothing nice to say...so I deleted my post

[Zach Heusser]

I call it internet beer muscles.

[texcrom]

I play with two groups of guys on a regular basis, pretty much every other week with each group.

 

The first group are high handicappers my age (I'm 52). I am always longer and shoot considerably better scores (4 hcp) in the 70's while they are in the high 80's, low 90's.

 

At least once a round, I'll really catch a drive, and one of them will claim it has to be 300+. I use my Skycaddie to check, and for some strange reason, every time I measure it's 286. (maybe I have a Skycaddie problem?)

 

Conversely, my other group is in a men's association / league, and the guys are all younger than me (low to mid 30's). They are generally half to a full club longer than me with irons, but with the driver I more than hold my own.

 

Most really good golfers I've played with (including touring pro's in pro am's) are not really any longer than I am off the tee (a couple of big names were actually shorter). The difference is their accuracy with irons, directionally and more importantly, hitting precise distances.

 

I'm betting that most good amateur golfers are somewhere in the range of 275 - 285, which if you think about it, will leave you with a short iron to most par 4's, and a reachable second shot on par 5's.

 

I always find it amusing when I'm in a golf shop, and someone comes in looking for a driver. Invariably, when asked how far they hit their current driver, the first number is almost always a "3"..."when I really catch one".

 

To quote Clint Eastwood in the last Dirty Harry movie...."A man's got to know his limitations."

 

Most golfer's don't.

[Golfdog]

I believe what I see on the golf course rather than what I read on the Internet. On the golf course, it is very rare to see someone swinging at 110+. And that includes the state and regional tournaments I play in.

[Famousdave]

My two cents is that most everyone here probably exagerates a bit. We all wish we could hit it longer and on a board like this a person can say anything they want and no one will know any different. I agree with what someone else said, just deduct 10-20 yards and you probably have the truth!

 

That being said, there really are some monster hitters out there, and I've been priviledged to golf with a few. One fellow on my team in a scramble 15-20 years ago (before the titanium driver era) hit the ball so far I never would have believed it had I not seen it with my own eyes. I will not use his full name, so let's call him Joe. I remember two of his drives vividly, like it was yesterday.

 

Joe was a big man, probably 6'-4" and 280-300 lbs. He wasn't obese, just a huge man and strong as an ox. He was long all of the time, averaging 275-300 yards I'd say. But once in a while, he'd nail one on the screws and it was a sight to see. My group called them "moon balls" as they seem to launch up to the jetsteam and fly up there forever. I do not know what the hang time was on these drives, but I'm sure that Ray Guy (I sure that am dating myself) would be proud of them.

 

One of the two monster drives he hit was on a 360 yard par 4. Because of a tree, we could not see the group ahead of us putting on the green. Joe hit last and launched one heading right towards the center of the green. We never saw it after it flew over the big tree, but later a guy in the group on the green said it seemed to still be rising as it soared over the green and landed 50+ yards past the green in the woods. The second monster drive was even more memorable. An uphill par 5, 514 yards and after Joes's drive we were 100-110 yards shooting for the green in two. Like I said, I would never have believed it without seeing it myself. (FYI, I nailed a PW 3-4 feet from the pin and, wouldn't you know, none of us could sink the eagle putt.)

 

So the monster hitters are really out there. We just do not see them that often, except perhaps, on a board such as this!

[pggolf66]

at the end of the day there is more than a fair degree of 'machismo' attached to how far some guys think they hit the driver...it doesn't matter, on my trip to Florida I saw tons of young college age players bombing it miles with perfect swings - the technology and fitting techniques are there for everyone to use and I'd say that all decent players should go thru a fitting with the Driver and 3 Wood (I'm going in Thursday) - if the best player in the world says that getting the ball in the hole is the #1 objective bar none regardless of how you do it, I don't think hitting the ball 290 vs 275 or 255 will make a whole lot of difference in strokes.

 

The WOODS are full of long hitters..

[jprox]

...is it just me or have you noticed that them guys who are new to golf and try to hit drivers like baseball, are mostly the ones who claim those 300 yarders....couple days ago in the range(san bruno, ca), i was hitting behind a big guy w/ big voice, telling his friend he averages 375!!!..yet his ball lands just a few yards past the big 200yd mark...i've played at least 5 of these types....you guys have similar experience?

[blade_man]

...is it just me or have you noticed that them guys who are new to golf and try to hit drivers like baseball, are mostly the ones who claim those 300 yarders....couple days ago in the range(san bruno, ca), i was hitting behind a big guy w/ big voice, telling his friend he averages 375!!!..yet his ball lands just a few yards past the big 200yd mark...i've played at least 5 of these types....you guys have similar experience?

 

 

Yep! A lot, but what is funny is my 265-270 will be in front of their 375!? Can't figure it out, have played with some guys that play the mini tour and they are by me by 30! but like another poster said it's not alway lenght they hit their irons close!