Skewed view on here

[Vater]

I just read something that underscored what I believe to be a very particular segment of golfers on here versus, well, reality. Someone took data from the Game Golf tracker - TONS of data - and came up with this for average drive distances by score:

 

100-105 = 172 yds

90-95 = 193 yds

80-85 = 217 yds

72 or better = 251 yds

 

But it seems like the majority of folks on here average 300 yd drives using XXXstiff shafts with 200mph swing speeds. It feels like 4 out of 5 people on here are Bryson DeChambeau... Occasionally you'll get what sounds like a real story only for it to turn into a humble brag.

 

Maybe part of this is that the guys I golf with a few times a year aren't on this site. What do they have to share or comment? "I have a wicked slice and I hit my 4 iron like garbage"? I guess that wouldn't make for much of a post and they wouldn't spend their time on here.

 

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being a part of this community - I've learned a lot and been entertained. I just feel like the MAJORITY of people on here can't all be pro-level beasts, can they?

[Hawkeye77]

I think the “prodigious wrxer” has become more of a fun thing to joke about than what it really is. I think it’s a very small minority of folks that post about the giant drives and swing speeds but that stuff just gets more reaction because it’s trolling or …. once in a great while you find out for some it’s true. Most of the really good players on here seem to fly under the radar or at least not brag - but they are good.  FWIW. 

[b.helts]

^^ @Hawkeye77 nailed it!

[miamistomp]

 Yep, the guys who play from the plaid tees .....

[Llortamaisey]

24 minutes ago, Hawkeye77 said:

I think the “prodigious wrxer” has become more of a fun thing to joke about than what it really is. I think it’s a very small minority of folks that post about the giant drives and swing speeds but that stuff just gets more reaction because it’s trolling or …. once in a great while you find out for some it’s true. Most of the really good players on here seem to fly under the radar or at least not brag - but they are good.  FWIW. 

Back in my day you couldn’t register here without carrying it 350 on an AccuSport Vector launch monitor. And that’s with those tiny 375cc heads! I used Microsoft Paint to photoshop my numbers. Shhhhhh don’t tell anyone. Get off my lawn. 

[DFS PFD]

GolfWRX is not representative of most "casual" golfers. There may very well be a much higher concentration of longer driving and lower handicap players on WRX than in the wild because this forum attracts the most avid golfers, who also happen to be equipment junkies. So just looking at small collection sample of players here, is not representative of golf as a whole. There's certainly vanity members here, as there are at your local club or muni as well. 

[golfortennis]

Yeah it's more about a running joke as opposed to actually being truth.  You are likely to see a larger number of really good players here compared to in the general public, but the membership total here is a pimple on an elephant's butt compared to the total number of golfers out there.

[Socrates]

I've played with a number of guys who can't break 100 on a good course that hit it 290+.  The problem is that they usually don't know which zip code it might land in.  And It's the same with their wedges.

[MtlJeff]

@Hawkeye77 is correct---but it should also be stated that there are many people in the world who can drive it 300+ yards, and it makes sense that they would be drawn to a golf junky website such as this.

 

I play in amateur tournaments in Quebec--Hardly a hot bed of golf. I've ran into several people who drive it 300+ . Hell, MtlJeff drives it 275-280 and i'm a 40 year old man who drives a lacking-in-virility Toyota Rav4 who last went to the gym over a year ago (thanks Covid)...So, i mean, it's really not that hard for a 22yr old in shape dude to do this. If we have dozens of guys who can do this that i run into in tourneys, i can only imagine what Florida or Arizona has

 

And if all of these guys join a site like this....

 

[Bonneville85308]

My average drive is under 225 yards and I usually shoot in the 70s so I'm sort of an outlier I suppose.

[capking]

5 hours ago, Vater said:

I just read something that underscored what I believe to be a very particular segment of golfers on here versus, well, reality. Someone took data from the Game Golf tracker - TONS of data - and came up with this for average drive distances by score:

 

100-105 = 172 yds

90-95 = 193 yds

80-85 = 217 yds

72 or better = 251 yds

 

But it seems like the majority of folks on here average 300 yd drives using XXXstiff shafts with 200mph swing speeds. It feels like 4 out of 5 people on here are Bryson DeChambeau... Occasionally you'll get what sounds like a real story only for it to turn into a humble brag.

 

Maybe part of this is that the guys I golf with a few times a year aren't on this site. What do they have to share or comment? "I have a wicked slice and I hit my 4 iron like garbage"? I guess that wouldn't make for much of a post and they wouldn't spend their time on here.

 

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being a part of this community - I've learned a lot and been entertained. I just feel like the MAJORITY of people on here can't all be pro-level beasts, can they?

you can be a bad golfer and still have a high swing speed, especially newer young adults who are strong. The longer it’s in the air the longer that slice puts it Right!

[YMark]

3 minutes ago, capking said:

you can be a bad golfer and still have a high swing speed, especially newer young adults who are strong. 

 

I don't think "strong" has anything to do with it. I wouldn't ask 105 lb asian LPGA player to help me move a couch, but I'd put her up against 95% of young adult golfers that can bench 250 in a long drive contest.

[Hawkeye77]

47 minutes ago, MtlJeff said:

@Hawkeye77 is correct---but it should also be stated that there are many people in the world who can drive it 300+ yards, and it makes sense that they would be drawn to a golf junky website such as this.

 

I play in amateur tournaments in Quebec--Hardly a hot bed of golf. I've ran into several people who drive it 300+ . Hell, MtlJeff drives it 275-280 and i'm a 40 year old man who drives a lacking-in-virility Toyota Rav4 who last went to the gym over a year ago (thanks Covid)...So, i mean, it's really not that hard for a 22yr old in shape dude to do this. If we have dozens of guys who can do this that i run into in tourneys, i can only imagine what Florida or Arizona has

 

And if all of these guys join a site like this....

 

LOL, no doubt.  

 

I guess I don't see as much of the "bravado" as I recall a few years ago, but since I seem to spend as much time in my wife's Subaru lately as my Wrangler, I may be getting soft.

 

I do know if I see 300 yards and "baby fade" and "prolly" in a post I'm reading it just for the chuckle. 😀

 

 

Edited August 17, 2021 by Hawkeye77

[jomatty]

17 minutes ago, YMark said:

 

I don't think "strong" has anything to do with it. I wouldn't ask 105 lb asian LPGA player to help me move a couch, but I'd put her up against 95% of young adult golfers that can bench 250 in a long drive contest.

Strong is alway going to have something to do with it.  It’s not the be all end all, and maybe not even near the top of the list.  But it matters a decent amount.

[Ironman_32]

Not knowing how they came up with the data, you have to normalize a lot of stuff. a 72 on a course measuring 5500 yards is different than a 72 on a 7000 course. 

 

Additionally, it says averages. That means two things (1) it takes everyone into account. I dont know who they evaluated, but, for example, if you take 10 players, 9 hit it 200 yards, and 1 hits it 300, its still a 210 yard average. (2) everyone on this site does embellish both the actual difference and the number of drives they see go that distance. Yea, your friend can probably hit one 320 if  he connects, but might duff his next drive 30 yards; or an average of 175 yards. 

[rooski]

GolfWRX is the premiere, and maybe only truly populated golf discussion forum on the internet. The only competitor is /r/golf, which is full of people posting pictures of Noodles because they're excited they went 9 holes without losing a ball.

 

Naturally, the people that come here and post often will self select as people who fervently enjoy golf more than the average person.

 

I'm a young guy (28), and whenever I play with my other golfing friends, all of us in this age group who grew up swinging a club in high school can hit the ball over 300, even the dudes without great handicaps.

 

I play at ~900 feet of elevation and when I hit a driver solid, it will go 330-340 yards without any extraneous effort. Even my dad who is 59 years old and pretty hurt throughout his body hits the ball 290 and if I miss one will outdrive me. (Granted he has shot 59, 60, 61 and had a private PGA Tour sponsorship before he got hurt but that's a different story)

 

I'm always shocked when people don't believe it's possible. I've got to imagine it's because they're not playing with younger players who drop it into the slot.. with today's equipment and balls the sh*t just goes forever

 

 

Edited August 17, 2021 by rooski

[itsame]

You get this kind of selective bias on any forum.

 

People who actively participate in a forum are most likely passionate about the subject, so the average poster is likely to be better at it than the people you meet outside.

Then there's the fact that those who are very vocal about their distances are more likely to be long (most of those who drive 225 or less just never mention it).

And of course there are a few liars.

 

If you go to a bodybuilding/powerlifting forum, you'll find tons of guys who can squat 400lbs. Yet if you've ever joined a gym, you know this is very rare.

The selective bias is very strong.

[Ironman_32]

3 minutes ago, rooski said:

GolfWRX is the premiere, and maybe only truly populated golf discussion forum on the internet. The only competitor is /r/golf, which is full of people posting pictures of Noodles because they're excited they went 9 holes without losing a ball.

 

Naturally, the people that come here and post often will self select as people who fervently enjoy golf more than the average person.

 

I'm a young guy (28), and whenever I play with my other golfing friends, all of us in this age group who grew up swinging a club in high school can hit the ball over 300, even the dudes without great handicaps.

 

I play at ~900 feet of elevation and when I hit a driver solid, it will go 330-340 yards without any extraneous effort. Even my dad who is 59 years old and pretty hurt throughout his body hits the ball 290 and if I miss one will outdrive me.

 

I'm always shocked when people don't believe it's possible. I've got to imagine it's because they're not playing with younger players who drop it into the slot, with today's equipment and balls the sh*t just goes forever

 

 

I think its more what you see is what you believe. 

 

If you hungout strictly at the US Amateur qualifying, or at each country club championship, you'd probably think all golfers are that skill level, when you'd think in reverse if you just went to the local muni and watched every group. 

[Justsomeguy]

Every wrxer eventually comes to this conclusion, and the argument goes on daily.

The truth is not in between as much as it is both simultaneously.

There are guys who really hit it 300 here who are simultaneously liars. There are also guys who are too humble.

I've arrived at the conclusion that it doesn't matter.

[TiScape]

10 hours ago, Vater said:

I just read something that underscored what I believe to be a very particular segment of golfers on here versus, well, reality. Someone took data from the Game Golf tracker - TONS of data - and came up with this for average drive distances by score:

 

100-105 = 172 yds

90-95 = 193 yds

80-85 = 217 yds

72 or better = 251 yds

 

But it seems like the majority of folks on here average 300 yd drives using XXXstiff shafts with 200mph swing speeds. It feels like 4 out of 5 people on here are Bryson DeChambeau... Occasionally you'll get what sounds like a real story only for it to turn into a humble brag.

 

Maybe part of this is that the guys I golf with a few times a year aren't on this site. What do they have to share or comment? "I have a wicked slice and I hit my 4 iron like garbage"? I guess that wouldn't make for much of a post and they wouldn't spend their time on here.

 

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being a part of this community - I've learned a lot and been entertained. I just feel like the MAJORITY of people on here can't all be pro-level beasts, can they?

Agree with what a few have already said. I’ve only been back for a little over a year. I don’t see very many, if any lately, posts with guys claiming huge numbers. That’s become more of a joke than reality. Definitely would never say 4 out of 5 here post Bryson #s (330+ carry! No way)  I actually see more posts now with guys joking about how bad they are! I will say, those #’s you posted do seem really short to me though. I get paired with random middle aged guys all the time that  hit their drivers 260ish. And I definitely don’t agree that distance equates to lower scores like that chart eludes to. Like Jeff said, lots of guys hitting it 290+ that can barely break 100. I’m a 48yo and a 10 and hit my 4i 215. Drives typically 285ish, but will get into one every so often and get one out there 300. And that’s 💯 real, no BS. Humble brag? No, I’m definitely not a great golfer by any stretch. And I definitely don’t consider myself very long. My son out drives me 95% of the time. A “pro level beast” to me is what we see on TV. Freaks regularly carrying the ball 300+ and it comes to rest at ~325. I honestly don’t see anyone here claiming that 🤷🏼‍♂️

[Ferguson]

People typically exaggerate four things. 

 

1. Net worth 

2. Value of property 

3. Driving distance 

4. How much blood they have in their body  

Edited August 17, 2021 by Ferguson

[Bad9]

9 hours ago, Hawkeye77 said:

LOL, no doubt.  

 

I guess I don't see as much of the "bravado" as I recall a few years ago, but since I seem to spend as much time in my wife's Subaru lately as my Wrangler, I may be getting soft.

 

I do know if I see 300 yards and "baby fade" and "prolly" in a post I'm reading it just for the chuckle. 😀

 

 

 

You forgot "butter cut"

[Bad9]

As others have already said I find the driver distance exaggeration here more imagined than real but I am often struck by the number of guys who seem to be better ball strikers than the majority of tour pros. I'm talking about mentions of working it both ways on command, Fairways Hit and GIR rates above 75%, etc. Often times these comments come up in club reviews and make me go 🤔

Edited August 17, 2021 by Bad9

[Hawkeye77]

And here we all are (yes, looking at me, too) skewing it more! 😀

 

 

[Roody]

FWIW, I have met and played golf with two WRX members. Both of them have crazy fast swing speeds, and can hit the ball 300. One of them is a scratch golfer, the other is about a 20 handicap. 

 

Contrast that to me, I can hit it 260-270 tops, and that's on my better than average swings. I'm probably more around 240-250 most of the time. I could tell everyone I'm a 320 hitter, how would they know otherwise? But meh, who cares. In my opinion the scorecard doesn't know how you obtained that birdie. 

[ND2005]

30 minutes ago, Bad9 said:

As others have already said I find the driver distance exaggeration here more imagined than real but I am often struck by the number of guys who seem to be better ball strikers than the majority of tour pros. I'm talking about mentions of working it both ways on command, Fairways Hit and GIR rates above 75%, etc. Often times these comments come up in club reviews and make me go 🤔

 

Well for one thing, I'm much more likely to make a comment here after a great round/great shot than I am after I shot an 86 and felt like I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn...

[Nard_S]

I posted about a guy who drove it 175 and shot under his age and caught grief for a week over it. So dunno, this place can be nuts. 

 

[GolfDancer]

My local driving range just added launch monitors to all the bays and it’s funny to see people losing it as they get a real look, maybe for the first time, at how they hit the ball.  Granted, range balls are terrible, but someone who’s hitting a range ball well under 250 yards, probably isn’t hitting a premium ball 300+ out on the course.

 

As far as terrible golfers that hit it over 300, I have a buddy who fits that bill.  It’s the only part of the game he likes or is any good at, but he crushes it off the tee.  At least he has no ego about it and has no problem picking up his ball if he reaches double par.

[jholz]

I always find the confluence of golf stats and golf experience funny. I don't know what the truth actually is. The whole driving yardage vs. scoring average is similar to scoring average statistics in general. 

 

Only a small percentage of all golfers - theoretically and statistically - will ever drive the ball 300 or score in the 70's.

 

Yet, if you talk to golfers, most of them have recently done both - just like the other weekend when you weren't there. 

Edited August 17, 2021 by jholz

[BlackDiamondPar5]

No way do those driving distances posted by the OP match up with me or anyone I play with, all guys in our 50s and bogey golfers. No one is hitting it 300 but  come on under 200...no way. 

 

Anyone see those numbers as accurate?