New guy looking to get started.......

J.Gorrell · September 20, 2010

Hello everyone! My name is James and I am looking to get started in the great sport of LD! I havent played a game of golf since I was about 13 and I am now 26. I have played baseball my whole life and never stuck with golf in fear of it throwing my off. Now I am ready to play some golf! I started swinging a club again almost 2 weeks ago and took a few pointers from a Pro and now I am absolutely crushing the ball and loving this game. I am looking to get a new set this winter and begin to play in the spring.

I have been to the range 3 times the past 2 weeks and focusing on swing and accuracy to better control the ball. I know my power is there from baseball so I figured I can worry about that later. Well today I was taking a few swings at the pro shop and trying to figure out what driver I wanted to get and I think I may have found it! I swung the Taylor Made R9 9.5* with the Aldila RIP X-Stiff Shaft and fell in love! I am swinging 127MPH with a ball speed of 186MPH and a distance of 385yds w/ 384yds on the Carry (was told this was inaccurate by a few boardies so chances are it is but that is what the machine was giving me). I was consistent in the 370+ after about 5 hacks to loosen up. After I took about 10 shots the Pro suggested I look into getting in the LD Competitions. Which Brought me to this great site!

Also is there any way to accurately check my club speed, ball speed, and spin rate?

I have noticed many different clubs and lengths for LD and was wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction. All help and any help is greatly appreciated.

I live in Beaverton/Portland, OR if anyone is from around these neck of the woods or knows a place or person to help me out.

aliikane · September 21, 2010

That is ridiculous clubhead speed. You do have speed to compete. I'm no expert at long drive but from what I have read, the long drive guys use much different setups. Here is what is different.

1. They use longer length drivers
2. Tee the ball really high and hit on the upswing so they can get optimum launch angle.
3. Use very low lofts. The flatter the better only if you can get optimum launch angle. Flatter lofts have less spin and more forward projection.
4. They use very deep faced driver heads.
5. Super stiff shafts.

Here is an article about what they use.

[url="http://www.pinoygolfer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5262"]http://www.pinoygolf....php?f=1&t=5262[/url]

stage1350 · September 21, 2010

Go to longdrivers.com and find out when the qualifiers are in your area next season. I believe they are or already have wrapped up the finals this year.

There are also links to companies that are very helpful for someone wanting to build an LDA club.

NavyLD12 · September 21, 2010

Those numbers are totally off. You arent going to hit the ball that far with that amount of back spin and side spin. Go to www.incepta.ca everyone there will tell you the same thing.

J.Gorrell · September 21, 2010

And that is what I was thinking. Everything was consistant. When I snuffed a ball it showed. What method of calculating speed would you recommend? As far as radars and what not? I am looking to get something to show me numbers so I can set personal goals for myself and show improvement or not.

[quote name='NavyLD12' timestamp='1285097747' post='2707360']
Those numbers are totally off. You arent going to hit the ball that far with that amount of back spin and side spin. Go to www.incepta.ca everyone there will tell you the same thing.
[/quote]

CaseyD · October 14, 2010

With your swing speed you might be competitive at a small local. You said you're 26 so you will be competing in the open division, open division guys that are truly competitive are swinging minimum high 130's. I did long drive for 5 years and it is a feeakin blast. My highest swing speed that I recorded was 142, but that was swinging as hard as I could with a major loss in accuracy. I could go to locals and win no problem but I usually only made it to the second or third round at the districts. If you have any questions let me know i enjoy seeing new guys get started in LD.

J.Gorrell · October 17, 2010

[quote name='CaseyD' timestamp='1287063477' post='2742625']
With your swing speed you might be competitive at a small local. You said you're 26 so you will be competing in the open division, open division guys that are truly competitive are swinging minimum high 130's. I did long drive for 5 years and it is a feeakin blast. My highest swing speed that I recorded was 142, but that was swinging as hard as I could with a major loss in accuracy. I could go to locals and win no problem but I usually only made it to the second or third round at the districts. If you have any questions let me know i enjoy seeing new guys get started in LD.
[/quote]

Thanks bud. After posting this I have been training hard and have my swing at 132-135 and climbing. Remember I am new to golf and am coming from baseball so my mechanics are getting better and everything is becoming one with the club. Technique was my issue as having a really hard baseball swing and trying to change it up this much is a drastic change.