Silly Question but here goes......Drivers...

Swinging Looney

Just wondering roughly what kind of distance most people are managing to get from their drivers.

I'm currently off 16 but hoping to get that down a bit further soon. I was recently fitted for a driver and was getting results close to 290 yards from their test equipment when I hit the ball particularly well.

However, I'm off 16 for a reason - I lack consitency, so i would gladly give up distance to gain accuracy. So, I'd like to get an idea of how much distance I can give up and not be totally left behind!!!

Cheers!!

(Any hints on the most forgiving drivers would be appreciated too!)

Plus 10

Not questioning your numbers but 290 yards would seem to be quite big - is that a once off or an average. For example Stenson (bit hitting pro on a good round) averaged 289 yards in China today.

I would be in a similiar boat - I can hit the ball quite far but that isn't much good when the ball slices into the trees!! I find by swinging a bit easier I definetely loose 30 yards with a bit more consistency.

I'm maybe out of line but I think if you can hit a consistent 240-250 yards you are still well at the races. Actually I find a well hit 3 iron is often not that far behind this 90% drive and is far more consistent.

Swinging Looney

I can only go on what the machine told me I suppose, and I'm sure there is a margin of error in it. The best drive I hit was 290 and dead straight. Most were in the 280-290 region, however the majority were well off target.

The numbers would seem reasonable as my 3 wood would normally give anything up to 260 yards on a good day, so an extra 20 or 30 for a driver would make sense I suppose. (All numbers off a tee. From the turf I would be hard pressed to manage better than 220 yards with my 3 wood as I can't launch the ball high enough.)

As you have hinted, I see little point in being able to hit 280 or 290 and watch the ball sail into the sea or the woods or whatever. For the moment, if 250 ish seems quite acceptable, I'll stick with my 3 wood and wait until my swing gains some consistency and I think I might be able to handle a driver.

I feel that if I get a driver, I don't want to throttle back on it. If the spin rates and launch angles I'm getting with a particular club and shaft are correct for a full, regular swing, they won't be ideal for a 75% swing say. Or vice versa. Drivers are expensive enough without needing to buy another one when I feel I can step up the pace.

Thanks for the reply +10!!

MisterAnarchy

Here we go again.
Most amateurs overestimate their driving distance.
Although definitive research is scarce, Golf Digest surveys show that the average golfer's driving distance increased from 193 to 205 yards in the last decade. In the same period, PGA Tour distances increased almost 30 yards.
According to tests by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, the double-digit-handicapper added less than one yard to his average drive from 1996 to 2001. During the same period, tour pros added an average of 12 yards.
The typical amateur is still struggling with the 200-yard standard (even if he thinks and says he hits it 250)
I have a swing speed radar and my club speed is ~105-110mph and I drive 260-270yds .
I'm happy with that distance as my driving is very straight,my driver is quite old in todays terms ,its a 2002 model,320cc.
As a side note I was looking at some new drivers in Nevada Bobs today and frankly they are a joke.
The heads on them are ridiculously big,insane.
Its like having a bloody boot on a stick.The drivers are too big now,golf is supposed to be a game of skill and these clubs are too advanced in my opinion.

Plus 10

Mmmm - most amateurs overstate their driving distance - the typical amateur is struggling with the 200 yard standard - yet guess what "I drive 260-270yds, my driver is quite old in todays terms ,its a 2002 model,320cc". Pot - kettle!!

I do think that these "machines" do overestimate driving distance - all part of the ploy to sell clubs - give a guy a driver tell him he is hitting it 300 yards and guess what - sale agreed.

Not sure where 205 yards average is coming from - I would have thought that the average was well above this.

PhilipMarlowe

Anarchy's reference to the age of the driver isn't particularly relevant to how far he hits it.
The advantage that a 460 cc head has over a 320 cc head is in how forgiving the larger head is, not how much further the larger head will hit it.

Looking at his quoted stats, it would be possible to attribute the bigger gain in distance (relatively) among tour pros to fitness? There was mention during the commentary for the masters about how much further Lee Westwood drives the ball now....... after adopting a fitness regime over the winter.
I know that a Pro that I know was encouraging me to develop stronger shoulder muscles (rowing machine etc.) and greater flexibility over the winter to improve my golf, not working on technique at all.... a lost cause btw

To the OP, if you are off 16, basically you need to make 2 pars in your round and 16 bogeys. Surely your course management is far more important that how far you actually hit the ball i.e. 220-240 yards off the tee down the middle won't ever have you in much trouble

markie4

What shaft flex was recommended to you? I presume an X-Stiff....

If you're hitting this driver 280-290 yards. How far do you hit a 7 iron? I'm guessing, based on that driver distance you must be carrying a 7-iron about 165? If that sounds like too much, then you're probably not getting the swing speed to hit 290 with a driver, and the machine is helping you, possibly a lot.

For the record, I probably average 220-240yrds off the tee, and it's only the Cat 1 payers and the occasional mid-high h'capper wh'd e hitting past me

ShriekingSheet

We're all well aware that people over-estimate. I wouldn't give the OP much hassle over that!

I started a new thread to deal with the initial query which I though was a good one.

Anyone wondering how over-estimation can occur it's usually becuase people only tend to take notice of how far a drive has gone when they cream one. So a guy has hit the best drive of his day and he looks at the card - "This hole measures 450yards - here's my ball and here's the 150 stakes" and from then on can claim to "on a good day" average 290+ yards.

The truth is there are many variables that cause an inaccurate estimation. I'm taking the example of a guy on a course having hit a good drive...

1. Most tee boxes are raised - deduct 3-8 yards or more if it's very high up.

2. If a hole bends, the measurement line may also be bent making it longer than the crow-flies (or your ball flies) measurement. Even slight dog-legs are measured in an L shape. Your ball will appear to have flown further.

3. A hole measures 450 to the centre of the green. The 150 stakes can be to the front usually. Say the green is 18 yards deep - deduct 9 yards.

4. Wind and gradient (especially when favourable) are often ignored. A right to left wind that's "not helping" will in fact help a draw shot.

5. Measurements are from the permanent markers set into the tees but tees on the day are often forward of them and where the markers are from.

6. As I said, guys usually only measure they're best hit of the day which constitutes their max rather than their average.



There's a load of little things like that which can mean that a ball hit to the 150yd stakes on a hole measuring 450yds on the card can in reality have gone 300 yards (minus 5 for raised tee box) ( minus 8 as 150stakes are to front) (minus 2 yards ahead of tee markers) (minus 10 for the little push the breeze gave it) so...

Your best drive actually was a 275 hit.

This is just one example of one shot. The above variables could be adjusted infinitely. I'm just saying it's easy to overlook some of these variables.

Swinging Looney

markie4 wrote: »

What shaft flex was recommended to you? I presume an X-Stiff....

If you're hitting this driver 280-290 yards. How far do you hit a 7 iron? I'm guessing, based on that driver distance you must be carrying a 7-iron about 165? If that sounds like too much, then you're probably not getting the swing speed to hit 290 with a driver, and the machine is helping you, possibly a lot.

For the record, I probably average 220-240yrds off the tee, and it's only the Cat 1 payers and the occasional mid-high h'capper wh'd e hitting past me

I am aware of the possibility of the machine mis quoting me I must say. I'm sure that all machine mis quote a little to help sell clubs.

My 7 iron distance is 160-165 yards. My 5 iron distance has always been the reference for me and I will comfortably manage 195 yards. If I push it and hit it well, I can get up towards 210 although obviously my accuracy drops quite dramatically.

My swing speed when using the driver was around 115-120mph. 5 iron swing speed last year was hovering just above 100mph.

I fully understand the doubts of many regarding these distances, but I can safely say that my iron distances are accurate as I paced them out numerous times. The driver at 290 however, is a different kettle of fish altogether. The reason I asked the original question at the top of this post is that I was surprised to see distances like these during club fittings and as I consider myself to be an average golfer I would presume that most others with similar handicaps would be managing something similar. My question it seems has already been answered! I'm trying to be very careful that I don't overestimate what I'm capable of believe me!! I hate pulling out the wrong club just as much as you do!

I have already found that winding my swing speed down just a little allows me much better accuracy with my irons while only sacrificing perhaps 5 or 10 yards in achievable distance. This has made a huge difference to my scores (relatively speaking of course!) and if I thought I had plenty of room to spare when it comes to my driver, then I would happily give up lots of yards to gain more fairways. It seems this is the case.

My irons use Novatech Tour 100 stiff, low kickpoint, stepless steel shafts. Just these shafts alone added about 15 yards to my 5 iron distance.

The driver I tested used a stiff shaft with a very high kick point (apparently). The only advantage I could see from the higher kickpoint was that my accuracy improved a little and the club felt a little firmer to hit.

Sorry for reading like yet another amateur secretly wishing he could outdrive Tiger Woods!! Genuinely, my distances are grand as far as I'm concerned, but I would trade vast amounts for some consistency and accuracy!!!

Thanks everyone!

stockdam

I'm not the longest hitter but then again I'm not the shortest either........above average. I've never meet a high handicapper that can outdrive me (there must be some) but they all claim ridiculous lengths.

In the winter I carry about 230 to 240 yards (that's with no run at all). In the summer it depends on the conditions and you can get lucky with the run.

The important thing is not length but keeping the ball on the fairway. If you can do that and be long then life gets no better. But chipping out sideways is a stroke gone immediately.

MisterAnarchy

Plus 10 wrote: »

Mmmm - most amateurs overstate their driving distance - the typical amateur is struggling with the 200 yard standard - yet guess what "I drive 260-270yds, my driver is quite old in todays terms ,its a 2002 model,320cc". Pot - kettle!!

Not being arrogant but I'm not an average golfer.
I am a low handicapper.Off 5.
I hit my drives with a slight draw and a pretty high trajectory.
Most golfers slice the ball losing distance.
I'd say my long game is the best part of my game.
I was being accurate and conservative when I said I drive 260-270 yards.
The point I'm trying to make is that I use a Taylor Made 320Ti stiff flex driver.
Its a great driver,very forgiving ,workable and long.
But its 6 years old .
I hear all these ads about a new driver adding 20-30 yards to your drives ,300 yds plus blah blah,frankly its bull.Its marketing spin.
If I were to believe all these statements I should be driving 400 yards by now ,lol.
On a side note,if a 12 handicapper had Tiger Woods hitting his shots from 100 yards in he would shoot level par.

rigal

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

Not being arrogant but I'm not an average golfer.
The point I'm trying to make is that I use a Taylor Made 320Ti stiff flex driver.
Its a great driver,very forgiving ,workable and long.
But its 6 years old .
I hear all these ads about a new driver adding 20-30 yards to your drives ,300 yds plus blah blah,frankly its bull.Its marketing spin.
If I were to believe all these statements I should be driving 400 yards by now ,lol.

That's a really nice driver you have Misteranarchy. My mate is a three handicapper and has one with a custom shaft. He is an exceptionally long hitter. It is such a sweet club. I used it a few times and hit it about 5-10 yds further than with my own, newer driver (Cleveland Launcher 460 Comp). Probably alot to do with the shafts as well I suppose. Just out of interest - are they still legal?

Anyway back on topic... I am a 27 year old 12 handicapper of average height and size and hit my drives around the 250 mark. I hit a draw so in the right conditions and with some run in the fairways it can turn into 270-280. I am longish with my woods (compared to people of a similar handicap) but not with my irons.

Swinging Looney

stockdam wrote: »

I've never meet a high handicapper that can outdrive me (there must be some) but they all claim ridiculous lengths.

I find it odd to assume that all high handicappers have high handicaps because they can't hit the ball well. Perhaps (I consider myself in this group) it sometimes is because they lack consistency, knowledge and ability to judge distances and roll, particularly when it comes to the short game, and poor putting.

It annoys me to be labelled as "another silly high handicapper who thinks he can hit over 300 yards". I accept that a swing analysis machine may over estimate achievable distance, but you can't really believe that it says 290 when it would really have been 200. Or 240 for that matter. I can hit long. I know I can, but the whole point of this (now frustrated) post was to discover how much distance I can concede in an attempt to gain accuracy and still keep myself in with a decent chance of keeping up with the competition.

I really don't believe that longer is better. In fact, that's why I started this thread. I'm not another idiot amateur who wants to tell his friends in the pub how he only needed a wedge for his second shot on the 500 yard par 5. Ii want to play well, score better than I am currently doing, and be useful to my club.

I apologise to all those low handicap golfers who I may have offended by implying that I (a mere 16 handicapper) could possibly hit a particular club further than they can. Sometimes I wonder who really has the bigger hang up with distance. :mad:

PhilipMarlowe

Swinging Looney wrote: »

Just wondering roughly what kind of distance most people are managing to get from their drivers.

...However, I'm off 16 for a reason - I lack consitency, so i would gladly give up distance to gain accuracy. So, I'd like to get an idea of how much distance I can give up and not be totally left behind!!!

Swinging Looney wrote: »

I find it odd to assume that all high handicappers have high handicaps because they can't hit the ball well. Perhaps (I consider myself in this group) it sometimes is because they lack consistency, knowledge and ability to judge distances and roll, particularly when it comes to the short game, and poor putting....

...Sometimes I wonder who really has the bigger hang up with distance. :mad:

In fairness, you are asking about conceding distance in your first post so as to improve (via accuracy). Plus you don't want to get "totally left behind". Presumably here you mean you don't want to be out-driven? So do you want to improve your score or be the long king or what?

In my opinion, if you can hit the ball that well, then you owe it to yourself to work on the scoring side of your game, your management. There are plenty of golf holes where position is far more important than length alone...
Also conditions can dictate strategy, say if you are a right hander that sometimes leaks the ball right and you have a left-to-right wind, then you need to be much more careful... i'll often come down a couple of clubs to a rescue or 3 iron to keep a ball in play...

MisterAnarchy

rigal wrote: »

That's a really nice driver you have Misteranarchy. My mate is a three handicapper and has one with a custom shaft. He is an exceptionally long hitter. It is such a sweet club. I used it a few times and hit it about 5-10 yds further than with my own, newer driver (Cleveland Launcher 460 Comp). Probably alot to do with the shafts as well I suppose. Just out of interest - are they still legal?

The 320Ti is legal but the R320Ti is illegal.Cor is >0.83.
I've had to retire my XR-03 too.Another great club .

Swinging Looney

Licksy wrote: »

...Presumably here you mean you don't want to be out-driven? So do you want to improve your score or be the long king or what?

Ah Jaysus lads - The very first thing I asked was what kind of distance everyone else is getting from their drivers. The answers would give me an idea of how accurate the swing analysis had been and would let me know if I have distance to spare - No, I don't want to be the "Long King" - but surely you can accept that if I have yardage to spare I should consider giving it up to help with my accuracy. But I also don't want to be outdriven, but that's because I see little sense in allowing my competitor to make his approach shot with a shorter club than me. My long irons can't hold up to the pressure. It seems from this post that I can plan on driving 250 or 260 consistently and rely on improved accuracy to give me the upper edge on the other side. If my distances weren't exceeding the average by much then I would prefer to be using an 8 iron from the rough than a 5 iron from the fairway when my opponent is standing with a 7 iron in his hand.

Skill with putting, chipping, bunker technique, pitching and short irons have the greatest effect, in that order IMO, on scoring ability. But being capable of driving a reasonable distance can have a significant effect too. I can't ignore that fact either.

In my opinion, if you can hit the ball that well, then you owe it to yourself to work on the scoring side of your game, your management. There are plenty of golf holes where position is far more important than length alone...
Also conditions can dictate strategy, say if you are a right hander that sometimes leaks the ball right and you have a left-to-right wind, then you need to be much more careful... i'll often come down a couple of clubs to a rescue or 3 iron to keep a ball in play...

Sound advice. I agree entirely. Now that it seems from this thread that I may have the ability to ignore my distance to a large extent and concentrate on improving accuracy, that is exactly what I intend to do.

I innocently wanted to find out how my distance compares to others so I can plan on how to improve my game. Please lets just leave this thread alone now and get on with other things....

madds

Swinging Looney wrote: »

Skill with putting, chipping, bunker technique, pitching and short irons have the greatest effect, in that order IMO, on scoring ability.

I would disagree slightly here, and move the skill with short irons up to second on your list. If you hit the ball as far as you claim you can (and I'm not doubting you), would it not make sense that it is your approach shots into greens (i.e. short irons) that are preventing you from bringing your handicap down?

Improvement with the short irons will limit the need to be skilled in the areas of chipping and bunker play if you follow me. I agree with you that putting should be top of the list...it's the one facet of my game that regularly saves me and can make a pretty average round where my ball striking was poor into a once that looks pretty good on the card.

Enjoy your golf this w/e folks.

rigal

madds wrote: »

I would disagree slightly here, and move the skill with short irons up to second on your list. If you hit the ball as far as you claim you can (and I'm not doubting you), would it not make sense that it is your approach shots into greens (i.e. short irons) that are preventing you from bringing your handicap down?

Improvement with the short irons will limit the need to be skilled in the areas of chipping and bunker play if you follow me. I agree with you that putting should be top of the list...it's the one facet of my game that regularly saves me and can make a pretty average round where my ball striking was poor into a once that looks pretty good on the card.

Enjoy your golf this w/e folks.

I agree with Madds here, if I could get dialled in with the 8 - SW I'd be off high single figures. I throw c. 3 or 4 shots away every round with poor (not inside 15 ft) approach shots.

Swinging Looney - You're obviously a long hitter so on some holes maybe you should consider a 3 wood. I can still hit my 3 wood 220-230 and be sure that I'll land on the fairway. My mates slag me off when I take it out on a par four but they're not laughing when I'm sitting in the middle of the fairway and they're in the rough or don't have a shot at the green

Plus 10

I agree with the last poster - in fact I played a round lately where I played an iron off the tee on 7 of the 14 driving holes. The people who think they have to hit driver (or even 3 wood) on all these are fooling themselves. Was laughed at hitting a 3 iron off the tee on a par 5 (water right - heavy rough left!) but guess what a good 3 iron, 4 iron and wedge and you are putting for birdie.

That said even if you are struggling with the driver - try at least to take it out a few times in a round.

The comment that a 16 handicapper only needs to make 2 pars to play to his handicap is completey wrong (as this assumes you are going to bogey every other hole). The key is avoiding double bogeys/scratchs and this involves good course management - most scratches are as a result of the drive.

Swinging Looney

You're dead right, I should have put short irons in second place. What I would love to find is somewhere where I can practice 8 thru SW, full, 3/4 and half swings from the turf. There can be nothing worse than a good drive into good position, followed by a PW to leave a 45 foot putt, 20 yard chip or whatever. I might bring a few balls down to the local football pitches one quiet morning!

My putting has improved over the past few months and I would say that that alone has saved me at least 4 or 5 putts per round.

I used to use my 3 iron almost exclusively from the tee for a long time because it was the only way I could keep the ball in play (never mind on the fairway!) reasonably regularly. My fairway % with the 3 iron was hovering around 50% which I thought was quite good. 3 Wood would leave me with 1 fairway per round.

Now I am hitting the 3 wood much better and can probably manage 35% or 40% on an average day with missed fairways normally being missed only marginally. The extra distance makes up for the slightly poorer accuracy.

WHIP IT!

Swinging Looney wrote: »

You're dead right, I should have put short irons in second place. What I would love to find is somewhere where I can practice 8 thru SW, full, 3/4 and half swings from the turf. There can be nothing worse than a good drive into good position, followed by a PW to leave a 45 foot putt, 20 yard chip or whatever. I might bring a few balls down to the local football pitches one quiet morning!

My putting has improved over the past few months and I would say that that alone has saved me at least 4 or 5 putts per round.

I used to use my 3 iron almost exclusively from the tee for a long time because it was the only way I could keep the ball in play (never mind on the fairway!) reasonably regularly. My fairway % with the 3 iron was hovering around 50% which I thought was quite good. 3 Wood would leave me with 1 fairway per round.

Now I am hitting the 3 wood much better and can probably manage 35% or 40% on an average day with missed fairways normally being missed only marginally. The extra distance makes up for the slightly poorer accuracy.

To be fair, as a 16 handicap -if you're leaving yourself a 45-foot putt or 20-yard chip for your third shot on par-fours you're in pretty great shape to score well.

Swinging Looney

WHIP IT! wrote: »

To be fair, as a 16 handicap -if you're leaving yourself a 45-foot putt or 20-yard chip for your third shot on par-fours you're in pretty great shape to score well.

Not if you putt and chip like I do! :eek: Sometimes I manage to leave myself even further away from the hole after a chip than I started! Logical deduction says if I keep that up I'll be outside the boundary fence in 5 or 6 strokes!

As I said my putting has improved recently and I am beginning to see the results. My last round for example included 3 double bogeys, mostly through terrible tee shots, poor fairway irons, etc, etc but I still managed to come home in 84. I had a good 4 or 5 makeable birdie putts but didn't make any of them, although each time I left myself with an easy par. An improvement in my chipping could save at least another couple of shots a round too.

eagle2

You're right, your question is proposterous.

You say you want to know how much distance you can lose without falling behind. You then qualify that further by saying that you don't want to be outdriven. Surely the answer to this question is blindingly obvious, simply measure yourself off against the people you play with.
Alternatively you can acess the european tour website driving stats. Your numbers would curently put you in the top 30 on tour in driving distance. I suppose you're not willing to be left behind by the tour pros eitheir.
Losing about 10 yards will put you in the middle of the european tour pack, presuming you're willing to reduce yourself to that level of mediocrity! (Off course you'll have to actually hit the fairway for it to count for the stats)

tigerforest

I was in a shop trying out drivers one day and i was on the simulator, and it wasnt picking up some of my shots so the guys went inot the configuration panel and they had the carry set to + 20% !!!!

stockdam

Swinging Looney wrote: »

It annoys me to be labelled as "another silly high handicapper who thinks he can hit over 300 yards".

I'm sorry but I didn't mean to offend. One of the best club golfers I've seen was one of the shortest off the tee but his irons were like arrows and he was superb around the greens. If you are adequately long off the tee then you need to work on your short game. I'm no expert but all I can say is to try to swing smoothly and hit more fairways.

Kimbot

My 3 Woods at the moment is around 200 Meters. The 200 Meter Hill is what I aim for and I am hitting it 95% of the time with my 3 wood. Thats about 220 Yards dead straight.

My driver is still not 100% but I am hitting it very easy at the moment to get used to it and thats anwhere between 180M and 210M which is max 230Yards. If I don't mind the ball drifting about 8 Foot to the right I will hit it at 100% and its just hitting the 250 Meter Mark which isn't bad at all.

Par72

tigerforest wrote: »

I was in a shop trying out drivers one day and i was on the simulator, and it wasnt picking up some of my shots so the guys went inot the configuration panel and they had the carry set to + 20% !!!!

Where was that?

keepherlit

I would be considrered a long hitter in my club, but the driver stays in the bag most of the time. I would much rather play a 4/5 iron in from a nice fairway lie than hack out of the trees and have an 8 or 9 iron for my third shot. even if my long iron doesnt hit the green i still have a chip and putt for par. this type of game is not going to reduce my current handicap but it always gives me a shout. when the confidence is high I can give the ould timber a smack. My advice would be work on the short game. getting up and down is what can separate high handicappers from low.
I have no issues hitting my 2/3 iron off every tee. especially whan I am entering my card on the computer and compare with my partners driver and hack out!! Distance proves nothing!!!

stockdam

Good advice. If I'm playing in a competition then I'll generally use my 5 wood of the tee and make sure I hit the fairway. As you said chipping out sideways is a shot gone already. My weakness has always been getting up and down from 30 yards in - sometimes I'll take 4 to get down and that's what I work on. Hit the fairway, get on or close to the green and then rely on good chipping and putting.


I don't know who said it but "3+1=4"


However it's always easier to hit a long iron off the tee if you are already long. SHort hitters can't reach the green in two if they do this so that's why they tend to take out the driver.

keepherlit

simple game really!!!
the only time I go hell for leather is in team events, scrambles etc..,
keep it on the short stuff and your scores will drop considerably

jimboddb

Jaysus there's some right beasts on here. all this talk of 250 plus drives is interesting. One of my mates is on the 2nd tour in the states & he wouldnt get near that guys 290 average!! Too much tiger woods on the playstation me thinks. Id advise you to hit 10 drives & get a measuring wheel for urself

Dublin Spur

I've never driven the ball as well as I have over the past 3/4 months.
Getting +250 regularly and pretty straight.
I've got a Wilson Staff PD9 (10 degree) and I love it.

Pity my putting is rubbish !!

keepherlit

jimboddb wrote: »

Jaysus there's some right beasts on here. all this talk of 250 plus drives is interesting. One of my mates is on the 2nd tour in the states & he wouldnt get near that guys 290 average!! Too much tiger woods on the playstation me thinks. Id advise you to hit 10 drives & get a measuring wheel for urself

spot on
considering you should only be swinging at around 80% for your drives to maintain accuracy i wonder how many of these crushed drives are on the short stuff?
I know most of mine stray off so I stick to positional play more.

keepherlit

stockdam wrote: »

However it's always easier to hit a long iron off the tee if you are already long. SHort hitters can't reach the green in two if they do this so that's why they tend to take out the driver.

but would it still not be better to hit your 3rd from beside the green than your second from under a tree? Hitting greens in regulation is great but thats why you have a handicap, too allow for you not making it. Obviously the lower your handicap the more the GIR comes into play but you should always scramble a few up and downs to get you back on track and get the handicap down.

Leprechaun77

I find these figures quoted for driving very difficult to believe. I am currently playing to a handicap of 9 and my drive is rarely past the 220-230 mark (with a bit of wind behind), using regular shaft, 10.5 degree angle. My swing speed is about 90-95 mph. The average swing speed for tour professionals last year was 110 mph. Based on this speed a recent study showed the following:

Driver Loft Carry Distance

7 degrees 254 yards
8 degrees 256 yards
9 degrees 257 yards


Shaft stiffness is relative to the manufacturer at it is well known that one company's regular may not be as flexible as another company's.


The average male golfer has a swing speed of 85mph so the chart below will reflect the distance for a swing speed of 90mph.


Driver Loft Carry Distance (yards)

9 degrees 206
11 degrees 211
13 degrees 213


I think people inevitably remember their best drive and as per an earlier post I believe that a number of factors should be taken into consideration i.e. wind, dog leg?, distance to centre of green, slope etc. Again, I believe its all about the score on the card at the end of the round and not the fact that you hit all fairways in regulation from the tee with 280+ yards distance.

The Rooster

Leprechaun77 wrote: »

Driver Loft Carry Distance (yards)

9 degrees 206
11 degrees 211
13 degrees 213

Interesting. Is it correct to say that more loft equals more distance for drivers. Obviously its the opposite with all other clubs.

One Cold Hand

Yeah OP your swing speed of 115 to 120 seems ridiculously quick, esp for a 16 h/cap. I would suggest slowing down! With that swing speed you would need an x-stiff shaft.

GreeBo

rigal wrote: »

I agree with Madds here, if I could get dialled in with the 8 - SW I'd be off high single figures. I throw c. 3 or 4 shots away every round with poor (not inside 15 ft) approach shots.

The best players in the world miss greens and they miss fairways.
You work on your short game and then, mid game and then long game.
70% accuracy from the tee and fairway is good shooting. If you are only 70% accurate with your short game and putting you probably wont get off the first green.

Leprechaun77

The Rooster wrote: »

Interesting. Is it correct to say that more loft equals more distance for drivers. Obviously its the opposite with all other clubs.

No. The distance you get with a driver increases the lower the loft. I.e an 8 degree loft will hit longer than a 10.5 degree loft. This statement is qualified to the extent that it very much depends on your swing speed. In general, to get the maximum distance out of a 10 degree driver, your swing speed must be circa 100mph. For a 9 degree driver your swing speed must be about 110 mph. People with swing speeds in the 80-90's will get most distance from an 11-13 degree loft on their driver.

In summary, if you swing spped is 90 mph you will hit a 12 degree lofted driver further than you will hit an 8.5 degree.

The analogy I tend to remember from a book I read is the "garden hose". The water is flowing out with a certain pressure and is landing 20 feet down the garden assuming you hold it level. To get the water to travel further there are two options:

1.) Increase the water pressure while holding the hose level (this is the equivalent of an increased swing speed in golf)

2.) The second option is to tilt the hose upwards slighty (this is the equivalent of increasing the club loft)

Therefore, increasing your distance when driving can be more effectively achieved by getting a driver with a loft suitable to your swing speed, as the other option of increasing your swing speed is more difficult to achieve for most golfers.

Hope this makes sense

stringy

ok well not gettin into a distance debate but here's me...

h/cap 7
10.5* cleveland launcher Ti460 stiff fuji shaft

6ft 4 quite strong

Swing speed 100mph

i hit driver about 270yards (250m) average and im one of the clubs longest hitters. Yes I hit some 300 yard drives equally as I would it some 240 yard drives. Thats honesty. I hit 7 iron usually from 150m marker to centre of green (summer weather), so hopefully that's another indicator

Why do I hit 10.5*, well because I get more carry with my swing type. Some comments here would suggest I would need a 9* cos of my speed and disance but I tried that and went out to 10.5* because not only did i hit more carry but was more consistent.