Longest Drive

montavista · 14-08-2017 10:58am #1

Hi... looking for a ruling... local society had an outing last week and someone decided that a Dog-Leg Par 4 would be a good place for the Long Drive Competition. Controversy reigned over what was actually the longest drive, 2 schools of thought prevailed.
1 - It is the drive that finished farthest from the Tee box
2 - It is that drive that finishes closest to the green

Normally the log drive is on a straight hole with a wide fairway but not this time so guys going across the angle were closer to the green but not necessarily the longest drives...

Any ruling available on this...?

cml387 · 14-08-2017 11:01am

It depends on whether the Duckworth Lewis rules are in force.

Kimbot · 14-08-2017 11:02am

MOD Moved from After Hours.

14-08-2017 11:09am

It should be the closest to the hole, for a very obvious reason: what if there's a strong headwind? Can someone just face the opposite direction and hit with a strong tailwind instead?

montavista · 14-08-2017 11:10am

Then you are not playing the same hole... but thanks anyway...????

14-08-2017 11:13am

montavista wrote: »

Then you are not playing the same hole... but thanks anyway...????

If the rule is "the drive that finishes furthest from the tee box" there is no hole involved. There's a tee box, and there's how far you can get away from it. That's why the rule would be nonsensical

charlieIRL · 14-08-2017 11:19am

Normally its furthest form the tee box - thats the way its been at any classic / event i've been at, but each society may have their own rule on it. Best have a chat with the organisers.

As for having it on a dog leg hole, that's a bit strange (and tough!)

Sup08 · 14-08-2017 11:42am

28064212 wrote: »

If the rule is "the drive that finishes furthest from the tee box" there is no hole involved. There's a tee box, and there's how far you can get away from it. That's why the rule would be nonsensical

Furthest from the tee-box but must land on the Fairway. All drives that do not land on the fairway do not qualify.

FixdePitchmark · 14-08-2017 11:58am

I'd imagine it is exactly what it says on the tin.

The drive that travels the furthest when landed and hits the fairway.

It isn't called the most accurate drive. Or the less catchy, longest radius drive from centre point at tee box.

The problem with a dog leg is - you would need a gps, with the single shot option in every group and this is a bit daft and was not going to happen. You could use a long rope if a straight gap in trees - a theodilite - radar - laser - mariner's astrolabe or a pigeon.

I still find it hard to believe it wasn't obvious what was the long drive - it sounds like a case of the long drive acting the bollix competition and in society golf that can happen - and normally from the lad always late , never helps and has 6 pints of Heno in him before Tee off

So - just have it on a straight hole - would love to see how dogleged it was - what hole was it ?

Mathematically - Imagine guys at green longer - but post hole and this can be shown. (basically assuming Right angle - they are on hypotenuse)

red ears · 14-08-2017 1:45pm

What fool choose a dogleg hole for longest drive?

montavista · 14-08-2017 2:03pm

Not really helpfull ... but thanks anyway...!!!

PARlance · 14-08-2017 2:21pm

The drive that gets closest to the hole for me. The other way isn't really practical.

mike12 · 14-08-2017 3:45pm

Have seen holes where driving the green can actually be shorter than driving it to the apex of the corner of the fairway. 90 degree or more of a turn could give u that.

charlieIRL · 14-08-2017 3:48pm

PARlance wrote: »

The drive that gets closest to the hole for me. The other way isn't really practical.

Would that not be a "closest to the pin/ green" competition?! (but not on a par 3)

FixdePitchmark · 14-08-2017 3:51pm

mike12 wrote: »

Have seen holes where driving the green can actually be shorter than driving it to the apex of the corner of the fairway. 90 degree or more of a turn could give u that.

Yes would be nice if OP posted the hole in question and we will check if it was possible at all.

I can think of a hole like 8 in Tulamore.

http://www.tullamoregolfclub.ie/node/36

fred funk }{ · 14-08-2017 3:51pm

Would have thought, that it being a friendly society, that there wouldn't be an argument over it. Any society I've played in have been friendly enough and once the decision is made lads just get on with it.

FixdePitchmark · 14-08-2017 3:58pm

fred funk }{ wrote: »

Would have thought, that it being a friendly society, that there wouldn't be an argument over it. Any society I've played in have been friendly enough and once the decision is made lads just get on with it.

Spoke with a lad in a society recently who insisted on full R&A rules and etiquette standards - he also would not allow ready golf.

And penalised a bloke 2 strokes for hitting a ball for fun, when was out of hole.

The bloke penalised told him - " to shove his golf society up his hole"

Amazing what you can go on in golf societies.

ForeRight · 14-08-2017 4:33pm

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Spoke with a lad in a society recently who insisted on full R&A rules and etiquette standards - he also would not allow ready golf.

And penalised a bloke 2 strokes for hitting a ball for fun, when was out of hole.

The bloke penalised told him - " to shove his golf society up his hole"

Amazing what you can go on in golf societies.

How did he penalise him 2 strokes when out of the hole?
Did he add 2 strokes on the next hole?

You meet some absolute gob****es running golf societies that's for sure

PARlance · 14-08-2017 5:31pm

charlieIRL wrote: »

Would that not be a "closest to the pin/ green" competition?! (but not on a par 3)

In the absence of a pro tracer and advanced technology, that's pretty much what a long drive is.

Player A could stand on the LHS of the tee and launch one that just clings into the RHS of a large fairway. Player B could step up and hit it straight down the middle. If you get to both balls and B's ball is a couple of inches further down the fairway / closer to the green then I don't think A can have much of an argument by saying that technically his travelled further due to the angel.

Whoever gets their drive closest to the green is the most practical way to do it.

montavista · 14-08-2017 5:54pm

But in this case, as there was an angle due to the dog leg to the right, there was a good 15 yards difference between the guy who hit the straight drive 280 yds down the left of
the fairway and the guy who faded it down the right of the fairway 265 yds. The second guy was closer to the green but the length of his drive was much shorter. If you look at the Long Drive competitions on TV it is always measured from the Tee Box to where the ball lands not its position on the fairway. Obviously the fact it was a dog leg made it very difficult but I believe it was obvious that the first drive was longer.
I probably overstated it when I said "controversy reigned ", there was some discussion and a decision was made and unchallenged ... just wanted to get some thoughts on it, thanks to all for your comments.

redzerdrog · 14-08-2017 5:57pm

The one closer the hole wins it for me. Risk/reward shot the try cut some of the dogleg out

PARlance · 14-08-2017 6:11pm

montavista wrote: »

But in this case, as there was an angle due to the dog leg to the right, there was a good 15 yards difference between the guy who hit the straight drive 280 yds down the left of
the fairway and the guy who faded it down the right of the fairway 265 yds. The second guy was closer to the green but the length of his drive was much shorter. If you look at the Long Drive competitions on TV it is always measured from the Tee Box to where the ball lands not its position on the fairway. Obviously the fact it was a dog leg made it very difficult but I believe it was obvious that the first drive was longer.
I probably overstated it when I said "controversy reigned ", there was some discussion and a decision was made and unchallenged ... just wanted to get some thoughts on it, thanks to all for your comments.

What was the final decision?

montavista · 14-08-2017 6:49pm

Closest to the Green got it I believe

fullstop · 14-08-2017 10:45pm

28064212 wrote: »

If the rule is "the drive that finishes furthest from the tee box" there is no hole involved. There's a tee box, and there's how far you can get away from it. That's why the rule would be nonsensical

Well it has to land on the fairway of the hole you're playing, but you knew that.

Dtoffee · 14-08-2017 11:01pm

As I see it ..... the yardage of the hole is measured on the fairway and not across a dog leg. That yardage is the guideline for the hole and gives it its par.

If player A hits his drive straight 220 yards and player B fades a cut over the corner to end up further up the fairway .... then his drive is the longest according to the layout yardage of the course.

red ears · 14-08-2017 11:40pm

I play a lot of classics and they generally have a longest drive. I have never seen anyone say that one went across the fairway more therefore its longer. Its always measured which is closest to the green.

FixdePitchmark · 14-08-2017 11:53pm

red ears wrote: »

I play a lot of classics and they generally have a longest drive. I have never seen anyone say that one went across the fairway more therefore its longer. Its always measured which is closest to the green.

Not sure I get this.

Say a long drive is on a slight dogleg Right. A par 5 say.

A guy hits longest drive on LHS of fairway.
The guy on right is technically closer to green.

But in every instance - it is guy on left who wins. It has nothing to do with green in my mind. You don't even look at green - you measure from tee box.

i think the deabte is a bit irrelevant - as If I seen hole, on a dog leg (95% of them) the lad who goes over dog leg will have to have made a longer drive in most instances.

red ears · 15-08-2017 7:07am

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Not sure I get this.

Say a long drive is on a slight dogleg Right. A par 5 say.

A guy hits longest drive on LHS of fairway.
The guy on right is technically closer to green.
s.

I've never actually had to play longest drive on anything other than a straight hole. It's madness using a dog leg.

PARlance · 15-08-2017 7:38am

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Not sure I get this.

Say a long drive is on a slight dogleg Right. A par 5 say.

A guy hits longest drive on LHS of fairway.
The guy on right is technically closer to green.

But in every instance - it is guy on left who wins. It has nothing to do with green in my mind. You don't even look at green - you measure from tee box.

i think the deabte is a bit irrelevant - as If I seen hole, on a dog leg (95% of them) the lad who goes over dog leg will have to have made a longer drive in most instances.

If it's only a slight dogleg then I don't see how you could get the scenario above.

The 4th in Castlewarden is one hole that I can think of with a sharpe enough dogleg for this. It's almost 90*. You could just creep over the dogleg and be closer to the green vs a guy that hits it 30 yards "longer" up the left hand side of the fairway.

Russman · 15-08-2017 8:47am

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Not sure I get this.

Say a long drive is on a slight dogleg Right. A par 5 say.

A guy hits longest drive on LHS of fairway.
The guy on right is technically closer to green.

But in every instance - it is guy on left who wins. It has nothing to do with green in my mind. You don't even look at green - you measure from tee box.

i think the deabte is a bit irrelevant - as If I seen hole, on a dog leg (95% of them) the lad who goes over dog leg will have to have made a longer drive in most instances.

All of this ^^^^

How is it even a debate ? The ball that travelled furthest from the tee box (and presumably is still on the correct fairway) has to be the winner. You could have the near corner of a 90 degree dog-leg at 200 yards and the far corner could be 250 yards from the tee. The guy who is at the near corner might have a 30 yard shorter shot but he didn't hit the longest drive.

Now, as for the f--king id1ot who had a long drive comp on a dog-leg, well, that's another debate !!:eek:

ChippingSodbury · 15-08-2017 10:54am

Societies have all sorts of rules (and controversies). I once played in a Society and the guy "running it" hit his tee shot OB on the par 3 for nearest the pin. He hit another which landed close and he used this as his "nearest the pin" shot and won. There were almost fisticuffs...

ForeRight · 15-08-2017 2:19pm

ChippingSodbury wrote: »

Societies have all sorts of rules (and controversies). I once played in a Society and the guy "running it" hit his tee shot OB on the par 3 for nearest the pin. He hit another which landed close and he used this as his "nearest the pin" shot and won. There were almost fisticuffs...

I got a 2 on a par 4 in a society but didn't win the twos as it only counts on par 3's apparently

Longest Drive

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