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Are you psyched when heavily out-driven?

I hit far enough so I might not be the longest but I'm not going to embarrass myself in that department, however a few weeks ago I got paired up with a couple professional football players (Dolphins). One guy was a linebacker (seriously) who is 6'4" 250 all muscle. Normally, I'd be thinking what you're thinking..."beach muscles don't necessarily equate to golf well", however the sound of the ball off his club face on the first hole was like nothing I had ever heard. On the 10th hole par 5, my drive got caught in the bunk (250-260ish). His ball ended up, i kid you not, 100 yards further than mine with no special roll or cart path or anything. I was impressed to say the least. I normally play with a couple long hitters and this guy just drove it 60 yards past where they can hit it.
 
It has never bothered me - I spent a long time hitting only a 3w off the tee so didn't expect to be the longest hitter

Play your own game and don't let others influence you to try and hit it further as that will usually only end in trouble
 
It honestly depends on who I'm playing with and the situation. I mean, in a best ball tournament, I love playing with the long player. ;)

A lot of really long players are wild. Half the time they'll be in trouble off the tee, where as I might have a clean shot from the short grass. After shot 2, unless I flub it, we'll pretty much be in a similar position (plus or minus 20-30 yards), which is using the short game. My short game is better than my handicap would suggest, so it's often fine. I won't necessarily beat them, but we'll all arrive to the hole and into the hole at about the same pace.

A long player that can keep it in play? Well, that's another story entirely. I'm absolutely psyched out by the guy that can put it out there 275+ in the middle of the fairway.
 
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doesn't bother me. it bothers me more when i'm having a bad driving day and a playing partner is having a great one. I have fairway envy.
 
Thedoswells said:
Alvaro just rang and he's ready for the challenge:D
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tell him to bring it on!

In reality I get out driven on almost every tee shot there is. But it doesn't phase me one bit.
 
Never even crosses mind. I even make fun of myself when a guy flies right by. I especially make fun when I still beat them on the hole
 
Thedoswells said:
For the shorter hitters out there, like me, I wonder how well you deal with being heavily out-driven by your playing partners.
i used to be fine with it. Now I find it harder. When I play my shot, I'm thinking that they will probably be hitting 2 or 3 clubs less than me for their second, and I don't focus on my shot as well. Also find it embarrassing.
Furyk doesn't seem to worry.
good thing I don't play with Bubba or Quiros...
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Thedoswells said:
Thanks for all the posts guys. I'm hoping to get my final card in this week and get my first ever proper handicap. I'm going to focus on trying to get that down, and scoring consistently well, rather than being bothered by this. Much appreciated.
steve
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Steve, I'm a longer hitter, but there's always someone who can blow it by you (unless you're Bubba). When I get in a group with someone who is huge off the tee I just sit back and enjoy watching them knock the p*ss out of it. I wasn't always able to do this ...

But after reading "Extraordinary Golf: The Art of the Possible" by Fred Shoemaker I changed my outlook on what my golf game should be. He talks about the culture of golfers and how a large percentage of golfers approach playing the game with unreasonable expectations and being fearful of embarrassing themselves on the course. After reading this I realized that in my case, he was 100% correct. The reason I got upset about a shot or how I played as a whole was more about being embarrassed or upset about not living up to what I thought everyone around me expected. Guess what? No one else cares. Once I realized that, I could put away the angst and just enjoy my game AND those I played with as well.
 
I actually enjoy it.

I think it puts a little more pressure on the person who drove it further to hit it in closer.
 
ddec said:
tell him to bring it on!

In reality I get out driven on almost every tee shot there is. But it doesn't phase me one bit.
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Truth!

It psychs me out more when I out-drive someone by 60 yards...and go on to lose the hole.
 
O'Carroll said:
Truth!

It psychs me out more when I out-drive someone by 60 yards...and go on to lose the hole.
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I excel at wasting good drives :)
 
ddec said:
tell him to bring it on!

In reality I get out driven on almost every tee shot there is. But it doesn't phase me one bit.
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O I thought you were being serious :act-up:. All these posts and feeling much better. And next week I may being with someone I can outhit..

Wakit300 said:
Steve, I'm a longer hitter, but there's always someone who can blow it by you (unless you're Bubba). When I get in a group with someone who is huge off the tee I just sit back and enjoy watching them knock the p*ss out of it. I wasn't always able to do this ...

But after reading "Extraordinary Golf: The Art of the Possible" by Fred Shoemaker I changed my outlook on what my golf game should be. He talks about the culture of golfers and how a large percentage of golfers approach playing the game with unreasonable expectations and being fearful of embarrassing themselves on the course. After reading this I realized that in my case, he was 100% correct. The reason I got upset about a shot or how I played as a whole was more about being embarrassed or upset about not living up to what I thought everyone around me expected. Guess what? No one else cares. Once I realized that, I could put away the angst and just enjoy my game AND those I played with as well.
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Very helpful thx
 
I actually like it when somebody hits one 30 yards past me early in the round... compliment the heck out of them...then say "Man you're going to feel silly if I beat you on this hole after a drive like that"... that usually gets back in their head enough that they either start spraying the driver or screwing up approaches after those bombs.
 
I regularly hit the ball over 300 yards so don't think about being out driven much but I can remember being out driven as a junior and I hated it. I found I tried hitting the ball too hard to try keep up with them instead of playing my own/natural game.
 
When I play with someone that hits it by me, I don't let it get to me.
I just concentrate on getting the ball in the fairway and play my own game.
 
Years ago I would try to match it and promptly slice. After I learned to accept where I was lengthwise, I tried to focus on staying on the fairway. Then I became one of the longer hitters. I have given up 20-30 yards of that length now (down to 250-260) with a stiffer shaft that keeps me in the middle of the fairway. However, my former playing group would always harass each other over the length of the drive anyway. "Next time, hike up your skirt, Alice. "You can fit a Super Wal-Mart between your ball and mine" etc.
No offense meant toward any of our female golfers. I have had the shorter drive more than once against a female playing partner. Some ladies can pound it out there.
 
KPop said:
At peace with the universe, Jedi is.

long driver, not me. Hit it straight, I do. Good is par!

- Yoda
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learn from this I will... Strong is the snap hook with me.. But not that strong
 
KPop said:
At peace with the universe, Jedi is.

long driver, not me. Hit it straight, I do. Good is par!

- Yoda
Click to expand...

Gotta enjoy a good Yoda reference. Kudos :clap:
 
I play with a guy who carries the ball a good 20-30 yards past mine on most drives, and it couldn't make much of a difference to me. I play my game, and he begs me to move back with him to the tips which I couldn't be bothered to do. When he's offline at 120mph, it's either OB or lost. When I miss, I find my ball and hit it.

In the end it all works out if you're playing the tee box that suits your length. if people are getting outdriven by a ton, they should consider teeing it forward before swinging out of their shoes.

---And of course, as mentioned, handicap does a nice job of leveling the playing field anyways.
 
I don't worry much about what other golfer's are doing. It took awhile, but I learned a couple years ago that nobody can affect my score except me. So even if they are hitting it 100 yards past me off the tee, it doesn't limit my chances of making par/birdie.
 
I try to play the right tee box. If my playing partner is hitting it 275 from the blues, I'm going to be playing the next tee forward and trying to keep it close.

I choose tee boxes based on par-3 hole lengths anyway.
 
I always try to hit to my more familiar distances so the fact that you bomb it pay me doesn't bother me. Id rather play a 3w or hybrid to a yardage then bomb my tee shot out of bounds or to some deep lost distance.

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk
 
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