Does the distance you hit a golf ball correlate to a handicap??

[JonMA1]

I don't know what is takes to be a single digit nor do I have enough ability to find out, but I'd still like to share my thoughts.

Like most, I have a limited amount of time to practice. That time can be spent working on accuracy or that time working on gaining club head speed. While a better swing will improve both, my opinion is that there's more potential in improving my accuracy than there is in gaining a few yards.

I agree 100% that distance is a huge advantage with all other things being equal. But IMHO, we're kind of limited as to how much distance we're ever going to get, while we might not be so limited in gaining accuracy.

I have played with a few high single-digit players who do not hit farther than me. I play at around a 25 index.

 

[Smiter]

It certainly can. If you only hit the ball 200 yards off the tee, it makes it more difficult to score well because you have to be pretty much perfect in every other area to make up for your lack of distance off the tee.
Ive got some friends who have a terrible short game and cant putt to save their life but they hit the ball a mile off the tee and can still score quite well, despite their shortcomings.

But....

What if it’s a 400 yard hole and you hit 7i/7i?

If I was smart I’d hold a course record. Two 7i’s on 18 and an easy par would have me in solo command. Blocking one OOB with driver still ended with a -6 66 for my best round ever. Made a triple. 9 birdies, 8 pars, and a triple to close it out. Had to then make 3(5 total) to tie the record, so hit driver again. Again blocked, this one coming down a foot in bounds but a branch 18” over my ball. I could only chunk it into position. Blowup of all blowups on a day I couldn’t miss. Never take anything for granted in golf.

I can hit a distance 7i 225 or so off the tee, I count on it for 180 carry off the ground, as I have a different swing (steeper more fade bias) from the ground than tee. The right lie and I can go 225 with it off the ground but I have to have the right lie.

I can’t wait for my new irons to show up. I went old guy graphite as I expect to have these carry me until I need R flex, so hopefully 20 years. By that point I hope I’m @YukonLiving ’s westward neighbor on my land in AK and playing once, twice a year (in my mind there’ll be nothing less than spectacular golf still being played, lol).

 

[Smiter]

I don't know what is takes to be a single digit nor do I have enough ability to find out, but I'd still like to share my thoughts.

Like most, I have a limited amount of time to practice. That time can be spent working on accuracy or that time working on gaining club head speed. While a better swing will improve both, my opinion is that there's more potential in improving my accuracy than there is in gaining a few yards.

I agree 100% that distance is a huge advantage with all other things being equal. But IMHO, we're kind of limited as to how much distance we're ever going to get, while we might not be so limited in gaining accuracy.

I have played with a few high single-digit players who do not hit farther than me. I play at around a 25 index.

I used to BOMB it. I no longer do. In fact my last round with a THP’er I’m pretty sure I accused the guys on the green of kicking, hitting, or throwing my ball back 50+ yards on hole 1. I initially felt bad for hitting into them.

Later in the round I knew they hadn’t touched my ball and the situation I was in on hole 1 was righteous. It wasn’t bad, even made par, but jeesh. I don’t know if it was 3 year old balls or my swing but that day everything I hit came up short. The balls were loving stored in my “golf ball room” (one of the advantages of bachelorhood-I’ve got a damn room for everything and only use like 3/4) so I know they hadn’t deteriorated due to cold and age.

Next couple rounds played (different balls, those are now cursed-look for the “For Sale” for a quick fire sale of personalized balls, lol) everything went off without a hitch. I just had nothing that day or the balls provided nothing. It wasn’t my usual gamers but I’d have a precise, verified 2 different ways distance, hit it clean, and be 60ft short? Naaa. I suck but not that much. Bad balls. Even though lovingly stored in a room that’s all their own, these ones were pre divorce and spent a year in the garage.

 

[YukonLiving]

But....

What if it’s a 400 yard hole and you hit 7i/7i?

If I was smart I’d hold a course record. Two 7i’s on 18 and an easy par would have me in solo command. Blocking one OOB with driver still ended with a -6 66 for my best round ever. Made a triple. 9 birdies, 8 pars, and a triple to close it out. Had to then make 3(5 total) to tie the record, so hit driver again. Again blocked, this one coming down a foot in bounds but a branch 18” over my ball. I could only chunk it into position. Blowup of all blowups on a day I couldn’t miss. Never take anything for granted in golf.

I can hit a distance 7i 225 or so off the tee, I count on it for 180 carry off the ground, as I have a different swing (steeper more fade bias) from the ground than tee. The right lie and I can go 225 with it off the ground but I have to have the right lie.

I can’t wait for my new irons to show up. I went old guy graphite as I expect to have these carry me until I need R flex, so hopefully 20 years. By that point I hope I’m @YukonLiving ’s westward neighbor on my land in AK and playing once, twice a year (in my mind there’ll be nothing less than spectacular golf still being played, lol).

Hindsight eh? Still a smoking score though!!

 

[mpeterson]

Any given golfer? No. Golfers as a whole? Yes.

 

[BigMac]

It can correlate, but that doesn't mean that it always does correlate. Comparing two golfers with reasonable accuracy/consistency, one who drives it 270 will have better scoring potential than one who drives it 220. Whether that potential is realized depends upon what their respective games look like from there until the ball is holed. Not all low handicappers are long knockers, but most of them are deadly around/on the green.

 

[TheDoctor]

It can, but I would say accuracy is going to affect handicap more than distance

If you can hit the ball 300+ but can't guarantee where it will finish, you are likely to be playing a lot of recovery shots I would guess, which then puts added pressure on every other part of your game to make the scores

 

[HarlettoScara]

I agree with Hank Haney, distance equals potential. If I was 20 yards shorter it would be difficult to impossible to maintain my index. Plenty of golfers with higher swingspeeds have higher handicaps than me but if you're short it caps how good you can get. I swing it fast enough(105ish with driver) to be scratch or better and if I was longer I'd shave a stroke or two.

“Clubhead speed determines your potential in the game,” he said. “At every level, distance is the determining factor. Swing it faster, get more distance.”

After stating that 86 mph is the average clubhead speed among amateur golfers (it’s around 115 mph for PGA Tour players), Haney fired away at slow swings: “Take a fast lousy swing, slow it down, and you’ve got a slow lousy swing. Too many people think speed causes mistakes. That’s wrong. It makes no sense at all to take an easy swing, particularly with a driver.”

Hank Haney

This to me is exactly right, the more distance you can get off the tee, the more potential you have to lower scores. You can be bombing 300 yards off the tee, but if your next shot is either a penalty of chopping out from the woods then you're never going low.

My old man plays with an older guy who hasn't hit it longer than 200 with any club for about 30 years. Hits a driver straight down the middle, then a 3w straight down the middle, chip and a putt. He is lights out with the putter and wedge and from the rough or around the green never leaves himself much more than 4-5 feet. He's single figures every day of the week but hasn't posted a card for decades. I can out distance him with every club in the bag, but would never take him on. Can't remember the last time he was off the fairway or in a hazard. Very boring golf, but so so solid.

 

[Luchnia]

I think the answer varies depending on course, tee box distances, and so on. For me, hitting longer does equate to lower scores. On the days I hit my longer drives, most of the time my scores are lower because I have better accuracy with the shorter clubs. If I can hit a PW or GW to the green on Par 4s that is huge for me, whereas hitting a 5 or 6 iron is not nearly as accurate.

 

[Chef23]

Handicap starts at the hole backwards not from the tee forward

I disagree with this. You can be the best chipper and putter in the world but if you can’t keep it in play off the tee you won’t break 80. I play with people with better short games than me but I hit it better and am a better golfer. It isn’t that I have a bad short game but I do think it isn’t quite as good as my ball striking even though I am not that long.

 

[Acesteve]

I disagree with this. You can be the best chipper and putter in the world but if you can’t keep it in play off the tee you won’t break 80. I play with people with better short games than me but I hit it better and am a better golfer. It isn’t that I have a bad short game but I do think it isn’t quite as good as my ball striking even though I am not that long.

I think it depends on the word starts. To me a low handicap has a high dependence on a good shortgame but I will give an example where short game can in no way overcome lenght. My father is nearing 80. He wants to play one tee less then me. I calculated for him that he could make a perfect swing for him (straight and max distance) and that this frequently suggest he can't reach most par 4's in regulation. That has a statasictial impact on him even with a good short game.

 

[smgoldstein]

I would say it depends. I am currently a 3.0 index and I hit driver about 230 all in unless it is super firm and carry is about 215. I regularly play our back tees which are par 71 and 6950 yards. Being a relative short knocker does put stress on your short game. There are a few par 4s at my club that I struggle to hit in 2 unless I hit it perfectly. In general I am pretty straight and I can go multiple rounds without penalty strokes or lost balls.

Hitting driver 200 yards would make it tougher to maintain my handicap as low as it is but I could definitely be single digit particularly from our middle tees.

The above said if I could keep the same accuracy and hit the ball 10% farther I think I could be better.

What he said.

 

[smgoldstein]

I am a 5.5 handicap from the white tees. I would not be that if I played from the tips.

Theoretically the change in slope and course rating should adjust for playing different sets of tees. So if you moved up a set of tees your handicap shouldn't necessarily go down either.

 

[Tevenor]

I agree with Hank Haney, distance equals potential. If I was 20 yards shorter it would be difficult to impossible to maintain my index. Plenty of golfers with higher swingspeeds have higher handicaps than me but if you're short it caps how good you can get. I swing it fast enough(105ish with driver) to be scratch or better and if I was longer I'd shave a stroke or two.

“Clubhead speed determines your potential in the game,” he said. “At every level, distance is the determining factor. Swing it faster, get more distance.”

After stating that 86 mph is the average clubhead speed among amateur golfers (it’s around 115 mph for PGA Tour players), Haney fired away at slow swings: “Take a fast lousy swing, slow it down, and you’ve got a slow lousy swing. Too many people think speed causes mistakes. That’s wrong. It makes no sense at all to take an easy swing, particularly with a driver.”

Hank Haney

I agree with this. My distance has been an advantage to score lower scores but only when I can execute all aspects of the game. That advantage can be minimal on shorter, tighter courses where I often hit a hybrid or 4iron off the tee. Or it can be significant on wide open courses where I can swing away and not get into a lot of trouble. At the end of the day, yes I can outdrive most people in my league but a 5 foot putt for par after a 300 yard drive is the same distance as a 5 foot putt for par after a 200 yard drive. The green doesn't care if I hit a 7 iron in and my friend hits a hybrid in. I lead my league in eagles for last year primarily because just about every par 5 is reachable in two for me. I still get beat because its not 18 holes of par 5's. Par 3's killed me last year. My average par 5 score was 4.2. My average par 3 was 3.9.

My handicap and scores dropped this year because I got better at the par 4's and I hit more fairways. Not because i hit the ball 10 yards farther off the tee.

 

[The Milk Man]

Handicap starts at the hole backwards not from the tee forward

Maybe back in the day but the modern game starts at the tee. I was listening to a podcast with legendry teacher Chuck Cook. Chuck said when he started teaching 40 years ago. You taught accuracy and then distance. Now they teach distance first and figure out the accuracy part later.

 

[scott.french3]

Theoretically the change in slope and course rating should adjust for playing different sets of tees. So if you moved up a set of tees your handicap shouldn't necessarily go down either.

Yes, in theory. But, hitting longer approach shots, longer par 3's and playing holes that aren't reachable in regulation are going to drive up scores fairly significantly. Plus, the fun factor goes out the window.

 

[smgoldstein]

Plus, the fun factor goes out the window.

I agree with that. I'm a low handicapper and a relatively short knocker myself. No fun wearing out the grooves of fairway woods and hybrids.

 

[scott.french3]

I agree with that. I'm a low handicapper and a relatively short knocker myself. No fun wearing out the grooves of fairway woods and hybrids.

The other day, I was playing a replica of the road hole at St Andrews at my club. Good drive from the white tees (380 yd hole) leaves me a 7 or 8 iron in. I got my drive up too high and had a 210 yd distance to the pin for my approach. That is about my max for a fairway wood. I pulled out my 3 wood, crushed it and put it on the green and 2 putted for par. Thankful I can still make those shots. But, wouldn't want to have to do that on most of the par 4's.

 

[mikeg_74]

IMO tee box choice dictates how low a handicap can get. A handicap is a representation of a golfers potential and if they play a shorter tee box, then they will be lower provided accuracy isnt an issue. Push a guy who only drives it 200 back to about 6500yds and I would expect that handicap to rise as opposed to the 5800-600 yard tees.

 

[GolfTravelDude]

Why aren't the long drive champs tearing up the PGA? Has there ever been a long drive champ who actually even ever made it onto the PGA? If distance is first priority then they should be the best players.

 

[Tenputt]

There is no question that a short hitter can be a single digit index. I also think that the longer you hit it, the higher the ceiling on how good you can become.

Even on tour, the very dominating players have almost always been long, relative to their competition. Jack was. Tiger was. Dustin Johnson is today. Brooks Koepka is. The list goes on. Yes, there are exceptions. Lee Trevino was not considered to be long. Nor was Gary Player. However, generally speaking, as others have said, distance translates into greater potential.

 

[Tenputt]

Why aren't the long drive champs tearing up the PGA? Has there ever been a long drive champ who actually even ever made it onto the PGA? If distance is first priority then they should be the best players.

Clearly, length alone will not make somebody a world class player. The best players in the world are elite at all facets of the game. Long drive competitors only have to be good at one thing. However, I think it is hard to argue that there is not a strong correlation between distance and dominating play. Pick the most dominating players of any era and a very high percentage of them will be long relative to their competition.

 

[Mmaynard11]

Yes & no. If you don't have a good short game trying to achieve a low handicap off just distance...you will fail.

 

[Tenputt]

This to me is exactly right, the more distance you can get off the tee, the more potential you have to lower scores. You can be bombing 300 yards off the tee, but if your next shot is either a penalty of chopping out from the woods then you're never going low.

My old man plays with an older guy who hasn't hit it longer than 200 with any club for about 30 years. Hits a driver straight down the middle, then a 3w straight down the middle, chip and a putt. He is lights out with the putter and wedge and from the rough or around the green never leaves himself much more than 4-5 feet. He's single figures every day of the week but hasn't posted a card for decades. I can out distance him with every club in the bag, but would never take him on. Can't remember the last time he was off the fairway or in a hazard. Very boring golf, but so so solid.

Those guys are so awesome. However, at the same time, if that guy could drive it 275 consistently, he’d be scratch or better (I understand that you are not contending otherwise.).

 

[HarlettoScara]

Those guys are so awesome. However, at the same time, if that guy could drive it 275 consistently, he’d be scratch or better (I understand that you are not contending otherwise.).

Oh absolutely, I couldn't agree more. If he could stick it 270-280 right down the pipe consistently then with his short game he would be lethal. Is very difficult to beat someone like that because I bet his deviation from best to worst score hasn't gone past 10 shots in the last decade.