Lynford

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Haverhill, Suffolk, UK
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I am a pretty short hitting 8hcp (on a not very long course, a tad over 6000yds). I am 46 years old and relying on golf to be a big part of my eventual retirement, so i’ve started having lessons as when I lose distance I’ll be in trouble ! I’m not in a search for pure distance, just a swing that gets everything out of what I’ve got as I realise that hitting it properly & straight will gain you distance in itself.

I asked my teacher the other day about Superspeed sticks and he thinks they are a great idea, so while I was looking at reviews I stumbled upon another forum.

This forum had a question about swing speed, distance and shafts used. It seemed that either everyone thought they swung it as fast as DJ & Koepka, hit it as far as Rory but had high teen or 20+hcps. Now these people must play Bethpage every week or putt with their eyes closed.

It seems to me that all the people who thought they hit it 250 years ago now hit it 300, although if they saw what markers they teed off from and how far they had into the green the numbers wouldn’t add up.

I had had a fitting a few weeks ago, my driver carry was 210-215 running out to 230-235 - I went out that day and hit one 300 on baked fairways. Luckily I’m realistic enough to know that I probably carried that one 215 as well.
 
Welcome to the golf section of the internet.
 
... Arccos from Cobra is a real eye opener for most. I thought I knew my yardages off the tee pretty well but at age 65 I didn't realize how much I had lost. Playing in Phoenix this spring with thin air, hard fairways and plenty of roll, it was easy to think I was still driving the ball around 280+ while carrying the ball around 240. But back home in the Midwest it has been wet and fairways very soft. I was a little surprised to find out I was carrying the ball around 230 with total drives around 265.

... But what confuses most is their best drives are confused with their average drives. All in all it isn't a big deal to placate their ego's until they play a course with forced carries and come up 20 yds short of clearing a water hazard.
 
... Arccos from Cobra is a real eye opener for most. I thought I knew my yardages off the tee pretty well but at age 65 I didn't realize how much I had lost. Playing in Phoenix this spring with thin air, hard fairways and plenty of roll, it was easy to think I was still driving the ball around 280+ while carrying the ball around 240. But back home in the Midwest it has been wet and fairways very soft. I was a little surprised to find out I was carrying the ball around 230 with total drives around 265.

... But what confuses most is their best drives are confused with their average drives. All in all it isn't a big deal to placate their ego's until they play a course with forced carries and come up 20 yds short of clearing a water hazard.

I didn't start playing until I turned 50, so never had any distance to begin with. I simply play the tees commensurate with my ability. If a golfer is hitting a lot of hybrids and fairway woods into par 4's, it would probably be easier to move up a tee box or two than kill himself trying get an extra 30 yards or so, especially if he is older. What really surprised me when I first started playing was/is how much ego there is in this game.
 
Just a bit older than you and I will always try to keep my course length under 6400 yards. No reason to punish myself with anything longer. Shorter course means you still have to play smart and put the ball in the hole in the same amount of strokes, (easier said than done)
 
I'm glad to know that my drives average 203. I have some 265s in there and I have some 100s. Using a GPS is a valuable tool.

My 7Iron is 145 on the dot when I do my job.

Using a GPS watch to catch all your shots really shows you what you are actually hitting.

The funny thing I have found is, there are times where I drive and say to myself "you piped that one" and it is all of 225-250.
 
What really surprised me when I first started playing was/is how much ego there is in this game.


you can add lack of math skills and comprehension. The posted length for the hole and the actual length are not the same. My regular partners routinely think I hit it 300. I don't. Most often when they think I drilled one "at least 300", my handy dandy golfpad GPS has a number between 220 and 240. Often, A) the box is moved up 20-40 yards from the measurement, B) the 100/150/200 stakes are not marked from the tee box but rather from the center of the green and C) are not always all that accurate anyway.

So they look at the sign that says the hole is 450, see me sitting at the 150 marker, do the quick math and think I hit is 300. Meanwhile, it being the weekend the course has wisely moved the box up to shorten the course, I cut a corner a little bit and blasted it 240.

This is not rare and I find the same thing holds true with randoms I get matched up with. Especially fun is when a hole is posted say...377 and I hit it between the 200 yard and 150 yard marker and random strangers are impressed with my 300 yard drive. Well...first, I question their observation skills since I likely teed off with my 6i on the hole I am thinking of due to tree and water issues if I use my driver...second, I REALLY question their math skills since if I had hit it 300 by the sign I would be inside 100 and I am outside 150. But it happens almost every week.
 
I didn't start playing until I turned 50, so never had any distance to begin with. I simply play the tees commensurate with my ability. If a golfer is hitting a lot of hybrids and fairway woods into par 4's, it would probably be easier to move up a tee box or two than kill himself trying get an extra 30 yards or so, especially if he is older. What really surprised me when I first started playing was/is how much ego there is in this game.


... I didn't start til 29 but took it up with instant passion for life. I don't really care what club anyone needs from what tee's as some are more accurate with a hybrid than an iron. What is important for the enjoyment of the game is playing the right tees so you can play the hole the way it was designed. A short to mid length par 4 may have deep bunker guarding the front so it is all carry and perhaps some slope front to back because that hole is designed for a shot iron approach. If you are hitting a hybrid or fairway wood it is impossible to hold that green and you are not playing the hole the way it was designed. Same for a long par 5 that needs a drive in the 250+ range and a good lay up with a long iron/fw/hybrid leaving a manageable 100 shot wedge. If you are hitting a hybrid/fw/long iron after an average tee shot and lay up, that par 5 turns into a par 6.

... If the above applies to you, most of the time moving up a tee box or 2 will give you an opportunity to play the hole the way the course designer set it up to be played. And I have never understood ego and golf. Playing other sports my entire life, including college football, if you have an unrealistic opinion of your ability you will be exposed sooner than later and it always hurts the team. Only 2 things matter when playing golf and especially when choosing equipment. Does it help you shoot your lowest score and does it help you play your best golf?
 
Haha golf on the Internet is a fun place that's for sure.

Most people hit that one unicorn drive that's downhill, wind assisted, on a rock hard fairway and then measure it - and this becomes their new "average drive". Anytime someone has to use their mouth to relate how far they hit the ball it's best taken with a grain of salt IMO.

Then there's the crew that can smash their driver a legit 300 yards but can't keep the ball on any known parcel of land. Congrats?
 
My longest drive was 213 - but it was both cart path aided and hit in irritation, so I had a little sumthin-sumthin extra on it.

That doesn't mean I'm bragging about being able to hit a drive over 200. No, my average is still firmly 158, and that's the number I plan with and play from.
 
... But what confuses most is their best drives are confused with their average drives. All in all it isn't a big deal to placate their ego's until they play a course with forced carries and come up 20 yds short of clearing a water hazard.

why does that have to be about ego? i've talked to fitters and oems who say you should fit off the best strikes, not the worst. can't it just be a different approach?

and i'd say while arccos can help, it says nothing about carry. at that point, playing conditions makes a big difference. i'm comparing gamer driver numbers today in softer conditions to my numbers from my last driver that were obtained in drought conditions. lo and behold, i'm about 25 yards shorter. but that isn't the whole story.
 
why does that have to be about ego? i've talked to fitters and oems who say you should fit off the best strikes, not the worst. can't it just be a different approach?

and i'd say while arccos can help, it says nothing about carry. at that point, playing conditions makes a big difference. i'm comparing gamer driver numbers today in softer conditions to my numbers from my last driver that were obtained in drought conditions. lo and behold, i'm about 25 yards shorter. but that isn't the whole story.
About the only benefit of living up here is that in the early spring/late fall we get lots of soft fairways so where your ball lands is your true carry number and it can be very humbling. While it's nice to pop one out there on a concrete fairway and roll out an extra 30 yards it doesn't hold a lot of weight with me. Typically the drives I think I piped are shorter that the ones I thought I had just decent contact.
 
I ignore posts claiming this or that yardage distance. The numbers are just so different from what I see on the golf courses (and that includes attending Tour events).
 
why does that have to be about ego? i've talked to fitters and oems who say you should fit off the best strikes, not the worst. can't it just be a different approach?


... Measuring your shortest is no better than measuring your longest. For every 1/4" you miss the center, you lose 5-7 yds. Many that play this game rarely hit the center and some hit every single shot on the toe. So one big drive anciently hitting the center isn't gonna help you chose a driver the fits your swing on a consistent basis. Golf is about what you do the majority of the time. So when fitting yourself for a driver or choosing which tees to play should not be predicated on your very best, especially if your very best is few and far between. It should be predicated on what you do the majority of the time, and depending on your index or ability, that can vary greatly or be pretty close. This is one of the infuriating arguments on another forum where many think that everyone should play MB's because it will make them better ball strikers. Hitting the center with a repeatable swing path makes you a better ball striker and the ball doesn't care if you are using Ping g400's or Titleist AP2's.

... And to answer your question, of course it doesn't have to be about ego. It just usually is. ; ) Being honest about your game is paramount to good play. I will always remember Anika chipping out when she had a good chance to hit a shot thru an opening in the trees. Her answer after the round changed my game "I had about a 60% chance of pulling that shot off and if I cannot hit a given shot successfully 80% of the time, I will not try it in competition."
 
I'm off the tee with my putter for 475, not sure what you guys are struggling with... :rolleyes: (interwebs golf at it's finest)
 
I ignore posts claiming this or that yardage distance. The numbers are just so different from what I see on the golf courses (and that includes attending Tour events).

Are you saying my claim of 185 average distance is bogus?? How dare you.

Edit: I include roll-out in that Brobdingnagian number.
 
I have no idea how far I hit my driver on average. I’m 48 and can hit it far enough for my taste. If I had to guess I would assume on a normal swing I carry around 230-240 maybe more maybe less. I focus on direction more than distance since my course is very tight.
 
Are you saying my claim of 185 average distance is bogus?? How dare you.

Edit: I include roll-out in that Brobdingnagian number.

Bob Hope used to brag that he had a good short game, but then complain that his short game was off the tee box.
 
Bob Hope used to brag that he had a good short game, but then complain that his short game was off the tee box.

I’ve accepted my curse of being a bunter. Occasionally, I will slap a liner over the second baseman.
 
I hit a drive once from an elevated T box with a tail wind 320! I have a GPS watch so I know that was the yardage.

But I also know that my average drive with a good hit is 240, and my average slight mis-hit (little high/low/tow/heal but still in the fairway) is closer to 210. I don't know carry but my guess is that it's close to 210-220 on a good hit.

I was amazed how much a little elevation and a good wind can do!

Whiskey
 
I'm lucky to hit it 200 off the tee and I'm man enough to admit it!
 
I hit a drive once from an elevated T box with a tail wind 320! I have a GPS watch so I know that was the yardage.

But I also know that my average drive with a good hit is 240, and my average slight mis-hit (little high/low/tow/heal but still in the fairway) is closer to 210. I don't know carry but my guess is that it's close to 210-220 on a good hit.

I was amazed how much a little elevation and a good wind can do!

Whiskey

I've had a similar experience. 20 MPH tailwind and downhill hole, drive measured out to 318. If I absolutely crush one I can get it out there about 260, but my average is obviously much less than that. So yeah, I was all smiles that day.
 
you can add lack of math skills and comprehension. The posted length for the hole and the actual length are not the same. My regular partners routinely think I hit it 300. I don't. Most often when they think I drilled one "at least 300", my handy dandy golfpad GPS has a number between 220 and 240. Often, A) the box is moved up 20-40 yards from the measurement, B) the 100/150/200 stakes are not marked from the tee box but rather from the center of the green and C) are not always all that accurate anyway.

So they look at the sign that says the hole is 450, see me sitting at the 150 marker, do the quick math and think I hit is 300. Meanwhile, it being the weekend the course has wisely moved the box up to shorten the course, I cut a corner a little bit and blasted it 240.

This is not rare and I find the same thing holds true with randoms I get matched up with. Especially fun is when a hole is posted say...377 and I hit it between the 200 yard and 150 yard marker and random strangers are impressed with my 300 yard drive. Well...first, I question their observation skills since I likely teed off with my 6i on the hole I am thinking of due to tree and water issues if I use my driver...second, I REALLY question their math skills since if I had hit it 300 by the sign I would be inside 100 and I am outside 150. But it happens almost every week.


DW, you're so funny....Ive seen you swing your driver and it is prob is 110-115 mph, as you stated....yes your driver, when hit flush, should go 300 yards easily....I have seen you hit your 5 iron 240 yards maybe downwind abit lol...so quit being modest...you just need to work on chipping and putting...:)

There are a lot of internet exaggerators but I don't think you're one of them....its funny, everyone on this site drives it between 250-310 yards but when you play with strangers all the time rarely do they hit there driver near even me.
 
With my username here I'm just going to enjoy this one from afar, lol!
 
I'm off the tee with my putter for 475, not sure what you guys are struggling with... :rolleyes: (interwebs golf at it's finest)

Unfortunately I often hit my putter with that much touch from the green.
 
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