Club distances

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bordergolfer

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WTF :eek:

I used my nice new Golf GPS on the course yesterday.

To say I was a little suprised by the (lack of) distance from each of my clubs would be the understatement of the year.

I always thought I drove the ball around 250-260yds. Was I surprised or what to discover that a really well hit drive only went 220-230yds.

I think I'll stop using it now :mad:
 
this cropped up time and time again on my thread about club distances a few weeks back.

I reckon most players over-estimate their driving distances
 
I don't know how far i hit driver, and it doesn't really bother me. The key for me is that I keep the driver in play and I know the yardages of my irons. But I agree, I suspect most people think they hit it further than they do.
 
I hit a couple of 'belters' this morning albeit into a slight breeze that went 235.......club golfers really do not realise how far they actually hit the ball...these fellas who claim 'I average 277-285 are talking utter crap.
 
It's not til you get one of these devices that reality kicks in and you see things for how they actually are not how you think they are.

I usually try to measure a couple of drives per round just to keep an eye on things. You need to keep on top of it cos you never know when you'll need to carry that bunker/stream/rough at 220-240. No point thinking you can carry it easy when in reality you may just make it 1 in 10 times with your Sunday best and tail wind.
 
I reckon i carry the ball about 250 and would consider my self an average hitter dont think it matters how far you hit its how close you get with your approach shots and how few strokes you have on your card at the end.
 
I reckon i carry the ball about 250 and would consider my self an average hitter
Click to expand...
The 188th ranked player by driving distance on the PGA Tour (Craig Bowden) has an average total driving distance of 255.7 yards. Hitting it 250 on the fly probably puts you in the same league as the likes of Justin Leonard, Chris DiMarco and Jim Furyk. I wouldn't call that 'average hitting' for an amateur. The average for amateurs is probably closer to 200 yards than 250.
 
At the recent Tavistok cup, the winner of the longest drive was I believe Retief Goosen at 269 yds :)
Click to expand...

Yes, but it WAS straight into a 20mph headwind!

In this country, at this time of year, after a bit of rain, on a cold day, with not much run on a FLAT fairway 230yds is a very good drive... 240yds is really good, 250yds and you are outta there!

300yds you'd need a 20mph tailwind, a fairway that slopes down 20° and a lucky (hard) first bounce.
 
Same here, I measured a creamed drive on my GPS (no roll it was only 2 yards from it's pitch mark) at 215. I'd have sworn it would have been up at 240-250 looking from the tee. Reality check time.
 
I think it is an interesting topic, I was talking to club pro, and we were going to measure my distance as part of a lesson, so that i could be happy on the course knowing what club need to carry hazards etc. I think distance control is something not a lot of people fully get into. I know what club I need and from where on my own course, most of the time, but when I play other courses it is always a bit different. I often think the yardage markers are wrong!! :D
 
I reckon i carry the ball about 250 and would consider my self an average hitter
Click to expand...
The 188th ranked player by driving distance on the PGA Tour (Craig Bowden) has an average total driving distance of 255.7 yards. Hitting it 250 on the fly probably puts you in the same league as the likes of Justin Leonard, Chris DiMarco and Jim Furyk. I wouldn't call that 'average hitting' for an amateur. The average for amateurs is probably closer to 200 yards than 250.
Click to expand...

Put it this way my drive today at our 7th, a hole that measures 388, 238 to the 150 then 250 to the new bunker as the course is fairly wet we where not getting much run and i was, i would say between 20 and 30 yards past the bunker and TBH i never hit that well. Should add the second time i played it today into a stiff breeze carried it to the bunker which was filled with water i know i carried that far cos i seen the splash.

To me the look how far i hit it conversation is a load of auld bull its how many shots you have played when you finish that matter.
 
In the past, we have only been able to measure our drives by reference to the markers on the Driving range or by pacing out on the course.

The markers could be inaccurate and you cant really estimate how far past the 200 yard marker you have gone from that distance.

also your average pace will be less than 1 yard so you could easily add 20 paces over a 230 yard drive.which leads to inaccuracy.

These GPS machines are very accurate. Accept the fact that you dont drive as long as you thought and use the information to plan your shots, work with the GPS make it your friend and trust it.

You need to know how long your drives are to make sure you can get over that bunker or ditch

I know pretty well how far I normally hit each club in my bag, so if the GPS says 135 yards to the middle, I know that that is my 7 iron. if it is a head wind i will take a 6, likewise a tailwind an 8.

If I was estimating i could guess 150 instead of the 135, take a 5 into a headwind and play through.

The most important thing to know in this game is how long you hit each club

Go to a field with your GPS, hit 12 balls with each club and mark the distance to the center of each ball spread.

Enjoy

Fragger
 
Distance is very seasonal.In damp cold weather the ball flies much less than a warm summer afternoon. The air has more moisture in it and the ball does not compress properly (play a ladies ball in the winter...seriously!).

All my club distances were done in a temp of about 15c so if it is a lot warmer than that and dry then I might club down and if it's winter and 8 or 9 degrees (dont play in less than that) then I'll club up.
 
In the past, we have only been able to measure our drives by reference to the markers on the Driving range or by pacing out on the course.

The markers could be inaccurate and you cant really estimate how far past the 200 yard marker you have gone from that distance.

also your average pace will be less than 1 yard so you could easily add 20 paces over a 230 yard drive.which leads to inaccuracy.

These GPS machines are very accurate. Accept the fact that you dont drive as long as you thought and use the information to plan your shots, work with the GPS make it your friend and trust it.

You need to know how long your drives are to make sure you can get over that bunker or ditch

I know pretty well how far I normally hit each club in my bag, so if the GPS says 135 yards to the middle, I know that that is my 7 iron. if it is a head wind i will take a 6, likewise a tailwind an 8.

If I was estimating i could guess 150 instead of the 135, take a 5 into a headwind and play through.

The most important thing to know in this game is how long you hit each club

Go to a field with your GPS, hit 12 balls with each club and mark the distance to the center of each ball spread.

Enjoy

Fragger
Click to expand...

I have been thinking about getting a GPS for a while. Which 1 do you use ? Our practice ground is just a big open field are they accurate for use on there or are they best just for on course use
 
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