Determining Your Club Distances

[tobybarker]

This sounds like a silly question , even to me, but I'm not clear on the "best" answer. Newcomer, 16hcp......

How to find out how far I typically hit any given club.....

The only range to which I have access uses range balls, as most do, and I realise they dont fly as far as a proper ball.

We're not allowed to hit loads of balls on the course, even when its quiet

I haven't forked out cash for a launch monitor (maybe I should, if they are reliable)

I have tried GPS apps that keep track of shots but to be honest I seem to spend more time on a round fiddling with my phone that I really want to.

Am I over-complicating?

 

[Sats]

You can get on a launch monitor, which to me is the best option you can then take away the mis hits etc and get a good idea of where things are going. Get a gap test with your pro or if you have a laser rangefinder use that or guess on the range.

To get a launch monitor yourself is ££££ unless you get something rubbish - i wouldn't unless money isn't an issue.

Doing it on the course isn't the best option as there are various factors to consider - wind, slope, humidity, rain etc. As you may find it useful at your course but then it'll change if you go somewhere else.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

You could use some pick up balls at the range to get a good idea

 

[bobmac]

The only way to find out how far you hit it on the course is to hit it on the course. Not necessarily your course. Is there a public course near you could use, maybe a 9 holer that does allow you to hit a few balls?

 

[brendy]

A lot of pros will do a distance chart appointment these days using a launch monitor. Shouldn't be overly expensive either.

 

[jamiet7682]

I use the stats from garmin gps watch, gives average distance for each club and seems pretty accurate.

 

[Slab]

If the range balls are kept/rotated & in decent condition and all the same brand/model you can ask the pro/staff what range ball spec they purchased i.e xyz range ball will be down 10% carry distance on a mid-range 'real’ ball etc

At any halfway decent range I’d expect them to know what equipment they bought and range balls still have manufactures specifications

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Start making a mental note when you are on the course of specific distances. The easy ones are 150 and 100yds, all courses will have markers for them. When you ball is at that point make a mental note of what you hit, how far it goes. Other clear ones will be par 3 holes. Hit the ball see where it ends up. After a while, I am guessing you are a member somewhere and so playing the same holes over and over, you will start to see a pattern. Ideally, if you are out when it is quiet you can actually drop balls at specific distances as well to test this out.

Yes, trackman is ideal and does it all in one go, but doing it this way is like building up a database over time.

Someone else has mentioned this but if you can get a cheap golf watch that measures shot distances, I use a Garmin S1, then you build up the data that way also. These watches are very accurate so are good to use

 

[Maninblack4612]

I use the GC2 simulator at a local clubfitters. I hit several shots with each club & at the end copy the results onto a flash drive which I can view on my PC in a spreadsheet. I had to show the staff how to do this but it means you can play with the results later on.

 

[Grant85]

This sounds like a silly question , even to me, but I'm not clear on the "best" answer. Newcomer, 16hcp......

How to find out how far I typically hit any given club.....

The only range to which I have access uses range balls, as most do, and I realise they dont fly as far as a proper ball.

We're not allowed to hit loads of balls on the course, even when its quiet

I haven't forked out cash for a launch monitor (maybe I should, if they are reliable)

I have tried GPS apps that keep track of shots but to be honest I seem to spend more time on a round fiddling with my phone that I really want to.

Am I over-complicating?

In your circumstances, without an investment in tech or range time - I'd say you have to just play quite a bit of golf and clock the yardages from the course markers when you hit a decent shot. You'll get used to it within a few weeks in terms of what is a 9 iron, what is a 6 iron distance. If you are playing the same course all the time it will become quite routine if you don't use a GPS or shot scope. I did this for years when I started playing and had my hand on the club when I was 10 or 15 yards away from the ball. Now with a GPS I find i don't even look for course markers and wait until I am basically right at the ball before checking my watch.

I'd say getting a watch is the best system if you want that bit more confidence in your distance, or are playing different courses a lot. You just glance at it to get a distance, with minimal faffing.

Frustrating thing is some courses have yardages to the front and others to the middle.

But once you do get the watch, you will get used to it very quickly and will hate it if you forget it or it isn't charged.

 

[chrisd]

A lot of the golf watches have a distance measurer where you press the button where you hit from and again when you reach your ball. So, if you hit a decent shot with any club you can start to compile a record on the course and, as was said earlier, you can also do measurements taking wind etc into account - maybe you need to carry a notebook too.

 

[YorkshireStu]

If you use a free app during your round like Hole19 you can track your yardages as you go round the course - simple and free...

 

[Springveldt]

Are there no golf fitters or clubs near you that have launch monitors and rent them out?
Have a look around, you will probably find someone close. Prices can vary depends on the launch monitors.

 

[tobybarker]

Thank you to all for your advice. I do have a smart watch that I can use for golf GPS apps. I will start to employ it properly next time I play.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Thank you to all for your advice. I do have a smart watch that I can use for golf GPS apps. I will start to employ it properly next time I play.

The only downside is measuring the shot that you absolutely nailed, the driver, 3 wood, rescue, that you measure and discover was the average distance of a 9 iron on the pro tour . No longer will you be able to kid yourself about that sort of stuff .

Once you get past that, leave the ego at home, it really is very useful.

 

[Jimaroid]

30 minutes on a Trackman at a driving range and you'll get pretty much all the data you need to within around 5 to 10 yards including a way to determine variance for slope, wind and temperature conditions.

Surely nearly all driving ranges have access to launch monitors for a very small fee now? My point of reference means I'm spoiled though, we have them built into the practice facility.

 

[timd77]

If you use a free app during your round like Hole19 you can track your yardages as you go round the course - simple and free...

Yep, that’s what I do. If you pay the £20 or whatever it is, you can get it to build up a log of your yardages for each club which is great, but it is a bit of a faff remembering to record each shot. I tend to just use the yardage checker when I’ve hit a decent shot and I’m gradually building up the log in my own head.

Another way is where I’ve checked the yardage I’ve got left and compare that to where the ball ends up. For example, I might have 160 to the middle, 150 to the front. 7i feels a bit too much so I take an 8i. If that then ends up short or on the front (or long) I roughly know the yardage I hit it.

I’m not at a level where I either need to know pinpoint yardages for each club, or more crucially, have the ability to hit them! I’ll just +/- 5-10 yards for slope and wind.

The thing i haven’t got is carry distance as the gps only gives total yardage. Carry has to be a bit of an educated guess!

 

[ScienceBoy]

Experience, playing practice rounds and hitting clubs when you know can get a good idea. I don’t play a lot but know how far I hit all my clubs just from playing.

When you know write it down the full, 3/4 and half swing distances and tape it to the club.

 

[jim8flog]

Personally I do hit the ball consistently enough these days to be too worried what my club distances are and just treat it as rough guide.

One of the things I like to work from is what is the distance to the back of the green and what club would put me there if I hit my very best shot (with a due allowance for a front of green flag position). In that way given that f I hit it straight I would normally be on the green.

 

[Orikoru]

Early this year I went to an indoor simulator place with Trackman and so on, booked an hour and did a gapping/yardage session throughout my bag on my own. To be fair it didn't really change my thinking on a lot of the clubs, out on the course is a different kettle of fish I feel, with wind, temperature, ground conditions all making a difference. Some of the carry distances on Trackman were a bit less than I thought, but as we were thrust straight into summer golf after lockdown, my shots are still rolling off the backs of the greens frequently, so it's not as if I needed to club up with that knowledge.

Before all that I just learned my yardages from using a GPS (free on phone) and experience over time. Eventually you learn that around 150 yards is one club, 140 is another club, and so on.