Distance

[Imurg]

Distance
Distance
Distance

It seems to be the only word in Golf these days
or words associated with it.

+10 yards here, +20 there.
Here's a 3 wood that hits the ball 270 yards - so how far does the Driver go?
And how far have you got to hit your 5w/hybrid to keep up...
And then your irons - they have to be progressively longer or you'll have huge gaps.
Now we need a GW - but that GW needs to go 120 yards to make up the gap betwen PW and SW - or do we need another GW?
It's just getting crazy. Why doesn't anyone extol the virtues of consistently hitting a yardage instead of just hitting it further. Because it doesn't sell product even though it's better for your game.
We all know that hitting the ball a certain yardage is critical yet we all, mostly, get drawn into the hype of more Distance

Slots in irons that seem to serve no purpose except to relieve people of cash, slots in fairways and hybrids that do hit the ball further - so much that a 2nd extra club is needed to fill gaps. Chunks dug out from heads to make the ball go further - it's all gimmicks designed to line the pockets of the Execs..Most of us won't hit it further with any of these clubs. We may think we do but in reality we probably won't - on average...

And yet it will continue until we decide to not buy the latest greatest Driver/Wood/Hybrid/Irons etc etc.
And that will never happen.

 

[One Planer]

Very interesting point you make Ian :thup:

I gamed my new bats today for the first time on the course. The new irons are broardly the same length off the tee as my previous set, dispite the fact they are better fitted to me and my swing. Bearbin mind the other set happened to have weaker lofts, by a degree and a shorter shaft by quarter inch.

Broardly similar and very similar distance wise if not a yard or too longer from the 63's.

The driver on the other hand is a completely different kettle of fish.

The 910 is easily longer than the 630. We have a fairway bunker on our 1st and 10th that was on the limit of my 630 distance. I'd either carry it into the sand of it would roll in. Today I flew both of the bunkers easily by a good 15 yards. As the ground was soft and got little roll gauging the actual carry was easier than usual.

Now. Is the 910 longer than the 630 in the shaft? Nope both 45".

Is the 910 a stronger loft than the 630? Nope both 10.5*.

Is the shaft lighter. Nope broardly the same too.

The difference is having a shaft and head (mid spin as opposed to low) the suits me. I get a higher launch and flight with the 910 which on turn has given more carry.

While I understand, and agree that longer, lighter shafts plugged into head with jacked lofts is becoming more the standard these days I would say that other attributes, as I say above, can give improved results without the need for the affore mentioned.

Good thread Ian.

 

[G1BB0]

I can buy every club out there (not far off already anyway) & be no longer or straighter. Personally I believe technique will add distance & accuracy but not a new driver/wood/hybrid/irons

but hey, if thats what the blurb says and folks buy into it then good for them

 

[Bomber69]

The question is, will the average handicap come down, nope I don't think so....

Hitting the ball further might help you????

It ain't about how far it's about how many.

Can't believe how many high handicappers buy all the latest technology and yet they don't improve, wake up and smell the Rosie's

 

[kid2]

Its all Advertising crap.....
I think as Males its definitely an Ego thing for some.....They like to think that just because they hit there New PW 140 yards and you had to hit an 8 iron or whatever that they've got the one up.....
I have a Playing partner like this...He's constantly asking what club i hit...

But the thing with my clubs is that even though they are modern enough bats they have weak lofts PW of 47 degrees as opposed to some.....

Some people fall for the trap of distance with newer equipment..... Im not that gullible or naive thank god...But it amazes me when i hit a 3 wood further than their all new lights and buzzers bells and whistles driver....
Im also of the opinion that most modern iron heads of the so called "Players Type" are indeed plenty forgiving enough for average Joe....
I dont see the point in things that look like toasters on the end of sticks....These are also marketing marvels.....

 

[MetalMickie]

There have been few, if any, threads on the forum that I have agreed with as much as this. Amen to Imurg.

I have been as guilty as any (even G1BBO) for buying new kit but I can honestly say I have never done it believing it would provide a panacea for my golfing inadequacies.

Technology may give us the possibility of a few extra yards but not half as much as improved technique.

I have recently re-read "The Essential Longhurst" a collection of his Golf Illustrated articles from 1950 - 68 and it was fascinating to see that, even in those far off days, golfers have always been subjected to the hype of the marketing men.

But as the Great Henry said; "Golfers who know,go to their Pro' ". Technique not Equipment.

 

[kid2]

Technology may give us the possibility of a few extra yards but not half as much as improved technique.


But as the Great Henry said; "Golfers who know,go to their Pro' ". Technique not Equipment.

I have a good one on this....I had a lesson on wednesday night with my Pro....Began hitting a few balls....Prior to this i was changing a swingpath....
Anyway he said the the swing path is coming along nicely we're about 80% there but what he saw in my swing and my numbers proved was that i was getting at the ball from the inside with an open clubface because of my wrist positions at the top of the backswing....
Long story short...My swing 88mph....Wilsonstaff 7 iron ...154 yards...
His swing 83mph ....Ping K15 7 iron.... 174 yards..... His ball flight height was half what mine was all because i was hitting with an open face.....
A few swings later and a tweek to my wrist position at the top of the backswing and i hit my 7 iron 178 yards with a beautiful Draw.....

So it definitely aint equipment on my behalf.

 

[garyinderry]

the long and the short of it is that we are not hitting it any further this last few years. technology has gone so far. its all smoke and mirrors now.

you have to be good to hit a good ball. the club only does so much. it always has!!

 

[Fader]

Well with everyone now supposedly being able to hit it Bubba Long will people start shooting sub 80 regularly. I'd say nope!

With all the hype and marketing people are putting so much faith into new technology to make them longer and better players they are over looking one fact, one old saying that still rings true in any sport or profession and that is Practice makes Perfect.

People really over look the facts in the hype e.g TM say on average 17yards gained using RBZ, who was this average taken from so that they could create the buzz when in went on the market for Joe public, it was taken from Tour Pro's that's who. Players that are hitting hundreds of balls a day, people with specific workout regimes based around flexibility, core strength and fast twitch muscle fibres all the areas that give these guys extra yards. Yet still market the average they gain and the public go and and buy and extra 17yards for themselves, but they don't do they all they do is buy a club that could do that if they follow the same routine as the tour pro and even then only likely after lessons to.

Some will argue they've gained a few yards since buying these clubs but take a look at the jacked up length of the shaft there's the key to the small gain in length but also the reason why it's harder to hit straight!

I'll stick with my method of exercise, practice and hard work to keep me consistent and if that means I eek a few yards then bonus but I'd prefer to be shorter off the tee and in the fairway than long and in the bundu more often than not.

Good thread imurg

 

[Hobbit]

Even basic physics tells you its a load of Rolex. The mass of club is pretty much the same, the length of the shaft is pretty much the same, the swing speed is pretty much the same... guess what?? The distance will be the same.

A bit simplistic but even just tweaking some of those parameters won't see any noticeable change in distance.

Think of your best scoring rounds. Do they come from hitting it 10yds further or from hitting several more fairways & greens? Dispersion is more important than that extra 10yds.

 

[MGL]

Allelujah!

 

[CMAC]

Of course it's marketing!

Of course it's a male ego thing!

Of course we all want to hit it further!

Of course we realise its probably just hype and my swing isn't good enough......

.......but maybe, just maybe.

 

[Sybez]

Having a 3 wood that goes 270 mops up those customers that "just can't hit" a driver. You don't need more clubs to fill the gaps as technically you would be closer to the green, so knowing and being good with your yardages it crucial here, no matter if its a 140 yrd PW or 8 iron.
Club marketing has been on the same path for years! Personally I think it's the ball guys that feed out the most BS in new tech...

 

[JustOne]

Even basic physics tells you its a load of Rolex. The mass of club is pretty much the same, the length of the shaft is pretty much the same, the swing speed is pretty much the same... guess what?? The distance will be the same.

A bit simplistic but even just tweaking some of those parameters won't see any noticeable change in distance.

Think of your best scoring rounds. Do they come from hitting it 10yds further or from hitting several more fairways & greens? Dispersion is more important than that extra 10yds.

I'd still give you £40 for that 19 degree RBZ when you're done with it

 

[Nashy]

Nice to see some other people get it as well. Why would I want to hit my 3 wood as far as my driver? What would I then hit into par5's for my second shot? My 3 wood will be to long in most cases and my 5 wood no long enough. So I buy the 5 wood to match and then I have a huge gap to my 3 or 4 iron?

I hit the ball well enough with my driver, my 3 wood is around 15-20 yards short of this and my 5 wood another 10-15 short of that, then my gaps are pretty consistent dropping 8-10 yards down my set until I get to around 100 yards.

 

[Imurg]

knowing and being good with your yardages it crucial here, no matter if its a 140 yrd PW or 8 iron.

At the moment, most of us have to start hitting half/3/4 shots from about 70 yards - if we're hitting PW's 140 that half/3/4 shot distance comes in at about 110.......That has to more difficult to judge for an average player than a 50 yard 1/2 shot.....

 

[Piece]

Those golfers who have a hang up about distance, whether long or short, will buy into the marketing as they see the message they want to see. The pros on TV, especially on the PGA Tour, are all about bombing it; it's an easy sell to Joe Public.

For me, I'll look at new sticks to try them out for suitability. This means static look, feel and then performance of the club in consistency, ball flight and then of course, distance. No one is going to turn down extra distance for the same consistency if its on offer! The bottom line in my house: does the new club out-perform in all the right departments my current one?

I will disagree with a post above that distance has not improved when comparing new v old clubs. I am of the opinion that material improvements in weight distribution, material construction, lighter shafts, high MOI, VIBE dampening technology, etc. has meant that the average golfer can hit the ball just that little bit further.

One last point: it's always nice to have new sticks in the bag! It's our hobby!

 

[JustOne]

Why would I want to hit my 3 wood as far as my driver?

Give me a 3-wood that hits it 400yds and I'd take it.

Forget the gaps..... all this pro talk! hilarious!

 

[Tommo21]

I have absolutely no doubt that some clubs do go further than others, but I think that ball technology has moved forward more than any club design and I also think shafts help to get the optimum from your own personal swing.

Length is mega important to the professional game these days, the closer to the green the better chance of getting near the pin…not hard to work out.

However, at 60, I’m still shooting some of the best score of my life and yesterday at my old club Winterfield, not a long course but on full greens, I got it round in 67 to lift a pot of cash that paid for my outing to Goswick come the end of may.

BUT…and this is a big BUT, I continue to try anything that’s going for some extra length. If that’s in the mind, I don’t care. As long as I feel I’m keeping up with my own standards.

The two biggest problems I see in amateur golf is the pressure, for some stupid reason, that players put upon themselves to hit a club that needs to be 100% flushed to get what they think should happen. Secondly, I very rarely see players spend the time they spend hitting balls, to actually hitting putts, chips or bunker shots.

This obsession with hitting the “big ball” when a biggest part of the game has nothing whatsoever to do with distance will never stop. Unfortunately.

 

[G1BB0]

BUT…and this is a big BUT, I continue to try anything that’s going for some extra length. If that’s in the mind, I don’t care. As long as I feel I’m keeping up with my own standards.

I agree Tommo, even if we know its smoke and mirrors it wont stop golfers trying, just in case it really does give a bit more yardage