Driver distance/speed con

[Golf is fun]

To be clear, I'm not asking anyone to prove anything to me. As per my opening question, I'm genuinely interested to know if people have worked hard and seen measurable gains (rather than just feels etc). Interested to hear experiences, nothing more.

Like I said, it's irrelevant what anyone else has done, how does this help you?

If you've done everything right, do you have the data to confirm this? What if you've put in a lot of effort, but unfortunately not in the right areas or not in a way that's beneficial? This is why I ask, not to attack, but because it is helpful to guide you.

If you're looking to improve this is what you should do, along with the good advice that others have given in this thread. If you're looking to be miserable or justify not making progress, keep comparing to others, and ignoring everything being said here. Again not an attack, but having come form a background of high performance in another sport, there are general principles which apply no matter what the specific sport is.

 

[Tommygun16]

Like I said, it's irrelevant what anyone else has done, how does this help you?

If you've done everything right, do you have the data to confirm this? What if you've put in a lot of effort, but unfortunately not in the right areas or not in a way that's beneficial? This is why I ask, not to attack, but because it is helpful to guide you.

If you're looking to improve this is what you should do, along with the good advice that others have given in this thread. If you're looking to be miserable or justify not making progress, keep comparing to others, and ignoring everything being said here. Again not an attack, but having come form a background of high performance in another sport, there are general principles which apply no matter what the specific sport is.

How does it help me - it helps to show me what is achievable. We're all different, but if lots of people say yes I did X and it gained me 40 yards than it might be something I can try.

If other people's abilities/progress doesn't help me then the counter-argument is that I shouldn't seek advice from anyone else at all.

I have some limited data to help me, some of which I have included in the opening post. My range only has top tracer which probably isn't the most useful. I am also trusting the professionals that I have seen who are happy with what I am doing and who are just telling me to swing faster. Of course I acknowledge that there may be some hidden flaw which no one is seeing.

Hope that helps!

 

[Tommygun16]

Well, there should be something in the launch monitor figures to explain. All 5 of your points above can be measured. Has a pro, competent in the use of a launch monitor, examined the numbers?

Unfortunately not, the pros I have seen have not used a launch monitor. I shall have to seek to find one.

I've hit shots in the past that just seem to spin up and up and fortunately that is not what most of my ball flights look like.

Given my general physique I am interested in perhaps a lighter shaft etc but before I commit to that I want to exhaust all the other options I've mentioned.

Thanks

 

[VVega]

The misrepresentation of my entire post is fitting with your general remarks

Perhaps choosing a subject line that doesn’t read “Driver distance/speed con” would have solicited feedback more in line with your expectations.

 

[Golf is fun]

How does it help me - it helps to show me what is achievable. We're all different, but if lots of people say yes I did X and it gained me 40 yards than it might be something I can try.

If other people's abilities/progress doesn't help me then the counter-argument is that I shouldn't seek advice from anyone else at all.

I have some limited data to help me, some of which I have included in the opening post. My range only has top tracer which probably isn't the most useful. I am also trusting the professionals that I have seen who are happy with what I am doing and who are just telling me to swing faster. Of course I acknowledge that there may be some hidden flaw which no one is seeing.

Hope that helps!

It's still a waste of time and energy though, as everyones limitiing factor is not the same. A 6'5 25 year old who was a former athlete will have a different experience from a 5'8 60 year old desk jockey, and you are probably neither of these. Anecdotes make us feel good but tend to be statistically irrelevant.

Let's go with what useful information we do know. Assuming your measured speed stick swing is accurate we know you're capable of swinging fast enough to hit the ball at least 235 yards in the air, plus however much it rolls out, so probably a good 250 yards. That's without gaining any speed and just finding the middle of the club with what you can already do. So step one should be to focus on that, and not worry what anyone else is doing.

 

[nickjdavis]

If you are struggling to carry more than 190yds with a swing speed of 95-100mph then there is something seriously wrong with how you are delivering the club to the ball which no amount of speed training will fix.

With good fundamentals in place, working at increasing swing speed will have measurable benefits....however (unless the speed radar was lying and you are swinging it much slower than you think) you are not at this position yet.

The distance gained industry is not a con. It is simple physics....faster club head speed will translate into faster ball speed which will lead to longer distances.

Out of interest....what is your 7iron carry distance (and swing speed if you know it) ?

 

[steadyon]

Emm, tricky, on one hand it’s all about speed - correctly applied. I suppose I average about 90mph with the driver, 78 with 7 iron. It takes a fairly poor strike or a pretty strong wind for me not to carry somewhere between 220-240yards.

A range and ball speed is okay but not a patch on a decent studio and decent launch monitor. I do agree that it’s almost useless to compare yourself with anyone else. Someone trying one thing and finding distance then you trying the same is a recipe for disaster in my opinion. Youtube is full of videos of pros doing videos about how to hit the thing straighter, further, higher, lower, almost@nothing you want. You can watch them all if you want, but, I’d almost guarantee none will give you a long term improvement.

Find a good pro, tell them what you want and get them to give you one simple thing to wo4k on.

 

[Orikoru]

If you are genuinely swinging 95-100mph then it's a technique issue. That's plenty of speed - I swing at around 88mph and I can driver out to 220-230 total so there's no reason why you shouldn't be longer than that. But you need to be striking the ball somewhere near the middle of the face, not flipping your wrists and adding loft, not swiping across the ball with a right to left path, not hitting up on the ball... could be any number of things until we see that video.