Furthest carry to fairway.

[Tashyboy]

When I got fitted at Ping for my irons, I also got measured for my G30 driver and the two shafts I had. One a tour shaft and the other a reg. Eventually after having a play, we settled on the tour shaft with the loft on the lower + and not the max +. The max loft just did not get the carry and more importantly the angle of my drives were better with the lower + loft setting and gave me a fantastic run on ( as shown on the Ping fitting equipment). My carry before the shaft change was 172 yd with 20 plus yard run on. After shaft change 182 with 25 plus yard run on.
Reason for all this waffle. Our stroke index one is 580yd par five. The women's tees are 150yd in front of our whites. The fairway is a further 25 yd in front of that. The wind, even a slight breeze 9 Times out of 10 blows in your face. So 9/10 when I smack it straight down the middle in can be anything from 10 yd short of the fairway in 1" grass which kills any run on, or it may be in the first cut or just on the fairway. Now I am not the shortest hitter at our club, so I know that this does not only affect me.
But last week I found over 50 balls in two days as our rough is being cut right back on a few holes, the word is coz it is a bit brutal and once in you have shot it. Now from my point of view I smack it down the middle and am not on the fairway. But the big hitters now have the rough cut back which has hardly bothered me all year. Quite frankly it bogged me off a bit. Will owt be done about lengthening the fairway ( on a couple of holes), doubt it. But when I played with Dewsweeper a month or so ago, some of the fairways for him were a good bash away for him even off the yellows.
So what is the longest carry at your course, could and should some of them be cut back. If your a big hitter it dosent matter to you so what's your thoughts.
cheers me dears.

 

[guest100718]

No big carries for us. Maybe 150 ish on the odd hole.

 

[duncan mackie]

Absolute max is under 100, and thats only really relevant on one hole - the 13th. Off the yellows it's 78, and we are bringing a green tee into play that takes it down to 40yds.

Rough is maintained at 'short' year round (most would say very short).

Should be really easy to take the course apart shouldn't it?

 

[Alex1975]

No big carries for us. Maybe 150 ish on the odd hole.

Same, if that. Our 12th off the backs maybe that.

 

[drdel]

I tend to agree it appears that many course 'committees' believe we're all in the PGA. Our course has penal rough and quite long first carry on most holes.

I'm sure that many would-be leisure golfers are put off. My own lady was discouraged because she felt she wasn't good enough as some of her 'drives' weren't reaching the short stuff.

It could be that the 'inner' circle is mostly from the competition entrants and so those are the voices that get heard whereas the silent majority vote with their feet and wallets and move on.

 

[Alex1975]

Too much of that stiff will cause slow play!

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Too much of that stiff will cause slow play!

This

Played a society day at Berkhamsted a couple of weeks back and the old timer with us was having lots of trouble clearing the thick stuff that often was about 120-130 yards off the yellows, rather spoilt it for him,

and yes we had to spend a fair chunk of time looking for his balls

 

[Tashyboy]

Staying on topic but off topic. Tuesday and Thursday last week they had a new machine at our place they were trying out. It was knocking seven bales out of the long stuff. We were fortunate that they had started an hour before we teed off. Me and Baghead found over thirty balls each between the first green and second tee. A big Brucey bonus was a lot of the balls were only 3/4 of a hole old. Two pos three shots old. Another Brucey bonus was ad333 was the most found ball.. My ball. Now I fully understand with the amount of balls found why it could and should be cut back, but if you are twenty yards off the middle of the fairway, to extent you should be penalised in some fashion. But knocking it straight down the middle with your best drive and being punished. I don't get it.

 

[Craigg]

My old club had flippin' great oak tree slap bang in the middle of the fairway at around 240 yds from the tee. You could, if you striped one get a roll under the tree and out the other side as it was down hill from the tree onwards, but more often than not you had to play 3 wood off the tee to leave yourself far enough back to get an iron over it.

 

[Crow]

Par threes aside, most are around 25 yards, a couple around 100 yards.

 

[Robobum]

180 approx. not that it's a problem as the semi is absolutely playable if you're short.

The new tees at Hankley gives the 8th a 245yd carry to the fairway, prevailing is into as well

 

[Alex1975]

Staying on topic but off topic. Tuesday and Thursday last week they had a new machine at our place they were trying out. It was knocking seven bales out of the long stuff. We were fortunate that they had started an hour before we teed off. Me and Baghead found over thirty balls each between the first green and second tee. A big Brucey bonus was a lot of the balls were only 3/4 of a hole old. Two pos three shots old. Another Brucey bonus was ad333 was the most found ball.. My ball. Now I fully understand with the amount of balls found why it could and should be cut back, but if you are twenty yards off the middle of the fairway, to extent you should be penalised in some fashion. But knocking it straight down the middle with your best drive and being punished. I don't get it.

Maybe the AD333 is a short ball? Hehe

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I remember playing a few Mackenzie courses near harrogate that needed carries of around 130-150yds. That was quite tough over 18 holes and was too much for one pp who struggled with loft off the tee. I seem to remember that Oakdale was the worst culprit but maybe we caught it on a bad day. The description given by Tashy sounds daft for amateurs.

 

[Tashyboy]

I remember playing a few Mackenzie courses near harrogate that needed carries of around 130-150yds. That was quite tough over 18 holes and was too much for one pp who struggled with loft off the tee. I seem to remember that Oakdale was the worst culprit but maybe we caught it on a bad day. The description given by Tashy sounds daft for amateurs.

LT, I played the par five week before last, a PP who has a gorgeous drive with a slight draw smashed one on the hole. It had a following wind and went 270 straight down the middle. I hit mine which landed on the fairway and ended up 30 yd behind his. Basically coz it hit the fairway and run on. But that's because the wind helped, but as I said 9/10 it blows in your face.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Our third probably has the longest carry. Its probably only around 160-180 at the shortest and does stretch to around 220-230 the further left you go. The wind usually blows into your face. I think the fact its a protected environmental area and therefore you can't go in it if you hit your ball in there makes it more intimidating than it probably is. I normally get over 8/10 times

 

[Slab]

A lot of ‘carry to fairway’ holes in the 150-200 range here (from whites) and much longer off the back tees

It catches me out regularly. Of course the simple solution is move one set forward but not an option for most rounds as they’re comps or social rounds with friends who don’t get troubled by it

On a course I’ve never played a round to handicap on we moved forward one tee box a few weeks ago (to equivalent of yellow/senior tees) and it only drops course length by a total of 350m over 18 holes…. Shot 39 points!

It’s a different game

 

[Dannyj1984]

Our 3rd is a par 5 si1 and had a brook running just short of the fairway, not sure if the exact distance, think I carry my driver about 220 and just get over it so I'm guessing it's maybe 200 from the yellows to get over onto the fairway. Most people I've played with lay up short. To make matters worse it isn't the widest either and oob on either side some of the big hitters can afford to go right as the trees swing round to the right.

 

[Spear-Chucker]

Around 150 yrds which is plenty for our membership. Another hole (360 yd par 4) has had the carry reduced this summer to help out the seniors and it's been a great success in making the hole much more enjoyable. It's hard enough already with a doglog left, OOB down the right, large oak trees affecting the drive and a green well guarded with bunkers. Personally think long carries are tedious without another option for the hole and eliminate all but the long hitters from enjoying it.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Nothng much - got a couple of about 170yds.

 

[dewsweeper]

As Tashyboy said upthread I cannot reach the fairway on many of our holes these days.
It is the same for many of my senior playing partners.
This could be easily resolved by bringing the fairway back towards the tees but where would it be equitable to all categories?
I have lost a lot of distance in the last 2 years, my best drives are probably 125 yards,and I also have to use driver on all our par 3's but would not advocate designing a course to suit my waning powers.
I do think that receiving a shot a hole ( 2 shots on 4 holes ) is enough leeway.
Shorter carries to fairways is good idea to help keep play moving at a fair pace and would not affect the better golfers at all.

On a personal note,some may have read of my woes last Saturday (Personal worst) after a few good nights sleep and a few laughs at myself I have salvaged my clubs from The Manchester Ship Canal and am off for 9 holes with my "wrinkly" pals at midday.