High handicappers who hit the ball well and far...

[slugger]

I've noticed that there's a few folk on here question people when they say they can hit a ball a certain difference with a certain club.

As far as i can see, handicaps bear little relation () to how well you can hit a ball, or even to how well you can swing a club. It is all about how many strokes it takes to get the ball in the hole, and more often than not, hitting it further than a low handicapper will get you in trouble.

So, please lay off joe blogs who says he can drive the ball over 300 yds. He may well be telling the truth, and that also includes the fact that his next shot is a duffer into the trees, chipping through the green, unable to read putts, can't play out of bunkers etc...

It's quite easy to be not very good at this game we all love, no matter how far you can hit a ball!

 

[Robobum]

Sorry Slugger, in my view that's just not true. If someone is genuinely able to hit a ball that far they must have the ability to deliver the clubface pretty square to the ball at a rate of knots.

A high handicapper, and particularly a beginner, either has directional issues and is not squaring the clubface and/ or power issues so are not able (yet) to generate the clubhead speed required to get it out there.

I'll continue to be sceptical of Mr Bloggs' claims of mammoth drives, I've played with enough elite amateurs and good pros to knwo that it is far from easy even at their level of ability.

 

[Parmo]

I am a 23 hcp'er and can reach an average of 260 with the driver, though not always consistant with it but I am a good striker of the ball.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I agree I have a cynical view of most people onhere that claim to hit the ball 300+ yards regularly. I accept that once in a blue moon playing downwind it is possible to hit one purely and even then I'd be surprised if it went more than 280.

I have measured drives from low handicappers with my SC and they have walked up the hole thinking its close to 300 and the reality is that most of the time its between 260 and 280.

I'm afraid that unless I see it for myself then I'm going to remain sceptical. Bear in mind MikeH (by his own admission not a long hitter but a low handicapper) won the LD at Royal Ascot with a drive verified on 3 separate SC's that was downwind and on a firm fairway and that went 265.

 

[birdieman]

Slugger boys will be boys and exaggeraton of how far people hit golf balls is extremely common so we won't lay off.

I have hit a ball over 300 yds.......with a strong tailwind and a hard running fairway.

My driving average would probably be in the 240 range however.

I can also hood a 7 iron over so much it delofts and behaves like a 5 iron if I want to show someone how far I can hit a 7 iron, that is not the point, I want my 7 iron to go exactly 153 yards because that has been measured as my normal 7 iron distance on the fly in temps of 15 deg and no wind.

Sure there are some high handicappers who can hit it miles, I know a few myself, but for most people when asked how far they hit clubs their machismo takes over and they say x yards having never actually bothered to have it formally measured, only recalling once when they hit one absolutely flush on a hot day with a tailwind and playing downhill!!

This annoys me almost as much as people, when asked what their score was, give a net score...pathetic. If you took 95 shots (god help you ) say 95, not 68 or 69 or whatever the net score is. I don't know your handicap so a net score means nothing to me.

p.s. If your swing is good enough to hammer a driver 300 yds+ onto the fairway then it is normally good enough to play most other shots reasonably too. Driver, despite being huge, is still the hardest club in the bag to hit with any kind of accuracy. 3 iron may feel awful to hit but you'll still hit it straighter than a driver.
Greenside bunker shots are easy because you dont even have to hit the ball!

Ramble over

BM runs for cover!

 

[KeefG]

If you took 95 shots (god help you ) say 95, not 68 or 69 or whatever the net score is.

Did you really need to put the 'god help you' bit in there? We cant all be as good as you playing off 5 and, for me anyway, the god help you bit is a tad on the offensive side to us higher handicappers.

 

[Twire]

I would never say a high handicaper couldn't hit 300 yards, but most that think they do are living in cloud cookoo land. I used to think I hit a long ball until I bought a skycaddy this year. 260-270 was how far in my head I hit it, the reality was more like 230-240 but even at that distance i'm thought of as reasonably long at my club. There's not that many at my place that can boom it 300, maybe a couple of the scratch guys.

 

[Earl]

I think we should let the female forummers be the judge on all things to do with length and distance particularly when spoken about by us men.

 

[Parmo]

This annoys me almost as much as people, when asked what their score was, give a net score...pathetic. If you took 95 shots (god help you) say 95, not 68 or 69 or whatever the net score is. I don't know your handicap so a net score means nothing to me.

I fail to see how giving or using a net score is pathetic, I thought thats what handicaps where for to have extra shots depending on level of ability?

 

[Parmo]

Anyway birdieman, thought you would be too busy protecting your hcp to worry about cat 3 & 4 players

 

[Fyldewhite]

Truth is that most players have no idea how far they hit a driver and would be very surprised if they measured it properly. I don't know of any stats available but I would estimate that on the flat with average fairways and no wind 90% of players would average less than 260. Of the other 10% probably 90% would be category 1 golfers. We had a long drive prize last weekend and the best on the day was about 265 from a field of 150. With better ground conditions that would have been nearer 285 or maybe the magical 300 but it shows how rare a 300 yard drive would be in an average club comp.

 

[Robobum]

Parmo kind of proves the point. To average 260 is some going, it either means he hasn't topped any, duffed some or skyed a couple, either that or he has all of the above but has smashed a load well out past 300yds to make up for them!!??

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I would be glad to hear a female perspecitve but sadly with the exception of BobMacs better half and AliB there seem to be very few lady members on here.

 

[Twire]

I would never say a high handicaper couldn't hit 300 yards, but most that think they do are living in cloud cookoo land. I used to think I hit a long ball until I bought a skycaddy this year. 260-270 was how far in my head I hit it, the reality was more like 230-240 but even at that distance i'm thought of as reasonably long at my club. There's not that many at my place that can boom it 300, maybe a couple of the scratch guys.

Would like to add that I do hit the occasional 260-270 drive, but they would be wind assisted on a running fairway.

 

[Parmo]

Parmo kind of proves the point. To average 260 is some going, it either means he hasn't topped any, duffed some or skyed a couple, either that or he has all of the above but has smashed a load well out past 300yds to make up for them!!??

You missed what I said, I am a good striker of the ball. Yes sometimes its not straight but I am a big hitter and its known at my club. If you are taking all and every shot into consideration not just the ones that go well then more than nots its about 245.

 

[bluenose10]

This annoys me almost as much as people, when asked what their score was, give a net score...pathetic. If you took 95 shots (god help you ) say 95, not 68 or 69 or whatever the net score is. I don't know your handicap so a net score means nothing to me.

whoa little harsh. . . im hitting 98 at the moment. . . id love a 95 but have only been playing for 4 months!! I think people can hit it pretty far (outdriving Tiger is pretty special!?!) but doesn't mean they can't. . . could just be that they can hit far but the rest of the game needs improving. . . me i can hit about 200 yards (strong wind and a lot of luck!?!?!) . . .you can see why im shooting 98 hahaha

 

[freddielong]

Parmo kind of proves the point. To average 260 is some going, it either means he hasn't topped any, duffed some or skyed a couple, either that or he has all of the above but has smashed a load well out past 300yds to make up for them!!??

I think we both know that what Parmo means is when he hits a good one thats the sort of distance he thinks it goes rather than being an average. Having said that I don't think that he is right, as 260 is a long way. During the late 80's early 90's that not far short of how far the top pro's were hitting it.

I think everyone overestimates their yardages and I cannot see how a high handicapper can hit it that sort of distance. Given that the average lengh of a par 4 is approx 340ish how bad do you have to be from 80 yrds and in

 

[Adrena1in]

I know I can hit it quite far...but I know I don't often hit it very well. I'd sooner hit 220 to 240 and straight down the middle than 50 yards further and 60 yards off course!

 

[slugger]

all good points and i totally understand what you are talking about. All i'm saying is that a handicap doesn't necessarily reflect how far we hit a ball and that how far we hit a ball doesn't necessarily reflect how good we are at golf. I was also trying to highlight the poor attitude sometimes shown to new posters/golfers here that might put people off.

Birdieman's "God help you" post proving my point.

 

[Robobum]

I am a 23 hcp'er and can reach an average of 260 with the driver, though not always consistant with it but I am a good striker of the ball.

No, I didn't miss any of your post Parmo, you either didn't use the right words or the yardage is out??

If it's an average you don't get to pick and choose which ones you fancy measuring. If it was that way, my average would be about 360yds as I've done that twice, once in 2006 and again in 2008!!