stevie_r
Tour Winner
Probably because it's not the average, it's the best one, or the average of the best ones. Forgetting to factor in to the calculation every top, fat, slice and hook.
Probably because it's not the average, it's the best one, or the average of the best ones. Forgetting to factor in to the calculation every top, fat, slice and hook.
Airlie_Andy
Challenge Tour Pro
who said anything about carry? 250 yards with a driver is not that big a hit.
stevie_r
Tour Winner
It is for me :angry:
Airlie_Andy
Challenge Tour Pro
So your expecting anyone who responds to this thread to have an accurate log of every drive they have ever hit otherwise the answer is deluded? I've no idea what my exact mathematical average drive is for every drive ive ever hit in my life and im sure nobody else does either.
Going over the 8 drives I hit today I had one sub 250 drive (240ish) I had 2 that were 300+ and the other 5 were somewhere in between. Believe it or dont that's upto you but I have absolutely no reason to lie about. Id also add I had 4 duffed chips that went about 3 feet and 3 putted 5 times. Long hitting does not equate to low scoring so handicap has nothing to do with how far you can hit a driver.
bluewolf
Money List Winner
The problem with threads like this one is the fact that when you're stood on a tee, considering whether to attempt the 230 yard carry over the hazard, you don't work out your average carry factoring in your bad shots. I don't stand on our 11th tee thinking that I need to carry 225 to miss the gully, but my average this year has been 196 when factoring in the tops, slices, hooks etc.
To be honest, I don't even think about the bad shots. I discount the odd big hits that occasionally happen to all of us, then I work out the average carry distances of my decent/good shots. If I think I can make it, then I go for it. If I think it's too big a risk then I club down and lay up. So, using this as a measure of my average "expected" drive, I would "expect" a carry of around 230-240 (Summer) with a run out to 250-260. If I hit a stinker then that's my fault......
To be honest, I don't even think about the bad shots. I discount the odd big hits that occasionally happen to all of us, then I work out the average carry distances of my decent/good shots. If I think I can make it, then I go for it. If I think it's too big a risk then I club down and lay up. So, using this as a measure of my average "expected" drive, I would "expect" a carry of around 230-240 (Summer) with a run out to 250-260. If I hit a stinker then that's my fault......
Your average driving distance isn't measured over one round. Work it out over the course of the season, counting when it's blowing a gale and your course is soggy with the ball plugging.
I'll be willing to bet it's a hell of a lot less than 250.
Airlie_Andy
Challenge Tour Pro
That's pretty much how I would classify average drive as well.
bluewolf
Money List Winner
But I don't calculate how far Im going to hit the ball today in the sun, using data from last months round in the rain. If I know that an average drive is X yards, then I can factor in todays conditions and adjust accordingly. Wind in my face, knock off 30-40 yards. Wind from behind add etc etc.
If you calculate each shot using a true average of every shot over the season then how can you adjust it to the conditions?
Airlie_Andy
Challenge Tour Pro
I'm sorry but factoring in wind is just bonkers. Does that mean I should include the drives with a massive tail wind? My average drive is the rough distance I think the ball will travel if I put a half decent swing on it and the conditions are not overly untypical. I certainly don't record the exact distance of all my drives over the course of a season taking into account all the possible variables. Who the hell does that?
You're talking about how to interpret your average yardage.
I'm talking about how to determine it.
bluewolf
Money List Winner
Absolutely, but it's the expected average which is going to be more use on the tee. 220 to carry the stream, but theres a pond at 280. Knowing the average expected carry/roll is going to give me the base information to calculate the shot. Factor in external factors (weather), then weigh up the shot. If I just use my season average, including duff shots and pre-factoring in weather then I can't really calculate the percentage of putting that ball in the landing zone.
So, Yes, my average is actually an average of my decent/good shots. It doesn't contain the bad shots or the once a month world beater shots. It's what I would expect to hit the ball if I connect as I hope to. :thup:
People who want an honest average driving distance?
bluewolf
Money List Winner
Good stuff. :thup:
But not a true average.
You're right of course, but it's the only average that is useful on the course. I would go so far as to say that no-one on this forum really knows their true average. For that, they would have to record every single shot they hit, every time they visit the course. When they had that average, they could then stand on the tee and think
"well, my average this year is 178 yards. Varying from -30 yards (when I hit the concrete marker on the ladies tee and it bounced back over my head) to 270 yards. So there is a definite chance of hitting every hazard from the green just behind me, to the pond at 265."
At this point, my head would explode as I couldn't pick which club to use, splattering the 4 ball of senior ladies on the adjoining fairway. The hold up inflicted on everyone behind me whilst the clean up was in operation would be horrifying and would result in a record number of NR's as they all wanted to get home before 7 to watch X Factor...
Or, I could just use my "expected" average and make the golfing world a safer place....
You're right of course, but it's the only average that is useful on the course. I would go so far as to say that no-one on this forum really knows their true average. For that, they would have to record every single shot they hit, every time they visit the course. When they had that average, they could then stand on the tee and think
"well, my average this year is 178 yards. Varying from -30 yards (when I hit the concrete marker on the ladies tee and it bounced back over my head) to 270 yards. So there is a definite chance of hitting every hazard from the green just behind me, to the pond at 265."
At this point, my head would explode as I couldn't pick which club to use, splattering the 4 ball of senior ladies on the adjoining fairway. The hold up inflicted on everyone behind me whilst the clean up was in operation would be horrifying and would result in a record number of NR's as they all wanted to get home before 7 to watch X Factor...
Or, I could just use my "expected" average and make the golfing world a safer place....
Good post which gets to the crux of the matter.
The original question was "Tell the truth about your driver distances..."
The truth is...no one can truthfully and categorically say what their distances are. There are simply too many variables.
The only answer to the OP is...Don't know, it depends...
bluewolf
Money List Winner
Mercifully, that would be a much shorter thread...
palindromicbob
Tour Winner
If a hazard requires =<200 carry or >250 ill take it on with a driver.
shewy
Journeyman Pro
I can honestly say due to swing issues my driver goes no further than my 3 wood,so around 220 flat out,ball just climbs in the air and drops like a stone,launch angle around 18 degrees so it's in the swing.Thats why I dropped the driver till I sort my swing out.
RobRob
Assistant Pro
I can drive the ball any where between 8 feet (hit that bad boy more than once!) and 270 with roll
