What distances are the pros hitting..

[vkurup]

Listening to some of the commentary at the Players on Pga.com.. I just cant fathom how how far the pros are hitting.

Ryan Palmer: For his tee shot on the 13th (P3).. 176y used 7 iron to get to 10 feet of the hole

David Lingmerth: After driving 311y on the 16th (P5), for his 2nd shot of 184y used an 8i & then eagled it


Assuming I hit them well (rarely happens) my 7i & 8i only go 145y & 130y. Ryan P is the same height as me (5'11inch)while David is shorter (5'7inch). Even if I get all parts of my game working right, I just dont have the distance to match the modern day pros (nor do I have chance to par a championship course)..


<<More dejected>>

 

[cs1986]

I can clear 150 with my 8 iron when I hit it clean and hit 200 yards with my 6 iron regularly. My problem is more getting them going exactly in the direction I want. Im 5ft 10-11.

 

[vkurup]

I can clear 150 with my 8 iron when I hit it clean and hit 200 yards with my 6 iron regularly. My problem is more getting them going exactly in the direction I want. Im 5ft 10-11.

That is quiet an achievement. A long way for me to go (no puns intended).. how far can u drive consistently?

 

[Piece]

I can clear 150 with my 8 iron when I hit it clean and hit 200 yards with my 6 iron regularly. My problem is more getting them going exactly in the direction I want. Im 5ft 10-11.

You've got a gapping issue...or...

In the TPC, you need to factor in heat, humidity and following breeze to the big length they are mushing it. Oh, and they're quite good.

 

[Garush34]

the thing is the pros have their swings sorted so that each part is moving effectively to create the power needed to hit these distances. a lot of amateurs don't have lessons so have no chance of hitting these distances so aren't working their body correctly to deliver the club back to the ball.

i have noticed that with just a couple lessons and some practice that i'm one hitting the ball better but also longer, its all about getting the right movements.

 

[cs1986]

That is quiet an achievement. A long way for me to go (no puns intended).. how far can u drive consistently?

Its weird, Ive been able to hit my 6 iron around 200 yards from being about 16 years old, its just always been my most comfortable club. As for driving...I am terrible with my driver, it just never goes straight so I always avoided using it, on the very rare occasion it goes straight I can only get it about 250 yards! Its safer to use my 4 or 5 iron off the tee!

 

[cs1986]

You've got a gapping issue...or...

In the TPC, you need to factor in heat, humidity and following breeze to the big length they are mushing it. Oh, and they're quite good.

Whats a gapping issue? Sorry Im a bit of a newbie, been out of golf for a while and only just re-taken it up

 

[Mr A]

the thing is the pros have their swings sorted so that each part is moving effectively to create the power needed to hit these distances. a lot of amateurs don't have lessons so have no chance of hitting these distances so aren't working their body correctly to deliver the club back to the ball.

i have noticed that with just a couple lessons and some practice that i'm one hitting the ball better but also longer, its all about getting the right movements.

It's immaculate timing, getting your body to uncoil in sync, delivering much more energy down the shaft and onto club head at impact.

Also a massively consistent swing and a full set of clubs meticulously fitted to be absolutely perfect for their needs, as well as playing in warmer conditions with (presumably) low humidity. It all adds up.

 

[One Planer]

Just goes to show how much having the correct technique plays a part in this game. As the old saying goes, hit it better not harder.

I'm not a massive hitter, despite my size (6ft and nearly 15 stone), but since having lessons and improving my technique, I'm hitting the ball, on average, a club longer, more in some cases.

This weekend I hit 3 corkers, two of them on the same hole.

The first was on our 157 yard, par 3, 4th hole. Used to hit a 6 iron that would just about make the green. Yesterday hit a 7 iron, one bounce on the fringe and ran to the middle.

The second was on our 9th hole, a 382 par 4. I hit a 19* hybrid off the tee and left myself 142 to the green (Paced out from the 150 plate in the fairway) then hit a pitching wedge, 1 bounce, checked up on the second and ended up in the fringe with a 15ft up hill putt for birdie and ended up walking off with a par.

I'm a firm believer that good technique trumps brute force

 

[Garush34]

It's immaculate timing, getting your body to uncoil in sync, delivering much more energy down the shaft and onto club head at impact.

Also a massively consistent swing and a full set of clubs meticulously fitted to be absolutely perfect for their needs, as well as playing in warmer conditions with (presumably) low humidity. It all adds up.

also a lot of pros are in the gym most days working out and working on flexibility which helps delivering the ball on time. most people dont even think about hitting the gym to improve their golf.

 

[MadAdey]

Whats a gapping issue? Sorry Im a bit of a newbie, been out of golf for a while and only just re-taken it up

I think he is referring to you saying you hit an 8i 150 yards and a 6i 200

Normal gapping between irons is around 10 yards per club, so if you hit an 8i around 150 then your 6i should go around 170.

The swing speed required to hit a 6i 200 yards regularly is pretty high and would take fantastic timing from a fantastic swing. So it would not be unreasonable to think that you hit around the 80 mark and lower due to having such a good swing.

Going back to the OP. From what I have seen a standard smooth hit for most pros from 150 is a PW or 9i. But they do have the ability to hit it harder when required.

 

[Stuey01]

To be honest I think you need to adjust your expectations if you are thinking about hitting it as far as the pros consistently. Do you expect to punch as hard as a pro boxer, run as fast as a pro sprinter, kick a ball as hard as a pro footballer?
Theses are the best in the world at what they do.

You also need to consider that they are adjusting for wind, playing in perfect conditions, which are factors that are not always obvious to you watching on TV, and they make the sweetest contact...

Your distances do have room for improvement, 145y 7 iron is pretty short, assuming you are young and fit. But forget how far the likes of Tiger are hitting it, just focus on improving your own game.

Quality of strike is a huge factor. I was on a flightscope yesterday, 111mph driver swing speed average and decent distances, but my smash factor numbers were in the 1.36 to 1.40 range, considering the pros are up at or near 1.5 thats a lot of extra ball speed they are getting through quality of contact alone.

 

[Deleted member 15717]

Never compare yourselves with the male tour pros. You'll end up ruining yourself. You need to look more at the ladies game, as swing speeds and distances are more likely to equate.

Then again, does it matter how far you hit it? I can get it out there, but I would much rather be 10 yards shorter but straight and consistent!

 

[Imurg]

Ryan Palmer: For his tee shot on the 13th (P3).. 176y used 7 iron to get to 10 feet of the hole

David Lingmerth: After driving 311y on the 16th (P5), for his 2nd shot of 184y used an 8i & then eagled it

You also have to take into account what the spec of the 7 or 8 iron is.
We don't know the loft, we don't know how long the sahft is and......

All we have is the word of the Commentator as to whether it's a 7 or a 6 or an 8.........
If he's 30-40 yards away he's guessing......

Above all - The Tour Pro plays a completely different game to us. It may look basically the same but................

 

[Stuey01]

TV commentators have been known to exaggerate too, either the distance or the club selection.

 

[cs1986]

I think he is referring to you saying you hit an 8i 150 yards and a 6i 200

Normal gapping between irons is around 10 yards per club, so if you hit an 8i around 150 then your 6i should go around 170.

The swing speed required to hit a 6i 200 yards regularly is pretty high and would take fantastic timing from a fantastic swing. So it would not be unreasonable to think that you hit around the 80 mark and lower due to having such a good swing.

Going back to the OP. From what I have seen a standard smooth hit for most pros from 150 is a PW or 9i. But they do have the ability to hit it harder when required.

Ahh OK, I see what you mean. Maybe my swing is a bit quick then and its compromising the accuracy because Im trying to hit my irons as far as I can. I definitely don't hit around the 80 mark though 105 is my best score I think! Mainly due to lack of concentration and being poor at putting.

 

[socky]

I've thrown my 7 iron 120 yards. I find that if you side arm it you get much more distance, ironically with a nice soft draw.

 

[SocketRocket]

To answer the OP question. Tour Pros these days are almost reaching Forum average distance and expect to equal it within the next few years.

 

[Pin-seeker]

If you wore the same boots as Ronaldo could you play like him???????

 

[Fader]

Tour pros are hitting balls daily, working out in gyms daily, working with swing coaches to maximise the gym and practice session to equal efficient, simple yet powerful repeating actions.

Plus factor in the speed these guys generate through impact with correctly squaring the club and there's your distance its got nothing to do with height.

Good example is me and my brother. We're both the same short arse height a 5 & a half foot, I work out and do martial arts daily so have an athletic build, my brothers workout is walking to the fridge to grab a beer & bar of chocolate. So based on that criteria alone I should be longer than him off the tee as I have lessons, play all year round whereas the only lessons he's ever had are off my dad and he puts his sticks away from November to March! Well it's not true because he just has that something I really don't have because; I top my driver out on a good day at 240/250 yards, yet in consistently 40yards behind him off the tee! I play off of 8 and he plays off of 1. I use reg shafts after a custom fit made that my spec, he just had a full fit done at Wentworth & has Xstiff shafts because he generates so much more club head speed.

What us mere mortals have to accept is we aren't tour pro's, very few of us can generate their power except for a few, of those few even fewer can control it. As hard on the ego as it is if we're going to compare ourselves to tour players and try to learn from them then the tour players we should be looking to are the LPGA & LET players, nearer to our swing speeds and base their games on managing a golf course rather than overpowering one.