Tommo21
Tour Winner
You stay with that and I'll stay with holing putts.
Why are we obsessed with length.
- Thread starter Oddsocks
- Start date
You stay with that and I'll stay with holing putts.
He looks like bloody Croc Dundee wandering around the course but he does give it a spank. I forgot about the infamous curry house incident
Oddsocks
Ryder Cup Winner
i didnt... did you hear about the " oddsocks can eat any hot chilli situ..."....
Tommo21
Tour Winner
I'm interested to know where you are loosing it. What I mean is, if you were hitting it that good...if I was hitting it that good I would be looking for a 69. Where are you loosing it if your hitting the driver that consitent.
AuburnWarrior
Tour Winner
Indeed. Where's the fun?
The fun is signing for a 77 because you've controlled the ball rather than signing for a 95 but you had two drives that were 300+yards.
I've played with some massive hitters in my time. I've seen them drive the ball daft distances. They still put the same number on the scorecard as me!
I've played with some superb golfers as well. What sets them apart from the rest of us? From 100 yards in - they're deadly.
You drive for show........
Oddsocks
Ryder Cup Winner
sunday although driving was awesome, playing into frozen greens was a nightmere, walked of with a 28 or 29 points. course frozen solid, as a rule my shots are lost from poor approach shots,
bladeplayer
Money List Winner
Yes Yes & Yes on all counts
Cheifi0
Challenge Tour Pro
There is definitely something alluring about hitting long distances with both the big stick and irons. A lot of beginners especially like myself feel like it's an indication of your current skill level. Obviously you don't have to be long to be a good player but when you see the pros hitting such and such a distance you can't help but compare your stats against theirs however ill advised that is. I need to keep reminding myself that its better to have a smooth rhythm than try and belt 10 bells out of the ball.
Tommo21
Tour Winner
Here is the way I see it. I’ve played with many guys over the years. The last few years I regularly play with seriously good players, ex pros, club champs, county players and such like.
There is no doubt in my mind that to get to a certain level there needs to be a certain level of length attached to that. There are exceptions to the rule and I know a few guys who are not long but have incredible short games that would grace and top pros game never mind club golf. I’ve seen a junior go from 12 HC to 2 HC in less than three years and that has all come from reaching greens that he couldn’t before.
I know the odd player who hits it real big but cant score, but to hit it big you need to have a decent level of skill to get that club/ball connection in the first place.
The biggest thing is the lack of short game practice for most of the big hitting high HC golfers. I can spend an hour on the putting green, but some see that as a non event. How often do I hear…if I was putting better, or…..if I could chip, but in reality they are looking for that big bomb in order that their mates say “he can hit themâ€
Very few of our courses are set up for big hitters. Dodgers place..The Hirsel is a perfect example with tight doglegs. You just can bash away. My course Royal Musselburgh needs real care also as some holes are also tight. My other course Dunbar is ideal for big hitters but my short game can pull me through for a good score.
Many years ago I realised I was never going to be long. Instead of practicing on my long game, you could say it was my weakest part, I practiced more on my short game. That took me from being a 8 or 9 HC golfer for many years to a 5 or 6 HC player for the last few years. At near 60 thats got to be good and proves without doubt that even the big (and short) hitters who cant score can improve if they change their mind set.
The main problem for most club golfers is when they get a card in there hand. That’s another story.
There is no doubt in my mind that to get to a certain level there needs to be a certain level of length attached to that. There are exceptions to the rule and I know a few guys who are not long but have incredible short games that would grace and top pros game never mind club golf. I’ve seen a junior go from 12 HC to 2 HC in less than three years and that has all come from reaching greens that he couldn’t before.
I know the odd player who hits it real big but cant score, but to hit it big you need to have a decent level of skill to get that club/ball connection in the first place.
The biggest thing is the lack of short game practice for most of the big hitting high HC golfers. I can spend an hour on the putting green, but some see that as a non event. How often do I hear…if I was putting better, or…..if I could chip, but in reality they are looking for that big bomb in order that their mates say “he can hit themâ€
Very few of our courses are set up for big hitters. Dodgers place..The Hirsel is a perfect example with tight doglegs. You just can bash away. My course Royal Musselburgh needs real care also as some holes are also tight. My other course Dunbar is ideal for big hitters but my short game can pull me through for a good score.
Many years ago I realised I was never going to be long. Instead of practicing on my long game, you could say it was my weakest part, I practiced more on my short game. That took me from being a 8 or 9 HC golfer for many years to a 5 or 6 HC player for the last few years. At near 60 thats got to be good and proves without doubt that even the big (and short) hitters who cant score can improve if they change their mind set.
The main problem for most club golfers is when they get a card in there hand. That’s another story.
JustOne
Ryder Cup Winner
Length doesn't worry me, I have enough of that,.... it's accommodating the width that comes with it! 
Oddsocks
Ryder Cup Winner
Wise words tommo, harvey4banger is a prime example of your thought process, hits the ball very well and is atleast 90% accurate, if he hits a green it's a par, but if he misses it could be a triple. If he could chip he would go from 20 to cat 2 in a year without any pressure. I hope for he's sanity he does it too!
MashieNiblick
Tour Winner
I've always been a pretty decent but by no means a long driver. Whilst hitting a long straight drive is always nice for me it isn't what really gets the juices flowing. In the old days with wooden heads, steel shafts and balata balls it was a rare event and one to savour but sitting a big new ball on a 3" tee and whacking it with 460cc of computer designed titatium on the end of graphite shaft optimised in more ways than I can imagine is probably the most boring part of the game.
I get much more enjoyment from knoocking an approach close with a mid iron or executing a delicate little chip, getting stone dead from from a bunker or holing a long snaky putt. Those are the shots that really get you a low score.
As for the modern obsession, I think the new clubs and balls have made it easier for a lot of people to hit longer and so that is the part they focus on. It is easier to learn to bomb long drives on the range than shoot 5 over round a tricky course. Media hype of big hitters isn't new but the possibility of emulating them is. Jack was a freak of nature in his time and club golfers didn't have any aspirations to match his 300+ yard efforts with the kind of gear we had back then. Now we can all be "Bubba Long".
I also think, as others have mentioned, a lot of older courses put a premium on accuracy and strategy over pure length. Nowadays it seems many new courses rely mainly on length to make them a challenge or they are laid out on featureles open farm land rather than winding through the dunes and whins or carved through the pine trees.
Long driving is fun but basically it is one dimensional. Give me the elements of the game that require skill, subtlety and imagination every time. Seve was a long driver in his day but what made him great was every other part of his game.
I get much more enjoyment from knoocking an approach close with a mid iron or executing a delicate little chip, getting stone dead from from a bunker or holing a long snaky putt. Those are the shots that really get you a low score.
As for the modern obsession, I think the new clubs and balls have made it easier for a lot of people to hit longer and so that is the part they focus on. It is easier to learn to bomb long drives on the range than shoot 5 over round a tricky course. Media hype of big hitters isn't new but the possibility of emulating them is. Jack was a freak of nature in his time and club golfers didn't have any aspirations to match his 300+ yard efforts with the kind of gear we had back then. Now we can all be "Bubba Long".
I also think, as others have mentioned, a lot of older courses put a premium on accuracy and strategy over pure length. Nowadays it seems many new courses rely mainly on length to make them a challenge or they are laid out on featureles open farm land rather than winding through the dunes and whins or carved through the pine trees.
Long driving is fun but basically it is one dimensional. Give me the elements of the game that require skill, subtlety and imagination every time. Seve was a long driver in his day but what made him great was every other part of his game.
Region3
Ryder Cup Winner
Taking a slightly different approach than the OP, it seems to me that whenever someone claims (rightly or wrongly - and I don't don't why anyone gets wound up about it) to hit the ball a long way, the only people obsessed with talking about it are the ones who create 5 pages of "you're talking bollox sunshine".
SocketRocket
Ryder Cup Winner
I am not convinced that large headed drivers do create these longer drives, you still need to hit out of the sweetspot and that is a pinhead. OK, with a 460cc you will get better results from hits that are off centre but these wont be really long.
Many people say that if they cant hit their driver then they use their 3 wood for more consistant results, but the 3 wood has a much smaller head, so why should you be able to hit it better if the drivers larger head is an advantage.
I agree that ball technology has improved and this is an advantage over older golf balls. I do question the wisdom of spending lots of money on some of the modern clubs in the expectation of buying a better game.
Many people say that if they cant hit their driver then they use their 3 wood for more consistant results, but the 3 wood has a much smaller head, so why should you be able to hit it better if the drivers larger head is an advantage.
I agree that ball technology has improved and this is an advantage over older golf balls. I do question the wisdom of spending lots of money on some of the modern clubs in the expectation of buying a better game.
wull
Tour Rookie
in part i agree with what you say but the main reason the 3 wood would be more forgiving is because it's shorter.
your ss will be less meaning a more controlled swing,and because of the shorter club length and and reduced ss it is easier to hit straight.....
i know this doesn't mean a better strike is guaranteed because of the smaller head but usually a wayward tee shot with the driver is not directly connected to a poor strike but maybe more to do with the longer shaft and higher ss....sometimes trying to kill it makes it uneconomical to use.
i think the obsession with length is the way we all are,i know not everyone is obsessed with it but most are,and it's the same with other sports and day to day life.
who has the fastest car,who can lift the most,biggest muscles.........
i personally have an obsession with speed(no not that kind) and love driving fast and riding fast...doing track days....i just love the sensation of speed,fast acceleration and doing crazy stuff on the bike and in the car.big numbers,bhp figures and quick 0-60 times and 1/4 mile times.
it's all relative i suppose........
MashieNiblick
Tour Winner
Interesting point.
I would agree that probably shafts and balls make a bigger difference to modern distances than club heads but the bigger head does inspire confidence and enables people to swing harder and get a decent result.
I also assume that even though the spring or "trampoline" effect of the larger club face is limited it is still a factor, certainly over a smaller headed club and certainly over a wooden one. The actual sweet spot is the same size but most players don't hit it that often. The extra forgiveness would mean you hit a good drive for example 50% of the time instead of 5% of the time so the extra distance is both more noticeable and makes more impact on your game.
MOI and CG possibilities in the bigger head should also result in better quality strikes and launch angles which also affect distance.
There must have been some robot testing on club heads and I'd be surprised if it showed you could hit a persimmon, or original Big Bertha driver as fas as an R11 or 910, with the same shaft even right off the middle.
Could be wrong on this. Is there someone out there who knows as much about club heads as Ethan does about shafts?
S
Snelly
Guest
I still have a very good Persimmon Driver at home and whilst it is more difficult to hit, there isn't much, if any, difference in distance when I compare it directly at a driving range for example with my latest driver.
Similarly, I was at the driving range with my son at the weekend and for some fun, I took my old mizuno bladed 1 iron with me. Off a tee, it was just as long as my 3 wood or 2 iron hybrid. Not as easy to hit well though.....
I have no idea what the shafts are in either of them but I can check tonight. Both steel though obviously.
Similarly, I was at the driving range with my son at the weekend and for some fun, I took my old mizuno bladed 1 iron with me. Off a tee, it was just as long as my 3 wood or 2 iron hybrid. Not as easy to hit well though.....
I have no idea what the shafts are in either of them but I can check tonight. Both steel though obviously.
Airlie_Andy
Challenge Tour Pro
I think I might start a thread asking why people are obsessed with proving people don't hit the ball as far as they say. You'd get less abuse for running a golfers cat over than claiming you can hit the ball further than them.
harvey4banger
Challenge Tour Pro
Damm those wedges :angry:
wull
Tour Rookie
thats why i don't bother mentioning it anymore,you can't say anything about the yardage you hit it without the sceptics coming in on it so i say nothing.
