Driving the Ball 280 to 300.....Really???

[esad]

I have to kinda agree with the OP. I play every week in a men's league and I'd say out of 100+ men, maybe 20% hit it further then me. I carry 245-250 and hit it 270-280. If it just stops then obviously it only goes 245-250. I know these numbers are accurate because there is a creek I carry that is approx. 240 to carry and I regularly carry it. (But not by much)

Of those 20% most just hit it 10-25 yards further then me and there are probably 2-3 guys that hit it over 300. These are all 15 or lower handicap guys, about 40 that are 0 - 4.

What the OP is most likely hearing from most amateurs though is their perfect drive. The guys in my league hit it consistently 240-270 while Joe Duffer who swings as hard as he can hits it 300 1 out of 50 times

[dzh90]

I drove the ball over 400 yards half a dozen times in a long drive qualifier but conditions were very helpful. I'm going to start claiming I hit it 400+

[ArcticKnight]

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If I could hit my driver with any regularity I'm sure I could carry it 250+. I currently hit my 3i 200-210 consistently (GuyOnTilt can confirm).

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Based on you 3 iron distance, you probably would be pretty close to 250. I'm not sure how far I can hit a 3iron, cause I dumped mine for a hybrid a couple of years ago.

PS. Kyleb, if you got the same extension and forearm rotation in you golf swing as you did on that hit in your baseball picture, then 250+ would be a certainty.

[stopcensoringme]

I worked at a golf course for about 3 years, and probably played close to 300 rounds/year during that time. I'd guess over 1/3 those rounds were with random people. I think it's safe to say less than 1% could hit a driver 300 yards. And exactly zero could carry a drive 300 yards with neutral conditions.

Now, of the 15 regulars I played with, most with handicaps less than 5, I'd say 3 could carry a drive 300 yards, and maybe 6 or 7 routinely hit it 300 yards with roll.

More weirdness... I worked at a golf shop for about a year. 98% of our customers hit it 300 yards, but needed a new driver to squeeze out 15 more yards. Go figure...

Last weird story... I was playing golf 2 weeks ago and there was a foursome of 20 year olds behind us. I've never seen 4 people hit so many 330+ drives in the middle of the fairway in my life. The 9th hole was playing ~ 365 yards. Our group was putting. There 4 balls less than 20 yards from the green. Maybe 5 miles/hour down wind.

When I played all the time I would consider myself above average with my driving distance. But my max under neutral conditions was ~285. I usually hit about 10/14 fairways and averaged 260-280. Now I hit about 6/14 fairways and average about 240. Stupid game.

[kyleb]

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If I could hit my driver with any regularity I'm sure I could carry it 250+. I currently hit my 3i 200-210 consistently (GuyOnTilt can confirm).

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Based on you 3 iron distance, you probably would be pretty close to 250. I'm not sure how far I can hit a 3iron, cause I dumped mine for a hybrid a couple of years ago.

PS. Kyleb, if you got the same extension and forearm rotation in you golf swing as you did on that hit in your baseball picture, then 250+ would be a certainty.

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Oh, I'm cheating. I'm using a 3-hybrid to carry it 210. Not sure how that equates to a driver.

Thanks, btw.

[chucksim]

On average, I drive it in about the 250-275 range, I figure.

Thing is, as someone said, be careful where you're playing, too. A number of the public courses I play, we KNOW the measurements are wrong and most times give people the impression they hit it further than they do. Tees are OFTEN further up than the card suggests.

I play a lot of these public courses and when I go to a club where I know the measurements are right, I'm a bit more "humbled".

Quite frankly, for me, I don't care what the number says. I'm a "long hitter" in most of my groups, and would give up 20 yards for improved accuracy.

Also, I find that the newer technology in clubs and balls has really leveled the playing field. I play a "newer" driver (Titleist 905R) and guys who used to play older stuff (old Big Berthas, etc) but have recently upgraded have caught up remarkably in distance.

[Hey_Porter]

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Also, I find that the newer technology in clubs and balls has really leveled the playing field. I play a "newer" driver (Titleist 905R) and guys who used to play older stuff (old Big Berthas, etc) but have recently upgraded have caught up remarkably in distance.

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Are you talking about average distance, or distance on a good drive? I upgraded from a 983K to a Sumo, and while the sumo is a lot more forgiving, my crushes with the 983 probably pass the crushes with the Sumo by a little bit. It's always been my understanding that this is generally the case: 460cc drivers are more forgiving, which might lead to more distance overall, but aren't going to give you THAT much more distance (if any) on your solid swings.

[squeek12]

I shoot in the low 80s and play about 3-4 times a month. I'm 5'7", 170 lbs. I probably average about 280 and surpass 300 a couple of times a round.

However, I'm pretty much always the longest driver in my group, even when I'm the worst player. I'd say that if you average 280+ then you are in the top maybe 3% of golfers that play at least a couple of times a month.

[kbagge]

ha...guy starts a thread about people lying about their drives. This attracts a bunch of people lying about their drives.

[ntnBO]

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ha...guy starts a thread about people lying about their drives. This attracts a bunch of people lying about their drives.

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You're not joking, I think the following is my favorite so far...

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Anything I hit reasonably solid goes c~.300.

If you were to ask me why I can hit it pretty far I'd have to answer that im pretty big, flexible, have decent fundamentals... and pretty much just try to kill it every time.

FWIW 2 good friends of mine... 1 ex Walker Cup, one now Challenge Tour/ EPGA who both hit it further than their respective tour averages probably hit it c.10-15 past me (but they generally know where its going).


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1, if he makes contact he hits it 300+
2, his regular playing partners outdrive him 10-15 yards
3, these two prove statistics wrong as they actually hit it farther than their measured averages

I've never met a player that averages 280+ that brags about how far they hit it.

BO