Forum > Any other business?

Dave Patrick

Ive read a lot of forums stating average players are hitting 300yds. How do you do it? I have never ever hit more than about 250yds. I average about 220yds with a good hit. If you could give 1 piece of advice on how to do it, what would it be?

Head speed? follow through? Upper body turn? Whats the answer?

Dave CAC handed Geordie.

Chris Perry

Tim Hawkins

Dave, the only way to do it on a regular basis is to exaggerate.  There's usual a good 25 yards gained in the telling in my experience - 300 is a bloody long way and I reckon I've seen a drive of that length only a couple of times - apart from the odd element assisted effort (I've had one gps'd at 307 yds, but that was downhill, downwind on hard fairways - it was a freak that's all).  I've played with a lot of big hitters and lots of people who think they are, but actually get down to physically measuring them and they are generally nowhere near as long as they think they are.

One thing I've learned over the last year or so (as my handicap has dropped to go with it) is to not worry how far your opponent hit's it, it's not your ball to worry about.  Concentrate on your ball, your game and use the strengths you've got. 

As a bit of an example have a look at the stats for the PGA pros's - only 8 out of 186  manage to average over 300 yds, and 50 of them are less than 280...

David Ferris

id like to know the average players hitting 300 yards tbh. its not impossible but not very likely. people exaggerate like hell when it comes to distance. ive played with guys  when i was starting out who were telling me they could hit 275-300 yet they were only hitting about 60 further than me when i was hitting 170. i didnt realise how short my drive were till i had them measured as i was comparing them to the 300 yarders those guys were hitting that were really only about 220-230.

put it this way i play a lot of golf between 4-7 days a week and in a year and a half of that ive never once seen anybody drive the ball 300 yards yet on the internet every 24 handicapper you talk to hit between 270-300 easy. amazing.

you want to hit it 300 yards you better practice the technique like hell and more importantly put in a lot of time in the gym cos that the only reason the pros do it regular

Darren Millichip

300yards is a bloody long way

yes i have hit quite a few drives that measure over 300yds, with my longest drive gps measured out was 331yrds

i would say on average i was hitting around the 270-280yrd mark and people who know me would probably agree and on a number of times i have been referred to as 1 of the longer hitters but toaverage 300yd+ is probably only for the pros like tiger, westwwod etc.

John Pettitt

Dave ley

I know a few guys that genuinely hit 300+ as an average and they all have a few things in common .They are extremely talented golfers playing around scratch and below ,workout regular are all 6ft + tall.They all hit a very high staightish ball and hit fairways regular. I then know a hand full of guys  (single figures) who on occasions hit monsters but are not consistant and are usally big slinging hooks.

This years longest drive comp on our Captains day was won with a drive of 366yrds off scratch 2nd was 311yrds 8hcp mine 289yrds and off the fairway. Nice sunny day with a slight wind advantage.(gps measured)

The GPS systems I have found to have only one good use and that is to shut up the fools that think they have just hit a ball 300 yrds. The look off horror on their face when shown their actual yardage is priceless.

Chris Perry

I'm with Darren on this.  The longest of my drives I have measured is 324 yards, but that was done with a decent back wind and piching in exactly the right place to get the most out of the contours. 

I average 240-260 yards I would say, with the odd one or two per round at the 270-280 mark.  Most people do think they hit it further than they do, and it's only when you check it with GPS and that you find the true yardage.  So many times I've heard "That's got to be 300+" but when it gets measured it's only around 240.  The response is usually "Are you sure?  That can't be right, it has to be longer than that.  How long are my usual drives then?"

John Pettitt

Darren Ramowski

Most popular video on the video section:

Ray Lawlor

I've hit a 300 yrader recently. I measured it with my GPS and it came up as 298. (Yes I'm counting it as a 300!)

My average drives have been increasing in length from 180yards last setpember when I started playing again after a long break, to about 210 now. But to be honest, I'd rather have 180 on the fairway than 250 sliced to pieces in the trees (or worse). I generally know by the 5th or 6th hole in the round whether I'm hitting well enough to really start crushing them, as I did on Sunday and I hit some gooduns about 230/240.

As for hitting longer (as the OP asked), surely it's about clubhead speed. To get that, as far as I'm aware, it's all about releasing the club from a good wrist hinge, and really accelerating the club through the ball. You need to do that without tensing your upper body and still making sure you meet the ball with the clubface at square. Sounds easy doesn't it?  :P

Dave Patrick

Ray, that was the sort of answer I was looking for. Im not trying to hit 300yd av during a round as im fairly happy with the distance I hit but would like more fairways. It was purely a qustion of have all of us got a potential big drive in us be it 1 hit in 100. At the mo I could hit 100 balls down the middle of the fairway and I would be lucky if 5 got past 240yds. Picture this,Im on the 16th for longest drive, Ive got 21pts on my card. How can I get the most distance from that ball? so if I hit 100 balls 1 may get somewhere up to 260-270 ish. Im not going to incorporate any advise into my normal game.

Dave CAC haded Geordie

Loud Mouth b.a.

David,

Here's how to repeatedly achieve 400 yards, subject to swing speed:

http://perfectgolfswingreview.net/sadlowski.htm

There are lots of MPEGs of Jamie on uTube.

Just for interest:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fXw-wrirXw

Watch the LADIES push for 340 yards:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6zqIIR3Y0Q&NR=1

Labor omnia vincit!

David Lythgoe

A 300yd+ drive comes from "TIMING" alone, and the optimum mix of Clubhead Speed and Launch Angle. The Pro's work out, not to hit the ball further but to be able to feel as fresh on the 18th Tee as they do on the first.

I hear guys saying that they average 300yds+ and can also hit their 7iron over 180yds, yet they complain that a 470yd Par 4 is too long ?????

They also buy 8.5* Drivers thinking it will add length and are very surprised when going to a Club Fitting that a 12* Driver is best for them.

TheLyth

John Pettitt

Par fours were always up to 475 yards long, so they have been around a log time.

In fact the first at Saunton is 470 yards long and last year when I took all my powerful strikers from my club down there last year, not one came anywhere near it in 2 shots. This hole usually plays into the prevailing wind.

David Lythgoe

John,

A question, what direction in relation to the 1st, does the 2nd hole run at Saunton?

The reason I ask is that most designs have a long Par4 into a prevailing wind and a short Par5 in the opposite direction. This gives a reasonable target of Par9 for both holes.

TheLyth

Shane Collier

myself and 3 of my mates played last sunday and we all put a £5 in for longest drive on a ar 5. the hole was a long straight with 2 bunkers at about 300 yards. 2 of my mates tried too hard and one skied it and the other topped it. i set myself up for the drive in my usual way and heard one of my mates say " watch this" i took the swing and drove the ball to what looked like the side of the bunkers so marked my tee with my skycaddie and walked to my ball. the total drive from tee to ball was 321 yards which was a huge surprise to me. a few holes on was a par 4 301 yards too which i drove almost pin high but my second bounce landed in the thick rough, so that potentially could have been another 320 yards with roll. i use a ping i15 9.5 with a stiff ust shaft and before with a g15 10.5 i could only reach about 260 carry. the difference between too clubs and different shafts has made a lot of difference. i just wish i could sort my pitching out and i'd be on to a winner!

happy golfing!!

John Pettitt

Lyth,

The second on the East at Saunton is, as you say, a par five, a picture of it can be found on their website as it is a rather stunning hole.

It runs at right angles to the first so wind would then normally be off the right. Even when I could play the game it was not a second shot that I would attempt with all the trouble one could encounter, better to lay up and hope to get down in a one putt.

In recent times not one of our crowd could reach it for 2 shots, you, however might be able to seeing as you can hit around the 300 yard mark, but, having said that, I very much doubt that you would take it on.

Saunton, by modern standards it is not over long, but the demands for each tee shot usually dictate that the driver is kept well hiddden in the bag. A ball not coming to rest in the fairway is usually lost and if lucky enough to be found would require backbreaking strength to move it on. All the fairways are tight and some impossibly tight, but it is a classic links and there really is only one way to play it. You will know what I mean. If it were on the Fylde Coast it would be on the Open rota, it is that good a test. Why not take our last spot for August. We would love to have you.

Stuart Reeve

Course management has always taught me that I do not need to hit the ball 300 yards off the tee. Example: Morley Hayes near me has an opening hole of about 364 yards (dependant on pin placement), now i've played there countless times and always see people belting it off the tee and then spending 10 minutes choosing between clubs.

My method using course management tells me I can hit a 5 iron about 220 yards and my 8 iron about 130 so on a decent day I take those and find myself closer to the pin than most.

Granted i'm not a low handicapper but course management applies to all handicaps.

John Pettitt

Chris Perry

Wayne Santorini

Stuart that equates to 30yds increase in distance per club;

8 = 130

7 = 160

6 = 190

5 = 220

Bearing in mind that Tiger can hit around 215 with a 6

Now don't take this too personal but you didn't have a brother called Christopher did you??????

Sorry to have to join the other 2 before me but something is not adding up here!!!!!!!

Steve Cowle

Wayne Santorini

Average lofts

Loud Mouth b.a.

Wayne,

You may be correct but 15d is a 1 iron loft!

I suggest that normal lofts run like this:

1 iron  15d

2 iron 18d

3 iron 21d

etc.

I seem to recall though that with Cobra S2s that the 3 iron is 19d.

Wayne Santorini

I took the lofts from a published article on the web, and a 2 iron (according to the same site) is 10 deg.

3 wood from 13 to 15 deg, have to say though that I'm not a skilled man in this area but I'm sure you and Leyo are. so i won't disagree.

Dave ley

This is more like what they should be Wayne

Dave ley

David Marshall

Not been on here for a while...

Just wondered if this post was about my 300 yard drive on the 12th at South Winchester.

The one where I blasted my drive past David Ley's..For those that didn't know already

Loud Mouth b.a.

Dave,

I love eccentrics.

I think that you might like my 42.50" (i.e. 3" overlength) 15d 1 iron (230g head) hybrid, held together with a 7.0 Precision Rifle.

We need to get together and try out each other's odd creations!

P.S. I also possibly own the longest (club length) 3 and 5 woods ever built. They both drop and stop a ball like a high flown ball from a pitching wedge.

P.P.S. David, yes you caught us. I have received a pile of e-mails on that very subject.  I was the first to spot  Tom Hollingworth (European Longdrive Champion / Record Holder), now I have my good eye firmly set on you. Tips come flooding in (I love to help raw talent), and you're firmly set at the top of the list. I'll start building possibly your first 4d XXX driver.   Keep putting in the gym. hours.         

Chris Perry

Interesting Dave.  This is the standard (manufacturer declared) spec of my new ones: -

I have been fitted as 2° flat for these though (1° flat in my current ones)

Ian Poole

I average 230yds with my driver with one or two per round creeping upto 260yds.However my 26 year old son who plays off of 7 averages 270 yards with one or two creeping over 300 yards. He achieves this by being very athletic, 6ft 1 tall, and having a perfect swing (When he took up the game he was coached by a professional who coaches European Tour players). In view of this I find it very hard to believe the number of players who claim that they can hit over 300yds.

Ian

Loud Mouth b.a.

Ian,

Good points. Most of the very big hitters are big lads (up to 6ft 8 ins tall) but not always. Two of the world's longest hitters come in at 5-9 / 5-10 - Landon Colling and Jamie Sadlowski. Both regularly go way beyond 400 yds. It's a combination of exceptional technique and exceptional swing speed.

The danger of establishing driving distances on the golf course is that many of the distances stated on the tee markers are wildly inaccurate.  One needs to either work out one's average driving distance over a number of holes (if one is over 300 yards on six different holes then they cannot all be mis-measured) or better still use an electronic measuring gismo. I assume that they are accurate? 

There is though one sign for recognising seriously long hitters (particularly the older ones) and that is within minutes of meeting them you will hear of successful recent operations, and healing injuries that are doing well, or not. 

To regularly drive 300 yards (with no more than 10% ball run on - bar possibly  the 7 iron competitors of course - see seperate thread) requires a swing speed of at least 115 mph, very good technique, and usually very good equipment. To achieve much more serious distances some of the young long guys can move the club at 150 mph. Swing a golf club very fast either correctly through a cold body, or badly through a warmed up body and something often tears, Very often.

I recall (in my first LD competition year - 2007) arriving at LD competitions covered in so many bandage supports that I was laughed at and accused of doing it for sympathy! If only   

Hitting long is arguably unnatural and bandages = a seriously long hitter, or possibly a recent motor accident. But maybe it's just me and my very old limbs   

David Lythgoe

There is a big difference between "I CAN DRIVE IT OVER 300yds" & "I AVERAGE OVER 300yds". Sadly the first statement becomes the second after a few tellings for some.

JP will like this one, I once played with a young Pro who told me he was a Big Hitter, but he was silenced when he found Drives that I hit with 3iron and even a 5iron level of beyond his Drive. It didn't have the heart to tell him I was landing my shots on down-hill slopes and he was reaching the flat with his Driver. But thats Links Golf too.

TheLyth

John Pettitt

Dave ley

Saunton 18th 390 yrds, leyo 7iron then PW  to pin high surely i'm the real 7 iron champ (sorry Ivan )

Hmmmm last weeks longest drive champ Marshall still had to play his 2nd shot before me and he used his driver off the tee ,mwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!

David Marshall

I had to play my second shot before you, for the simple reason J.P. was giving you a bollocking for not doing what he told you to do. And his bollockings take up precious playing time.

Jonathan Crickmore

GPS is marvelous! Just hit a drive out of sight at the Golf Monthly Centenary event at Breadsall Priory on the 27th July. Alan Gunnigle and I measured it at 308 yards.

Sadly distance is not everything, as I went on to record a round total of 23 points on a day that was won by 44 in my division.

Drive was from an elevated tee, with a small bit of wind assistance - the main factor was a brick-hard fairway with a fortunate bounce on the back-side of a downslope as my average drive is normally about 225 yards.

John Pettitt

Sadly distance is not everything, as I went on to record a round total of 23 points on a day that was won by 44 in my division.

Another example confirming that the handicap system is totally flawed in the way it  it is worked out.

Colin Coote

I have to say that no one has defined an average player, how old, how many golfers, what handicap mark.

its fine for the braggers to claim excessive distances on their drives, but lets have a reality check here, what is their averages, take into account OB, into trees, slices, hooks, rough, water, hazards, into wind,  drives laid up short, how many of these drives are taken into account. 

I reckon you will be looking nearer to a distance around 220 - 250 yds as an average drive for an average golfer.  And that maybe too high.

As stated earlier, maximising your Driver club head speed is a major factor in hitting long, but as important to that is having hold of the right stick in your hand relating to grip, shaft, club head size and loft.  To maximise club head speed every thing from your set-up, ball position, including your grip, through having the most suitable club in your hand has to be right.

Some golfers hit a smaller 3 wood as far as a big driver, that tells me that the driver is either totally unsuitable for them or just unsuitable to their present set-up and swing.