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I'd like people to respond with honest answers. Personally, I stand 6'2", 165 lbs. and am fairly athletic. I've been going to the range to practice about once a week for the past year. My best drives will carry about 230-235. Would you say this is short or normal for an average Joe?
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Re: How far does your best drive carry?
4 your body type a bit short but as long as your scoring clubs work it doesnt matter -
Re: How far does your best drive carry?
5'11" 240 lbs 46 yrs old... 265 carry... working on more though...Comment
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Re: How far does your best drive carry?
6', 275lbs, was once athletic.
My best drive was a 300 yarder. Most of my drives are ~ 260.
I currently carry the ball 240, as of the end of 2006.Last edited by LowPost42; 12-30-2006, 11:15 PM.Comment
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Re: How far does your best drive carry?
on launch monitor yesterday I got 283 with 117 clubhead speed. The launch monitor gives you a sore based on launch angle, spin, and left or right spin. My score on higher swing speeds was low and it seems my current shaft doen not match my swing, It seems if my shaft was better suited I should have carred it farther. I personally believe that the average golfer has the ability to hit 260+, but the swings are not efficient and that is why the average distance for most people is so shortComment
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Re: How far does your best drive carry?
Most players seem prone to exaggerate the length of their drives quite a bit. See this enlightening article for some real lengths:
The Real Difference Between You & Tiger
One of the most telling numbers was how dramatically the amateur players inflated their driving distances. The lower handicappers claimed their average drives went 247 yards, while driving-distance stats taken on two holes documented an average of 232 -- a 15-yard exaggeration. Higher handicappers claimed a driving average of 227 yards and, in actuality, hit it 198 yards -- a 29-yard lie of the mind.
Myself, I'm mostly in the 225-260 range. I don't know if that measurement is with or without exaggeration
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Re: How far does your best drive carry?
Great thread.
5 foot 8 inches, 13 stones not sure in lbs..........
In summer carry 260/70yds
winter in the uk about 240 only
Ian.Comment
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Re: How far does your best drive carry?
13 stones = 182 poundsOriginally posted by Ian HancockComment
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Re: How far does your best drive carry?
Thanks Pete,
That sounds heavy, I am 38 years young though.
It is technic gives distance not brawn, most people forget the ball weighs about as much as a small bird and doesn't need smashing.
Ian.Comment
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Re: How far does your best drive carry?
Ian, was interested to see the difference between Winter and Summer.
Does everyone find this?
I've only been out once since November (time problems, not just the cold!) but at the range had noticed that I'm 1 to 2 clubs down on last summer from PW to 6I.
On the subject of exaggerating length
I see that PGA driving averages are between 258 (Brad) and 325 (Bubba) - Tiger's 306.
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Re: How far does your best drive carry?
Hi There,
This is correct everyone here looses distance in winter because the air is thicker, colder and also the ground is soft.
Exaggeration, there is not a great difference between length of the average tour pro and a good single figure h/capper with regard to distance, the athletic human being with good fundimentals is only capable of swinging a club so fast, yes I know there are giants out there that swing like an ape but these are specialists and not great players.
A bold statement but infact it true in my opinion, I watch the European Tour every year in England and they are about 20/30 yards longer than me, and only about the same as my regular golf partner who plays of plus 2.
Ian.Comment
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Re: How far does your best drive carry?
Which probably serves to remind us that once you are getting the ball away its the short game that makes your score...but thats another threadComment
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Re: How far does your best drive carry?
My drive is pitiful -- at most 200 yards. I've got a serious power-leak somewhere -- I'm working on it! In fact I get a better result with my 5 wood than my driver. But I figure if I can split a par 5 into 2 fairway shots 1 onto the green and 3-putt, I've got an honourable bogey! A 300 yard drive is over-rated in my opinion and the emphasis on driving is more to do with testosterone than anything else!
I think I'd probably do better with just a 5 iron, PW and a putter and have less to carry around as well.
I'm at least suspicious of fellow golfers distance claims. 300 yards is a very long distance. For instance a buddy of mine claims he hit a 375 yard drive -- yeah downwind, downhill and with some imaginative math he did! One thing for sure, as more and more people start using GPS score cards, reality will bite hard! How is everyone measuring their drive anyway? You can't go out in the driving range and see where your ball landed. No-one brings a measuring tape on the course with them.
Take a look at "average" drives (which of course is both carry and roll) of the BEST DRIVING DISTANCE ON THE PGA TOUR. (Taken from PGA.com)
1 Bubba Watson 324.9
2 Adam Scott 317.9
3 J.B. Holmes 316.0
4 Camilo Villegas 310.9
5 Charles Warren 310.2
So if you assume 10 to 15% roll and 85% to 90% carry which is generous, even Bubba Watson carrys only 276 to 292 yards.
Try this web page it'll give you rough distances for each club based on several variables.
http://www.csgnetwork.com/golfclubdistancecalce.htmlComment
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Re: How far does your best drive carry?
James, most people judge their drives based on this formula:
A-B=C where
A is the yardage for the hole as rated on the scorecard (which does not take into consideration where the tee chalks actually are).
B is the yardage left to the center of the green (often as indicated by a yardage marker somewhere on the course, +/- walking to your ball)
C is the result.
Not a horrible formula on a straight hole, but not very good on a dogleg.
Laser Rangefinders are better here (get to your ball and 'shoot' the next foursome on the tee), or a GPS caddie.Comment
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Re: How far does your best drive carry?
My best drive was about 280 with a Homna somebody loaned me. generally around 240-250Comment
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