Hit a drive 300+ yards today

I'm not the type to brag or get egocentric (especially in this game) so this is not me looking for attention.

Beyond the 'ol twice a year golf day, I've been playing for real for about a year. I live in the midwest so I can play about 5-6 months a year and maybe 3 times on vacation in cold seasons.

Anyway, I'm about '5"6 162lbs and my handicap is about a 23 or so. I've always had a bit of punch off the tee, but like most, it slices sometimes.
So, I've been gradually extending my distance this year and my average drive is probably around 240 or so. I was striking it pretty good today and just caught one clean and it just launched, landed and rolled. The hole is 368 and my ball was just short of the 58 marker when I found it.

How do I think I did this? Beyond a bit of luck I would say one word:

Flexibility.

I used to have a bad back and so I make a point of stretching for about 15 minutes or so every night before I hit the sack. It's amazing what a lythe torso can do for your golf game.

In the never ending search for more distance, this key component gets lost in the techno-equipment shuffle of today's golf marketing.

If you want more distance,...stretch it out.

My 2 cents.

I agree. I am the same exact weight as you but taller 6'1". I perform stretching excercises regularly and also torso weight excercises. I also believe a big key is getting a driver that fits you well. I was using a 460cc and moved down to a club with a smaller head but stiffer shaft and have added 10 yards on average. I have touched 300 about 4 or 5 times that I can recall.

Dropped one on the green off the 1st tee on a par 4 268/yards today.

Try getting one of those big exercise balls. they are great for stretching and really inexpensive. I'm even sitting on it at my computer as it promotes a better posture.

I've always thought about getting one of those, now that I see the great benefits it can have to your golf game I'm really thinking about going out to get one.

Last Saturday i hit my drive off the first tee into the bunker directly behind the first green. It is a par 4 282 metre reasonably straight hole. I didn't try to hit it hard, but rather a nice ryhtmic swing. I was pretty happy with the result! I am reasonably flexible too, but i think it's all about the timing of the swing. For example, when i am playing with older blokes they might hit a 3wood into a 155 metre par 3, whereas i will hit a 7 iron. However, if my timing is off i wont get the distance! Its all about practicing that swing and finding consistency!

You are rite, timing, but us old bastards need to streach alot to have enough flex to have any timing at all. lol

I have to agree with locktheglock, timing is key and that means keeping a sustainable and consistent tempo.

I have had major trouble with distance recently. A high but straight drive of 200 yards (not sure in metres but it is short!). My game got worse playing with single figure players as I did not have the accuracy advantage and tried to hit hard to keep up.

So, having tried everything to increase ditance I focused on rotating my left arm on the backswing reducing a slightly steep swing and thus out to in swing, reducing the height in drives and getting more distance throughout clubs.

I played with a six handicapper today and managed to get the honour and swung easy, I hit a cracking drive, putting my ball in the bunker at the back of a 288 yard par four dead on the pin, then a 260 yard drive into heavy winds on the next.

Then he took the honour, hit a great drive and I followed, hitting a monster hook. This happened on the next two holes, then he said he could see the difference in my tempo, I was trying to smash the ball and lost my timing.

Next tee, I swung easy, about 80% and I was 260 yrds down the middle. I lost my timing trying to hit harder when hitting easy I was getting loads more distance, though the swing change was the key to my distance problem my tempo enabled me to make the shot consistently.

Long winded I know....sorry

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JCBDB

Some food for thought guys.

i am 6 feet tall with an athletic build, i very rarely drive past 260 yards. my second shot is always on the green or a couple of yards left or right.
i never 3 putt ( because i spend countless hours on practicing the short game ) .
my point is , how many of you chaps who have drove 300 yards plus have ever broken 80? . don,t get me wrong , i don't doubt your golfing prowess. i would love to see if 300+ yard drives are condusive of breaking 80.

would love to hear your thoughts

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the dog wags the tail....the tail dosn't wag the dog

Good point, I three putted twice yesterday (same round) and shot 82.

When my game improved and I started to play with low handicapped players regularly I notice they just don't three putt, maybe the on odd occasion but rarely.

So I spend 30 mins of my 1 hr practice on chips/pitches/putts and have saved more shots this way than increasing my driving distance. My putting is solid most of the time but I think I could save another 3 shots on my short game if I played on the course more often.

What could save most players shots is good course management, no matter what the swing. I think Montie claims that if he caddied for the average golfer he could save them 5 plus shots through sensible course management.

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JCBDB

Bogey golf is 72 + 18 = 90

So that's an extra stroke on each hole either getting to the green or putting.

Dave Pelz insists the best place (statistically) to improve your game is to concentrate on shots inside 100 yards.

I think that a lot of people forget that being able to hit the ball a long way is the means to an end, not an end in itself. I mean come on, how many long drives end up in the hole!

When necessary I know I can hit the ball a fairly long way, somewhere in the region of 315 yards but unless I'm having one of those rare days when the driver is the straightest club in the bag, then I'll try and think my way around the course. I'd rather play to about 130-150 yards out and then use a full swing with a short iron to approach the green. This means resisting the temptation to drive the short par 4's; being conservative off the tee and then being progressively more aggressive the closer I am to the hole and playing for my next shot.

My last round was my best score yet. I went round in 77 and used the driver maybe 3 times on a long par 4 and two par 5s, focusing on getting the ball on the fairway and GIR. This has meant that I occasionally did the unthinkable of hitting a mid iron off the tee to guarantee a fairway lie, and then hitting a hybrid from around 200 or so yards.

The real benefit of hitting it long is that it can make things easier for you when used correctly, like giving yourself a chance of hitting a par 5 in 2. What I have never understood is using a driver on a par 4 where you have no chance of reaching the green. The best outcome will be a half or 3/4 swing to reach the green rather than a full swing with a club that you know the distance of. The more likely outcome will be a trip into the woods/rough/water and purchasing more balls from the pro shop.

Sorry if I hijacked this thread sandmac, I completely agree that there is a direct relationship between flexibility and distance and that more people should stretch and also that having a long drive in your armoury makes the game a lot sweeter (especially when you're having a round with the boys and you're able to say "I'll walk with you to your ball. After all, it's on the way to mine!")

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Cleveland Launcher 460 - Aldila NV 65 x-stiff
Callaway Big Bertha 3W - Aldila NV 75 x-stiff
TaylorMade Rescue Dual TP (16°, 19°) stiff
Mizuno MP-32 2-PW Rifle Flighted 6.0
Titleist Vokey Wedges 52°, 56°, 60°
Scotty Cameron Circa 62 #3 35/330

I've always been considered somewhat of a long ball hitter (not always straight though :lol, but I've used a Total Gym for years and it really helps me stretch out my back muscles and helps with my rotational flexibility.

hi sandmac,

timeing is what it is all about next you will be driving that hole, let me know what you scored on that hole.

Liam,

Although I am not super long, my average drive is around 270-280 yards which is plenty for any golf course (unless you have some 500+ par 4 like they had in the US Open). I have to say that my flexibility is quite good and I tribute my distance to that. I go to the gym to lift weights around once a week and it certainly does help. However, without flexibility it wouldnt mean much. Some people may have brute strength but there is no way to hit 300yards when your body is cold and stiff. Once it warms up and has more flexibility, its a different story.

At the same time though, it does depend on the person. Some people are hitters and some are swingers. These two may hit it the same distance but hitters rely on strength while swingers rely on timing.

Thats my two cents anyway.