Big Break Players

[progolf4life]

277yd. 3-Iron

These guys playing on the big break are hitting their irons extremely long. I would like to know how it is even possible to hit a 277yd. 3-iron. My SS is 108 with my driver and I can only hit my 3-iron 200yds. At this point with such a low lofted iron they couldn't even deloft the face a significant amount without killing their distance. I'm really confused......

Discuss

[themouth1]

If your normal three iron goes about 215 (am a few of them may hit it further than that), I would think that is possible. They are playing in the desert. The ball carries further and rolls a ton on that grid...

[kencanuck]

Great shots for sure...I can hit my three iron 245-255 with a run but...

 

I only hit it that pure 3 times out of 10!!!!!! :good:

 

Ken

[slicefixer]

These guys playing on the big break are hitting their irons extremely long. I would like to know how it is even possible to hit a 277yd. 3-iron. My SS is 108 with my driver and I can only hit my 3-iron 200yds. At this point with such a low lofted iron they couldn't even deloft the face a significant amount without killing their distance. I'm really confused......

 

Discuss

 

Easy.....wind/altitude/heat/low humidity/downhill + a ProV......:good: I played with Daly quite a bit in the late 80's/early 90's.......on a number of occasions I've seen him hit a 3 iron 240 IN tHE AIR with a Ping Eye 2 and BALAtA ball........it can be done by some......NOt by many, but, by quite a few......

[mayes]

It was downwind, hot, high altitude, super hard shaved down grass. Those balls rolled out 30-40 yards. It was definately impressive. But the conditions were ideal for long yardages.

 

That ladder drill was tough because their full swings had more spin with a higher trajectory and they were coming up short to the previous knockdown shots because of the conditions favored lowspin rollouts. I think we would all be surprised how far we could hit it in those conditions. Not 270 with a 3 iron, but much longer than whatever your personal club yardages are.

[Croddad]

One word...altitude. Makes a HUGE difference in carry. I didn't see any of those balls running out crazy far, but still a TON farther than it would roll here in Seattle at sea level, wet grass, and not slightly down hill.

 

:good:

[cdesana]

These guys playing on the big break are hitting their irons extremely long. I would like to know how it is even possible to hit a 277yd. 3-iron. My SS is 108 with my driver and I can only hit my 3-iron 200yds. At this point with such a low lofted iron they couldn't even deloft the face a significant amount without killing their distance. I'm really confused......

 

Discuss

 

The biggest question is with a 108 swing speed how is it you only hit a 3 iron 200 yards. My swing speed is less and that is my 5 iron distance. Not to mention I use Ping Eye 2 + which probably has more loft than most clubs on the market today.

[g8a_golf]

like everybody is saying, altitude. I can hit my 3 iron about 220 off the deck and about 235 yards off the tee, but even with the altitude, that a CRAZY long 3 iron...

[rosskoss]

These guys playing on the big break are hitting their irons extremely long. I would like to know how it is even possible to hit a 277yd. 3-iron. My SS is 108 with my driver and I can only hit my 3-iron 200yds. At this point with such a low lofted iron they couldn't even deloft the face a significant amount without killing their distance. I'm really confused......

 

Discuss

 

My SS is a lot less than 108mph and I'm pretty sure my 3-iron goes further than 200 yds.

[mat562]

Heat, humidity, altitude and running ground...

 

I've seen Sandy Lyle hit a 290 yard 1 iron at a cold and soggy Wentworth in October in a late 80s World Matchplay Championship (like slicefixer's Daly example, with an Eye 2 and a Maxfli balata)

[chrisu]

These guys playing on the big break are hitting their irons extremely long. I would like to know how it is even possible to hit a 277yd. 3-iron. My SS is 108 with my driver and I can only hit my 3-iron 200yds. At this point with such a low lofted iron they couldn't even deloft the face a significant amount without killing their distance. I'm really confused......

 

Discuss

 

Easy.....wind/altitude/heat/low humidity/downhill + a ProV......:good: I played with Daly quite a bit in the late 80's/early 90's.......on a number of occasions I've seen him hit a 3 iron 240 IN tHE AIR with a Ping Eye 2 and BALAtA ball........it can be done by some......NOt by many, but, by quite a few......

 

 

Was that preparty or post party? And I'm not putting the man down, I followed him all the time great with the fans, he has his emotions on his sleeve. A coworker of mine played in a pro-am with him (1991?) and he was messing with the group in front of him, which included DL3, they were getting taking pictures, so he hit a 1 or 2 iron over them, got in a beverage cart and took them all beer. Gotta love Daly

[progolf4life]

Alright, new question...How do you guys say you have a lot less SS than me but you hit your 3-iron a lot farther? My driving distance is around 280yds.

[Konakid67]

With all conditions stated it does not sound unreasonable. I carry my 3 iron 220 in normal conditions humid GA, with wind and roll that does not sound unreasonable. I have hit my 7 iron 200 carry down wind. If the conditions are right anything is possible.

Kevin

[iteachgolf]

Alright, new question...How do you guys say you have a lot less SS than me but you hit your 3-iron a lot farther? My driving distance is around 280yds.

 

because they do, my ss is around 105 and i hit my driver around 275, and i hit my 3 iron about 215. my 4 iron is my 200 club but i can kill a 5 iron that far if i have to.

[Mike_C]

One word...altitude. Makes a HUGE difference in carry. I didn't see any of those balls running out crazy far, but still a TON farther than it would roll here in Seattle at sea level, wet grass, and not slightly down hill.

 

:cheesy:

 

So true.

 

One of the best things you can do for your ego as you get older is move out to the high desert country. :good:

 

 

I've hit drives 380+ out here in New Mexico. Just give me some wind at my back and a nice firm fairway.....The same drive probably wouldn't go over 300 back in Michigan where I used to play on a nomal soggy fairway....

[MB1981]

I have heard rumors of a lot of "Made for T.V." yardages out there.

 

They do not count in any doglegs either so it might be shorter as the crow flies.

 

I have heard some pros on TV say "by the way this is a 3 iron from 205, not a 7 iron like they tell you on t.v."

[XYB34A]

I worked for Lowe's for a good part of the 80's in the Greenville South Carolina area. With a balata ball, forged Hogan Apex PC with no 5 Hogan Shaft in it then a 5 iron would go in the neighborhood of 200 yard. This is when the distance limit on the golf ball was 290 yards plus or minus 2 percent. (today the limit is 318). The elevation in Greenville is around 1000 feet above sea level. You could drive to Asheville North Carolina in about 45 min or so. The elevation there is around 2100 feet above sea level. A 5 iron with a balata golf ball with a 290 yard limit would fly about 240 yards or more. The pro at the club that I played at there, had played on the PGA tour in the 70's as a journeyman pro. He never won anything. He did make some money, and had one top ten that I knew off. I saw him hit a one iron off the tee in Asheville North Carolina that flew almost 300 yards. And rolled another 30 or 40 yards. This was in the fall, the humidity in the upstate is pretty muggy at times. If you go to Asheville it fall of drastically. If you live in the Ohio/Tenn Valley its in the 500 to 700 feet range for the elevation above sea level. Shots like that arent going happen. Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, all have places that are far above sea level. With good weather then the ball will fly. What really stinks if to go visit my sister in Colorado and play a couple of days and come back to Kentucky and have to hit 3 clubs more to get it to fly the same distance. But its fun nonetheless.

[thenewbie]

Alright, new question...How do you guys say you have a lot less SS than me but you hit your 3-iron a lot farther? My driving distance is around 280yds.

 

because they do, my ss is around 105 and i hit my driver around 275, and i hit my 3 iron about 215. my 4 iron is my 200 club but i can kill a 5 iron that far if i have to.

 

thats exactly what I was going to say. I don't carry a 3 on the course, but I use a 4 hybrid (23*) as my 3, and hit it 220. 200 yard 4 iron, but can do it with a 5 on demand. SS averages 105-107.

 

I don't think anyone intends any offense, although some people aren't being very nice about it. it doesn't matter if you hit your irons short or long. what matter is that you KNOW how far you hit them. and if you drive it 280 consistently, surely no one can give you crap about distance.

 

and regarding the Big Break stuff. . .thats actually the reason that the long driver's go to mesquite for their championship. thin desert air, pinnacle gold long drive balls, tightly mown range. it all adds up to bombing drives. I would LOVE to get out there with a 7* bang-o-matic with a 50" JLG ultra boom shaft. I'd be pissed if I couldn't get 340. :good:

[cdesana]

In my experience lots of guys can get the driver out there 275-280, especially when properly fitted with the best equipment available.

 

But not everyone has the ability to hit a 5 iron 200 yards, especially off of the fairway.

 

I play with guys all the time who can hit it out there with me off the tee, but are often 1-2 clubs shorter than me with the irons.

 

And I play Ping Eye +'s that have more loft than what most guys carry these days.

[press007]

When I saw that 270+ yard 3 iron I jumped off the couch and said bull chit, who is kidding who. Then I started to rationalize what was happening, as others have said altitude, weather etc. made it happen, so that helped me deal with the idea that I dont hit my driver over 275 but once in a blue moon, of coarse I dont live there either...Jim

[beachgrovejunior]

i saw that and was kindof in awe, but then i remembered how at the start one of them hit like a 9 iron that rolled 20 yards, so a 3 iron would roll forever there

[bomberman]

I was a little suprised at the distances they were hitting their irons. I know they were rolling alot and they kept mentioning one side of the grid was really firm and they were trying to hit their longer shots down that side.

 

That being said I was a little suprised they didn't hit their drivers further in those conditions. If you can hit your 3 iron 275 or whatever it was, why were most of their drives just a bit over 300, with 320 being a good spank for most of them. The only one that was really long was Gerry with the driver.

[pb056]

Heat, humidity, altitude and running ground...

 

I've seen Sandy Lyle hit a 290 yard 1 iron at a cold and soggy Wentworth in October in a late 80s World Matchplay Championship (like slicefixer's Daly example, with an Eye 2 and a Maxfli balata)

 

 

Sandy Lyle was the man with the long irons

[ezra76]

I was not all that impressed. The left side of that grid might as well have been a cart path. In fact I was less than impressed with the carry yardages of most of the guys but some of them did control distance well straight. I'd have been more impressed if they changed ballflights, with 3 clubs a tour level ballstriker should have been able to work about 7 or 8 out of each club for a score of over 20. I don't think any of them are near good enough for the PGA tour and doubt any of them would be able to pay the bills on the Nationwide for a full year purely on playing earnings.

[mayes]

I was not all that impressed. The left side of that grid might as well have been a cart path. In fact I was less than impressed with the carry yardages of most of the guys but some of them did control distance well straight. I'd have been more impressed if they changed ballflights, with 3 clubs a tour level ballstriker should have been able to work about 7 or 8 out of each club for a score of over 20. I don't think any of them are near good enough for the PGA tour and doubt any of them would be able to pay the bills on the Nationwide for a full year purely on playing earnings.

 

Let not jump the gun and say these guys are not good and that that this drill was easy. What made this drill hard was the fact that the ground was hard and fast. Naturally most touring pro's would take a full hard swing to maximize the distance. However, spin was the enemy for this drill and the knockdowns were rolling out farther than the full swing. By the time anyone figures this out, it's too late. I'm sure if they got to do it again they would have realized it and adjusted. But to discredit someones abilities without being there is not fair. It's like armchair quarterbacking.

[Lumpy_22]

I truly love how people discredit the players on the BB.

 

Have you felt extreme pressure whe you play your local foursome ? Add money ...... feel pressure yet.......... add cameras ...... add national tv .... feel it yet, are your hands swaeting or gripping slightly tighter than normal... I would say so..

 

Yes the tour pros do it all the time.... there's the answer ........ALL the time

 

ARod made the cut at QSchool, 20 straight Canadian Tour cuts....

Tommy Gainey made 1st cut at QSchool, made some $$ on the Nationwide tour, Won some Hooters tour events...

 

These guys would kick most our rears and then some. Good enough for the PGA tour ??? maybe, maybe not, but isn't that what the show is about... The BIG BREAK ...

 

I like the show, hope it's not too scripted of course, but the bottom line most often is put up or go home.....Golf is about various shots, challenges, and outside influeneces. The player that deals with everything with a level head, and executes usually wins... If I had been ARod when they asked if I wanted to go first, it would have been "heck ya" let me try and put the pressure on them.... or even though I was the points leader and I was in the competition to get booted, I would have used that as confidence over my opponents... I'm better, no let's go prove it....

 

That's what golf is everyday....... Let's go prove it.. me against the course and my own demons, you gotta believe in yourself out there....

[withdrew]

Once again, I suppose these conversations can provide some entertainment value, but comparing yardages with pros or semi-pros or Division-I college players or anyone that plays golf for a living...is ridiculous.

 

Why on earth does it matter (to some of you) what distance Benoit or Hiroshi hit their irons? How is that relevant or constructive to YOUR game? If the pin is 230 yards away and your opponent hits their 3 iron, and 230 is your 3 WOOD distance, does that change your club selection? I don't even ask anyone "What club did you use?" not even ONCE in a round, because that information is COMPLETELY USELESS. Unless my playing partner hits the EXACT same yardage as me, I suppose it could offer some value, but that's not the case.

 

The only yardage that matters is YOURS.

[ezra76]

I was not all that impressed. The left side of that grid might as well have been a cart path. In fact I was less than impressed with the carry yardages of most of the guys but some of them did control distance well straight. I'd have been more impressed if they changed ballflights, with 3 clubs a tour level ballstriker should have been able to work about 7 or 8 out of each club for a score of over 20. I don't think any of them are near good enough for the PGA tour and doubt any of them would be able to pay the bills on the Nationwide for a full year purely on playing earnings.

 

Let not jump the gun and say these guys are not good and that that this drill was easy. What made this drill hard was the fact that the ground was hard and fast. Naturally most touring pro's would take a full hard swing to maximize the distance. However, spin was the enemy for this drill and the knockdowns were rolling out farther than the full swing. By the time anyone figures this out, it's too late. I'm sure if they got to do it again they would have realized it and adjusted. But to discredit someones abilities without being there is not fair. It's like armchair quarterbacking.

 

 

I apologize for coming off like that and you're right in calling it "armchair quarterbacking". We can see it after a few guys went that a shot up the left would run out more than one on the right. It dawned on me actually, when the last guy went, that missing the grid entirely was instantly "game over". So they mostly playing it protectively with straight shots. To start breaking out the trap draw and high fades into the right side would have been a big and unnecessary risk. I still don't think any of them are really good enough for the PGA tour and Brian is the only one with any real long term potential. Yoshi or whatever his name is, he's good but he's also 38yrs. old. If he was going to be good enough for the real tour I think he'd have made it there in the last 4-5yrs.

 

These are just my opinions. As far as "pressure" coming from cameras? That's a cop out in my book. What would they do if they got paired with a big name at a small tourney? If they turn into a 12 capper with one camera on them, what's going to happen when they have a dozen cameras and 3000 people yelling "get in the hole" as soon as they make contact with the ball. :good:

[animalistic]

In my experience lots of guys can get the driver out there 275-280, especially when properly fitted with the best equipment available.

 

But not everyone has the ability to hit a 5 iron 200 yards, especially off of the fairway.

 

I play with guys all the time who can hit it out there with me off the tee, but are often 1-2 clubs shorter than me with the irons.

 

And I play Ping Eye +'s that have more loft than what most guys carry these days.

 

Ditto..I find a lot of guys can keep it up off the tee but struggle for distance with the irons

[MrJones]

A lot of players have equipment that doesn't quite fit them. I hit a long drive but my irons are short. But I also get a huge amount of spin and hit my 3-iron as high as my playing partners hit wedges. I figure I must be getting a ton of spin that's robbing me of distance. I've never ebnn fitted so I'm clueless as to whether it's just me or my clubs. Until I do I just except what my yardages are and play my game.