[Michael Whitaker]

Are you Playing from the Right Yardage? Do the Math.

My wife showed me this formula in a past issue of Golf For Women... it's clever:

This formula comes from custom-club maker P.J. Campbell of Southfield, Mich. Grab your calculator; you'll hit more greens in regulation and score more pars.

Take the average distance you hit your 27-degree club. Depending on the brand and set makeup of your clubs, it could be a 5-iron, a 7-wood or 9-wood, or a high-lofted hybrid.
 
Multiply that number by 36. For example, if you hit your 27-degree club 125 yards, your total would be 4,500; hit it 150 yards, and your total is 5.400.

Look at your scorecard of the course you're playing and choose the set of tees with the yardage closest to that number.

[A.G._Crockett]

Michael,
Cool concept, but strikes me as yielding a little bit of a low number.  In my case, it says 6300 yds., and I prefer about 6600, which is rarely the tips.

But then maybe their message is really to not let ego dictate which tees you play from?  If so, it is a very worthwhile message.

[Sean_A]

Mike

Remarkable!  I guess 27 degrees is a strongish 5 iron.  The calculation comes out about right so far as I am concerned - 6300ish to 6500ish.  However, I am not adverse to playing a course a bit shorter or longer.  As we all know, yardage can be very misleading as to how long a course plays.

Ciao

[Tom Birkert]

Surely your handicap should dictate this?

I tend to play from the plates as I like a challenge, but I'm not that long a hitter, so this system suggests I play about 6,500. Even on a course as tough as PGA West Stadium I managed to shoot to my handicap from the backs and to me that was far more satisfactory than doing so from a further set of tees up.

I should note that I don't agree with playing the plates regardless, it should be based on ability of all players within the group and chosen individually if required.

[George Pazin]

According to that math, I should be playing 7000 yard courses.

With my 23 index that I can't even play to anymore, due to lack of play.

[John Burzynski]

Actually it seems fairly close...it says someone who is playing a 7000-7200 yard course (short to average PGA length course?) should hit their 5 iron club around 194-200 yards.   I think maybe that is a bit long for some pros with that club, but it is a good general rule.  No rule will apply to all golfers, some golfers are longer but terrible short games, etc.

[Tom Huckaby]

According to that math, I should be playing 7000 yard courses.

With my 23 index that I can't even play to anymore, due to lack of play.

And it comes out that I should be playing around 6400, with my 4 index.

So George, next time we play, I play up and you play the tips.

 

[A.G._Crockett]

Can anybody quickly access ShotLink to figure out what distance a 5 iron averages on Tour?  I don't play with ANYBODY who can hit a 5 iron more than 195, and I play with some good golfers.

I'm kind of in Huckaby's camp here.  I like my chances from 6300 yds. a lot...

[Jeff_Brauer]

As I posted here a few months back, I was quoted in the Wall Street Journal that most players do play too far back.

I use a different system, but look at it this way -  Figure your average tee shot length and a maximum of 75% of that for the second shot.  The maximum length cousre you could play over a par 72 course based on typical Tee shot lengths:

Women 140 = 4410
Seniors 180 = 5670
Good Women/Some Males 210 = 6615 (in the field, most prefer 6350 or so)
Ave. Male 230 = 7245 (in the field, most prefer 6750 or so)
Good Male 260 = 8190 (about 4% of golfers prefer courses over 7000)
Male Pro 290 x 36 = 9135

As with the other system, its obvious that the spread is great.  Shorter hitters will get closer to 2X their tee shot lengths, and gradually ratio decreases, until the longest hitters will have less than half their tee shot length in as an average approach,which would still equate to a 7800 yard course for the Tour Pros.

[Garland Bayley]

Methinks if you follow this formula, you would never get to hit your 27 degree club. Also, methinks that this formula is a perscription to find a longer golf course since there are no tees at my club that long.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Garland,

At least my formula is a prescription to design shorter courses, not longer.  As I have stated before, the preferred lengths of courses are about 4800, 5750, 6300 and 6750 yards, based on 140,180,200+ and 260 yard tee shots.  If I add a back tee over 7000 yards, its as small as I can physically make it.

[Garland Bayley]

Furthermore, methinks this formula is a recipe for disaster. My son loves his 5 iron, which is 27 degrees. He calls it his "rescue wood". He easily hits it 190, and often nukes it well past 200. That being said, he could not play to a 30 handicap. The issue with him as I am sure it is with George, is the spray factor is not taken into account by this formula, nor are the short game skills.

[Tom_Doak]

Garland:  Is it Jeff's formula you are referring to, or the original one?

If you can't find a golf course long enough, you must hit a 5-iron a long way ... the original formula would mean a 6300 yard course for a 175-yard hitter, and a 7200 yard course for those rare individuals who hit the 5-iron 200 yards. 

Of course, 7200 yards isn't really long enough to make a Tour pro sweat anymore.  Partly that's what the new drivers have done for the game, but partly it shows that this formula is about where you should play to enjoy the game and get around quicker, not where you should play to give yourself a really tough test.  And it's amazing how many American golfers -- men and women both -- insist on the latter, because they don't want to look like sissies.

[Garland Bayley]

Garland:  Is it Jeff's formula you are referring to, or the original one?
...

The original one.

[Garland Bayley]

...
If you can't find a golf course long enough, you must hit a 5-iron a long way ...

I didn't say I couldn't find a golf course long enough. I wrote that my home club was not long enough.

[Tim Liddy]

My formula would be to turn the fairway irrigation water off. How great it would be if a tee shot rolled 25% of its total yards.  It would roll into all kinds of trouble.

[Sean_A]

My formula would be to turn the fairway irrigation water off. How great it would be if a tee shot rolled 25% of its total yards.  It would roll into all kinds of trouble.

Giving it some thought, I was going on how far I can reliably carry a 5 iron, not how far I can hit it.  Anybody can hood a 5 iron from the rough and get it running over 200 yards, but that isn't a shot I would use to describe how far I hit a 5 Iron. 

Ciao 

[George Pazin]

According to that math, I should be playing 7000 yard courses.

With my 23 index that I can't even play to anymore, due to lack of play.

And it comes out that I should be playing around 6400, with my 4 index.

So George, next time we play, I play up and you play the tips.

 

Next you'll be asking for strokes....

[Michael Whitaker]

According to that math, I should be playing 7000 yard courses.

With my 23 index that I can't even play to anymore, due to lack of play.

George - Maybe if you didn't try to hit your 5-iron 195 yards you might gain some directional control and cut that 23 index in half! 

[Tom Huckaby]

Michael - shhhhhhhhhhh!

You just gave away my one and only secret in this game.

I've played with lots of people who hit 5irons way way way farther than I do.

I've played with precious few golfers my index or higher who hit more greens from 175 yards than I do.

Yourself excluded, of course.  You own me, as we both know.

 

[George Pazin]

Michael, for a normal golfer, that might be true.

For my bizarro random game, well, all I can say is it's not.

 

[Garland Bayley]

Michael, for a normal golfer, that might be true.

For my bizarro random game, well, all I can say is it's not.

 

Right on George! These people just don't understand us. I play a lot of shots with half swings that usually end up the same distance as a full swing with two clubs less. Unfortunately, the half swings get me in as much trouble as the full swings.

[Tom Huckaby]

Whew!  The secret is safe.

 

[Jim Johnson]

Surely your handicap should dictate this?

Agreed.

This formula tells me I should play from tees of 6,840 yards. Umm, sorry, but I have no desire to do that anytime soon.

(13 handicap).

JJ

[John Moore II]

I would say it might not be far off. It would mean that I can play a 7200 yard course, and while it is not terribly pleasureable to play that length every day, I can deal with it. So this might not be far from the truth, though handicap would have to factor in as well.

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