Okay, so I wanted to see what the big deal was about pro golf drive distances. I mean, we all watch it on TV, right? And those guys just whack the ball into next week. But I wanted to really get my head around the numbers.
Getting Started
First thing I did was hit up the internet, you know, like you do. I poked around to see what the average driving distance is for the pros. Found some stuff saying that the average is somewhere around 285 yards. But then I saw that after some tournament in 2021, the average went up to, like, 295.6 yards. That’s nuts!
Digging Deeper
Then, of course, there are those freak-of-nature guys like Bryson DeChambeau. Dude’s out there hitting it 321.1 yards on average. I mean, come on! How is that even possible? It got me thinking, though. There’s the average, and then there are the outliers. So I started making a list of some of the big hitters I know, like Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson, and Dustin Johnson. These guys are always crushing it.
My Experiment
So, armed with this info, I decided to head out to the driving range myself. Now, I’m no pro, not even close. But I wanted to see how my own drives stacked up. I grabbed my driver, bought a bucket of balls, and started swinging. I tried to channel my inner Bryson, but let’s just say the results were…humbling.
Results
- First few swings: Garbage. Topped it, sliced it, you name it.
- After warming up: Okay, I started to get a bit of a rhythm. I was probably hitting it around, I don’t know, maybe 200 yards? Maybe?
- Trying to kill it: When I really tried to put some power into it, I’d either miss the ball completely or it’d go shooting off in some random direction.
Conclusion
After an hour or so of this, I was tired, sore, and had a newfound respect for the pros. These guys are hitting it almost 100 yards further than me, and they’re doing it consistently, under pressure. It’s insane. I realized that hitting a golf ball that far isn’t just about strength. It’s about technique, timing, and a whole lot of other stuff that I clearly don’t have. But hey, it was a fun little experiment. And it definitely made me appreciate watching those guys on TV even more.
