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Sudden Increase in Distance

TheHeez

TheHeez

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Templeton, CA
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Has anyone ever experienced this? My story is that my playing time decreased when my son was born and my ball striking declined. When I started to play more regularly I realized what I was doing wrong and went about fixing it this past fall. I noticed a bit more distance over winter and now that things are warming up, I feel like I’m roughly 5-10 yards longer with all clubs. It’s weird because this increase is above and beyond my old yardages as well.
 
I experienced it twice.

Once following yet another herniated disk in 2010, out of frustration, I parked the clubs for longer than necessary and embarked on an obsessive regimen to strengthen my core.

I'd been an avid weightlifter but hitting core so extremely and intensely was a bit new to me.

By the next season, I was 1.5 clubs longer with irons, 20+ yards longer with driver.

Just like that. Same swing, many more yards.

Time, laziness, one or two more herniations had since eroded that distance.

A forever flaw of mine has been contact toward the toe. On all clubs but most perceptible and most penal, with irons. Brings me to the 2nd instance...

Late 2017, 170 yard approach from the fairway of our #2 hole, I hit yet another weak toe shot that landed woefully short.

Dropped another ball in frustration and I've no clear idea why, but I relaxed the tension in my right elbow and took a whack at it.

Solid, centered contact. Flew the green but I sure didn't care. Just like that, with an unassumed adjustment, I was 1.5 clubs longer again.

The fix stuck. Long and straight shots while not every time, loads more than I'd ever before hit in my entire golfing life.

Since, I've kept much of the distance but lost the precision. 2018 was my best golf year ever as I got down to a handicap of 1.2 but it's climbed since. Now an erratic 4.4 I think it is, but often playing MUCH worse than my 'cap may indicate.

But what ya gonna do? Success is fleeting. Sometimes, that's just golf.

Distance is a great weapon but it isn't primary. I've done it both ways, scoring very well while long (115-118 mph avg driver SS) and scoring very well while relatively lacking in distance (10 to 15 mph less).

Accuracy has been and always will be KING.
 
I've just found a few more yards on the range by drivning my hips forward and releasing the club later(at least that's what I think I'm doing)... I am having trouble bringing it out on the course though, as I get too cautious.

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TheHeez said:
Has anyone ever experienced this? My story is that my playing time decreased when my son was born and my ball striking declined. When I started to play more regularly I realized what I was doing wrong and went about fixing it this past fall. I noticed a bit more distance over winter and now that things are warming up, I feel like I’m roughly 5-10 yards longer with all clubs. It’s weird because this increase is above and beyond my old yardages as well.
Click to expand...
Happening to me right now! I’ve played twice in the last 6 months, but appear to be a club longer than usual with my irons. Too bad I don’t hit them straight! I’ve been very active, but not necessarily working out.
 
TheHeez said:
Has anyone ever experienced this? My story is that my playing time decreased when my son was born and my ball striking declined. When I started to play more regularly I realized what I was doing wrong and went about fixing it this past fall. I noticed a bit more distance over winter and now that things are warming up, I feel like I’m roughly 5-10 yards longer with all clubs. It’s weird because this increase is above and beyond my old yardages as well.
Click to expand...

Makes sense, especially if you "realized what you were doing wrong" and fixed it to make a better swing.
 
Yes.

When I learned to correct my banana ball.

When I learned how to correct my reverse pivot.

When I learned how to strike the ball with the center of the face.

When I learned how to strike the ball with the optimum AoA.

When I learned how to create and retain lag.
 
OGputtnfool said:
Makes sense, especially if you "realized what you were doing wrong" and fixed it to make a better swing.
Click to expand...

That’s what is weird, I’m beyond where I was originally when my game was working. It’s beyond just fixing my swing.

It’s nice but I’m having a hard time reworking my brain to pull the right club.
 
Yes. For me it was hitting my local golf shop's hitting bay to see how slow I swing my driver (low 80's)... and them adjusting the loft on my driver. I gained 5 yards... a grip change and a touch of spine angle changed my standard fade to a draw... Now I don't know where the ball will go.

I want a couple of driving range sessions to see if this is permanent, where the ball goes, and to make it comfortable for me
 
of course it has happened, it was also the same day a piece of my anatomy had magically grown by 25%. Oh wait, that was a dream.
 
I haven't had a sudden increase like that except for when I bought my current set of irons several years ago but that was more to do with the technology and stronger lofts. I am however about 15-20 yards longer than I was about 2-3 years ago.
 
mancest said:
of course it has happened, it was also the same day a piece of my anatomy had magically grown by 25%. Oh wait, that was a dream.
Click to expand...

Your name is Roger, not Don. Stop trying to live other people’s lives Roger.
 
TheHeez said:
Your name is Roger, not Don. Stop trying to live other people’s lives Roger.
Click to expand...

Don does have a large chin doesn't he. lucky devil.
 
One year I decided to give the club a little extra "that" just before impact with my right hand. I got pretty good at it and effectively shortened each hole by about 30 yards. The trouble was I had given myself a serious timing issue. Off the tee, when it didn't work out, it REALLY didn't work out. The strokes I gained by having more length didn't make up for the ones my foul balls made me lose, so I stopped doing that.
 
When I try to give my club a little extra it turns into a slice. The harder I hit the more it slices.
 
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