Okay, so I’ve been digging into this whole “LPGA yardages” thing, and let me tell you, it’s been a bit of a journey. I’m no pro, just your average golfer who likes to overanalyze everything, especially when it comes to my own game.
First off, I started by looking at what the pros are hitting. I mean, who wouldn’t want to compare themselves to the best, right? I came across some data from Trackman, I guess that’s some fancy tech that tracks all these things, and apparently, these LPGA ladies are crushing it. We’re talking an average carry distance of 223 yards on their drives. That’s insane! My best drives barely go that far, let alone carry that distance.
And it’s not just the distance, they are fast. Their club-head speed is around 96 mph. I tried swinging that fast once, nearly threw my back out. It generates a ball speed of 143 mph. The ball takes off like a rocket and reaches a maximum height of 26 yards. I did some simple tests in my backyard, and I found that when I swing at this speed, it’s hard for me to hit the ball directly. So I still need to practice a lot.
Then I went deeper, I saw that their total drive distance averages out to about 257.2 yards. That got me thinking, “What am I doing wrong?”
- I started watching videos, tons of them. Slow-motion swings, tutorials on generating power, you name it. I was obsessed.
- Then came the actual practice. I hit the driving range almost every day for a week.
- I started by trying to copy what I saw in the videos, you know, the wide stance, the smooth backswing, all that jazz.
- I even tried to measure my own swing speed and distance. No fancy Trackman here, just an old-fashioned tape measure and a buddy with a stopwatch. Let’s just say the results were…humbling.
After a lot of trial and error, and a few sore muscles, I started to see some, and I mean very little, improvement. Maybe I added a few yards to my drive, but nowhere near those LPGA numbers. It was tough, and honestly, a bit frustrating.
My Realization
Here’s what I learned through all of this. These pros are, well, pros for a reason. They’ve dedicated their lives to this sport, and they have the best coaches, equipment, and training facilities. Comparing myself to them was like comparing a bicycle to a sports car. Yeah, they’re both vehicles, but that’s about where the similarities end.
So, what’s the takeaway? I’m still trying to figure that out. Maybe it’s about setting realistic goals. Maybe it’s about enjoying the game for what it is, not what I wish it could be. Or maybe, it’s just about accepting that I’ll never hit the ball like an LPGA pro, and that’s perfectly okay. I think that practicing like a pro is what I want to do. It’s fun, and even if I don’t become a pro, it can make me feel a sense of accomplishment.
I will keep practicing, keep learning, and keep enjoying the game, one not-so-pro drive at a time.
