One must know how far his or her ball actually ‘Flies or Carries’ in order to have the ability to ‘Manager The Game’, out there, for real using a pencil and score card! (see ‘Air-Time Distance’ vs. ‘Ground-Time Distance’) A reason for this regimen is, “How far might your ball ‘Roll’ if you caught the cart path and ran down its surface for perhaps 50 yards?” Would you add this 50 yards to your ‘C.A.D.’? Not logically! Makes for good 19th Hole chatter, but that is about all! Your V Fairway Metal will raise eyebrows? Honesty and realism matter in ‘Ball Human Performance’!
There are other ‘Environmental Aspects’ that shall also factor such as ‘Wind, Temperature, Humidity, Grass Length, Grass Moisture, Ball Compression, Detritus’ and more.
How do we know the actual distance? Guessing is not good enough! 1) Pacing from the ‘Strike Point’ to the ‘Ball Ending Point’. (see ‘Coming To Rest’) We do this for Putting & Chipping’, but it is not time realistic to perform this task from the ‘Teeing Ground’. 2) Laser Range Finders are not overly accurate from the ‘Tee Box’. The ball is quite small when viewed from a long distance. What is our reflective target going to be? There may not be one proximal to the ball. We may be variable 10 to 30 yards. Using a laser to the flag-stick on ‘Approach or Short Game’ shots makes more sense. 3) Launch Monitors are useful but they have to be ‘Calibrated’ to be kept accurate. Their price range makes your Laser Range Finder look really affordable! Cart and wrist worn ‘GPS Distance Devices’ are useful, if available. Also expensive!
How can we improve knowing our distances on the range. Warmed up, hit 5 golf balls with the same Clubhead Energy and Speed. ‘Reference Points’ and accuracy are a struggle. The ball seldom provides reflection. A really effective option is to purchase a 6 Foot piece of 2X2 lumber. Screw fasten a cheap aluminum ‘Baking Pan’ to the lumber top face. The caddie sets the bare stick plumb beside the ball facing the ‘Hand-Held Laser Device’. It will provide really dynamic reflection. You will need to accomplish this mission when the range is closed for picking. Ask the grounds keepers to clean one side full length for your purpose. May require a small bribe!
