Is it better to be able to hit a 230 yard drive every time or have the occasional 260 yard drive once or twice a round?
Most golfers would say ENDURANCE it matters more. But when it comes to gear choices, practice habits, and how we judge good performance, distance POTENTiAL still trying to win. We remember the longest journey. We ignore all three that came up short, went offside or forced a fumble recovery.
I’ve been thinking about this more in my own game lately. I’m much less concerned with how far I can hit a driver and much more focused on how often I can reproduce a distance that keeps me in position. Distance still matters. It just has to appear often enough to matter.
To see how it goes for amateur players, I asked Shooting range to retrieve driver distance data that separates potential from repeatability.
Average Distance vs. Average Performance
Shot Scope tracks two different driver distance metrics.
Average distance includes each car, including accidents and extreme outliers.
Performance Average or P Avg removes outliers to show a golfer’s repeatable, well-struck distance.
P Avg is not your longest drive. It represents the distance you already produce when contact and launch conditions are fairly stable.
What the data shows
Range data shows that a golfer’s repeatable P-Avg distance often rivals or exceeds the average distance of players in the next lowest handicap range.
In practical terms, this means that many golfers already have enough distance to play with a lower handicap. They just don’t access it often enough.
Shooting range Driver distance comparison
| Handicap group | Average driver distance (yards) | Average driver distance P (yards) |
|---|---|---|
| Scratching – 5 | 250 | 263 |
| 6–10 | 227 | 245 |
| 11–15 | 214 | 236 |
| 16–20 | 200 | 222 |
| 21+ | 185 | 208 |
A 15-handicap golfer’s repeatable distance of 236 yards is longer than a 10-handicap golfer’s average distance of 227 yards. The difference between these players isn’t the raw power it seems; it’s consistency.
What does this mean for scoring?
Consistency in distance leads to shorter approach shots, more predictable strides, fewer rebound situations and better scoring opportunities.
A car that goes 260 times but 210 the next time is not useful. A car that reliably holds 230 to 235 is.
Where the equipment fits
Equipment undeniably affects how punishing your mistakes are.
Certain driver and golf ball combinations produce large swings in the launch and spin. When this happens, the gap between the average distance and the average distance P widens.
More stable setups tend to compress that gap, and that’s one of the reasons we look so closely at consistency in driver testing. The goal is for your pretty good swings to start flying much closer to your best.
How to apply this to your practice
The easiest way to implement this is to change the way you evaluate driver performance during practice, especially if you have a launch monitor.
Instead of focusing on maximum carry, maximum ball speed, or the single best drive, pay attention to how closely your drive distances stack up. Notice how often your launch height and spin stay in a similar range. Track how many discs fall significantly less than your typical good shot.
A productive practice session is one where your average movement starts to approach your repeatable distance. Hit 10 discs and see if you can keep them all within a similar flight and transport window.
Final thoughts
Most golfers already hit the ball far enough to score better.
What holds them back is how rarely they reproduce the distance they already have. If you’ve only gone after power on the range, it may not get you to your goals. Instead, work on endurance first and then go after power.
Distance POTENTiAL it’s fun. Distance ENDURANCE it’s what actually lowers the score.
Post Distance Consistency vs. Distance Potential: Which Lowers the Score? appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
