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can someone please explain distances to me?

• darrenpaulLMB 180 Posts

  Wed, Feb 9 2011 6:40 AM

  I'll give you an example, hole 4 on kiawah island, from the tees I am on is 401 yards, my first shot was 257 yards which should leave 144 yards, instead it said i was 170 yards from the hole.

  same again on hole 5, 171 yards from the hole, my first shot was 168 yards, which should leave me 3 yards from the hole, instead it was clearly indicated that I was 5 yards from the hole.

  same again on hole 6. 345 yards to the hole, my first shot was 256 yards which should leave me 89 yards from the hole, instead I am 130 yards from the hole.

  what the hell is going on? can anyone explain this?

• darrenpaulLMB 180 Posts

  Wed, Feb 9 2011 6:46 AM

  then on hole 7, 493 yards from the hole, my first shot was 261 yards, which should leave me 227 yards from the hole right? wrong, it should be 232 yards.

  I have noticed this several times, shot distance and distance left to the hole just doesn't add up but I never thought anything of it, I thought I was going mad.

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Wed, Feb 9 2011 6:58 AM

  I think the hole yardages are measured to the center of the green. When the pin isn't there you see the discrepancies.

• oksymoron 110 Posts

  Wed, Feb 9 2011 7:21 AM

  Hm, maybe you don't drive directly at  the pin? If I had 300 yards to the pin and hit 300 to the right at 90o, i'd be 424 yd from the hole, right?

• piztaker 5,743 Posts

  Wed, Feb 9 2011 7:30 AM

  Your first shot is hardly ever directly towards the pin, there are often obstructions which make you take a longer route. Anyway as long as you play your second shot as per the stated distance it doesn't really matter, allowing for height etc of course.

• darrenpaulLMB 180 Posts

  Wed, Feb 9 2011 8:03 AM

  thanks, like I said, I thought I was going mad. but it has happened more than a few times in the past and I have thought nothing of it.

• nowhammies 288 Posts

  Wed, Feb 9 2011 8:31 AM

  Darren I was curious about this post so I went and played Kiawah front 9 to take a look.  I first thought that maybe the measurements were taken from tees to the center of fairway then from there to center of green.  While I was on teebox I took the aim triangle and put it directly on the pin and sure enough the yardage was 401 yds to the pin.  I proceeded to hit my tee shot and I would say it went no more than 10 yds left of what would be a straight line between tee box and pin location.  My tee shot went 266 yds  so I should have had 135 yds left to the pin + or - a few yards since I was off the straight line.  To my amazement the remaining distance was 166 yds.  Now that is a big discrepancy 30 yds?   I know golf holes are measured in 2 different methods.  The oldest way to measure a hole is using a measuring wheel where you have to take into account the undulation of the terrain which will ultimately add more distance than the newer way to measure holes which is by a laser which is in the air exact distance.  The method that is being used on WGT seems to be straight line laser, so I don't understand the big difference in yardage after your tee shot is hit on this hole.  One could argue that the tees are 30 yds further back but when I was on tee box I aimed at the hole and the distance was 401 yds.  If the tees were further back I would expect it to give me the exact distance.  

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Wed, Feb 9 2011 8:40 AM

  You would think with GPS and the Skycaddie WGT's hooked up with it would be exact, no?

• nowhammies 288 Posts

  Wed, Feb 9 2011 8:50 AM

  As far as the 5th holes is concerned, it's 171 yds to the pin from tee box.  I hit my shot 169 yds but I'm 9yds away. Why?  Because i hit it to the right and was 27 feet from the hole.  That is very understandable.   

  Now I'm on Kiawah #6 tee box.  WTF?  Straight line measurement is around 400 yds from tee to pin.  Yet it says it's 345 yds?  This is getting interesting, I pulled my tee shot in the weeds so I had to tee it up again, now it says the hole is 386 yds?  LOL  Ok now I hit my tee shot 251 yds on a direct line to the pin and sure enough, I have exactly 135 yds to the hole.  

  Piztaker is correct that as long as the remaining yardage is correct that's all that matters.  But this is a problem for people that look at the yardage on tee box and decide on what club to hit, I don't always hit driver on every tee.  #3 on Kiawah I use a rescue club to stay short of all the rough down there, I always have between 115-100 yds and in middle of fairway. lets say I looked up at tee box on #6 it said 345 yds, I know I can't drive the green so I want to hit a club that will leave me 100yds so I hit my 3 wood.  Only to find out that the hole is actually 386 and not only am I 140 yds out I'm in the rough as well.  

• nowhammies 288 Posts

  Wed, Feb 9 2011 9:06 AM

  Now I see what's going on.  I went back and played Kiawah #4 and measured from tee box to hole and the aim point only goes to 400 yds.  So I took the aim point backwards until it read 399 yds and that is about 30 or so yds short of the hole.  If you ever play real golf the score card distance for a hole never changes, that is what is going on here.  The advertised distance for this hole on the tour pro tees is 401 yds which is the very front of that tee box.  The tour pro tees must be on the very back of that tee box.  There is the difference in the yardages on that hole. Problem solved !!