I never realized this as i have not watched much lady golf at all, but was tuning into the Kraft championship for a few min just in time to see Michelle Wie hit a 145 yd PW. Didn't look like there was any wind whatsoever. In addition, some other Korean chick w/ last name Ryu hit a "half 8 iron" 140 to the pin on a par 3. Is there something I am missing or have LPGA players always made me their b****? I seriously got pissed when I saw MW hit a PW 145.

MW is very long for a girl. Probably the exception. However, a half 8 to 140 isn't long at all.

for the women it is, in 2012 all LPGA 8-irons averaged 130 so a halfie going 140 probably is a long hitter or had some help.

Wie's a long hitter, and banks....I wouldn't feel too bad buddy.

Watch Big Break Florida and it will make you feel good about your game.

They usually have very efficient swings and hit the sweet spot. That's much more important than strength.

And Wie is 6ft-ish, so that helps a lot.

I went to the lpga event last year in Irving and will go again this year. The ladies are surprising long and very very straight hitters. Remember a lot of them are shorter then 5'6" and don't weigh 150 lbs. It is very relateable golf compared to the pga tour.

Went to the event in Irving last year with my 7 year old daughter and will go again.

-they hit the ball just as far as a low handicap male- off the tee they are 275-280
-they hit the ball RIGHT ON THE SWEET SPOT. The sound is totally different from the average dude single handicapper
-great short game and putting, just as good as the guys
-Las Colinas CC is alot more intimate setting...range, practice green, first tee, etc, is all right there. (versus the Nelson where everything is so spread out)
-players are great and interact with the fans, especially kids. Come out of the locker room to warm up and gladly take pics with kids, autographs, etc. My daughter likes Paula Creamer and she took a pic and signed for her, and then gave her a ball on the course. Cristi Kerr's caddie saw my daughter and gave her a signed ball. She gots pictures wtih Lexi Thompson and Natalie Gulbis too. And this was all BEFORE they teed off.


-If you have been to a PGA event like the Nelson, the players pretty much have blinders on and don't even look at the fans. The ladies do and it is awesome. On one hole Paula sprayed it in the rough and was just chatting with the gallery nonstop. Then she gets a crazy up and down and we were all just going crazy.

-there are alot of fans but it's nothing like the zoo that the regular PGA tour has become, especially on a Friday. We went on Friday and followed Paula around and it was just awesome.

Can you imagine what would happen if you went up to the average PGA tour pro before their round by the practice green and asked to take a picture? The caddie would take your phone and smash it into a thousand pieces, the player would never look at you, and some security thug would throw you out. Instead you get this.


here's my daughter and Paula. My daughter was decked out in pink head to toe but it started raining and so she had to put on my pullover.




[This message has been edited by Prexys Moon (edited 4/4/2014 9:29a).]

[This message has been edited by Prexys Moon (edited 4/4/2014 9:30a).]

Paula

I guess I just never realized they were close to this powerful. It doesn't help that I am 6'3" 205 and play an 8 iron from 150-155 in ideal conditions. I hit my driver pretty long but i guess I slow things down quite a bit for my irons. Now that I know that these chicks are making me look like a little b****, I may have to work on this. I am willing to sacrifice significantly in the scoring dept. to hit a PW 145. Half joking.

Anyways, it had me feelin slightly emo last night seeing a petite korean chick hit a very easy 8i 140 and then seeing Wie take a smooth swing with a PW and launching it 145.

[This message has been edited by El Mero Guero (edited 4/4/2014 9:45a).]

one of the par 3s when we followed her was 155 or so. We were right by the tee and Paula hit a smooth 8, pin high. (I hit an 8 about 160 or so and that is when I hit it good). I think the average LPGA pro has similar yardages to a solid single handicapper guy. However, they just also hit it like a laser and have great short games. Their shots into the greens land just as soft and have as much spin as the guys do.

And they don't play off the ladies tees. It looked like on most holes they were playing off the regular mens' tees.

If any of you get a chance to go in May to the one in Irving, again, I highly reccomend it. I think you'll pick up more that you can apply to your own game than watching the guys hit their drives 320 and 5 irons 210.

[This message has been edited by Prexys Moon (edited 4/4/2014 9:46a).]

quote:

---

Their shots into the greens land just as soft and have as much spin as the guys do.

---

I have to completely disagree with this statement. I've watched LPGA golf in person and found this to be one of their biggest drawbacks. They don't have the clubhead speed to spin it and hold greens like the guys.

And maybe my expectations are too high, but I've also been surprised with how bad their short games are. "Bad" is a relative term (obviously way better than most amateurs), but I would have expected them to be equal to the PGA guys in this regard. It's the one area where they are on an even playing field. But the avg LPGA short game would be among the worst on the PGA Tour.

I am sure you are right in what you saw, Hou Aggie, my experience was from following Paula Creamer for 9 holes. We would generally get up ahead of her and watch the ball come into the green and take off as soon as she putted out. Just from my limited 9 holes, the shots we saw into greens had a lot of spin on them. Her short game, during that nine holes anway, was sick. She got up and down from a long bunker shot and then got up and down again from way off the green where she played a bump and run up the path that the specators had been walking where the ball hit and rolled up to about a foot from the hole. That was just one player and just nine holes , though.


here's my daughter with Lexi Thompson. Again, this was before her round.

I guess maybe I'm talking about the avg girl and you're talking about one of the best. You're probably right that Paula and comparable lady pros have fantastic short games. I just felt like I saw and have seen way more chips/pitches almost duffed and short putts missed by the ladies, than I've ever seen at a PGA event.

quote:

---

They usually have very efficient swings and hit the sweet spot. That's much more important than strength.

---

Yep. I got fitted for a driver a couple years ago. It was outdoors, and I hit probably 200+ balls because the fitter kept tinkering with shafts and lofts. Both the fitter/owner and his assistant were frustrated & said I had one of the worst angle of attacks they'd ever seen. After a few balls, the fitter said I'd add 25+ yards if I had the attack angle of an LPGA player. If I remember correctly, I was consistently -5*. They said PGA players are usually between -2 and 0, and that LPGA players are between 0 and +3.

What was funny is that I felt like they were looking down on me because of my angle of attack (and even offering advice).... but I was consistently hitting it over 345-355 yards (325-335 sea level) with a tight dispersion.

So I should feel a little better and should NOT try to completely overhaul my swing and game based on one shot by Michelle Wie???

Would you feel worse if Wie drove it further than you or if a 13 year old drove it further?

Well, you don't have to choose. Because Wie was hitting it further than some MALE tour pros when she was 13.

Definitely overhaul your swing. Anybody can hit it straight. Distance is everything.

agree with you, HouAggie, Paula is also taller and stronger than most of them out there, except for the Michelle Wie's. I didn't get to see her, hopefully I will this time.

Agree that you will learn more at an lpga event than pga event.

Plus the players actually visit with the gallary. I saw a few players taking pictures With fans while they were on the course.

quote:

---

-great short game and putting, just as good as the guys

---

I disagree. They're not nearly as good as the men.

Men (aside from Phil) don't have breasts getting in the way. Can you imagine trying to finesse a chip shot from 50 yds out with a pair of c-cups?

[This message has been edited by El Mero Guero (edited 4/4/2014 1:40p).]

I don't think finesse and C cups go together well in the same sentence. What most guys would do with em, you can't really describe with 'finesse.'

I went to the LPGA tournament that was held down near Sugarland about 5 or 6 years ago...Michelle Wie outdistanced the other girls in her group by close to 50-75 yards on the one drive I watched. I also followed Sandra Gal for a short time.

Fun to watch them play and was not nearly as crowded as going to men's tournaments.

That said, I really had a blast watching John Daly play at the Shell Open many years ago at The Woodlands. To see someone take such a crazy hard swing and smack the ball straight, just amazing.

Haha OP is such a p00n

160 with an 8 iron is pretty good. Most PGA tour pros hit it that far.

Great pics, Prexys!

You want to see a swing that was literally tit-****ed but still very playable? Natalie Gulbis.

I played a round with Mary Michael Maggio (mcube) at Traditions when she was on the A&M team (FYI; she won her fair share of college tournaments) and boys, she can flat out smoke it! Long, accurate (dare I say precise), and about the most humble & grounded person you'll ever meet...
She is not tall like Wie; just has a beautiful swing, hits the sweet spot consistently, and compresses the heck out of the ball. Her short game is pretty sick, too. These girls / ladies are not only good, but they're very approachable & great ambassadors as expressed by previous posters above...very few prima donnas on LPGA.

I've worked the range at a few PGA events and at the LPGA Championship. There are a few of the men that are appreciative and acknowledge the volunteers. On the flipside, ALL of the gals go out of their way to thank you for everything. Ai Miyazato was my personal favorite.

As far as golfing skills, the men are much more impressive because they are so much better than most of us. Hell, Vijay will hit 275 yard draws ONE HANDED as part of his 2 hour range session. But watching a 5ft, 115lb lady striping 230yd 3 woods is impressive as well.

Vijay hits a lot.

Watched some of the Kraft this afternoon and the top players are really damn good and young. Three or four players in the top 20 were younger than 20.

And the distance difference is just stupid. Lexi Thompson is one+ clubs longer than se re pak.