Hi Reader,

But I found the middle of the face. And still lost yards.

Stagner is spot on and I would never argue against strike being listed as the highest ROI fix when it comes to distance.

But it still wasn't my own problem.

I was doing the one thing Stagner and every driving expert tells you to do above all else. Striking it well. My distances were however still very disappointing for my swing speed.

13 yards of carry and 19 yards of total lost in this one example and over double that gain it turns out was sitting there unclaimed for me once I sorted everything out.

Here's where the missing yards were. My attack angle was minus 2.4 degrees. On some swings, minus 4.4. I was hitting down on my driver and had no idea.

Moving the ball forward in my stance got me hitting up on it. Ten yards of extra carry, immediately.

But then the drives started ballooning and going way to high. Launch had jumped 3 to 6 degrees. A fitting then took me from 10.5 degrees of driver loft down to 8, and handed me another 20 yards.

Over 32 yards of carry distance and 43 yards of total distance in total - all with the same swing speed.

But this was my leak answer, and that doesn't mean it's yours.

Driving distance doesn't come from one thing. It’s several factors working together and the impact of each is not equal either. That’s why no driving distance single tip works for everyone.

And that's exactly why we made Distance Decoded.

It finds the yards already sitting in the swing you’ve got, then tells you what's most likely to give them back. No swing rebuild. No range marathon.

It starts by showing you where your distance is leaking. Find your lost yards now.​

⛳ What the distance actually gets you

So say you find those yards. What do they get you?

Not the drive. The shot after it.

Imagine you’re 200 yards out. Fairway lie. Pin in the middle.

How often is a good shot from there actually supposed to happen?

Lou Stagner went to the Arccos database with a tight definition. A good shot travels at least 90% of the way to the hole and finishes within 10 yards left or right.

From 200 yards, a 20-handicap manages it 8% of the time.

Now shorten the shot. From 100 yards the same golfer does it 42% of the time.

Same player. Same swing. Five times better, purely from standing closer.

A fortnight ago the Arccos handicap data told us approach play is the biggest chunk of what separates you from the next level. This is that chunk, shot by shot.

You’re not buying yards off the tee when you hit it farther. You’re buying an easier next shot.