[Nikkkola]

While I would agree with you in general, you would be surprised how far some (regular) people can hit the ball. Also a factor is where they live with elevation, wind, humidity, etc. I live in an area where elevation probably doesn't come into effect much, but maybe some. It is definitely higher than sea-level. I don't know how much that helps or not, but combined with the high temps in summer and high humidity, I'd venture a guess to say I'll hit the ball further here, than I would at sea-level in dry conditions.

One quick story about surprising distance. I was playing in a scramble with some friends. Two guys I knew their capabilities pretty well, they were both about a club or so behind me. One guy I hadn't played with that much (Billy), I knew to be a good player (sub 5 handicap). We were on a par 5 and sitting about 185-190 out into a slight breeze. I was going to try and hit an easy 4 (my 200 club) low and hard to just try and get on the green. One friend hit his 2 hybrid easy, the other hit a 5 wood. Billy puts a pretty good move on one, but dosen't do anything fancy, knocks one about 15 feet from the hole and here is the conversation:

"What did you hit there Billy, a 5?"
"Nah, I hit a 7"

I look at one of my friends and our jaws dropped. Turns out Billy can hit the hell out of the ball, who knew.

My point is, while there are plenty of people who will exaggerate how far they hit something, there are plenty that can actually do it. Just have to take it all with a grain of salt.