How Far Should I Expect to Throw?

 Question from Karen:

How far should a women’s grandmaster be able to throw? I took a lesson from a male pro, who thought I should easily be able to throw 200 ft, and was disappointed that I didn’t get there during the lesson. I noticed that during worlds, the long distance drive for a women’s grandmaster was 189 ft. It seems like unless the conditions for the contest were really extreme, then someone who’s nonathletic probably shouldn’t expect to throw that far. So, from your experience, what should I expect?

Response from Kathy Hardyman (5x GrandMaster’s World Champion):

Didn’t see a reference to Pro or Am, so I’m guessing that 189 to be am, and not easily. There are several Pro GM that can drive pretty far. For me personally (pre-knee replacement), a really good drive was 250′. I’d guess most of mine to be more like 200-230. And that’s years of experience. So the pro guy who was disappointed once again proves our point that men may not be the best teachers for women players. I would not expect an older, new woman, to throw 200 feet her first lesson. 150′ with practice would be real exciting to a newbie. The older you get, the more important accuracy and consistancy become, distance won’t necessarily win an event.