Most male golfers are wielding drivers that measure 45 to 48 inches, the maximum allowed under the united states golf associations rules of golf. This paper will describe why shaft length is critically important in fitting a driver. Whats the average driver shaft length on the pga tour. I tend to believe him because when i was fitted by avery reed, a former tour van employee of taylor made, he told me that he never fitted a tour player for a driver longer than 45inches long in his time on tour. At 4ft it is designed to help increase swing speed and improve distance as a result. In the last 25 years, the average driver shaft length has gradually moved from 43 inches to 45. If you are a golf fan you may have seen the news recently that reigning pga championship winner jimmy walker put a 42 inch titleist 917d2 driver into play at the pga tour events held recently in hawaii. Nicklaus cranked a 341yard blast to win the pga championships long drive competition in 1963 with the old ball. The golf club shaft length and driving distance relationship. The average length of a driver shaft on the pga tour is 44.
I am using a 914 driver and shortened it to 43 12 inches. The women generally have slower swing speeds than the men. Taking a look at the driver shaft length used by the tour leaders in strokes gained. But the results were much better than anticipated and it was the longest on test thanks to the extra clubhead speed generated by the long shaft. Cobra introduces the long tom, an extended length driver with 46 shaft. With the pga tour season ramping back up this week, its time to take a look at some of the most popular driver shafts. The stock shaft of the cobra long tom is 48 inches long.
Since the mid 2000s, the average driver length on the pga tour has held. Initially tgs gear team jon and dave c were sceptical about putting long tom in the test because the 48inch shaft is right on the legal limit. Miles of golf feels one of the very important parts of fitting a customer for a driver is the length of the driver. Thanks for your detailed article of 2009 about are your golf clubs too long. You might have a great club head that is used by some of the best golfers in the world, but if you dont have the right golf club shaft length, it will all. With only that realization in mind, shouldnt all golfers question these companies as to why their std driver lengths are longer than what almost every. The long tom has the highest length to weight ratio of any cobra driver.
Heading into the 2019 pga championship at bethpage state parks black course, which demands long and straight tee shots, pgatour. There is an optimum driver shaft length with which golfers will achieve maximum clubhead speed and it will vary from player to player. The average driver shaft length on tour is roughly 44. Perhaps that is why the average driver length on the pga tour is 44. Lights right for many pros, but heavy shafts still work. After sundays round and reading this article, i may try a driver shaft length of no greater than 6 inches. However, in the 21st century a standard driver is considered to be 45 inches. We immediately set out to fix that and discover whether golfers are helped or harmed by longer driver shafts. Wishon also told me that the average driver length on the pga tour is shorter than the standard lengths equipment companies sell us. In much the same way, the golf club shaft in your driver could be considered the engine that drives you down the fairway. Top 10 longest hitters in the 20172018 pga tour and their. Driver shaft length are you shorting yourself using a 46.
A short driver shaft covers a lesser distance and lesser raw swing speed for some golfers when compared to a long driver shaft, although not all players cover a longer distance with a long shaft. The standard length of a driver for men used to be 43. Besides just getting my new sterling one length irons ive picked up a new shaft va composites slay 65 stiff to put my driver length at 43. With an ultalight grafalloy black bird graphite shaft, with a length of 48, the long tom will help you generate unmatched club head speed. That could wreck your golf game tom wishon ricks custom fit. Now doing more research i find that the average lpga driver length is 45. Michael breed, host of the golf fix, answers a viewers email question on driver shaft length. Contrary to what some might think, there isnt a run on longer shafts as a way to chase more distance. But the key point here really is the fact that virtually no pga tour player uses a driver length that is as long as the mens standard lengths of the vast majority of the big golf companies. Cobra long tom driver the cobra long tom driver is designed to be the ultimate weapon for incredible distance. Thats the idea behind the 48inch driver, which is the longest club permitted under the rules of golf. Hi tom, ive had your fitting and bought your irons and wedges but held off the driver, being nervous about your suggested loft and shaft length.
Initially tgs gear team jon and dave c were sceptical about putting long tom in the test because the 48inch shaft is right on the legal limit and completely different to anything else on the market. There is no doubt that most golf equipment manufacturers are trying to get more distance by putting light weight shafts 45 to 55 grams and lighter weight heads in their drivers. While researching i found that the average pga pros driver is often quoted as 44. Here you have a collection of some of the best golfers on the planet, golfers with incredibly good swings, yet on average, they play with drivers which are 2 inches shorter in length than what is being sold to regular golfers. With the new trend of shortened driver shafts on tour right now, a question came to my mind. On the off chance that tom wishon, josh chervokas, and basically. With an ultalight grafalloy black bird graphite shaft, with a length of. Four feet long max allowed by the usga with ultralight shaft and grip delivering maximum distance. Taking a look at popular driver shafts on the pga tour. At four feet long and ultra light, the long tom drivers have the highest length to weight ratio of any cobra driver, resulting in ultimate distance. I sort of steered the conversation to driver length. Check out breeds tip on how to determine whether your driver shaft length is too long or too short. Find the right driver shaft length for your game golficity.
Cobra is among the fastest growing golf club brands in the industry, experiencing significant market share increase within its metal woods and irons category. Cobra long tom drivers in stock for next working day delivery. A short shaft driver tends to offer better dispersion, smash factor, and quality of contact in comparison to a long shaft driver. Cobra is actually releasing a 48 driver called the long tom for 2012. Rickie fowler finds shorterlength driver to his liking. Struggling with accuracy off the tee, rickie fowler shaved an inch off his driver length at the honda classic, using a 43. Since 2005, the average driver length on the pga tour has stood at 44. In reality, the average length of a driver used on tour is 44. Built for distance, this fourfoot long ultralight long tom weighs only 269 grams enabling faster club head speeds.
As the driver length got shorter most of the golfers actually gained distance, with the. The cobra long tom driver is designed to be the ultimate weapon for incredible distance. According to tom wishon pictured above, he states that since 2006 the average length of a driver on the pga tour is 44. On tour you have a collection of golfers who you would think could very well control a longer length driver because of their incredible swing.
The quest for a more accurate driver practical golf. When we realized that we had never tested the concept of shorter driver shafts being more accurate. The definitive guide to shaft length, what you really need to know to make sure your clubs are fitted to you. Should i increase the length and maybe inconsistent as your article indicates or should i stretch more. It may seem surprising but the average driver length on the pga tour is slightly less, at 44. Only 33% of our respondents play a driver that is shorter than 45 inches. Hey tom, thanks for your years of helping us mortals figure out this great game. With that said, most male golfers are playing with drivers that measure 45 to 48 inches although incredibly long, 48 inches is the maximum length allowed under the usgas rules of golf. According to our poll, 30% of you play a 45 inch driver, 19% play a 45. Once the length becomes too long, the golfer starts to hit around the clubface. That is why the cluboratory, our fitting center, has drivers of varying length. The first is by tom wishon, who is considered by many to be one of the. Another golf info site whose name is not to be mentioned said that major brand drivers they were sent to demo in 2010 had shafts that were 46 long. Com took a look into the driver setups of the top 10 players in.
Longest drive competitions, question about distances. The long tom is a driver that attempts to tick one box and that is distance. So, for the last 6 mths ive left the driver in the garage and teed off with with a no3 fairway wood. Cobra called upon a wwii artillery cannon as its inspiration for a persimmon driver many years ago and again with its newest driver to the market. There is also a time proven adage about golf clubsthe longer the length, the lower the loft, the heavier the weight, and the stiffer the shaft, the harder the club will. The folks at ping built me two identical g30 driversone at their standard length of 4534 inches, the other two inches shorter.
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