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  • Writer's pictureLyle Slovick

Distance Gone Wild

With all the talk on Twitter and elsewhere regarding the USGA and R&A's Distance Insights report, and players like Phil Mickelson saying the increases are do to stronger players and better conditioning, I'd refer them to the this video that the Golf Channel posted May 8, 2018. A young man on TrackMan hitting a wooden driver and an old Titleist Professional 90 ball, then a modern metal driver and Pro V1 ball.


With the old equipment: Swing speed – 110 m.p.h.; ball speed 156 m.p.h.; 233 yards carry, 243 total; spin rate 5,020 rpm; smash factor 1.42

With the new equipment: Swing speed – 115 m.p.h.; ball speed 169 m.p.h.; 287 yards carry, 305 total; spin rate 2,900 rpm; smash factor 1.47.


54 yards more carry and 62 yards more total in the blink of an eye. Swing speed alone would only add about 12-15 yards of carry. But with low spin on the ball and spin rates so low the ball floats in the air for long carries. High MOI on 460cc drivers allows a player to swing as fast as they like with little penalty for off-center hits.

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