How about that for a catchy blog title! This weekend I was reading one of the golf mags that I get and it showed some of the new drivers coming out in 2012. The NEW thing this year is Light Weight Drivers – supposed to help you to swing faster and so get more distance.
It is interesting, I think, that there seems to be a way that we are supposed to be able to hit the ball further each year with each new breakthrough in technology. Is this really true though? To me the "proof of the pudding" is how many of the players on the PGA tour are playing these longer lighter drivers. So far as I have been able to read, the number is pretty small if not zero. Well, not zero, because I did hear of someone who was playing a 40 gram shafted driver; however, I am not sure he has his tour card for next year. The average driver length on the PGA tour continues to be something around 44-1/2 inches. Not 46 inches like most of the drivers you can buy in stores, not even the 48 inches of at least one of the new drivers available. So we are supposed to be able to hit these long light drivers when the best players in the game are not using them?
Maybe what any golfer can do to get More Distance, or at least the Distance he or she is capable of, Does Not Change Every Year. I would propose that this consists of three things….
1. Good swing mechanics so that you have a repeatable golf swing. And for maximum distance one where you most effectively transfer the energy from your swing to the golf ball.
2. A driver that you can swing and hit the center of the golf club as much as possible – thus again maximizing transfer of energy to the golf ball.
3. A driver and swing that allows you to have a face angle and club path at impact that are very close to each other, so that your shots are either straight at the target or slightly off target with minimum curve.
Sorry there are no magic bullets for Maximizing Distance. But maybe the good news is that once you get the right driver for you and use the right swing mechanics, maybe you do not have to worry any more about "more distance!"
The Fit Is IT!!
Tony