[size=5] And not once in the entire decade has a player ranked top 50 in fairways hit while also being among the top 10 in distance. For all the preternatural gifts he may have had, however . IBM collected distance information at 11 of 34 official events in 1967 -- a number it deemed statistically relevant --- and found that the top-10 players in distance drove it an average of 270.2 yards. All shafts are S2S Stepless Steel Wishon. If we translate that advantage to last season, hed have averaged 318.71 yards, which would have led the tour. switch from liquid-filled balls to the current solid-core construction in the mid-2000s, 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans: How to watch, TV schedule, streaming, tee times, 2023 RBC Heritage: How to watch, TV schedule, streaming, tee times, 2023 Valero Texas Open: How to watch, TV schedule, streaming, tee times, 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play: How to watch, TV schedule, streaming, tee times. Nothing more, nothing less. and he was one of the longest hitters of his dayimagine what your average joe hit the ball then? Until the 1990s, persimmon drivers were the norm on the PGA Tour. Exactly. Once we got into a wound golf ball and once we got into steel shafts, the game from basically the early 1930s until 1995 changed very little, and all the golf courses that were built needed very little adjustment to be able to handle any kind of a tournament," Nicklaus told USA Today in 2007. Vokey 54.10, 2009 58.12 M, Testing TM MG2 60* TW grind and MG356* TW grind. Lets take Tiger, and look at it from that perspective, Eric Smallwood, president of Apex Marketing Group told us in 2020. RELATED: Jack at 80: 'I've still got a lot of things I want to do'. The chart below shows how the PGA Tour's average driving distance has changed since 1968 - distance data was not recorded between 1969 and 1980. . Hes everywhere. [/quote] Its a thought experiment supported by the limited data available. So, I think that's the pressure that she has to deal with tomorrow.. PGA Tour Victories: 73. In the past if you were a long hitter, youd expect them to hit less fairways than we do but now, they actually hit it long, and they're accurate, and they hit greens, and they're able to get up and down, and everything is good., Highlights: Tavatanakit leads at ANA Inspiration. . [size="5"]Pitching wedge: 80-130 yards[/size] Early in Jack's career, he would have MacGregor "narrow" the grooves in his irons as the normal width v grooves spun too much for his liking. But if you're leading by five or six and if you don't pull it off tomorrow, just don't feel that good. 1979-80 Nicklaus 1980-81 Nicklaus 1981-82 Nicklaus 1982-83 Nicklaus 1983-84 Nicklaus 1984-85 Nicklaus 1985-86 Nicklaus 1986-87 Nicklaus 1987-88 Nicklaus 1988-89 Nicklaus 1989-90 Nicklaus 1990-91 Nicklaus 1991-92 Nicklaus 1992-93 Nicklaus 1993-94 Nicklaus 1994-95 Nicklaus 1995-96 Nicklaus 1996-97 Nicklaus . Club: Average Distance: Driver: 250 yds: 3 Wood: 235 yds: 1 Iron: 215 - 235 yds: 2 Iron: 205 - 220 yds: 3 Iron: 295 - 210 yds: 4 Iron: 185 - 200 yds: . [size=5] and he was one of the longest hitters of his dayimagine what your average joe hit the ball then? Nicklaus ranked 10th in driving distance and won two majors during that 1980 campaign, but his 269 yards off the tee would have been dead last on Tour in 2019. Truth is a lot of us played pretty well with that old stuff, and I think the memory of that versus the lack of results with modern equipment especially compared to all of the hype is why there's a revival of interest in classic equipment. [size="5"]2-iron: 205-220 yards[/size] Patty Tavatanakit is the whole package. Who has the best driving accuracy this . [size=5]1-iron: 215-235 yards[/size] Callaway Epic GBB Driver 9* Project X Even Flow Blue 65G 6.0 shaft Its a lucrative profession these dayseven more lucrative with LIV Golf jumping in and forcing the PGA Tour to juice up prize money payoutand it wasnt always that way. crazy to think how good he would have been with new equipment and balls Jack Nicklaus PGA TOUR Player Profile, Stats, Bio, Career What year was it? Nicklaus brings up a valid point on the modern golf balls effect on distance. Sound like anyone familiar? Now, one of the most well-respected legends in the game has shared his thoughts on the findings. He used brute force (those awesome legs) to hit those long irons high. No one in the modern history of golf was as straight off the tee as Calvin Peete (right). His name, you learn, is Jackie Nicklaus. Since 2010, the average driving accuracy rank for players to be in the top 10 on TOUR in driving. Jack held the record for quite a while with a drive of 340 some odd yards. [/quote] Simply put, he would have been an ultra-phenom had his rise happened today. John Daly, by the way, became the first golfer to average 300 yards off the tee in 1997. He averaged 270 yards off the tee. [/size] A few years ago as the Golden Bears 80th birthday approached, we got to thinking: What would Nicklaus career have looked like if he came to prominence today, in this age of eight-figure purses and TrackMan and Twitter? I've been playing since 1973, and IMO there's as much or more bad golf today with the modern equipment as there was back then. Golf Club Distance Chart for Men By Skill Level, Golf Club Distance Chart for Woman By Skill Level, Golf Club Distance Chart for Senior Golfers, Golf Club Distance Chart for PGA Tour Players, Golf Club Distance Chart for LPGA Tour Players, Callaway Chrome Soft vs. Supersoft 2023 PGA Pro Review, Best Driving Irons In 2023 Straighter And Further Off The Tee, Best Golf Irons For Mid Handicapper In 2023 Expert Review, Best Japanese Golf Driver 2023 PGA Pro Review. We went to the expert to find out exactly what that means. He had an average driving distance of 321.4 yards, just ahead of Rory Mcllroy in second place with an average driving distance of 320.4 yards. [/quote] Just keep on playing. Ted P, Sorry Jim, I didn't read all the way down to your articlewe're on the same page, Jack could move it out there In perfect conditions, see the table below. Two decades later, hed gained 13 yards. But in addition, the quality of strike plays a huge role to determine how far you hit the ball. GOLF DIGEST MAY EARN A PORTION OF SALES FROM PRODUCTS THAT ARE PURCHASED THROUGH OUR SITE AS PART OF OUR AFFILIATE PARTNERSHIPS WITH RETAILERS. If you take Lee Trevino for his word: freakin far. Consider this incomplete chronological list of some of his accomplishments before turning pro: Won five straight Ohio Junior titles, beginning at age 12 in 1952 Won the 1956 Ohio Open against a field of professionals at 16 Won the 1957 International Jaycee Tournament Qualified for the 1957 U.S. Open at 17 Finished 12th in his first non-major PGA Tour event at 18 Won the 1958 Trans-Mississippi Amateur Won the 1959 Trans-Mississippi Amateur Won the 1959 U.S. [size="5"]From Golf My Way p. 31[/size] In the end, nobody cares if you placed the ball 3 feet from the hole with a 6 iron or a 9 iron. With the length that I have, some of the lines you had to take it a little different, and seeing it enough, I've hit it the furthest I've ever hit here, Tavatanakit said about her return to Mission Hills. Since the late 90s, scoring has fallen about 0.4 strokes per round, a number that is too small to make any definite claims about. On a windy day, gusts can carry a player's ball away from the fairway- regardless of if youre a golf driving professional or just an average golfer. Wishon 775HS 22*, 25* In 2012, it was 57th. Jack Nicklaus weighs in on the USGA and R&A's distance findings - Golf There is a lot of information about how far you should hit your clubs, but they often lack completeness and background information. 5-G . In it they share this statistical confirmation that core exercises really are the difference between today's Nicklaus' and Watson's and Nicklaus and Watson. In fact, several notable players are not among the top 20 in average driving distance, yet have won major tournaments and/or contend on a regular basis. But theres another relevant data point here, and it paints a slightly different picture. That was with the old MacGregor persimmon and the old Tourney ball, which was known to be pretty much a dud (the ball). Tavatanakit took a one-stroke lead into the weekend and on moving day extended her lead to as many as six. Compare that with today's bombers: In 2012, the PGA Tour's top 10 in driving distance were 20.3 yards longer (7 percent) than the tour average. But Dent changed the protocol. crazy to think how good he would have been with new equipment and balls. Ever wondered what the average golf club distance chart is for amateurs and pros? More important than how far you hit the ball is to know your own distances. Nicklaus had an endorsement deal with MacGregor Golf, and he played the manufacturers clubs and balls during all 18 of his major victories. 2OnePutt Advanced Members 122 Feedback 0 0 0 Total Rating 0% Posted April 13, 2011 [size=5]From Golf My Way p. 31 [/size] [size=5] [/size] [size=5]Driver: 250 yards and up[/size] In 1980, Nicklaus ranked 10th in driving distance and 13th in accuracy, giving him a TOUR-leading total driving figure of 23. . Hinako Shibuno's first impression of Mission Hills Country Club was far from confidence-inspiring and, in hindsight, mistaken. Taylormade M3 3w 17* Fujikura Atmos S shaft Search for fun things to do in your area led by PGA Professionals. An incomprehensible 73 top-ten finishes in the majors, 25 more than any other player. He hit many documented drives well over 300 in favourable conditions, but, yes, in terms of average driving distance throughout the season, somewhere around 265 would be about right So, what caused the simultaneous changes? He nearly managed it again, only yards shy. But theres one lesser-known statistic that might be just as untouchable. Smash Factor relates to the amount of energy transferred from the club head to the golf ball. She leads by five strokes with 18 holes to play. In the last 20 years, it exploded. I acknowledged that. There is a lot of self-awareness going on out there today, Tavatanakit said. [size=5] Luckily for us (and somewhat randomly) IBM did, for whatever reason, decide to measure driving distances for 11 tournaments in 1967, when Nicklaus was 27 and in his physical prime. Weiskopf drove it past Jack and outplayed him all day, but Jack holed out three times during the final round. [/quote] Now, on to the list: Jack was able to hit 2,3,4 irons sky high and land them soft. I did everything I can to keep it a little bit calmer, because I know I'm getting excited. The higher the smash factor the better the energy transfer. Only 12 of the 1,139 golfers included in these records has ever even broke 80 percent for a full season. In 2020, the average PGA Tour (male golfers) driving distance reached an all-time high of 296.4 yards, the longest average driving distance ever. But we recently came across an article from the January 1968 issue of Golf Digest that suggests Jack's distance advantage with the driver wasn't all that great. Those photos above shows how strong Jack was. January 16, 2022 8:00 am ET. A Mammoth drive for persimmon! [size=5] Mizuno JPX 921 Hot Metal. But he did shoot that 64 and win the 1956 Ohio Open as a 16-year-old, and he most certainly was the best junior golfer in America. Here are some other notable golfers and their average driving distance in 2023. Click on the button below the view their offers. The leader in distance, Bubba Watson at 315.5 yards, was 9.1 percent longer. Wedges now are 43 to 47 degrees, in jacks day they were 50 and 52. He swung the 150-gram steel shaft in the persimmon at 106 miles per hour. To this day, that remains the best single-season total driving performance ever recorded. But it would be amazing to have seen him in his prime play with today's equipment on the "Old" Augusta Nationalor any other great course. If you're leading by one or two, anything can happen in golf, Park said. And not only that, he could putt. With 18 holes to play, Tavatankit leads by five at 14 under par. That, no doubt, came at the instruction of her mental coaches, Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott of Vision54, who have been on-site with her this week. [size="5"]7-iron: 140-155 yards[/size] The Korn Ferry trademark is also a registered trademark, and is used in the Korn Ferry Tour logo with permission. Half of the high handicappers could barely get off the tee with the old persimmon, and 200 yards on average was pretty good back then (especially when they topped ever 3rd or 4th drive). That would have ranked 188th on Tour in 2019. There, nestled between David Peoples and Nicloas Thompson, youll find the name Jack Nicklaus, ranking No. Get started on your journey with a PGA Coach who specializes in your experience and needs. According to shotlink data, there were 200 measured drives of 375 yards or longer during the 2015-16 PGA Tour season, including eight surpassing the 400-yard barrier. [size=5] Tavatanakit is playing the course in a way that Rankin, the winner of the 1976 ANA Inspiration, has never seen before. RBZ 25* hb; RBZstage 2 19* hb. RELATED: The 15 longest drives on the PGA Tour since 2010. ENTER NOW! Look at our favorite swing tips to improve your game! [b]Definitely one of, if not the longest out there. He often overpowered courses much in the same way todays longest hitters do, and he did so that week. Now that they have clear findings obtained from century of collecting data & its impact on all levelsfrom golf played at highest level to recreational golfI look forward to supporting industrys collaborative effort to find solutions that are in best interest of games future. . They used to have a crosswalk on the first fairway, barely more than 100 yards from the green. Dottie Pepper set the 72-hole record of 269 at 19 under par in 1999. Ted P, Jack was a beast in his day. Weiskopf eventually won by a shot over Nicklaus. [size=5] His ball was the shortest in the group. Some of the Nicklaus gallery stayed there and then raced ahead to catch up with Jack, after watching Dent's blast. [size=5]2-iron: 205-220 yards[/size] The ball carried 270 yards off his driver, which measured 45 and 230 off the relic, which measured 43. The hole then was 384 yards, Of note, "Nicklaus broke the face insert nine times in 1961 and cracked the neck in a 1966 "Challenge of the Champions" match with Gary Player.".