Are longer drivers here to stay?
Over the past few months, Bryson Dechambeau’s distance transformation has dominated golfing headlines. Many questioned if others would use his thinking and apply it to their own games, and it appears as if that’s the case. In recent weeks, a number of players have opted to put longer driver shafts in play as a way of creating more speed and therefore more distance – something Bryson has been experimenting with.
Phil Mickelson has gone to a 47.5-inch shaft, with Adam Scott putting a 46-inch Titleist TSI4 in play at the Houston Open. Also in Texas, Viktor Hovland was seen testing a 47- and 48-inch Ping G425 LST. Perhaps the most pertinent recent example, though, is Dylan Frittelli – a man who enjoyed remarkable success at Augusta with his 46-inch driver.
Speaking at The Masters, Frittelli said: “I was trying to gain some distance in the off-season and my trainer said ‘ why don’t you try a longer driver?’ I decided to go to a two-inchlonger shaft and I’m now up to 123mph clubhead speed and I’ve been flying it about 315, 320 yards off the tee.” At Augusta, his drives averaged 315.2 yards – second only to Bryson.
It’s hard to say if longer driver shafts will become the norm, but what’s for sure is that Bryson’s exploits and experimental approach are turning heads in the professional realm. It’s tough to argue that distance isn’t king.