Longest Driver on the PGA Tour

So who had the best average drive for distance on the PGA Tour this year? Let's find out. It had to be John Daly right? No. Tiger? No. Maybe Brett Wetterich? Guess again. Yes, Bubba Watson, the man with the best name on the PGA Tour had the longest average drive on the PGA tour this year. He averaged 315.2 yards over 70 rounds according to pgatour.com. Tiger was tied for tenth on the list with a 302.4 yard average drive over 63 rounds.

It's been said that Watson uses a Ping G5 driver.

Would you like to emulate Bubba Watson's swing? Here is a slow-mo video of Bubba's swing, as found on YouTube:

Driving Distance in the Second Round

In the second round of the Tour Championship being played at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, GA, Brett Wetterich led the field in average driving distance with a 308.4 yard average drive. The rest of the field averaged 285.5 yards off the tee according to pgatour.com. Brett was considerably ahead of his next competitor in distance, by a 8.9 yard average over Robert Allenby.

So far in 2007, Brett has averaged 303.7 yards off the tee on the PGA Tour. That's good enough for seventh overall in 2007, and consistent with his 308.4 yards in this year's Tour Championship. Brett also ranks first on the tour for the longest drive of the year, with a 437 yarder.

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Tiger Woods Wins.....Again

With Phil Mickelson sitting this one out, Tiger Woods decided to take over the course at Cog Hill on the final day. Tiger shot an amazing 63 for the day (8 under par) to finish at 22 under par for the tournament and win the BMW Championship. Vintage Tiger, playing with his Nike SasQuatch Tour 460 driver!

According to pgatour.com, Tiger ranked third in average driving distance for today's round at Cog Hill, behind Brett Wetterich and Bubba Watson. Watson led the field in average distance with a 313.3 yards average, while Tiger averaged 311.8 yards from the tee box.

The Longest Drivers (Driver Ratings)

Which golf clubs provide the longest drives? Distance is key in today's golf game. Hit it long (and straight) and you set yourself up for an excellent score. Well, what drivers will provide you with that much needed distance? It's hard to say for sure. But.....there have been tests done, analyzing distance provided by drivers as compared to one another. Golf Test USA has done such a test and published the results. With 32 drivers listed, they had sixty golfers at different playing levels play between to five to seven drivers each, and then ranked the scores in each category from 1 to 10 (10 being the highest.)

The top-ranked drivers by distance (with score) are as follows:

T1. Nickent 4DX (8.5)
T1. Cleveland Hibore XL (8.5)
T1. Callaway FT-5 (8.5)
T1. Tour Edge Exotics (8.5)
T2. Nike SQ Sumo (8.4)
T2. Mizuno MX-500 (8.4)
T2. Callaway FT-i (8.4)

Of these top seven drivers for distance, you'll see that Callaway is the only maker with more than one driver listed. Granted, the caveat with these tests is that, as stated on the testers website, "We have yet to test the driver that hits a ball ten yards longer than any other driver." However, if you really need that extra distance, and assurance you are using the longest-driving clubs around, check out on of these top seven ranked drivers.

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Jonathan Byrd Leads the BMW Championship

Leading the BMW Championship at 7 under, Jonathan Byrd is set to drive his way to a tournament win in Illinois. What was Jonathan using last time he was checked at the 2007 John Deere Classic? It was a Callaway Big Bertha Fusion FT-3, 10.5 degree loft.

Golfballs.com is currently selling this driver for $299.95. If you'd like to pick up a used model, a quick search of completed listings on eBay shows that you can get one, similar to the one Jonathan Byrd is using, for between $115 and $175, including shipping.

Adjustable Club Rule

According to Golf World, the USGA and R and A will be adopting the proposed adjustability rule, which would take effect on Jan. 1, 2008. There will be no change to the current rule stating that club head changes cannot be made during a round of golf, and no further information was available on exactly what clubhead changes will be permitted.

Although the new rule isn't explicit, ideas and samples for clubhead adjustability will be permitted for submission prior to the Jan 1., 2008 effective date. Golf World states that, "...there is some confusion as to what might be acceptable. In their correspondences with manufacturers, both the R and A and USGA stress that advance notice is a crucial first step, and that manufacturers need not wait until Jan. 1 to begin submitting samples or ideas for adjustable clubheads."

This being stated, we should look to see more and more advancements in the already burgeoning adjustable driver market.

Justin Rose Leads the 2007 BMW Championship

Justin Rose is currently blazing through the course at the BMW Championship in Lemont, Illinois. What driver is Justin using to do this? Last bag check showed that Justin was using a TaylorMade r7 Quad 8.5 degree.

The MSRP as listed on golfreview.com for this driver is a whopping $750. Unless you are a SERIOUS golfer (or independently wealth,) you probably won't be picking up this driver new. The overall rating as listed on golfreview.com is a 4.48 out of 5 stars. As listed on amazon.com, this driver shows as a 5 out of 5 stars.

In line with purchasing and using this club if you are a SERIOUS golfer, about.com states, "TaylorMade says the r7 quad is will work best for players that possess the ability to repeat their swing and recognize changes in trajectory. Tour pros and low- to mid-handicap amateurs (zero to 18 handicap) will get the most out of the r7 quad, the company says." If that description fits your game, just take a look at what Justin Rose is doing on the golf course today with this driver.

(photo courtesy of Fleegolf)

Defending BMW Champion's Driver

According to The Golf Channel's last bag check, reigning BMW Tournament Champion, Trevor Immelman, was using a Nike SasQuatch 9.5º. According to Nike.com, this driver utilizes "distance enhancing NexTi, the hottest and strongest titanium that Nike Golf has created.



This driver is described as providing a "powerful blend of distance and accuracy." Stewart Cink, K.J. Choi and Justin Leonard are some of the other golf pros who are listed by Nike as using this driver.

(photo courtesy of tgw.com)

Mickelson Wins

Playing with Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson did it. He won. He won the Deutsche Bank Championship and proved that he can win when paired with Tiger, once again (Phil last won when paired with Tiger in 2000.) What was Phil driving the ball with when he claimed victory? Well, the last bag check performed by the Golf Channel, shows that Mickelson was using a Callaway FT-5 8.5° at The PLAYERS Championship this year.

Remember that the loft on Phil's club as checked was 8.5 degrees, not the 10 degrees shown in the picture above. Was he using this same club when he won the Deutsche Bank Championship today? Although we don't have visual proof for you, it's highly likely.

(photo courtesy of bhmgolf.com)

Driver Loft

Have you ever wondered what the loft angle (in degrees,) listed on your driver actually means? Wikipedia offers an excellent concise explanation: "Various clubs are designed with the face of the club head, also called the "clubface", having differing loft (the angle between a vertical plane and the clubface when the club is at rest). It is loft that makes a golf ball leave the ground on an ascending trajectory, not an upward direction of swing: with the exception of the tee shot, the club actually hits the ball in a horizontal or slightly downward motion. The impact of the clubface compresses the ball. Grooves on the clubface impart a counterclockwise (from a parallel view of the swing) spin, known as backspin, on the ball, that when combined with the rebounding effect of the ball, give it lift. Typically, the greater the loft, the higher and shorter the resulting ball trajectory."

The next time you're looking to get that ball over the trees on a dog leg left, instead of laying up, make sure you have a driver in your bag with a decent loft angle, so you can really launch the ball and clear the obstacle.
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Deutsche Bank Championship Leader's Winning Driver

When the current leader of the Deutsche Bank Championship, Brett Wetterich, won the Byron Nelson classic in 2006, he was playing a Titleist Pro Titanium 905T (9.5 degrees,) according to golfonline.com.


Brett is currently 13 under, and in the lead, after shooting a 66 in round 3 at the Deutsche Bank Championship. He'll be teeing off at 1:40pm EST today.

Tiger Wood's Driver

Although it has been reported that Tiger's driver is highly customized for him, tigerwoods.com states that Tiger Woods' driver is a Nike SasQuatch Tour 460 cc driver (8.5 degree).

The current best price for this driver, as listed on http://www.bizrate.com/ is $529.99. You might be able to find a used model on eBay currently in the $175 range without shipping costs.

According to http://www.golfio.com/, "The Nike SasQuatch Tour 460 driver has a taller face height and less breadth than the Sas Quatch 460cc. This unique profile delivers a more boring trajectory and the increased workability desired by better players. To get a hotter response and greater consistency, the SasQuatch Tour 460 has a face of layered yet tightly compressed titanium called NexTi, developed exclusively for Nike Golf. Available only in Nike Golf drivers, NexTi titanium face is thinner, stronger and lighter than conventional titanium. Combining NexTi material with SasQuatch Geometry provides a powerful blend of distance and accuracy."

You can find the 9.5 degree, stiff flex model for $199, currently at http://www.edwinwattsgolf.com/.

Editor's Choice for Golf Driver

An editor's choice for top golf driver at www.golfdigest.com, the CALLAWAY FUSION FT-5 is an interesting looking driver:
According to the review on www.golfdigest.com, "Callaway might have the last laugh for its preoccupation with carbon-composite technology because its latest generation is its best. The lightweight shell allows Callaway designers to put weight exactly where they want it, and the new shape optimizes that potential. But it's the OptiFit System, which features a fitting cart of interchangeable heads and dozens of shafts, that maximizes the value of its technology."

The street price as listed for this top-quality driver is $430. True to street price, the lowest price found currently on www.pricegrabber.com is $429.99. If you'd like to pick one up pre-owned, you can find one a little cheaper; this driver is currently listed, pre-0wned, on www.bizrate.com for $369.93. It's not cheap, for sure, but it just might give you that added edge to your game.
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