Is Longer Longer?
IS Longer Longer?
Well Yes – Sometimes – But!!
No one wants to hit their drives shorter – and we might at least think that playing a longer driver can give us more yards. But how can we get some handle on Is Longer Longer?
Dr. Sasho MacKenzie is a well-known Golf Biomechanics Expert and a professor of biomechanics at St. Francis Xavier University in Canada. Recently he created a 9 minute video where he did a neat simple analysis to estimate how much clubhead speed might be gained by increasing the length of a driver from 46 to 48 inches. The link is below, and it is well worth watching…
Influence of Driver Length on Clubhead Speed
A neat little analysis, thanks Sasho! The “bottom line” of his analysis was that, for each inch of increase of driver length, a golfer might get a 0.8 to 1.6 mph increase in driver clubhead speed. So let’s pick 1 mph per inch, and so then 2 mph increase for a 2 inch driver length increase. How about we take this a little further…
- In the video the golfer is assumed to swing his 46 inch driver at 100 mph. So he would pick up 2 mph of swing speed at 48 inches – 102 mph.
- If the golfer can create a perfect “Smash Factor” (ball speed divided by swing speed) of 1.50 – then he would increase his ball speed by 3 mph by going to a 2 inch longer driver – 150 to 153 mph.
- However, WILL a golfer be able to swing a 2 inch longer driver and hit the center of the club face – create a smash of 1.50? Let’s say he is only able to create a smash of 1.47 with the 2 inch longer driver. In this case, his ball speed with the 46 inch driver (100 * 1.5 = 150) and 48 inch driver (1.47 * 153 = 150) will be exactly the same.
I have always found guidance that Tom Wishon has provided to make sense – if you are to be fit for a driver, find the longest length that you can consistently hit in the center of the face. That guidance has never failed me in driver fittings. (Which might be why I have not built a professionally fit driver longer than 44-1/2 inches in many years!).
I Create EXCEPTIONAL GOLF CLUBS
You Shoot LOWER SCORES!
Tony – STAY SAFE!!
