Graphite shafts are usually preferred for woods due to their light weight, which enables users to generate higher clubhead speeds and thus greater distance. They are beautifully finished with a red face insert and a deep mahogany stain that shows the gorgeous persimmon grain. I purchased a persimmon driver, blade iron, and some older golf balls off ebay just to. Interestingly, the modern driver was edged out by our 2000s driver. These are the last players to win a major with persimmon. Now im not some golfing luddite about to sing the praises of persimmon and steel. However, by producing 20 yards more distance with a tighter dispersion, the. Whats interesting is that its approximately the same length as todays drivers, with the exception of the rbz and other drivers that are 46 inches. Seemed to have glossed over the difference in shaft length.
Solid persimmon wooden golf clubs persimmon golf faqs. First, the modern driver s average was hurt by a couple of truly awful mishits. Persimmon golf produce some of the finest golf clubs, maintaining a tradition for the many thousands of persimmon fans who demand the experience and pleasure of playing with modern highperformance persimmon golf clubs. Our persimmon woods are made from 100% usa grown persimmon trees. Longer length means a higher clubhead speed only for golfers who have a very late unhinging of the wristc o c k angle on the downswing. The wood driver was 43 inches long and built with a steel shaft. Rory mcilroy pounded a 383yard tee shot on another hole. Compared to 252yard carry and 272 total distance with my titleist, thats a pretty significant change. And, depending on how you measured, given the size of head on the modern driver, you distance from the end of the shaft to the sweet spot on each club will vary. Also keep in mind that the persimmon club was not fitted to any of the test subjects nor had any of them ever hit a shot with the club before.
Perhaps more than anything else, added shaft length has increased driver distances. However, the longer the shaft the harder it is to control the club and hit the ball. In reality, the average length of a driver used on tour is 44. This shows the number of yards offline from the center of the fairway with each driver length. At 47 inches it will be about d6 which is what i play with a 45 inch driver my standard length driver.
With such high emphasis on drive distance and accuracy by. Nov 03, 2014 with their own drivers the testers averaged 220. Just multiply the length of a well hit drive for you by 28 and that, in my estimation, is the length of a course that will be challenging but enjoyable to play. In fact, testing shows an inch of extra shaft length equals roughly 10 yards in distance. I have spoken at length about the advancements in equipment with woody. Additionally, the ball speeds were very different 9mph versus 151 mph. Are titanium drivers really that much better than wood drivers. From the frankly frog putting studio we respond to a viewer. The idea for a set of irons in which all the clubs, from the 3iron to the wedges, are the same length, is not new. For the testing, everybody hit the titleist 910 driver in the head d2 or d3 with the loft, face setting, and shaft of their choice.
The matter of additional length vs distance is very interesting. I purchased a classic fifties persimmon driver from louisville golf. Persimmon 182 feet average 18 off line three wood shaft 234 feet average 23 feet off line driver shaft 315 feet average 31 off line. I found it very easy to hit well and the sound and feel of a solid strike was just awesome. In our experience over the last twenty years, we have seen offtheshelf driver lengths go from 43 inches to 48 inches, the maximum allowable by the usga, and back to somewhere around 45 inches. But the most important factor is the average dispersion column. Nov 02, 2017 in a fourball match at the 2016 ryder cup, 6foot5 thomas pieters belted a drive 324 yards. They are available in 11 driver, 2wood, 16 3wood, 18 4wood and 21 5. Woods has had a frontrow seat for the distance evolution over the last twoplus decades, noting that his first pga tour win in 1996 came in a playoff against an opponent davis love iii who was. May 09, 2011 persimmon driver for distance and accuracy.
Golf monthly technical editor joel tadman explores the impact different shaft lengths have on the distance and accuracy golf drivers provide for. I am thinking of reshafting this driver with a ust low carb aflex shaft which i was very pleased with in my previous driver a cobra ss350. When looking at the group average, the modern driver was 30 yards ahead of the persimmon driver and yards ahead of the driver from the 90s. Jan 12, 2012 accuracy can deteriorate with a longer length depending on the person. This edition of golf tips relates to driver accuracy. May 01, 20 when i go back and hit a persimmon driver just for fun i find i will hit bigger hooks or slices than with titanium.
Looking just at the four golfers who tried all the clubs, and restricting the analysis to the tourney vs. Our team consists of skilled club makers producing persimmon drivers, fairway woods and putters. I have heard that altering the shaft length of your driver by an inch canshould alter the club speed by up to 4 mph. How far would golfs legends drive the ball using modern. The time has not yet come to bury persimmon golf clubs. For the testers, the smallest increase was 37 yards and the biggest was 73 yards. The holy grail for most golfers is increased distance off the tee. Brent kelley is an awardwinning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism. Effect of driver shaft length on distance im a very consistent and straight hitter but can use all the help i can get on distance since my typical drive is about 210 yards. More care must be taken to preserve the wood than with the modern materials. First, the modern drivers average was hurt by a couple of truly awful mishits. Three wood shaft 234 feet average 23 feet off line.
Enjoy renewed distance and more forgiveness in an easy to swing driver. Higher clubhead speed players had a greater percentage increase in distance. Aug 20, 2015 when i tested my old college driver a few weeks ago my interest was piqued by how close my swing speed with the 43. At age 66 i still hit it as far as i did at 36 with persimmon. A persimmon driver isnt going to have the same kind of pop at impact that a modern metalwood has. Are titanium drivers really that much better than wood. Calculating yards per mile per hour the modern drivers hit the ball 2.
I used to have an old ram 3wood and its one of the best 3wood i ever owned. Aug 30, 2018 the threetime major winner is without doubt one of the longest hitting pros on tour and carried the persimmon driver 284 for a total distance of 306 yards. The gx7 sets up beautifully on the tee and, with a little practice, is actually hittable off the deck. In this video we compare the same driver built first with a 45 shaft and then with a 47 shaft to see the differences in speed, distance, consistency.
A correlation that high means that clubspeed accounts for 98%. With a more appropriate and modern driver and work on flexibility, 300 will come. Nov 03, 2014 i think if a ti driver had the same steel shaft and length the wood driver would go farther, not to mention persimmon drivers feel times better off the face, easier to work the ball compared to this giant thin metal crap we hit today which is cheap as hell to make, wow what a big surprise ha, but they are more durable than wood clubs. Graphite clubs are slightly longer, with a standard driver at 45 inches, 5iron at 38. The word persimmon itself is derived from putchamin, pasiminan, or pessamin, from powhatan, an algonquian language of the eastern united states, meaning a dry fruit. We believe metal woods may help the average golfer by offering a greater distance on your. I kind of wish that the usga would roll back technology and move the game back to woods actually being made of wood. There are literally hundreds of shaft options, massive driver heads, counterbalanced. Testing the performance of drivers of different eras. From the hickories in the 1920s to titanium drivers of 2009, there was an average increase of total distance of 26 %. How hard is it to hit and how much of a difference did it. Compared to 252yard carry and 272 total distance with my titleist, thats a. Clubhead speed is 112 with that same old driver and distance is about 280.
Testing the performance of drivers of different eras miles. The tree diospyros kaki is the most widely cultivated species of persimmon. The result was this 3 inches longer driver shaft only hit the ball about 5 yards further. But single length irons are getting much more attention these days thanks to one iconoclastic pga tour pro who. I was only able to carry the persimmon driver 219 yards for a total distance of 238 on average.
Injury is the biggest distance loser, and tour pros are most vulnerable. Golf clubs have all the bells and whistles these days. Can i use a graphite shaft in one of your persimmon golf clubs. Clubs other than drivers gradually get shorter if a 44inch steel shaft driver is indicated by the chart, your 5iron will measure 38 inches and sand wedge 35. Nov 23, 2012 is a 400cc driver better than a 460cc.
Higher moi in the newer clubeads means, with an equivalent shaft, the club. In the average distance column, the 43 driver length is longer than the 44 and 45 driver lengths. Length of shafts according to height in golf sportsrec. Dec 08, 2017 in this persimmon driver test, gm digital editor neil tappin hits a 25 year old driver putting it up against his own titleist 917 d2. Dustin johnson hit jack nicklaus old 1iron and persimmon driver. I have a 2006 ti460 cleveland launcher, with the standard cleveland sliver aflex shaft, and the clubs length is 45. What is the difference in loft between persimmon and metal drivers. Im a very consistent and straight hitter but can use all the help i can get on distance since my typical drive is about 210 yards. The shaft length in woods varies from about 4048 inches 101. It has a 195 gram head which is light, but the swingweight is still e2 or so. Most golfers dont know what their drivers weigh, but the average driver out on tour probably weighs about 330 grams and the average driver on the market probably weighs 310315. Each era showed increases in distance with one exception. Gear effect and the case for persimmon drivers louisville golf.
This is precisely why since 2005, the average driver length on the pga tour has been 44. Therefore, our supplies of true temper steel shafts such as the dynamic gold and dynalite models are limited to our current stock. You havent experienced golf to the fullest unless you have played the game with these persimmon woods. But my experience over 20 years of fitting has been that most players gain distance with a shorter length driver more on center hits.
I also totaled the distance after roll the ten shots with each club finished from the center line. On my andrew rice golf facebook page i asked readers if they had any experience with shortening the shaft of their driver and here are a few of. Jun 29, 2015 when looking at the group average, the modern driver was 30 yards ahead of the persimmon driver and yards ahead of the driver from the 90s. The answer to the question of how long a course should be for you is real simple. Is it possible to use a vintage persimmon or laminated wood head driver, 3 or 5 wood with a modern shaft, either graphite or lightweight steel, and get a comparable swingweight and distance to a modern titanium driver. In this persimmon driver test, gm digital editor neil tappin hits a 25 year old driver putting it up against his own titleist 917 d2. Available in standard, draw bias and offset drivers.
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