Long and the Short of it

We are increasingly obsessed with distance in golf. It is hardly surprising when we watch a tournament on TV and the commentators inform us that Rory McIlroy has just hit a drive 376 yards, especially when a graphic then shows us just how far ahead he is of the guys he is playing with.

While many of may think that distance is the domain of the giants, nothing could actually be further from the truth. McIlroy is barely 5ft 10in and weighs about 12 stones. He is hardly the perfect physical specimen. Dustin Johnson is a different kettle of fish, standing well over 6ft, with arms like tree trunks, it is hardly surprising that he hits the ball so far.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpuGNsNxQ7Q

You will remember that, in his prime, Ian Woosnam was one of the longest hitters in the game - and he stood less than 5ft 6in.

In other words, there is no ideal build if you want to propel the golf ball vast distances. It is all about swing speed and timing. Get those two things right and you will leave your rivals eating your dust.

So who has the fastest swing on the PGA Tour, and does it equate to distance?

Step forward Tony Finau, who generates clubhead speed of 124.07mph - trust me, that is fast. Finau made his debut on the PGA Tour last season and quickly impressed a host of commentators. His average drive was precisely 309 yards as he enjoyed five top-10 finishes in his maiden season.

Charlie Beljan swings the driver at 124.02mph and hits the ball an average of 309.6 yards, slightly further than the 6ft 4in Finau, but Beljan misses many more fairways and, as a result, made just 11 cuts in 2015.

Bubba Watson, the idiosyncratic left-hander, hits his average drive 315.2 yards with a swing speed of 'just' 123.52mph. It helped him win twice in 2015 and recorded 10 top-10 finishes.

So what about the other side of the coin? Poor Ben Crane propels his average drive just 271 yards, and that is hardly surprising since his swing speed is only 104.59mph. Crane made only nine cuts in 2015. Justin Leonard, a former Open champion, has never hit the ball a long way, and still doesn't. His 104.11mph swing speed sees him hit his average drive 271.6 yards.

And the slowest swinger on tour? That would be David Toms, another former major champion, generates clubhead speed of 101.87mph with his driver and averages exactly 270 yards from the tee. He made only 11 cuts in 2015.

So 20mph difference in swing speed equates to almost 40 yards in distance.

Back in 1981, Toms, Crane and Leonard would have been regarded as big hitters. The biggest of all back then was Dan Pohl, whose average drive was 280.1 yards. The tour average then was less than 260 yards.

John Daly was the longest hitter on tour in 1991-93, and every year from 1995 until 2002. He was also the first man to average over 300 yards, a feat he first achieved in 1997. He was replaced in 2003 by Hank Keuhne, whose average drive was an astonishing 321.4 yards at a time when the tour average was 286.5 yards!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPx_1tRspAo

The came Bubba, who ruled the long hitters from 2006-8. In 2006 he averaged 319.6 yards per tee shot. Then came Robert Garrigus (2009-10), JB Holmes (2011), Bubba again (2012), Luke List (2013), Bubba (2014) and now Dustin Johnson, who knocks it out there, on average, 317.1 yards with a swing speed of 122.7mph.

It is interesting to note that of the recent bombers, only Luke List is not a regular winner. So there it is, proof positive that distance does matter.