If you take Lee Trevino for his word: freakin far. [/size] If he was having the success he was having in this day and age, hes in that super-high echelon. A little self-promotion can yield heaps of followers. We have partnered with GlobalGolf.com to offer you the best deals for Golf Clubs and accessories! and he was one of the longest hitters of his dayimagine what your average joe hit the ball then? Playing a short, safer shot to avoid the ball getting caught in the wind is a safer move in a situation like this. Golf Digest estimates that the average driving distance has increased by 15.5 yards over the past 10 years, a. Golf Channel, All Rights Reserved. This is a long-term play, a multi-year process.. RELATED: Birthday wisdomWhat Jack told Golf Digest on past milestone birthday. Pasted as rich text. [size=5]8-iron:130-145 yards[/size] [/b] [size="5"]2-iron: 205-220 yards[/size] If we translate that advantage to last season, he'd have. Exactly. Peete did it nine times. No need to monitor it when players were on the tee. But thats exactly what he was in his heyday. Someone with a copy of the book handy could give you the entire breakdown. For example, drivers are built for distance, hence they have a low angle of loft. Muirfield 20th irons 2-PW;/TT DGHL S-300, Clay Long Personal Edition SW 54* TTDyn Gold X100 8i shaft [size=5]Driver: 250 yards and up[/size] [size=5] This driving distance from professional golfers is far greater than the average driving distance for amateur golfers of all levels, who average about 215 yards. He could have played basketball at the collegiate level, and he began golfing was he was as young as 10. Even the 1986 Masters is highlight-reel fodder. [/quote] He wrote that advancements in golf equipment account for at best, 25 percent of the distance increase. And that fairway costs them about three-tenths of a stroke. We charted the progress of each stat for every year that the PGA Tour has recorded, going all the way back to 1980. [/quote] Nicklaus trove of insurmountable records is instant recall for golf die-hards. The ball carried 270 yards off his driver, which measured 45 and 230 off the relic, which measured 43. Josh Teater, Tommy Gainey and Jay Williamson are among the numerous less-than-Hall-of-Fame-caliber players who have earned more on tour than Jack. There, nestled between David Peoples and Nicloas Thompson, youll find the name Jack Nicklaus, ranking No. [size="5"]Driver: 250 yards and up[/size] In 2021, the average driving distance was 295.3 yards, second to only 2020 as the longest average driving distance in PGA Tour history. He averaged 297.5 yards in driving distance, which was 24th on the PGA Tour. Or you can do it yourself. To put that into perspective, Brendan Steele led the PGA TOUR in total driving in 2018-19. [size="5"]3-wood: 235 yards and up[/size] According to Forbes, Woods earned $68 million in endorsements in 2022. But the endorsement climate was hardly as lucrative (or as mature) as it is today. He used brute force (those awesome legs) to hit those long irons high. crazy to think how good he would have been with new equipment and balls As many know, this has been an important topic to me for years, if not decades, and I have been passionate about my position, Nicklaus said in a tweet. Courses were shorter and he would hit his tee shots to a target. No player would lead the TOUR in both total driving and greens in regulation in the same campaign again until Bruce Lietzke did 11 years later. Here is Sports Illustrateds description of the performance, one that could be copied, pasted and published in 2020 without anyone knowing how long ago it was written. Golf My Way, if memory serves, had all his distances. In 128th place was South African golfer Gary Player. Having said that, the bunker 35 yards in front of the 15th green at Muirfield GC was put there after Nicklaus twice drove the green in the 1959 Walker Cup, as a chubby 19 year old [/quote] But theres one lesser-known statistic that might be just as untouchable. There's no question in my mind that the touring pro has benefitted far more from the advances in clubs and particularly in balls than average joe has. Helped by the fact that he was hitting a warm ball through the thin Texas air, Jack was getting tremendous distance. Was there a Jack Nicklaus Whats in the bag article back in the 70s or 80s??? . Discover golf near you. Who will win the US Open in 2021? Odds, betting favorites, expert picks Of course Jack had a mental edge and clutch putting, but from an equipment standpoint, I don't see where he would gain an advantage. Players are bigger, stronger, more athletic, pay close attention to nutrition and hone their bodies in the gym. Those include changing equipment specifications, and thats when wed propose specific rules changes. [quote name='Shallowface' timestamp='1302902795' post='3157246'] After this process is complete, 9-12 months from mid-March, we anticipate releasing a set of solutions, a representative from the USGA told GOLF.com recently. I do remember that, too, he told Golf Channel in 2013. The average driving distance for male amateur golfers by age A search for a more scientific answer is hamstrung by a lack of data. In back-to back-weeks she won by a collective 10 strokes. Extrapolate that 4.5 percent advantage to the 2018-19 season, when the average was roughly 293.8 yards, and a player with Nicklaus advantage would have averaged 307 yards. 1963 Masters winner, with Palmer Professional Years: 1962 - 2003 73 OFFICIAL TOUR VICTORIES 58 SECOND PLACE OR TIES 36 THIRD PLACE OR TIES 118 TOTAL VICTORIES AROUND THE WORLD 21 HOLES IN ONE $5,723,192 That's upwards of a 25% increase. And not once in the entire decade has a player ranked top 50 in fairways hit while also being among the top 10 in distance. If we translate that advantage to last season, hed have averaged 318.71 yards, which would have led the tour. The Average PGA Drive - SportsRec - Golf Week Nicklaus has been arguing for golf's governing bodies to roll back the distance of the golf ball since the 1970s. Ted P. If the distances reported above are accurate, and irons were two clubs weaker, then he's about right on with most tour players today right, with the exception of the quality and technology of the equipment he was playing with, right? However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. [/quote] Those yardages in his book are indeed modest. Here are the findings for 2019: Average Driving Distance By Age in 2019: 10-19: 234.2 yards 20-29: 239.7 yards 30-39: 233.7 yards 40-49: 225.9 yards 50-59: 215.4 yards 60-69: 204.5 yards 70+: 190.4 yards If you played during the days of persimmon woods, blades and especially balata balls, then you know that you absolutely [b][i]had[/i][/b] to deliver that clubhead square or else! Greatest event I've ever seen in person. Since 2010, the average driving accuracy rank for players to be in the top 10 on TOUR in driving. Still, the question lingers, how far would golfs legends hit the ball with todays equipment? Ping G410 20.5 7 Wood Tour 75, Ping G425 5H Tensei Blue TX and he was one of the longest hitters of his dayimagine what your average joe hit the ball then? Its worth wondering if Nicklausknowing not just that he could make millions with his play, but that hed also sign lucrative endorsement deals upon turning promight have left Ohio State early had he been in the Class of 2021, not 1961. Anachronistic comparisons like that one dont tell us much beyond what we already know: inflation and a purse explosion make the life of todays middling PGA Tour player much, much more comfortable than the life of a middling PGA Tour player in 1972. In 1980, Jack Nicklaus was the 10 th longest driver . [size=5]6- iron: 155-170 yards[/size] But with the huge size, perimeter weighting and launch conditions programmed into the head and shaft, average joe's can now hit the clubface with consistency. There is a lot of information about how far you should hit your clubs, but they often lack completeness and background information. 1 for at least two years. He was just better than anybody else. Jack Nicklaus club yardage? - Classic Golf And Golfers - GolfWRX His bounce-back campaign was remarkable: The Golden Bear won the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship, becoming the first forty-something to win multiple majors in the same season since Ben Hogan in 1953. How Far Can Jack Nicklaus drive the ball? - Heimduo The World Amateur Golf Rankings didnt exist in the late 1950s/early 1960s, but you can bet this and next months rent that Nicklaus would have been a strong No. A few years ago as the Golden Bears 80th birthday approached, we got to thinking: What would Nicklaus career have looked like if he came to prominence today, in this age of eight-figure purses and TrackMan and Twitter? Amateur Tied for fourth in the 1961 U.S. Open. He would often hold back on power to achieve this, but had a power advantage over most rivals through the set, so that he could hit a 3-wood or 1-iron from the tee with increased accuracy to avoid trouble, with sufficient length to keep up with the drivers hit by most rivals. Just like Nicklauss victory in 1965, a win by Tavatanakit would signal a new era in the womens game. A Mammoth drive for persimmon! I believe he used to hit his driver 250 "but could get it out to 260 without tearing too many muscles" (some quote close to that). I don't believe the distance gap between the average joe and the touring pro was as large in the 1970s as is it today. 238 yards On the 72nd hole of the 1967 U.S. Open at Baltusrol, Jack Nicklaus blasted perhaps his greatest single shota sky-scraping, pin . How Many Top 10 Finishes Does Jack Nicklaus Have Career | StatMuse I remember him saying that he didn't believe that at sea level with no wind, anyone could [i]fly[/i] a ball more than 260 yards through the air You'll discover it's more than just a golf lesson. So strap in, it looks like there will be plenty of time for takes on the hottest issue in golf. [/size] [/b] However, they tend not to be as accurate, and not as accurate means they miss about one more fairway per round. Today, the country will likely see it. McIlroy finished second on the money list in 2019 with a total of $7,785,28652.9 percent more than that total is $11,903,702, which serves as a ballpark estimate for what Nicklaus could have earned if he had a 1972-like season in 2019. Weiskopf's driver seemed to be higher and flatter, more like current trajectory. Im dead serious.. Afterwards, Bobby Jones, the tournaments co-founder, marveled at the way the Golden Bear dominated Augusta National Golf Club. Pleased the process has started now that they have clear findings obtained from century of collecting data & its impact on all levelsfrom golf played at highest level to recreational golfI look forward to supporting industrys collaborative effort to find solutions that are in best interest of games future., As many know, this has been an important topic to me for years, if not decades, and I have been passionate about my position. In fact, he didnt have it measured until he was a Champions Tour veteran. I recall a few drives from Nicklaus pushing the 300yd range. Drives exceeding 350 yards are seemingly routine for Dustin Johnson. Though the stay is a little later on the calendar and has been stretched from one week to two, one inexorable element of the yearly sojourn to Ohio is the tournament host, Jack Nicklaus. Driving distances changed little over decades. The simplest solution is change the frigging golf ball, Nicklaus said. Wishon 919 THI 11* 0.5* Open His ball was the shortest in the group. Jack Nicklaus had 49 top ten finishes in his career. Jack was very long when he was young, during his prime in the 1970's not quite as long, but long enough when he needed it. Jack won it with a poke of 330 yards. [quote name='titleistfan14' timestamp='1302833449' post='3154660'] Club: Average Distance: Driver: 250 yds: 3 Wood: 235 yds: 1 Iron: 215 - 235 yds: 2 Iron: 205 - 220 yds: 3 Iron: 295 - 210 yds: 4 Iron: 185 - 200 yds: . John Daly, by the way, became the first golfer to average 300 yards off the tee in 1997, last person to win a major with a persimmon driver was Bernhard Langer, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. On a windy day, gusts can carry a player's ball away from the fairway- regardless of if youre a golf driving professional or just an average golfer. For those of us who grew up in the 2000s, our image of Jack Nicklaus is, well, that of an older gentleman. [size=5] I think the modern clubs would hurt more than help, just like it has tiger. Jack I think during his prime, could easily hit his driver 250 to 275 if he had to. Only two players since 2000 have replicated that feat: Tiger Woods in 2000 and Henrik Stenson in 2015. Of course, on-course earnings account for a fraction of what todays most popular players earn off the course. For the season, Nicklaus won $316,911. Wolff did two years at Oklahoma State, Bhatia turned pro at 17, Jordan Spieth spent one season at Texas, Justin Thomas was at Alabama for two years, Tiger Woods two years at Stanford. Amateur and a few elite college tournaments. 1979-80 Nicklaus 1980-81 Nicklaus 1981-82 Nicklaus 1982-83 Nicklaus 1983-84 Nicklaus 1984-85 Nicklaus 1985-86 Nicklaus 1986-87 Nicklaus 1987-88 Nicklaus 1988-89 Nicklaus 1989-90 Nicklaus 1990-91 Nicklaus 1991-92 Nicklaus 1992-93 Nicklaus 1993-94 Nicklaus 1994-95 Nicklaus 1995-96 Nicklaus 1996-97 Nicklaus . Best Driving Irons In 2023 - Straighter And Further Off The Tee Best Golf Balls For Mid-Handicappers Someone with a copy of the book handy could give you the entire breakdown. I can remember watching the 1st skins game, which was I think in 1982 he was pounding it 265+, back then that was very long. [/quote] Take care, How far would Jack Nicklaus drive the ball? - emojicut.com Just 28 players have ever missed more fairways than theyve hit, with the lowest percentage for a full season belonging to John Daly at 41.9 percent in 2007. Its not a stretch to believe Trevino. The higher the smash factor the better the energy transfer. Here are 7 of the most interesting. In his best year 1983 Peete hit 84.6 percent of possible fairways. He often overpowered courses much in the same way todays longest hitters do, and he did so that week. That was with the old MacGregor persimmon and the old Tourney ball, which was known to be pretty much a dud (the ball). GolfWRX_Spotted posted a topic in Tour and Pre-Release Equipment, April 24, GolfWRX_Spotted posted a topic in Tour and Pre-Release Equipment, April 17, GolfWRX_Spotted posted a topic in Tour and Pre-Release Equipment, April 10, GolfWRX_Spotted posted a topic in Tour and Pre-Release Equipment, March 27, GolfWRX_Spotted posted a topic in Tour and Pre-Release Equipment, March 20, Please put and questions or comments here, Please put any questions or comments here. If you played during the days of persimmon woods, blades and especially balata balls, then you know that you absolutely [b][i]had[/i][/b] to deliver that clubhead square or else! Discover golf near you. The average tour pro has gained roughly 30 yards off the tee since 1980 (a 12% increase). Search for fun things to do in your area led by PGA Professionals. Jack Actually: The distance advantange | This is the Loop | Golf Digest Considering their length off the tee wouldve put them in the top 10 in 1980, its fair to assume theyd rank at least as high today. Jack Nicklaus continues his campaign that the golf ball goes - Golfweek I don't think he's fat in those photos. Nicklaus and Weiskopf were paired together for 36 holes the next day. (Actually, Nicklaus' average driving distance in '83 was three yards shorter than in 1980. I guess it all depends on your experience and observations. Jim, Jack was very, very longduring the PGA Championship in either 1963 or 1964 they had a long drive contest earlier in the week. Hes 16 years old, and he just used a third-round 64 to beat a field of professionals and win the Ohio Open. She also has a chance to join Ariya Jutanugarn as the only two players from Thailand, male or female, to win a major. So how much ish, could an in-his-prime Nicklaus have earned as a brand ambassador in the 2020s? American Jennifer Kupcho started fast and kept on going Saturday in The Chevron Championship to take a six-stroke lead. Get started on your journey with a PGA Coach who specializes in your experience and needs. "They say the game has become Bomb and Gouge. You just take out a driver, hit as far as you want, its going to be in the rough, and then you hack it out. But thats not the only way to become something of a household name (at least in golf households). Ping Glide 3.0 50 56 60. Six Masters titles won across a span of 23 years. [size=5]Pitching wedge: 80-130 yards[/size] Since Nicklaus was in his prime, distance gains have changed the way the game is played and viewed substantially. Brandt Snedeker, who is slightly shorter than average, played back-to-back rounds on the Sea Island Plantation coursefor an article that appeared in USA Today. It wasnt until 1962 , after hed finished T-2 and T-4 in the 1960 and 61 U.S. Open as an amateur, that he decided playing golf was a better option than selling insurance. There are only five instances since 1980 where a player ranked better than 40th in fairways hit while still ranking in the top 10 in average distance. In 2021, the average driving distance was 295.3 yards, second to only 2020 as the longest average driving distance in PGA Tour history. Rory McIlroy pounded a 383-yard tee shot on another hole. Look at our favorite swing tips to improve your game! The potent combination of Instagram, wall-to-wall TV coverage and the Internet has turned junior and amateur golfers into niche celebrities. Here are some other notable golfers and their average driving distance in 2023. Driving the distance up on Tour - Lake County Record-Bee Now they can bust it out 240-250 with relative ease. In 2021, the average LPGA Tour pros (female golfers) driving distance was 256 yards. But Dent changed the protocol. 10.5 set at small - An incomprehensible 73 top-ten finishes in the majors, 25 more than any other player. The next day Dent was a group or two behind Nicklaus. [/size] Seems like hes a pretty big deal. Your previous content has been restored. The talk of the last day in the golf world has been centered around one thing: the long-awaited release of the USGA and R&As joint Distance Insights project. So, I think that's the pressure that she has to deal with tomorrow.. ago It had such a low distance because it's a true mathematical average. Half of the high handicappers could barely get off the tee with the old persimmon, and 200 yards on average was pretty good back then (especially when they topped ever 3rd or 4th drive). His hands were so high he seemed taller than he was. What Jack had was tremendous arc. 5-G [/quote] His number that season combining. Grainy, black-and-white footage on YouTube, books, magazine articles and anecdotes provide a starting point. She represents the all-around athlete; a player who puts a premium on her physical as well as mental fitness, has a surgical short game and a mystifying long game. [size=5] Callaway Epic GBB Driver 9* Project X Even Flow Blue 65G 6.0 shaft Youre sitting on your couch on a Sunday afternoon, scrolling through Twitter during a break in Golf Channels coverage of that weeks PGA Tour event. Before the ShotLink era ushered in countless metrics to quantify ball-striking performance, a statistic called total driving was the best way to measure a players combined acumen in distance and accuracy off the tee. In Jacks day, the money simply wasnt the same, so turning pro wasnt the no-brainer it is now. Added together, you get a total driving number the lower that number, the better you are overall driving the ball (i.e. We try our best to keep things fair and balanced, in order to help you make the best choice for you. But he did shoot that 64 and win the 1956 Ohio Open as a 16-year-old, and he most certainly was the best junior golfer in America. Since turning professional, shes amazed even herself at how much distance she has picked up at Mission Hills. Broadie says that in his research, driving distance contributes approximately two-thirds, and accuracy one-third to strokes gained driving. November 30, 2011 The PGA Tour's ShotLink folks have put together a dynamite package of year-end stats to pour over and inevitably I gravitated to the driving distance page. So Tour players are hitting the ball further than ever but are missing more fairways. It appears that the USGA and R&A will eventually come to some sort of joint decision to alleviate the various stresses that distance has made on the game, but dont expect that decision to come down any time soon. A generic 6-12 index will hit their "stock" driver somewhere around 235-245. Such a sustained run as the worlds best non-professional is unheard of these days because phenom-level American or international college players usually turn professional before receiving their degree. Jack played in a record 154 consecutive major championships for which he was eligible from the 1957 U.S. Open to the 1998 U.S Open. Join InsideGOLF for only $20 - includes instant $20 Fairway Jockey credit! Now, on to the list: The Korn Ferry trademark is also a registered trademark, and is used in the Korn Ferry Tour logo with permission. You cannot paste images directly. [size=5] How far did Jack Nicklaus hit a 1 iron? How fast should you swing your Clubs? Jack Nicklaus Driving Average By Year | StatMuse All shafts are S2S Stepless Steel Wishon. Patrons were literally walking across the fairway when the ball rolled past them. That way, the ball will stop closer to the point of impact. She leads by five strokes with 18 holes to play. [/quote] How Many Missed Cuts Did Jack Nicklaus Have | StatMuse crazy to think how good he would have been with new equipment and balls With 18 holes to play, Tavatankit leads by five at 14 under par. Amateur, the youngest champion at the time at 19 Won the 1959 North and South Amateur Tied for 13th in the 1960 Masters at age 20 Tied for second at the 1960 U.S. Open; his 282 was the amateur record for an Open before Viktor Hovland broke it in 2019 Tied for seventh in the 1961 Masters Won the 1961 NCAA Championship Won the 1961 U.S. Nicklaus, at 276 yards, was 4.5 percent longer than the average. Not short chips ins; 60-80 yards twice for eagle. You'll discover it's more than just a golf lesson. IBM recorded driving distance data at 11 PGA Tour events in 1968. That would have ranked fourth on tour in 2018-19, ahead of bombers like Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Tony Finau, Gary Woodland and so many more. The average clubhead speed increased from 104 mph in 1980 to 113 in 2016. [size=5]2-iron: 205-220 yards[/size] In the end, nobody cares if you placed the ball 3 feet from the hole with a 6 iron or a 9 iron. Note: Measured at 7,600 feet above sea level, WGC-Mexico Championship at the Club de Golf Chapultepec Club, Mexico. The gap stretched to 50-60 yards on mishit shots. Lob wedges on the other hand are designed to propel the ball into the air and present a steep angle of descent. Home About Shop Blog Search. Only other club I remember was his 7i, which (IIRC) he hit 145. I believe he used to hit his driver 250 "but could get it out to 260 without tearing too many muscles" (some quote close to that). Display as a link instead, Until the 1990s, persimmon drivers were the norm on the PGA Tour. Ping G425 6-PW DGS 105 In 1995, when drives averaged just 264 yards, landing on the fairway was paramount, and pros averaged a 69 percent driving accuracy. Yes, but always somewhat behind Weiskopf & Pohl