Each club has a unique loft. [/size] In 2017, with drives travelling an average of 293 yards, precise placement isn't as vital thus, the 60 percent driving accuracy across the Tour. ENTER NOW! Broadie says that in his research, driving distance contributes approximately two-thirds, and accuracy one-third to strokes gained driving. You'll discover it's more than just a golf lesson. These conditions were not achievable by Jack . Blue Bayou: Odds are this drive went 4.5 percent farther than average. 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. Since Nicklaus was in his prime, distance gains have changed the way the game is played and viewed substantially. Wishon 54, 59 Micro-Groove HM See Rorys distances WGC-Mexico Championship in Mexico. Needless to say, Snedeker and his cohorts are glad they dont have to play for a living with equipment from a previous era. With the driver, he observed a 25-30 yard difference on well-struck shots. ROUNDS MONEY; Jack Nicklaus: 331: 49: 5: 797: $2,325,208: Explore. [quote name='titleistfan14' timestamp='1302833449' post='3154660'] The victory takes him to No. and he was one of the longest hitters of his dayimagine what your average joe hit the ball then? . Eventually they called the round. [size=5] A Mammoth drive for persimmon! Courses were shorter and he would hit his tee shots to a target. Read the latest feature stories from the PGA of America to learn how the game is growing on and off the course. "Each of those extra 20 yards contributes one tenth of a stroke (gained)," Broadie said. Some were aware of it; some were not. Fairways are mown at roughly inch on the PGA Tour now, significantly lower than in the past, although courses benefit from extensive irrigation. Since 1980, play from the tee box has changed drastically in professional golf. That would have ranked 188th on Tour in 2019. But theres another relevant data point here, and it paints a slightly different picture. Nicklaus has been arguing for golf's governing bodies to roll back the distance of the golf ball since the 1970s. To this day, that remains the best single-season total driving performance ever recorded. With the length that I have, some of the lines you had to take it a little different, and seeing it enough, I've hit it the furthest I've ever hit here, Tavatanakit said about her return to Mission Hills. All it takes is one person, at one tournament, to post one swing video and post it into the Instagram/Twitter vortex. We charted the average scoring per round during the same time periods: In the late 1980s, average scoring on PGA Tour events plummeted by more than one stroke per round, but that drop seems to have no correlation with a change in driving distances. a player who ranks 10th in driving distance and 50th in driving accuracy would have a total driving number of 60). MEMBER REVIEWS: Cleveland Frontline Elite Putters! 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 . Now with hybrids, everyone can do that. [/quote] If that wasnt enough, Nicklaus also led the PGA TOUR in greens in regulation that season, hitting more than 72%. 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. I think the old equipment led to people developing better swings, where now guys just whale at it caveman style. Hitting a 6 iron into a par 5 isn't an advantage, because a hybrid from 225 is going to land just as soft. The PGA of America is one of the world's largest sports organizations, composed of PGA Professionals who work daily to grow interest and participation in the game of golf. In 1995, when drives averaged just 264 yards, landing on the fairway was paramount, and pros averaged a 69 percent driving accuracy. Those yardages in his book are indeed modest. Read the latest feature stories from the PGA of America to learn how the game is growing on and off the course. There is a lot of information about how far you should hit your clubs, but they often lack completeness and background information. 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! According to golf club designer Tom Wishon in a post on GolfWRX.com, each mile-per-hour of clubhead speed equals 2.8 yards of carry. Jack rarely hit the ball as hard as he could. [size=5]8-iron:130-145 yards[/size] [size=5] [/size] Ping Glide 3.0 50 56 60. Nicklaus was 2.15 percent longer than the rest of the top 10, meaning there was a bit of a gap between he and the next-longest players. Average PGA Tour Players Driving Distance. That year, Duval ranked ninth in distance and 26th in accuracy. Was there a Jack Nicklaus Whats in the bag article back in the 70s or 80s??? JN was a real strong young buck and he had a huge distance advantage over his contemporaries. BEST TOTAL DRIVING SEASONS ON THE PGA TOUR, BEST DRIVING ACCURACY RANK AMONG PLAYERS IN TOP 10 OF DRIVING DISTANCE, Average Accuracy Rank of Top 10 in Distance, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. crazy to think how good he would have been with new equipment and balls What was Jack Nicklaus yardage from driver to PW during his best years in the Tour ? A player's driving distance is partly at the mercy of environmental considerations such as wind. You must remember that a 7i loft was 1.5 to 2 iron weaker than the irons today, perhaps more. Photo: Robert Riger/Getty Images. Even 15 years later he still hit drives that distance in a Shells Wonderful World of Golf match against the equally long-hitting Sam Snead. That, no doubt, came at the instruction of her mental coaches, Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott of Vision54, who have been on-site with her this week. The only tee shots weve seen him hit at Augusta National are of the ceremonial variety. ). Jack was very long, a very powerful swing. This chart shows you the average distances for LPGA Tour Players. . 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. Back in Nicklaus day, if you played well in a junior tournament, the best you could hope for was a write-up in the local paper. Golf Club Distance Chart: By Skill Level, Age & Gender Until the 1990s, persimmon drivers were the norm on the PGA Tour. 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. He hit many documented drives well over 300 in favourable conditions, but, yes, in terms of average driving distance throughout the season, somewhere around 265 would be about right [quote name='tembolo1284' timestamp='1302780024' post='3152485'] He was just better than anybody else. See trending; Company. So, what caused the simultaneous changes? Those photos above shows how strong Jack was. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. For those of us who grew up in the 2000s, our image of Jack Nicklaus is, well, that of an older gentleman. Nicklaus carries fistfuls of golf accolades that may never be touched again. 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! In 2009, Couples was a 49-year-old with a decade-and-a-half battling serious back problems. Driving accuracy which reached an all-time high of 70 percent in 1998 begins to dip drastically. I remember seeing Jack taking a 5 iron and choking down hitting it 150 on several occasions. 10.5 set at small - Since turning professional, shes amazed even herself at how much distance she has picked up at Mission Hills. 1 in the Rolex/AJGA rankings, and rumor is Ohio State has the best chance of landing the Columbus native. and he was one of the longest hitters of his dayimagine what your average joe hit the ball then? 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 I think I did that really well today.. So there you have it: Had Jack Nicklaus played today, he would have been an amateur phenom, he would have been one of the longest hitters on tour, and he would have made boatloads of money. The PGA of America is one of the world's largest sports organizations, composed of PGA Professionals who work daily to grow interest and participation in the game of golf. Its a thought experiment supported by the limited data available. crazy to think how good he would have been with new equipment and balls [size=5] Jack was able to hit 2,3,4 irons sky high and land them soft. 10 important takeaways from the USGA/R&As Distance Insights Project, Jack Nicklaus responds to USGA and R&As long-awaited Distance Insights project, 2023 Mexico Open money: Total purse, payout breakdown, winners share, How to watch the 2023 Mexico Open on Sunday: Round 4 live coverage, 2023 Mexico Open tee times: Round 4 groupings for Sunday, 2023 Mexico Open at Vidanta: How to watch, TV schedule, streaming, tee times, Meet the new GOLF Top 100 Teachers of America, These floral golf shoes are gorgeous *and* packed with performance features. [size=5] Strategically, it is often advantageous to lay up. And I think what that misses is that the longest drivers miss an average of one more fairway per round. [size="5"]5-iron: 170-185 yards[/size] But thats not the only way to become something of a household name (at least in golf households). For all the preternatural gifts he may have had, however . He was 4.5 percent longer than the average distance of 260.2. This chart shows you the average distances per skill level for female golfers. A bigger part of that, however, is because Nicklaus was one of the best amateurs of all time. THE MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED, DISTRIBUTED, TRANSMITTED, CACHED OR OTHERWISE USED, EXCEPT WITH THE PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION OF DISCOVERY GOLF, INC. 2023 DISCOVERY GOLF, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Why Jack Nicklaus would dominate modern-day golf, In his prime, the Golden Bear was the one everyone chased. The pro who was markedly longer was Jim Dent. He swung the 75-gram graphite shaft in his driver at 113 miles per hour. [size="5"]1-iron: 215-235 yards[/size] First, lets hear from a six-time major champion who starred in the 1970s. He nearly managed it again, only yards shy. Even the 1986 Masters is highlight-reel fodder. In College, He Planned to Become a Pharmacist. Jack in a relative way was probably as long as Tiger is/was. His number was 56, and only four other players were lower than 100. At the same time, driving distance turns on the jets, making huge strides into the high 280s, and finally breaking 290 for the first time ever in 2011. According to shotlink data, there were 200 measured drives of 375 yards or longer during the 2015-16 PGA Tour season, including eight surpassing the 400-yard barrier. Nicklaus, at 276 yards, was 4.5 percent longer than the average. To put that into perspective, Brendan Steele led the PGA TOUR in total driving in 2018-19. I think the modern clubs would hurt more than help, just like it has tiger. 4 blitzandsplitz 5 mo. Back in his heyday, Jack Nicklaus had an enormous distance advantage that made him dominant. Taylormade M3 3w 17* Fujikura Atmos S shaft Twice before she competed as an amateur, which made her more comfortable, and therefore more aggressive off the tee. USGA and R&As joint Distance Insights project. Was he a long hitter back then? Depending on the layout of the hole, some players don't always hit the ball as far as they're able. Those numbers tell a different story from the current perception of golf. A Mammoth drive for persimmon! RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. When 25-year-old Jack Nicklaus won the 1965 Masters Tournament, he finished nine strokes clear of the field and set a new 72-hole scoring record. 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). 338 in career earnings with $5,734,031. In 2000, Karrie Webb won by 10 strokes at 14 under par. [size="5"]6- iron: 155-170 yards[/size] The average driving distance among golfers in the PGA varies from event to event and from year to year, but typically stays within a few yards of the same number. Now they can bust it out 240-250 with relative ease. Thats way more accurate than most amateurs, even when theyre hitting it as far as theyre hitting it. Those who can get it airborne do sometimes hit it spectacularly crooked in a way that probably wasn't possible in the old days. Sergio Garcia averaged 299.2 and Ernie Els averaged 288.1 yards. [quote name='titleistfan14' timestamp='1302833449' post='3154660'] Nicklaus cranked a 341-yard blast to win the PGA Championships long drive competition in 1963 with the old ball. When he was 18 years old, he and Arnold Palmer drove the green on a 330-yard par 4 at Athens (Ohio) CC, a story Nicklaus shared at Palmers memorial service. There is a lot of self-awareness going on out there today, Tavatanakit said. Those are the only two guys you could compare him to.. Its reasonable to assume Jones, who was one of the longer hitters of the day and the games greatest amateur, would have no trouble keeping up if given modern equipment. Muirfield 20th irons 2-PW;/TT DGHL S-300, Clay Long Personal Edition SW 54* TTDyn Gold X100 8i shaft Wishon 929 HS 14.5*, 19* 0.5 Open Jack Nicklaus Driving Average By Year | StatMuse That would rank as the third-highest single-season total in PGA Tour history, behind only Scottie Scheffler's 2021-22 and Jordan Spieths 2014-15. But with equipment overall, and relative to distance, I'm not so sure. The latest news & stories from PGA Amateur Programs. Average Reddit driving distance according to Golf Digest. Nice How pro golf has changed off the tee since 1980 is even more staggering 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. Maltby KE4 14* 3w , Axe Excaliber R flex tipped 1". In his words, via a Golf Digest article from 2015: First time I ever had my swing speed checked was 98. Since 2010, the average driving accuracy rank for players to be in the top 10 on TOUR in driving.