Remember when John Daly was considered such a slugger? The longest women now drive that far.
Average driving distance:
2024 LPGA:
Tour average 259
Leader: Natthakritta Vongtaveelap 292
1991 PGA:
Tour average 261
Leader: John Daly 289
For years there was relatively little change in driving distance. In 1967, per IBM, the tour average was 260 and Jack Nicklaus was the longest hitter at 276. There was essentially no change between then and 1991 except for the presence of Long John Daly, but things started to explode in the Tiger era. The PGA tour average is now 300 yards, and Rory averaged 326 last year. The average on the senior tour is 280, and the longest hitters are just a hair above 300.
The reasons – better technology and bigger, stronger golfers. Many of them, like Bryson Dechambeau, spend as much time on strength and flexibility training as they do on the range.
The consequences – the older courses are getting overpowered by the tour pros. The courses keep expanding, but not every great course can buy additional land. How long does a hole have to be in order to be a true par five these days? The average PGA player can hit driver-three wood 565 yards. The big sluggers can reach 600 without reaching back for anything extra. To require a full third shot (let’s say at least a full wedge, as opposed to a chip) from every player, a hole would need to be something like 750 yards. The longest hole on the PGA tour is the 18th at Kapalua at 677 yards, and that hole is downhill, so the tour players can reach it with a long iron. (Xander Schauffele got a three on that hole in the final round of the 2024 Sentry. Dustin Johnson nearly aced a 400-yard par four on the same course.) In other words, the tour pros consider a five on any hole to be a disappointment.
The solution – unknown at the time. The PGA is considering a rule about ball design (a “roll-back” ball), but that’s all talk so far.
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Sort of related:
Ben Hogan vs Sam Snead on Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf. They were both about 53 at the time (Snead was a few months older). Although Hogan was an old fogey, weighed 145 soakin’ wet, and couldn’t putt worth beans at the time, he pretty much hit every shot perfectly from tee to green. His game was mechanical perfection. Gene Sarazen told him after the match that it was the best round of golf he had ever watched – and ol’ Mr. Sarazen had seen some sights in his day.
