Pro explains outrageous driver specs

As golfers, we discover loads of other ways to explain our golf golf equipment: large canine, sand saver, flat stick, security membership — the drill. But Korn Ferry Tour participant Chandler Phillips discovered a brand new one final week when he known as his Ping G430 driver a “fly swatter” due to its distinctive construct specs.

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After a shocking T2 end on the Wichita Open, Phillips revealed to reporters that his Ping gamer driver had not one of the specs sometimes related to a pro-caliber driver. In reality, his regular-flex G430 was as plain-Jane as exists on this planet of membership manufacturing.

“You can go to Dicks Sporting Goods literally right now and buy my driver,” he stated. “You can actually purchase it proper now off the rack. It’s the inventory Ping shaft, 55-gram stick, not an [extra-stiff shaft].

“It’s a fly-swatter, but hell, it works,” he stated. “Don’t ask me, I don’t get it. It doesn’t make sense to me either.”

You see, most professional golfers go for a stiffer-shafted driver, as a result of the diminished whip permits them to tighten the dispersion of their photographs and enhance vital launch traits. But the specs Phillips makes use of are extra becoming in your common weekend golfer — a uncommon improvement within the bag of a high-level participant.

The pattern of light-weight, softer shafts in elite gamers has elevated in recognition in the previous couple of years. It’s most noticeable with lengthy drivers like Martin Borgmeier, who use the additional whip created by the flexible shaft to ship larger ballspeeds and higher distance.

Bendier shafts even began making their manner into luggage of Tour gamers during the last yr, with notables like Adam Scott and Jimmy Walker placing the extremely publicized Autoflex shaft into play throughout PGA Tour occasions. These kinds of driver shafts are particularly useful to golfers within the reasonable swing velocity class for the reason that light-weight profile permits higher membership size, which provides velocity and distance off the tee.

So whether or not you’re a reasonable swing velocity golfer or somebody on the upper finish trying to get each final yard out of your swing, perhaps it’s time to work towards standard knowledge and check out a light-weight and softer flex shaft. In different phrases, perhaps the fly swatter is simply best for you.

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Golf.com Editor

Ryan Barath is GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com’s senior editor for tools. He has an in depth club-fitting and -building background with greater than 20 years of expertise working with golfers of all ability ranges, together with PGA Tour gamers. Before becoming a member of the employees, he was the lead content material strategist for Tour Experience Golf, in Toronto, Canada.