Journey to the Worlds: Testing Drivers for Distance

One of the things I do is test equipment for performance. Finding a driver that has the optimal characteristics for competition in the World Long Dive Championship is not a random process. I’m always experimenting and trying new ideas. John Greenwood came up with an innovative treatment for the butt end of the shaft that allowed me to test the new light-weight shafts. Without the special insert the light-weight shafts would be a little too unstable at high swing speeds. Most graphite driver shafts weigh 70-80 grams. The shafts we are testing are under 60 grams. That may not sound like much, but it seems to add 2-3 mph of swing speed, which translates to 5 to 7 yards on the grid. That may just be the winning edge.

In this video I spent some time with Leith Anderson and Dave Balbi on their radar system comparing clubs. It’s amazing how much data you can now get about your club performance. The key to our testing, however, was being able to compare multiple drivers side-by-side, at the same time, in the same conditions, to get a true apples to apples result.