Why has the word "Standard Length" lost all of its meaning in golf?
What happened to "Standard" meaning that all things being the same you
would get what you expected? In years past this definition has lost
its true meaning, and in no more apparent place then in driver
lengths.
Twenty years ago the standard length of a driver was 43 inches.
Drivers have now stretched to as much as 46 inches! So what does this
mean? Think about it drivers are getting longer and people are not
getting taller. Twenty years is not enough time for us humans to
genetically evolve, even though we would like to think so sometimes.
Secondly, it means that for the majority of golfers hitting fairways
is becoming increasingly more difficult.
So what is driving the golf industry to change the length of drivers
you might ask? Well it began with technology. Titanium and ultra-light
graphite shafts were two materials that made this possible. These two
lighter materials allowed companies to lengthen drivers and keep
swingweights the same. But companies like Callaway and Taylormade have
taken it to another level. Every year golfers are bombarded by
commercials claiming that their company's new driver can give them an
added 15 yards off the tee. Every year these commercials make the same
claim, but by my math we should be hitting 500-yard drives by now.
Yes, these longer drivers might give you a few extra yards off the tee
but the majority of the time accuracy is what is given up in
return....

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