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July 2006

Power Tools
In a mere 10 years, the average driving distance on the PGA Tour has exploded from John Daly’s 288-yard average in 1996 to a whopping 319-yard average held by the longest guy ever on Tour, Bubba Watson. We’ve seen several PGA Tour players hit the ball unprecedented lengths this year, so it’s no doubt that today’s equipment has helped professionals hit a long way.

But what about the rest of us mere mortals? Can today’s drivers do for the average player what they have done for the best players in the world? Granted, you may not challenge Bubba Watson’s leading average of nearly 320 yards per drive, but a few extra yards is definitely not out of the question with one of today’s exciting new drivers. The key in deciding which driver works best for you has to do with first determining what clubhead you prefer, what loft is suited for your swing and, finally, what shaft length, weight and flex are best fit for your swingspeed and tempo. Also, be sure not to forget grip and grip size, as bigger grips promote less hand rotation than skinnier grips do.

PING G5 Driver  $299 Bubba Watson • Longest Drive: 398 yards The PING G5 is designed to help all golfers produce the desired high-launch, low-spin ballflight—even if you don’t have Bubba-like swingspeed. Shafts: PING TFC100D, Aldila NV 65, Grafalloy ProLaunch 65	TaylorMade r7 425 TP $399 John Daly • Longest Drive: 397 yards Big John swings the r7 425 TP because of its super-thin crown, low CG, increased COR and, frankly, because it’s really long. Other options include the powerful r7 460 and the player-friendly r7 425. Shafts: TaylorMade Re*AX by Fujikura
Callaway Big Bertha Fusion FT-3 $399 Phil Mickelson • Longest Drive: 363 yards We all know that Phil used two to win the Masters, but what you may not know is that the FT-3 is arguably the most revolutionary and technologically advanced driver ever made by Callaway Golf.  Shafts: Aldila Fusion NVS graphite	Cleveland HiBore $399 Vijay Singh • Longest Drive: 394 yards   Is the HiBore the next big thing? We’ll leave that to you to decide, but one thing we know for sure: it’s incredibly straight, long and easy to hit, thanks to its unique crown shape.   Shafts: HiBore Silver by Fujikura
MacGregor MACTEC NVG2 (Tour)  $299 José María Olazábal • Longest Drive: 349 yards Featuring a weldless Cup Face 360° clubface, the MACTEC NVG2 has a broad array of cool attributes, including Quadra Tungsten sole weights, a Tri-Plane sole and a razor-thin crown section for a low CG Shafts: Quadra Action graphite by Fujikura	Bridgestone J33 Series $299 Stuart Appleby • Longest Drive: 426 yards The all-titanium model used by Stuart Appleby has a tungsten weight in the trailing edge of the clubhead for both a higher MOI and a lowered and deepened CG. The trademark elastomer compound insert reduces vibration for a greater transfer of energy. Shafts: Aldila NV 65 graphite

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