I love playing a persimmon driver when i play a good old course. Originally, the driver was only slightly larger than any other wood and was designed to be used from the tee or the fairway, but with the advent of hollow metal clubhead construction, the driver has become highly. Take an old ball out with modern equipment and you lose 20m off almost every club in the bag. Persimmon drivers have more gear effect than metal drivers. If a golf ball is fired into the face of a driver at 100 mph and the ball rebounds off the driver face at 84 mph the driver is said to have a cor of. In this persimmon driver test, gm digital editor neil tappin hits a 25 year old driver putting it up against his own titleist 917 d2. The persimmon driver and new ball combo wasnt much different from their current set up. We had modern tour pros try an old driver and 1iron from ben hogans. Ti heads were amust as we were running out of persimmon. How the titleist pro v1 revolutionized golf this is the.
I play my old late 80s persimmon from time to time, and when i nail one, especially in the summer with dry conditions the distance can be amazingly competitive with titanium. Jan 21, 2015 what was somewhat unique about this particular persimmon driver was that nicklaus used it to win the long drive contest at the 63 pga championship with a blast of 341 yards. For those who dont know, louisville golf was founded by elmore just in 1974. The 2017 data shows a deviation from this trend, read the reports preamble. But kids mature and grow and vastly different rates and times. The 983 drivers offer the professional and competitive golfer long distance with a flatter, more.
What were balata golf balls, and can you buy them today. In the persimmon days the greatest players attempted to contact the ball in the center of the face with a. Unused, stillinpackage balata balls are difficult to find, but not for now impossible. The only problem is that a couple weeks later i lost the. The old wound balls worked best with the persimmon clubheads. May 24, 2019 unused, stillinpackage balata balls are difficult to find, but not for now impossible.
Though driving distance on the pga tour, the best players in the world, has gone up in the last 20 years the scoring average has stayed the same. Kamagra jelly australia paypal private and simple orders. Jul 20, 2018 i hit the ball well farther at 21 with a persimmon driver and wound ball than i do now because i was an athlete then i hit it 250 consistently off the tee. Jun 06, 2011 persimmon drivers have more gear effect than metal drivers. As was the raison detre of its first product, the pittsburgh persimmon, taylormades golf ball emphasizes distance. The kornferry boys are younger and stronger but will it get longer i doubt it. Many ranges repurpose old balls so each ball will be unique but those. A newer ball with old tech is better than old tech with an older ball. When the 2017 distance report landed on their desks, however, the two bodies noted, as one, that the slow creep had become too significant to ignore. Gear effect is the selfimparting spin that is put on the ball when hit on the heel or toe balls hit on the heel or toe of a persimmon driver, due to its roll and bulge and deeper cog, will move back online toward the target and have a tighter dispersion. In the persimmon days the greatest players attempted to contact the ball in the center of the face with a level or descending impact approach angle. Barely noticed a difference in distance hitting a prov with an old persimmon driver versus my 907d2.
Over 400 guests in black tie and gowns will enjoy a gourmet banquet, will dance to the short bus band, and will bid on sensational live items auctioned by terry betteridge. At the 2000 masters, fiftynine of the ninety five players used a wound golf ball. Develop a better understanding from the feedback of our natural persimmon club heads. Dec 06, 2018 as was the raison detre of its first product, the pittsburgh persimmon, taylormades golf ball emphasizes distance. The fruit has no core or seeds, can be eaten whole like you would a plump tomato and its way smaller than the japanese persimmon. There was a very clear reason for that huge jump the introduction of what might be the single most influential product in the history of any sport. By the end of 2001, not a single tournament champion on any of the worlds major professional tours had won using a wound ball. If you find an old pro v1,it will only have pro v1 printed on it, no lines or arrows on it. Louisville golf and the value of wood persimmon golf today. Persimmon drivers japanese golf clubs japanese golf clubs. Persimmon and traditional golf community forum why do you. Persimmon and traditional golf community forum why do. When looking at the group average,the modern driver was 30 yards ahead of the persimmon driverand yards ahead of the driver from the 90 s. From the frankly frog putting studio we respond to a viewer.
Well, to put it simply, its all about distance and control. Ive seen a proper fitting result in the same golfer at the end of an hour being able to hit it 50 yards farther. We recently noticed titleist itself selling stock of titleist tour 100 balata balls on amazon. Nov 02, 2017 the ball carried 270 yards off his driver, which measured 45 and 230 off the relic, which measured 43.
Compared to 252yard carry and 272 total distance with my titleist, thats a pretty significant change. Lofted at 18 to help promote optimal launch and a higher ball flight. The history of driving distance on the pga tour hit it longer. I purchased a persimmon driver, blade iron, and some older golf balls off. I was a little afraid of hitting hard range balls with the wood driver, so for this test i dug into the shag bag and pulled out some old tournament golf balls. So i think the biggest tech advances have been in the ball. Dustin johnson hit jack nicklaus old persimmon driver 290. Why they just dont go back to persimmon drivers and a wound ball like the old titleist professional. Prior to the takeover of metalwoods in the early 90.
Davis love iii retired his persimmon driver and old school woods left the tour for good. It really makes me feel at home on the course when im swinging one and playing the old wound ball and really transcends me back to the time when i learned the game in the very early 80s when i played a wooden driver up until around 1989. Times have changed pgatour stats advanced ball striking. However, by producing 20 yards more distance with a tighter dispersion. Just need a liquid that didnt do that until 28 degrees or so. On the other end, you have the high compression balls which require striking the ball harder to achieve the same distance, however. Driving distance on the pga tour has increased from the early 80s, when persimmon drivers were the primary club around 260 yards to today.
The shift to a solid core ball, compared to the wound balls. While at the bears club ahead of the 2018 dell technologies championship, dj took to the range with jacks old persimmon driver and 1iron. Have done a search yet but what is the difference between 2 and 4 stars with regards to the shaft. The current standard bearer for the golf ball line is the tp5 and tp5x, the games only fivelayer golf ball. How far would golfs legends drive the ball using modern equipment. But your best bet is ebay or other online auction sites or retailers of vintage sports equipment. As i said before i play honma solid persimmon woods with modified lofts. I also totaled the distance after roll the ten shots with each club finished from the center line. How far would golfs legends drive the ball using modern. What was somewhat unique about this particular persimmon driver was that nicklaus used it to win the long drive contest at the 63 pga championship with a blast of 341 yards.
How much does using the right golf ball and driver affect. If you look at the ball, it has been improved over the old wound balata and hence its consistency, durability and spin control have made it easier to hit it harder. Interestingly, the modern driver was edged out by our 2000s driver. On one end of the scale, you have the low compression ball which will create distance and on the golf ball compression chart are rated between 7080. My dad used to use the 100 compression titleist balls back in the old days. Going the distance with jack this entry was posted on february 27. Mar 24, 2018 1998 golf ball vs 2018 golf ball 20 year test rick shiels tests the titleist professional 90 golf ball from 1998 against the latest titleist prov1 golf ball 2018 on gcquad become a free. Eventually i will use up my 8 dozen dt 90 wound balls. We raided our own collections of old clubs and balls from the past 30. Ywca greenwich will hold its 2016 persimmon ball, themed evening in andalusia, on friday, april 8 at 6. He swung the 150gram steel shaft in the persimmon at 106 miles per hour. Jun 18, 2012 looking on the bay i found a listing for hiro honma big lb persimmon driver, 3 and 4 woods for what i believe is a reasonable price. Apr 20, 2018 5 thoughts on industry exec equipmentball doesnt help avg golfer drive it longer jeff april 20, 2018 at 9.
Ive found pro v1s that are some of the first ones made over 10 years old, and find them to fly about the same distance off the driver as new ones. When chad campbell recently tested an old driver and ball, his drives were. Match up this solid core ball with the new metal woods and. Almost identical to the difference between balata and pro v1. I can tell you from personal experience that if you hit an old rock with a modern titanium driver the results will not be good. Industry exec equipmentball doesnt help avg golfer. Id love to find an old persimmon driver the feel of my old mcgregor driver long time sold was amazing. So if you believe you can realistically get a smash factor of 1. The 983 drivers offer the professional and competitive golfer long distance with a. On my andrew rice golf facebook page i asked readers if they had any experience with shortening the shaft of their driver and here are a few of. Chris mcginley, titleists vice president of golf club marketing, expands on the 983 drivers attributes.
Using the ball speed version of tutelmans formula for distance, the change in distance is 2. John daly arrived on the scene in 1991, and let the tour with an average drive of 289 yards, which was a huge jump over the year before tom purtzer and the highest ever, yet the average was only slightly higher than 1980 at only 261. I have an old matzi persimmon driver i can still pop out 260 on the odd. The five layers are employed to deliver distance from every club through the bag, not just the driver. Understanding the golf ball compression chart get in the. Notwithstanding the extant technology of the wound balata days, some have opined that jack sacrificed much by his loyalty to the macgregor ball. To get any kind of loft out of the wood driver i am teeing it pretty high, higher than i thought would be. With a more appropriate and modern driver and work on flexibility, 300 will come. Seve played an old macgregor toney penna driver pt1w eyeomatic 60 for years. The results unsurprisingly, we found that new drivers are significantly longer than old drivers. Mar 16, 2012 another take on langers high swing speed distance boost. Jul 17, 2019 these were the days of persimmon heads, steel shafts, and wound balata balls. Three wood shaft 234 feet average 23 feet off line. Driving distance ranges for junior golfers golfwrx.
Wound balata balls for the persimmon steel shafted era are pretty scarce, too. Compared with the persimmon drivers and blade irons of old, there is now a. Still, the question lingers, how far would golfs legends hit the ball with. What would he be able do with a persimmon driver you know, a real driver. Clubhead speed is 112 with that same old driver and distance is about 280. Discussion driving distance ranges for junior golfers. Wooden woods, wound balls, steel spikes whats in your.
Jack nicklaus in his prime using modern equipment roy. Range balls and persimmon woods persimmon golf today. Iirc, the usga limits the amount of spring effect on the driver, so once you stop the equipment from imparting more than a certain amount of energy to the golf ball, all the rest of the equipment hype is just that hype. May 09, 2011 persimmon driver for distance and accuracy. But antifreeze would keep the ball in better shape when cold. On my sw the wound ball had very close numbers to the pro v1. These were the days of persimmon heads, steel shafts, and wound balata balls. The ball carried 270 yards off his driver, which measured 45 and 230 off the relic, which measured 43. How much does using the right golf ball and driver affect the. Jul 26, 2012 the persimmon driver and new ball combo wasnt much different from their current set up. The sharon fruit, a certain type of persimmon, was named after the sharon plain in israel where the orangered fruit got its roots.
Another take on langers high swing speed distance boost. Not everyone liked the balls due to the harsh feel, but distance often trumps feel. Equipment plays a part, but not in the way you think. Additionally, the ball speeds were very different 9mph versus 151 mph.
On the other hand, when i catch one squirrelly, well, it certainly does adversely effect ones distance. The history of driving distance on the pga tour hit it. The difference between titanium and persimmon was 15 yards. Vintage spalding top flite synchrodyned professional irons with original stiff shafts. The aerodynamiics was the biggest factor with dimple design and being in balance. Testing the performance of drivers of different eras. I was only able to carry the persimmon driver 219 yards for a total distance of 238 on average. Could also add a catalyst for quicker energy transfer, as well. Kids who are short at even 1517 years old and ended up the longest on there college golf teams at 21.
What manufacturers create a smaller driver fairway wood heads that resemble the old ones. Our woods are available with hickory or steel shafts and are durably constructed to ensure longevity and style. Earlier this month, louisville golf unveiled a new website layout with bunch of new features. Are titanium drivers really that much better than wood. However, the loss of the wound ball leaves us weighing the benefits of gaming. In the old days with shorter, heavier, steel shafts this was almost impossible to generate the ball speed seen in todays. Testing the performance of drivers of different eras miles. Oct 30, 2014 how the titleist pro v1 revolutionized golf. I hit a titleist black with my persimmon 34h the other day and still got 5 more yards vs my 7 iron. Big differences between persimmon and metal wood eras.
The same goes for hitting a modern ball with an old persimmon driver. Injury is the biggest distance loser, and tour pros are most vulnerable. His average drive with the byron nelson wooden driver went 247 yards. Wooden woods, wound balls, steel spikes whats in your bag. Thats not a smile, turn the ball over and you will see that the ball is very sad. When spalding produced the large solid core with surlyn cover topflite ball in the 1970s, people noticed that the ball shot off the face and rolled farther than the wound balls of the day. Well, thanks to jack nicklaus and gary player, we know that answer.
You cant teach a guy that is driving the ball 250 to drive the ball 300. Then came jack with a teacher and everyone was doing it. Play this ball on a warm sunny day and have some fun with the old persimmon and wound ball feel. Wound balata balls for the persimmonsteel shafted era are pretty scarce, too. Lower freezing temps but they kind of hardened and lost pep and shape around 45 degrees on down. The old ball with there current driver was much, much short and very wayward. How hard is it to hit and how much of a difference did it. Did you use a modern ball such as a titleist prov1 or v1x with the persimmon clubs. The wound golfball was to expensive and to out of balance and has definately skewed distance data from old days to modern days. The vanguard persimmon isnt too great for distance. Although the persimmon 10 wood is less forgiving, i can hit it pretty close to the distance of. Downside is what most players call a smile from hitting it low on the equator.
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