longest driver of the ball

I was watching the news on the TV and at the end of the sports part they showed a man who has come to Australia from the US and his last name is Nash. Tiger Woods' average drive is 292 yrds. This guy's average is about 410 yrds perfectly straight. He can also hit a 29 inch driver that he cut down for his 4 year old son, 320 yrds! He can also hit a putter off the tee 230 yrds. I was wondering how someone can hit the ball so far (he had a very smooth swing that didn't seem that fast but probably was and his actual driver was very long) and why isn't this guy the best player in the world because he can drive the green on most par 4's! he can then 2 putt for a birdie or even 3 putt and still make par!


Naz

Hi,

I am not sure, but I think you're probably talking about Brian Nash, who is a member of the Pinnacle long driving team.

This exert is from pinnacle's website and the full article can be found here.


Brian Davidson was awarded a $10,000 check after launching a 319-yard drive on his fourth and final ball after hitting his first three out of bounds to surpass Nash's longest drive of 304 yards. Nash's longest drive of the evening against a subsequent contestant was 336 yards. In addition to receiving $10,000, Davidson advances to the Pinnacle Distance Challenge finals in Mesquite, Nevada on October 17, 2002, where he will have the opportunity to compete against 10-time PGA Tour driving distance champion and Pinnacle Distance Team member John Daly.

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no this must be a different Nash. This guy can seriouly hit it 400 yrds. He's an absolute tank of a man. 6 ft 7 or so former gridion player. Ill try to find out.

Hi nazz I think brian nash is the same fella you speak of check this link.

http://www.pgaexpo.com.au/news/media..._june_2003.htm


I would imagine this guy nash will have the galleries following him with a reputaion like this which actually could end up being his downfall in the end as the expectaions rise each time.

being able to drive 400+yds is by no means an advantage on every par 4 and opens up many problems about taking a safe line.

Power hitters very rarely make up what they call the complete golfer and although he might have the crowds gasping I doubt he will make the big time.

My money will soon be on a charles howell tipped to be as big as the tiger one day,at only 18 and driving at 350yds despite his small slender build he will win a major once he matures a little.

Naz,

These guys live and breath long ball. I can step on a ball an hit it 350 and straight but most golf holes don't setup that way. The margin for error is so small. These guys practice their release move and swing with no compensations or stopping in their swing, they take it back and let it rip.

Brian Nash is a smooth swinger. He has a great release and incredible timing.

I think the tour player to look out for in the future is Hank Kuene. This guy has a serious long game. I talked to Charlie Howell at the HP Classic of New Orleans. He is doing a bit of short game work, which he needs. He's about 2 years out from getting in the Sunday mix. His dad is a pretty nice guy, too.

GolfBald

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By far the longest of them all was Dr. Michael Austin. He has the record for a PGA actually Senior PGA tour event. At the age of 64, he hit a ball 515 yards. His swing speed was measured at a long drive tournament at about 160 MPH. He was a member of the 350 club well into his seventies before his stoke and taught into his 90's.

By comparison, Tiger said his longest in a practice round was 412. He acknowlegded Dr. Austin on the Larry King Live show as the longest driver.

The mind bending thing about this feat is he did it with a persimmion wood and a balata wound ball. The club is in the World Golf Hall of Fame.

GolfBald

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The guy in the white hat!

that is amazing Golfbald. 515yrds. It takes me and I would say most people at least 3 shots to cover that distance and that' s if I'm at my best. Another question that's has been bothering me for a while now is how come so many guys can out drive Tiger with swing speeds much slower than Tiger. We learnt in physics that Force = mass multiplied by acceleration. So if tiger is swinging the club much quicker shouldn't he be hiting the further. I know he used to be among the longest but now he's much further back on the long driving list. I don't understand why. He's also decided to change back to his Titliest driver but how will this help him as his Nike clubs are also custom made to suit him?

Naz,

Tiger has gone through a maturing process. At 27 he is much smart that where he started in 96-97 time frame. He used to rip everything and take chances young men do. The thirties is prime for golf. He is still young and not in his prime.

Tiger feels comfortable with his titleist driver. Confidence is a good thing going into a major. Look at Watson at the British, the old putter brought him some confidence to his stroke. Muscle memory is one thing but looking down at an old friend that never let you down. Priceless.

The way Tiger hits his irons, he's not giving up much. It's a thinking man's game at that level, they have the talent.

GolfBald

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What's still bothering me slightly is why Ernie Els can crack his drives past Tiger now with a much slower swing. I know that Tiger is much more intelligent now but with a faster swing speed shouldn't he still hit it further than the rest or is off centre hitting the reason Tiger is not rated as highly for distance. All I know is if I had a swing that fast and I was rated 128 for driving accuracy as well a a big drop in distance I wouldn't be happy. Ernie swings really slow and smashes them rihgt down the middle. Tiger swings extremly fast and cracks the ball not nearly as far into the rough right off the fairway. It beats my why. I won't pursue worrying anout these questions must longer cause I really should be worrying about my own game and not the pros.

Naz,

I've been to a few tournaments here in the states. 2 years ago at the Compaq Classic of New Orleans I got a chance to see the "Big Easy" Els in the "Big Easy" New Orleans up close. On the Friday round off the fourth hole he sent one down the cartpath and about beaned the bald guy in the head. He had to come into our world on the other side of the ropes. He hit a shot off the side of a drainage grate that hit the green near the hole. I stood amazed. His swing seems slow because of the distance it has to travel but his release is so powerful it is unreal.

The man is huge, tall, very long arms. Tiger on the other hand is about 190lbs., 6ft. The different body styles equates to more mass behind the shot for Ernie. Ernie also made a swing change that has made his swing more efficient. His posture is more upright on his drives this year.

An easy way to look at this is, if you take a string and put a weight on the end then spin it in a circle as fast as you can. It would be 90* from your fingers at the fastest spin. A golf swing is the same way, Ernie was at about 83* last year and made a 7* upright adjustment. Now he is at optimum power, with his size, longer arms, longer club length equals longer distance. Tiger has been at an optimum 90* since he made his swing change in 1997. Tigers advantage now comes from shot shaping, short game and course management. Tiger can still blow it by players if he needs to.

GolfBald

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The guy in the white hat!