In february 2015, watson reached a careerhigh 2nd place in the official world golf ranking. Theres a lot more to bubba watson than the guy who kills the driver. To achieve that, each mavrik driver models face is slightly different, with thicker and thinner areas created by ai. Best golf balls 2020 premium models that offer spin. It definitely sends a message to us drivers that if you do it, this is what could happen. Ever since bubba watson won the 2012 masters with a custom pinkcolored ping g20 driver, hes used a pink version of the newest ping driver models. Bubba watson, nascar driver denny hamlin join all in challenge. On the pga tour, the average driver clubhead speed is about 1 mph, but big hitters like koepka, johnson and bubba watson average more. Go inside the ping tour truck as we custombuild bubba watson s pink g400 lst driver. Drivers made for pros are finely tuned to produce the ideal launch angle and spin rate based on how fast that particular player swings. Here are the facts ive learned about driver spin in my career, in which ive spent countless hours. In fact, this actually happened in hawaii a few years ago when jamie sadlowski hit drives at kapalua in maui ahead of the pga tour event against bubba watson, dustin johnson, and robert garrigus. Explore the game of golf like you have never seen it.
Such data is pretty basic by todays standards, and as time has progressed and weve. How driving your lead foot down allows you to really explode into your downswing. Spin rate is exactly as it sounds the rate of spin that is put on the ball by your driver as it leaves the club face. Bubba watson demos ping g30 driver on trackman trackman golf. Lower launch and ball speed might require more spin to generate some lift for the ball.
Watson unveils a pink ping g410 custom bubba driver. Tried the ping g30 and after swapping out the shaft for the tour x shaft, brought my spin rates down from the 3000 range to 2,200. In the latest edition of s weekly gear notes, equipment editor jonathan wall looks at changes made by dustin johnson, bubba watson, phil mickelson and more. How exactly did bubba watson hook that wedge in the 2012 masters. Optimal driver numbers august 24, 2015 andrew rice. I wonder how many drivers bubba used on these holes. The lst is pings low spin model, but watson s spin rate off the tee had gone up drastically, from 2,541 in 201516 about the tour average to 2,918 in 201617, ranking as the 11th highest on tour. Ping bubba watson changes to the new g30, an even faster. Go ahead, admire the distance that dustin johnson, justin thomas and bubba watson generate, knowing that the drivers they are using. Bubba is of course sponsored by ping, and uses a full set of ping clubs from the putter to driver. I have laid out the visual and physical changes below, along with the trackman results from testing the g versus the g30. There isnt really ever side spin it is merely back spin on a tilted axis and. The clubs bubba watson used to win the travelers championship. Pga tour rookie cameron champs amazingly powerful trackman.
Desired launch angle, spin rates change based on driver speed. A closer look at watson s spin rate with the driver reveals he went from 2,541 rpms in 2016 to 2,918 last season a. How exactly did bubba watson hook that wedge in the 2012. How to achieve optimal ball spin with the driver using a flightscope or. Clubhead speed, spin and launch angle all factor in. I really wanted the big bertha but we could not get the spin rates down despite trying several shafts. The rb tour offers low driver spin for downward attack angles while the rb tour x offers midlow driver spin for flat to upward attack angles.
Heres a quick rundown of his key driving and trackman numbers from last week. Nascar penalized bubba wallace for admission of spin. Drivers ping bubba watson changes to the new g30, an even faster driver. The clubs bubba watson used to win the genesis open new. Swinging up on a drive increases launch angle, decreases spin. The multimaterial design combines reduced drag, a forged face to increase speed and distance, and a tungsten back weight for producing our fastest, most forgiving driver. When the driver is swinging downward into impact, the launch angle decreases and the spin rate increases, robbing shots of distance. Its not like im mad at bubba wallace, im just mad that an intentional spin caused a caution which affected my race and others. Im giving back in a bigger way through the bubba watson foundation. The rotations per minute rpm of a golf ball are the actual spin rate. On the pga tour, the average driver clubhead speed is about 1 mph, but big hitters like koepka, johnson and bubba watson average more than 120 mph. Bubba watson has not yet grabbed his first win of 2017, but has certainly been in form and has contended for a handful of the early tournaments. The man who complained the most about bubba wallaces intentional spin last week at texas motor speedway also wound up being one of the most surprised at.
Bubba watson is known for booming tee shots but it was his lob wedge. The multimaterial design combines reduced drag, a forged face to increase speed and distance, and a tungsten back weight for producing our fastest, most forgiving driver, ever. Callaway said the key to unlocking performance in the mavrik drivers was making a face that delivers more ball speed and enhances forgiveness by protecting ball speed and spin rates on mishits more effectively. If you dont know his story yet, get to know the man who drives a general lee, hits the ball a mile and is trying. Then, in 2017, he signed an endorsement deal with volvik, a. Who is bubba watson and why is he holding a pink driver. Bubba watson changed drivers and irons last weekhere are. Can someone please tell me if there is an ideal backspin rate for a driver at a 14 degree launch angle with a 105 to 110 mph swing speed. Dynamic loft, angle of attack and your launch angle golfwrx. Maximizing driver distance using a trackman or flightscope launch monitor.
Bubba watson and dustin johnson commonly have an upward attack angle greater than 4 degrees. We would all like to drive the ball longer off the tee, yet far too often golfers search in all the wrong places to find more distance. Looking for some advice on how to increase my spin rate with the driver. However, lower is generally better, as long as you have enough spin to keep the ball in the air as it travels down the fairway. Like jordan spieth and henrik stenson, watson is currently hitting the titleist pro v1x golf ball. Bubba watson changed drivers and irons last weekhere are photos and details of it. Bubba watson shares his secrets to hitting the long ball.
Bubba watson unveils a pink ping g410 custom bubba driver, is 2. Go ahead, admire the distance that dustin johnson, justin thomas and bubba watson generate, knowing that the drivers they are using probably would not work nearly as well for you. They try to find a shaft that can enable them to get their spin number lower without first taking the time to determine if they do in fact have a spin problem. In this bubba watson golf swing analysis video, youll find out why creating width early in the swing sets you up for power, how elevation in your backswing affects your swing speed, and. The biggest change visually is at the top of the driver. The clubs bubba watson used to win the genesis open. One of the few lefthanded golfers on tour, he is a multiple major champion, with victories at the masters tournament in 2012 and 2014. A good long driver would easily drive it 50 yards past bubba.
The highest recorded clubhead speed on the pga tour in 2009 was bubba watson at 128. Simply put, the more swing speed you have, the farther youll hit the. Thats because modern drivers dont spin the ball as much, and the ball doesnt spin as much, either. My first monitor showed me club speed, ball speed, launch angle, spin rate, carry distance and smash factor. Maximizing driver distance using a trackman or flightscope. Brandon hagy had the secondhighest average ball speed in the field. Tiger woods at his longest used a relatively short 43. The g400 lst low spin model is customengineered with tungsten weight closer to the face for promoting low, stable spin with control.
Rollins said the more clubhead speed a player generates, the more spin his swing is capable of producing. If you have a high ball speed and can launch the ball very high, low spin is the way to go. Nascar executive vice president and chief racing development officer steve odonnell addresses bubba wallaces spin at texas motor speedway. Generally, golfers with slower swing speeds require morelofted drivers and moreflexible shafts to achieve the proper launch conditions.
The science behind the clubface golfweek usa today. I have conducted somewhere around 12,000 golf ball fittings, and less than 1% of players launched the ball a. I swing at 94 mph with a ball speed around 8, my launch angle is good around 14, but my spin rate is low around 161700. Go behind the scenes with ping as they make bubba watson s driver for the masters tournament. Watch bubba watson hole out from the bunker for birdie to propel his genesis open win after finishing the 201617 season ranked 20th in driving distance at 305.
Tour player bubba watson demos the new ping g30 driver on trackman. Find out more about the clubs he used to get the win, including some very unusual grips, custom wedge lofts and a 15 year old driver shaft. With the driver, for every 1 mph you add to your swing speed you. The lst is pings low spin version of its g400 driver. Bubba watson witb for 2017 find out what clubs bubba is. The best comes when we look at the carry, up to 338. I want you to remember way back to when launch monitors first became commercially available and what they actually measured. After testing the new ping g410 driver, watson saw a significant reduction in his spin rates, according to ping tour rep christian pena.
Pga tour players basically hit the ball too low and with too much spin to be as optimal as the ladies on the lpga tour. At the club level, driver swing speeds in the 80s and 90s are much more common. The lst is pings low spin model, but watson s spin rate off the tee had gone up drastically, from 2,541 in 201516 about the tour. Kyle larson not mad at bubba but surprised at severity. To get the most distance from your driver, you must optimize the launch angle and spin rate of the ball by selecting the proper loft and shaft flex for your swing speed. Guys like bubba watson who launch the ball super high with scary low spin are changing minds about fitting.
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