Texas Children's Houston Open

Memorial Park Golf Course



Equipment

Masters 2020: This player (not named Bryson) is using a longer driver in pursuit of distance

November 10, 2020
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Maddie Meyer

Bryson DeChambeau wasn’t the only one considering a longer-shafted driver to gain more yards ahead of the Masters. Adam Scott, who won the 2013 Masters, bumped his driver shaft length up more than inch in pursuit of distance, with Augusta National in mind.

The switches Scott has made include both driver and ball, and he swapped both in Houston last week as preparation for this week. Scott went from a previous generation Titleist Pro V1 to the company’s latest version of its Pro V1x ball and changed to a new Titleist TSi4 driver head with 8 degrees of loft and a 46-inch shaft.

“Adam tested the New Pro V1 and New Pro V1x at home prior to the Houston Open,” said J.J. VanWezenbeeck, director of player promotion for Titleist. “He liked the increased speed he was getting off both golf balls, but the Pro V1x provided the ideal spin and control with his irons, which is extremely important to him. When Adam arrived in Houston, he wanted to test some new drivers to see how they worked with the new golf ball. We started with a new TSi4 with 10 degrees of loft at a D-2 Titleist SureFit setting in a Ventus Red 8X at 44.75 inches … but he wanted to explore what a longer shaft would provide.”

Scott stayed with the TSi4 head, but decreased the loft to 8 degrees and lengthened the shaft to a Ventus Red 6X at 46 inches. According to VanWezenbeeck, Scott saw an immediate increase in ball speed of 4 to 5 mph. Following range testing with the launch monitor, Scott headed to the golf course and reported he felt like he was in complete control of his new driver and golf ball combination and secured the increased distance he was seeking.

The combination worked well in Houston as Scott led the field in driving distance at 326.4 yards, including the tournament’s longest single drive of 369 yards—numbers he would no doubt take this week at the Masters.