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The power revolution: why women's golfers are driving further than ever

 Lexi Thompson hits her tee shot on the 18th hole during the third round of the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio - Getty Images
Lexi Thompson hits her tee shot on the 18th hole during the third round of the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio - Getty Images
Women's Sport Social Embed
Women's Sport Social Embed

“Relatable” has been the buzz word used to sell women’s golf to fans in build up to next week’s AIG Women’s Open. Forget the ball-crushing 400-yard-plus drives from the likes of Bryson DeChambeau: as Britain's Georgia Hall has pointed out, ordinary fans are far more likely to see something of themselves in the women's game.

But maybe not for much longer. There is a quiet revolution taking place in women’s golf, which is beginning to flex its muscles in every sense. Most notably, driving distances are getting progressively longer. In 2018 American Lexi Thompson hit the headlines for hitting a 348-yard drive in the second round of the ANA Inspiration, usually the first major of the women’s season.

The highest average driving distance on the LPGA tour is almost 300 yards - courtesy of 22-year-old Mexican Maria Fassi - while Dutchwoman Anne van Dam is the longest hitting European, with an average distance of 287 yards. It is part of a trend which has seen longer and longer drives by women's players, who realise the advantage they can gain by developing their power game.

“I look at the 16-year-old junior girls I works with, who will be on the LET or LPGA in five years, and they look like they will have more length in their game than the current crop of professionals,” said Jamie Greaves, a strength and conditioning coach who specialises in working with golfers lengthening their game.

Comparisons with men's sport are often problematic for women athletes, but in golf's case, it is fair to say that the emergence of super-strong strikers such as DeChambeau - who gained over 40lbs in weight to add more power to his game - has altered thinking across genders.

“Bryson has brought to the forefront just how important strength work is,” said Greaves who works with several LET professionals including England’s Meghan MacLaren.“In general, there is a misconception that if a female lifts weights she is going to get really big and bulky. That is not true - they don’t have the testosterone. But the principal is the same as it is for the men. It is about having more strength. You just don’t have to bulk up like Bryson.

Bryson DeChambeau tees off on the 4th hole during the final round of the 2020 PGA Championship golf tournament  - USA Today
Bryson DeChambeau tees off on the 4th hole during the final round of the 2020 PGA Championship golf tournament - USA Today

"For a woman it will take a lot for her to increase muscle mass by much but if she does, even by a small amount, she can make a big difference. And this is where I think the younger generation are at an advantage - they have been doing strengthening work since they were kids.”

The Danish women on the LET and LPGA Tours have been known for their long game. Denmark's Nanna Koerstz Madsen, 25, has one of the longest driving averages on the LPGA at 271 yards, a figure similar to her compatriot Nicole Broch Larsen, regarded as one of Europe’s longer hitters.

Larsen puts the trend in Denmark down to how players trained from a young age. “As amateurs we were known to hit it long coming from Denmark,” Larsen said, breaking off from her challenge at the Scottish Ladies Open in North Berwick. “Growing up and playing in the Danish national team, we have always focused on length and strength.

“The competition between us as players meant you never wanted to be too far behind, you always wanted to be longer than the others.”

The key to a long drive is increased club head speed - essentially, how fast the head of the club is travelling when it strikes the ball. The average speed in the LPGA is 94 miles per hour, 20 miles slower than the PGA average.

Generating this speed is where the strength and conditioning work pays off but it is about more than lifting weights: players also have to work on developing a more athletic body, particularly in areas such as the core and in their legs. This, Larsen admits, can be a challenge.

Anne van Dam of the Netherlands plays a shot as her caddie records the swing during a practice round prior to the LPGA Drive On Championsh - Getty Images
Anne van Dam of the Netherlands plays a shot as her caddie records the swing during a practice round prior to the LPGA Drive On Championsh - Getty Images

“I know I hit it a long way but I am not good at creating speed - I am not very athletic with stuff like jumping, so I have to work on that," she says.

Greaves acknowledges there is still plenty of scope for more power in most players. “I think there is quite a lot of room for improvement in terms of club head speed with women. But if you look at women’s college golf in the US, they are a lot faster than that, so the next generation of LPGA Tour players are going to be quicker.”

While the Koreans have dominated the women’s game in recent years, they do not dominate driving distances - the trend there is to favour accuracy over length. But Larsen insists working on power makes sense.

"You can always learn to swing it well but if you don’t have the speed, you are going to lose in the end," she says. "When you look at the stats, not just on the men’s tour but on the LPGA, the top players in the world are all long hitters, too. Even if you miss a few more fairways, it is a benefit to be long.”