How Far Did Walter Hagen Drive The Golf Ball?

Winning 11 major championships in the space of just 15 years between 1914 and 1929, together with countless tournaments and exhibition matches, Walter Hagen was the best professional golfer of his generation.

Whether he was the best golfer is another matter. A strong case could be made for the great amateur Bobby Jones. That’s for another article.

Whatever your view on that rivalry, Hagen was a true legend of our sport. Not only for his playing prowess, but also for how much he did to elevate the popularity of the game of golf in the 1920s. He was a true showman and an advocate for the rights of the professional sportsperson.

He was a tenacious competitor and a great athlete – he might have been a baseball player. He was a strong man with a robust physiology. He swung the golf club with authority, and he could send it out there when at the peak of his career in the 1920s… but how far could he hit it?

Hagen’s Swing

Hagen understood the importance of getting through the ball. Various accounts of his swing mention his wide stance, his impressive rotation and his powerful “snap” through the ball.

In fact, the famed writer O.B Keeler commented on the Haig’s action, saying: “He never wears a cap or hat, but if he did, I firmly believe that terrific snap would flip his head out from under it.”

Hagen turned so far through the ball that his right shoulder was the part of his body nearest the target at the end of his swing. It wasn’t quite a lunge through the ball, but pictures of him at the end of his swing show how much he moved his weight during his action. He was a powerful player, no question about it.

But he was not known for being the longest from the tee. Although he could shift it well out there, as mentioned, that was not the key strength of his game. In fact, he was probably better known for being a touch wild from the tee. Hagen relied heavily on his exceptional ability to escape trouble and his brilliant short game.

The factors at play

When thinking about how far Hagen hit, the first thing to consider is the equipment he was using. He played with hickory shafts and had to swing accordingly. Hickories demanded a more flowing action than steel-shafted clubs. Power had to be generated more with perfect rhythm than brute force.

Also, the wound, rubber ball they used in the 1920s did not have the distance potential of today’s premium golf balls. Players could not hit as far with that equipment and the technique it required.

Then you have to think about conditions. Courses were far rougher in those days and conditions dictated to a far greater extent how far a ball would go.

If it was dry, the unwatered fairways would become super-firm and fast. Drives would roll forever. There are plenty of stories of players hitting beyond 300 yards in the 1920s on baked surfaces, with a breeze at their backs. And, the weather played a part.

In his first Open Championship at Royal Cinque Ports in 1920, Hagen struggled with the high winds blowing across the links. He hadn’t learned the skill of keeping the ball low and under the breeze.

In fact, he quipped that one drive had gone so high in the air that the wind had almost blown it all the way back to him. “I should have worn a catcher’s mask!” he joked.

But, downwind in dry conditions, like most of the top players of that era, Hagen could have driven a ball over 300 yards.

How far did Hagen Drive the ball in standard conditions?

Today, it’s very easy to answer questions on how far a player hits the golf ball. There are stats galore that lay the answers out in black and white. We know how far they average off the tee; we know their longest drive of the season; we have data on how far they hit every club in the bag.

But going back in time, it’s far more difficult to say for sure how far even the most famous golfers could hit the ball. I’ve written in the past about the distances that Nicklaus, Palmer and Hogan hit the ball and have admitted a good deal of conjecture is involved.

Even more so perhaps with Hagen, about whom less anecdotal and occasional actual evidence exists. I’ve also written about how far Bobby Jones hit the ball.

I think it’s fair to say most historians would agree Jones was able to outhit Hagen more often than not. That's what source information shows. I suggested Jones could hit his longest wooden club up to around the 250-yard mark on average.

I think with Hagen, we’re talking slightly below that in standard conditions. In the mid part of the 1920s, I think Hagen would have driven the ball between 220 and 240 yards, perhaps with an average of about 235. He was one of the longer, but not the longest, hitters of the Roaring 20s.