Player Vs Palmer Vs Nicklaus: Who Drove The Golf Ball Further?
They were the big three of the 1960s, but which of these greats of the game was the longest hitter?
The ability to hit the long ball in golf has always been a significant asset. From Young Tom Morris, who was renowned for his ability to send it out there, to Rory McIlroy, the golfers who can drive the ball prodigious distances have been revered and often successful.
When it comes to accomplishments on the fairways, few have surpassed the big three of the 1960s: Gary Player, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. Between them, they amassed 34 Major Championships and over 375 professional tournaments
Each was famed for their exceptional skills in the game – Palmer as a flamboyant, aggressive ball striker, Player as a tenacious competitor with an exceptional short game and Nicklaus as a true all-rounder with no real weaknesses.
All of them were clearly able to drive the golf ball far enough to win at the very highest level. But which of the 'Big Three' was the longest driver of the golf ball?
Let’s start with the 'Black Knight'...
Gary Player
Gary Player driving off
Gary Player liked to keep the ball in play and often took less than driver from the tee to make sure of it. In the early 60s, he was known for using a 4-wood
In a 1963 interview with Sports Illustrated he explained how he would be happy to sacrifice distance and didn’t object to hitting a five-iron from the fairway when others were using a seven or eight. He still reckoned on getting it close.
The South African also made a direct comparison between himself and his great rivals Arnie and Jack, saying:
"You have to remember that I expect to be outdriven by Arnold and Jack, so it doesn't bother me. Arnold weighs 25 pounds more than I do and Jack 50 pounds more.”
But Player recognised that at some tournaments he needed to be able to shift the ball a little further. With his work ethic he found a way to do that.
Talking to Golf Digest in 1961, Player spoke of making a series of swing adjustments to hit the ball further to have a chance at winning The Masters – he felt he needed more distance off the tee to reach the par 5s in two. The South African lengthened his driver and moved to make a more significant weight shift to gain in his words “up to 30 yards.”
Prime Gary Player driving average estimate: 250-260 yards
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer driving on the 18th at St Andrews in 1960
Arnold Palmer was known for his strength and was famous for his piercing, powerful long irons. He was also an excellent driver of the golf ball and was known for being long.
One example shows just how far Palmer could send the ball out there. In the 1960 US Open at Cherry Hills, Palmer famously began his final round by driving the first green – that hole measured 346 yards.
No matter what the weather and course conditions, that is a phenomenally long hit. To demonstrate how impressive that shot was. Before the 2014 BMW Championship at Cherry Hills, top pros of the day were given a persimmon driver to try and recreate Palmer’s feat. None of them got close.
In the late 1950s, prior to a friendly match in Ohio, the players engaged in a long-driving contest from the first tee. It’s said that Palmer sent several drives out between the 270 and 290 yard mark.
A video from 1957 shows Palmer in competition sending a running drive that chases beyond 300 yards. Stories from his Open Championship performances in the early 60s suggest drives running out over 300 yards.
Prime Arnold Palmer driving average estimate: 265 to 270 yards
Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus driving at the 1963 Masters
In 1980, when Jack Nicklaus was 40, he ranked 10th in driving distance for the season with an average of 269 yards. It should be noted, he also ranked 13th in driving accuracy that season. With a total driving score of 23 (the two rankings added together) it remains the greatest recorded season of all-round driving on the PGA Tour.
Jack was a phenomenal driver of the golf ball.
In 1967, IBM measured driving distances in 11 tournaments on the PGA Tour. For those events, as Golf Digest uncovered, Nicklaus, who was 27 at the time, averaged 276 yards from the tee. That was the longest of anyone. The average was just over 260 yards.
In 1963, Nicklaus won a long drive contest at the PGA Championship with a blow that travelled some 341 yards. That must have been extremely impressive at the time.
Lee Trevino once said that if Nicklaus in his prime had use of modern equipment, he would hit the ball 400 yards.
That might be a bit over the top, but safe to say, Jack was a very long hitter.
Prime Jack Nicklaus driving average estimate: 275 to 280 yards
Which of these men was longest?
It’s all slightly on anecdotal evidence and conjecture, because we don’t have the stats from the peak days of the 'Big Three', but the evidence we do have is clear in what it suggests.
Nicklaus was the longest hitter of the trio. Palmer was second and Player (although no slouch) was a little way behind.
