What Is Driver Creeping?

The topic of distance in the game of golf is an increasingly divisive one, with many people believing it to be one of the big draws of the modern game, whilst many traditionalists feel it has ruined the game, making it unrecognisable from years gone by and rendering many classic courses obsolete.

While the most recent distance story has centered around the golf ball rollback, another issue that has become more prevalent is that of driver 'creeping'. Fortunately, this term isn’t as deceptive or seedy as its name might suggest and it's not among the gear mistakes amateur golfers sometimes make!

Essentially, driver creeping is when the spring-like effect, or Characteristic Time (CT) to give it its correct name, of the driver face increases over time. This can happen with even the best drivers but CT levels are limited by the game's governing bodies with regular testing on the major professional tours around the world. 

All modern drivers will be manufacturer tested to ensure they conform when they leave the factory, however, with constant high speed impact from regular practice, playing and increasing clubhead speeds, the CT of a driver can actually increase over time as the face material compresses, making it quicker off the face and in some cases can make a driver become non-conforming despite being legal when a player first used it.

Along with the ball rollback, the R&A and USGA also announced that they were going to "Expand the testing approach to better detect 'Driver Creep'.

There were not many details provided on how this would be expanded but that there would be a "change in methodology for submitted drivers, to identify and proactively address driver models that are within current tolerance levels and have CT values that are more likely to exceed the limit through regular use."

The major professional tours and governing bodies tend to keep the results of these tests relatively private but there have been a few cases of high-profile players drivers failing the CT test at a tournament.

Notably, Xander Schauffele's driver was tested and failed at The 2019 Open and then at the same year's Safeway Open on the PGA Tour, five players had drivers tested that were judged to be over the limit.

During this year's Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, LIV player Richard Bland's driver failed a CT test prior to the tournament, resulting in him scrambling to find a suitable replacement before the opening day's play.

Earlier this year, even Rory McIlroy was having great difficulty finding a new driver once he felt his previous gamer was pushing the limits of what is deemed legal.

“I went to that new driver in Riviera, and it's just not... Look, I wish I could use my driver from last year, but I can't just because of - you use a driver for so long, and it starts to get a little too - basically it just wouldn't pass the test,” McIlroy said after round one at the 2023 Players Championship.

“They were testing drivers at Riviera, but I just didn't even want to take the chance. I just was not comfortable knowing that it could feel - doesn't look good on me, doesn't look good on TaylorMade.”

The issue is clearly something that plays on the mind of both the players and the equipment manufacturers, and an issue that may come under more scrutiny as the distance debate rumbles on.