It's early in the 2016 LPGA season, but Canadian teen Brooke Henderson is driving the ball some 25 yards farther than she did on average last year, averaging close to 279 yards off the tee.
Part of the reason for the added distance is Henderson's decision to go to a 48-inch driver, the maximum length allowed under USGA equipment rules.
"About a month ago I worked with Scott Wolpa, the Ping rep, and I got the new G-Dragonfly Ping driver with a 48-inch shaft, so the longest it can be, and so far it's been good to me," said Henderson after finishing second to Ha Na Jang at the Coates Golf Championship on Saturday.
Henderson isn't very tall -- 5 feet, 4 inches -- but the 18-year-old said adding three-fourths of an inch to her driver length wasn't that big of a deal.
"I think growing up as a little girl I played with longer clubs, so in that way I was kind of used to it, and then I usually hit my driver pretty straight, which is a strength of mine," she said, "so if I can get a few more yards and maybe lose a little bit of accuracy, I'm willing to take that chance."
