FEATURED ARTICLES. NEWS, ANALYSIS & EDITORIAL FOR THE LONG DRIVER AND THE MIKE AUSTIN GOLF SWING.

Will Bubba Watson Hit Longer with a Pink Driver?

Sunday, February 19, 2012
Will Bubba Watson Hit Longer with a Pink Driver?
By: Steve Pratt Comment

You've probably heard about Bubba Watson teeing off with a pink shafted driver - and now he's even got a pink head on it.  This club will sure get him some attention!

Wouldn't you love to have a driver that says right on it that it was exclusively made for you?  And to be known just by your first name, like a pop music icon?  Here's 'Bubba' modeling with his new stick:
 

Someday maybe Bubba will star in the movie "The Randy Quaid Story".  Have you ever seen both of them in the same room?  I thought not.

So what is up with this pink driver?  What kind of club is it and what is it for?

Well, it is a Ping G20 8.5 degrees with a True Temper Grafalloy Bi-Matrix shaft and a Ping 703 Gold sized grip, which has 10 wraps of tape under the right hand and 12 under the left.  Man that's a lot of tape.

As you probably guessed, the pink driver is to help raise money for charity, in this case, Phoenix area charities, and not breast cancer awareness as most people's first guess would be.  Said Ping:

'As part of "Bubba & Friends Drive to a Million" initiative announced by Bubba, PING will donate $300 for the first 300 drives that he launches over 300 yards in 2012. Last season, he averaged nearly 315 yards per drive on the PGA Tour.

PING is also making an upfront donation of $10,000 toward its fundraising event, which it calls "Bubba Long in Pink. Drivenby PING." All funds raised will go to Phoenix-area charities, chosen by PING with Bubba's support.'
 
 This is the driver from Bubba's perspective.  My question is, how will it affect his driving distance?  Colors have been extensively studied and found to have physiological affects on the body and a person's mood.  Pink, in this case, appears to have a calming and soothing affect.
 
So much so, that jails sometimes paint all the walls and floors pink to help soothe prisoners being held there.  In Phoenix, they are even made to wear pink jumpsuits.  At the University of Iowa, the opposing team's locker room, including walls, ceiling, and urinals are all painted pink to try to pacificy them and affect the game's outcome.  Some teams have blamed losses on the color.
 
How does this affect Bubba?  Well we all have an optimal state of arousal that allows us perform best - and there is a specific level for driving a golf ball.  If Bubba is really tightly wound and aggressive, it would bring him down to the right level.  If he is more of an easy-going type of guy, it may lower is arousal too much and cause him to be less powerful.  My observation of him in person playing golf is that the latter is true.
 
Tiger Woods tends to be intense and hyped up - maybe he would benefit from a pink driver.  But I think Bubba is going to wind up driving a bit shorter this year!
 
What do you think of Bubba's Pink Driver?  Would you play a pink driver if you averaged 315 yards per drive?  What if you could drive 400 yards?
Posted in: Mental Side of Golf PGA Tour & Long Drive News Recent News
COMMENTS
prev article
Browse Mike Austin Golf Swing Topics
Member Testimonials

"Check out items 9 through 14 on page 90 of Harvey Penick's Little Red Book. After my lesson today, I'm going to start calling you Harvey! Thanks -- you're a great instructor! "

- Jerry, Agoura, California

"With instruction from Steve, my scores in tournaments have dropped from the mid 90s to the mid 70s, while my clubhead speed has gone from 90 mph to 115. I'm regularly driving the ball over 300 yards straight now. This is all over a period of around 9 months. Steve really knows what he is talking about! "

- Jonathan, California

Read More

Recent Member Emails

Matt

Steve - thanks for providing the MA swing in a simple format. I feel there is a lot of information, but necessary to be explained.

I am working hard on the swing and have increased driving yardage by about 30 yards honestly. However, my miss is a pull. Can you advise of what might be the problem and solution? I understand it could have to do with my set up which has high hands at address (ulnar deviation, similar to the set up of Moe Norman in relation to the wrists). -Matt