Report Claims New PGA Tour Driver Testing Program Snags Multiple Non-Conforming Drivers at Safeway Open

Driver testing on the PGA Tour became an issue earlier this year when Xander Schauffele's driver was deemed non-conforming at The Open Championship.  And the ensuing fiasco led to a new policy of unannounced in-play pulling of drivers directly from players bags. 

 

Perhaps this was done to put the players and equipment manufacturer's on notice to ensure drivers are tested frequently and within the limited of CT conformity.  But according to a Reuters source familiar with knowledge of the testing, at least five players were deemed to be using non-conforming drivers last week at the Safeway Open. 

Corey Conners, Jason Dufner, Mark Hubbard, Robert Streb, and Michael Thompson were allegedly notified prior to play on Thursday that their drivers did not pass the test.  The driver brands included Cobra, TaylorMade, and Titleist according to the insiders, but some players questioned the results and had them sent back to the OEMs for further testing. 

 

Driver testing measures CT, or "characteristic time," which is the amount of time in microseconds that there is contact between the club face and the ball at impact.  It's essentially tests the spring-like effect of a driver face which correlates to higher ball speeds. 

Over time clubs can become non-conforming from normal use.  And equipment manufacturers no doubt go to great lengths to ensure that all equipment conforms to the rules.  But when situations arise like what happened last week at Safeway, it's cause for concern.  

 

To avoid this issue becoming even bigger, both players and OEM's need to share responsibility to ensure drivers are tested more frequently.  Otherwise the stigma of a black-eye will become much more permanent and damaging to all.