John Daly takes Vertical Groove Driver to Open Championship

Pay close attention to John Daly’s SG: off-the-tee this week. He’s using the Vertical Groove driver.

John Daly is putting the revolutionary Vertical Groove driver into his bag to play the 146th Open Championship while Phil Mickelson will go without driver, at least to start.

Daly made equipment news by using the driver in his victory at the Insperity Invitational in May. “I drove the ball tremendously with my Vertical Groove driver,” Daly said after his victory. He also used the club at the recent PGA TOUR Greenbrier Classic.

Rubin Hanan, COO/Managing Partner, Vertical Groove Golf said after Daly’s victory.

"There is no one better suited to showcase the distance and accuracy attributes of the driver than John."

Kenny Perry piled on praise, winning the U.S. Senior Open using the club.

”To me, my ball flies pretty hard right to left. The Vertical Groove Golf driver actually slows the right to left down,” Perry told the Gloucester Times after the victory.

"I don’t know if that groove stuff works or I’m just hitting it — I don’t know. This driver, this CG, whatever, it’s a bigger, kind of longer head and it just seems to hold the spin of the golf ball. I’ve driven it great this year."

Where’s the Design Advantage?

According to the manufacturer, the Vertical Groove driver reduces spin which results in a tighter dispersion pattern.

More from Pro Golf Now

Perry is not under contract with the company.

Hanan was quoted in the Salem News during the U.S. Senior Open week on the increased distance that the PGA Tour Champions players are getting with the club. Hanan said that Perry added five yards to his drives, that Rocco Mediate, the first golfer to sign with Vertical Groove, gained 12 yards and that Daly added eight yards and had fewer mishits.

The Open Championship marks the first time the Vertical Groove club has been used in Europe on any tour. The company has just signed a distribution agreement with Anemoi Sport to distribute in the U.K.

COO Hanan is, of course, delighted.

"Having John Daly play the driver in the prestigious Open Championship gives us great exposure in Europe, especially as we have just expanded our distribution into the UK, which is the #4 golf market in the world."

According to the manufacturer, the driver reduces spin which results in a tighter dispersion pattern. They also claim it adds distance to drives. So we’ll all be keeping an eye on Daly’s tee shots Thursday and Friday, won’t we?

Next: The Open Championship: 5 American sleepers

The club is priced at $399 and comes in 8, 9.5, 10.5 and 12 degree lofts (right) and 9.5 and 10.5 degree lofts (left). Shaft options include Aldila premium grade, NV2K series shafts as standard in the following flexes: 45 gram L (Ladies), 50 gram A (Senior), 55 gram R (Regular), 65 gram S (Stiff) and 65 gram X (Extra-stiff). Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips are available in standard, midsize and oversize. Standard length is 45.5 inches. Other shafts will be available in the future. The Vertical Groove driver conforms to the Rules of Golf.

Home/Equipment