Dustin Johnsons ball speed is one of the highest

Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee followed AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am champion Dustin Johnson recently at the FBR Open in Scottsdale, and was left amazed by the 24-year-old’s sheer power. “The ball gets small in a hurry,” said Chamblee.

Indeed, Johnson’s ball speed is among the highest on the PGA Tour. According to statistics from TaylorMade-adidas Golf’s Tour Department, Johnson’s ball speed reached 190 miles per hour during testing at The Kingdom, TaylorMade’s performance testing center in Carlsbad, Calif., this off-season. His clubhead speed topped out at 130 mph. Not surprisingly, Johnson led the field in driving distance at the AT&T at 288 yards, and his 309.9-yard average ranked fourth on the Tour a year ago.

What is surprising is that Johnson’s Burner ’09 driver has 10.5 degrees of loft, a degree or two more than the typical long hitter’s specs. The extra loft is required because of Johnson’s steep angle of approach into the ball. Johnson plays from a pretty shut clubface position, which is one of the reasons why he hits his irons so far.