Up till 50 years in the past, the unmistakable crack of a persimmon wooden echoed throughout each skilled tee field. As we speak, it’s a relic of a bygone period.
For practically a century, these golf golf equipment dominated the golf trade. They maintain an iconic position in golf’s wealthy historical past. A complete article may be devoted to the historical past surrounding persimmoms, which dates again to the late Eighteen Nineties.
Nevertheless, that isn’t the aim of this analysis. The aim is straightforward:
How does a persimmon wooden fare in opposition to the trendy golf driver?
Nothing survives Father Time
We took 5 present persimmon wooden producers and examined them head-to-head in opposition to one another. And, we added a twist – a modern-day driver, TaylorMade Qi4D.
In our testing, 10 golfers participated, registering a 101.5 mph imply membership head pace throughout all persimmon fashions. As compared, they reached a better common of 105.5 mph when swinging the trendy TaylorMade Qi4D.
The great thing about persimmon woods
There was a resurgence within the persimmon wooden area. You could have craftsmen at present who dedicate themselves to those artisan items of golf historical past. Golf is a sport of honor and there’s nothing extra reward worthy than people in search of to uphold the traditions of the sport, and persimmon woods are a chief instance.
The attract of persimmon woods begins with their magnificence. Each single membership is meticulously hand-carved out of a single block of timber, showcasing outstanding craftsmanship. Wanting on the check fashions, the extent of precision is placing—a real testomony to the extraordinary ability required by basic clubmakers to form these picket heads by hand. They’re, with out query, artistic endeavors.
The sheer indisputable fact that the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead, and Gary Participant all gained quite a few occasions with persimmon woods is excellent. Each golfer in these eras excelled utilizing persimmon woods. Jack Nicklaus alone gained 17 of his 18 majors with a persimmon wooden. Who is aware of how these golfers would fare with at present’s fashionable know-how?
Who stands out as a high performer? Let’s have a look.
Persimmon wooden information
Nobody expects a persimmon wooden to outperform a modern-day driver. In the event you do, nicely, I don’t suppose we might help you there. However, head-to-head efficiency between persimmon woods is eye-catching.
Louisville Golf’s The Basic claims the title of greatest for distance among the many persimmon wooden contenders. It additionally produces the quickest ball pace at 143.4 mph. That is 1.85 mph quicker than the slowest persimmon wooden for ball pace (Larsen Golf Persimmon Wooden).
Comparable gaps in efficiency present up in our Most Needed Driver testing. Throughout the 2026 check, ball speeds diversified by 3.45 mph from the quickest mannequin to the slowest. This variation proves that even persimmon woods exhibit distinct efficiency variations. Evaluating gear highlights these nuances—no two persimmon woods behave identically, simply as no two fashionable drivers carry out the identical.
OEMModelClub SpdBall SpdLaunchSpinPeak HtDescentCarryTotalStraightpercentPlayablepercentShot Space
TaylorMadeQi4D105.45151.5312.39271732.9738.99253.51266.9354.8487.103429
Louisville GolfThe Classic101.99143.429.77270121.7431.20227.00244.1450.3990.704260
PowerBiltPersimmon Driver101.94142.5210.59277823.8933.26226.81242.3250.8186.292894
Joe PowellClassic PT1W101.64141.5711.61283825.7334.75225.53241.1754.6985.164296
John HayesCustom Persimmon101.46141.8610.87297525.1034.78225.14239.6058.2787.403928
Larsen GolfPersimmon Wood100.47142.309.56271221.0230.87224.30238.9537.9875.974105
Trendy engineering is superior
There are evident variations between a persimmon wooden driver and the trendy driver. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to make this dedication. But, it does attest to the developments in know-how and the processing capabilities of producers. These developments by R&D are evident.
On this case, the trendy driver, TaylorMade Qi4D is exponentially quicker and longer than the entire persimmon woods. Listed below are key ball information metrics:
9.20 mph quicker ball pace vs the persimmon wooden common
27.8 yards longer carry vs the persimmon wooden common
25.7 yards longer complete distance vs the persimmon wooden common
In the end, persimmon wooden know-how can’t maintain tempo with a contemporary driver. A whopping 27.8 yards shorter carry distance on common for the persimmon wooden is the evident metric.
Trendy drivers maintain a definite edge over conventional persimmon woods, very similar to fashionable race automobiles in comparison with basic fashions. In high-performance racing—whether or not NASCAR or Method 1—engineering and design developments have dramatically advanced. Motorsport engineers meticulously analyze each measurable variable, eagerly capitalizing on even a 1% acquire in efficiency.
Golf gear R&D operates on the exact same precept. As we speak’s membership designers constantly refine applied sciences to unlock quicker ball speeds and maximize forgiveness throughout the whole clubface. When measured in opposition to basic persimmon woods, the efficiency advantages of recent engineering are unmistakably clear.
Do individuals nonetheless play with persimmon woods?
Nostalgia is intoxicating. After all, there’s a subculture of persimmon wooden fanatics. For instance, each single one of many persimmon woods we examined are items of beautiful artwork. They’re masterpieces expertly crafted. Every of those craftsmen takes absolute satisfaction of their work.
You’ll find a couple of organizations who honor the sport by coordinating aggressive occasions. Two particular ones are: Persimmon Brotherhood & Golf Heritage Society.
For these of you who’ve hit a persimmon, you’ll be able to attest to the texture and suggestions they provide versus the trendy day driver. That is arguably one of many underlying explanation why golfers will use them to this present day.
Listed below are a couple of feedback from our testers particular to every persimmon wooden:
“This can be a implausible membership. Beautiful, the perfect of the group by far in appears to be like, sound and efficiency.” – Joe Powell Basic
“I like the customized design with MyGolfSpy. Particular thanks to John Hayes. It’s GORGEOUS. Efficiency is respectable. Hit some strong photographs with it.” – John Hayes Persimmon Wooden
“I can get accustomed to this persimmon wooden. LOVE the appears to be like. It’s SLICK.” – Larsen Golf Persimmon Wooden
“Basic all through and straightforward to hit and management. The shiny end is a bit vibrant, however not horrible. The darkish wooden end was good in comparison with others.” – Louisville Golf The Basic
“That is respectable throughout the board and the candy spot was scorching, whereas off-center photographs nonetheless carried out however confirmed lower in information.” – PowerBilt Persimmon
Historical past is value respecting, however newer is healthier
“Is newer higher?” serves as a foundational query for MyGolfSpy. There may be zero query {that a} modern-day driver is healthier in your golf sport versus a persimmon wooden. The information is plain.
Persimmon woods and their heritage nonetheless command immense respect. As golfers, acknowledging their plain position within the sport’s historical past is important. They established the groundwork upon which up to date drivers are designed, leaving producers with an enduring debt of gratitude to these pioneering artisans who formed golf gear for greater than a century.
Inform us about your expertise with persimmon woods within the feedback!!
