It's The Shoes

First there were tees to supplement all of that improved athleticism allowing for distance increases, now we have shoes to add to the list of reasons guys are hitting it longer.

According to T.J. Tomasi, Padraig Harrington says of his Hi-Tec shoes:

The shoes have increased my ball speed from 166 mph to 173 mph. Each mile per hour is equivalent to about 2 1/2 yards, so that's an additional 15 yards on my drives. This has taken me from the top 100 in driving distance in Europe to being in the top 10 in the space of a year, which is amazing.

They've also taken his voice down two octaves and made his blond highlights almost look natural.

Unfortunately, his memory might not be so "amazing" since Padraig finished 13th in 2004 European driving distance, 30th in 2005.

Thanks to reader Tuco for this.