Emanuele Canonica - long driver
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How refreshing to see one of Europe's greatest ever drivers of a golf ball -
Emanuele Canonica, the stocky Italian from Torino - at last win a European Tour event.
By winning the Johnnie Walker tournament at Gleneagles yesterday, at last he's proved the theory you can drive for show - and dough!
He did, however, admit to carrying a 2-iron and using his 3-wood more often than he would normally, because of the narrow bouncy fairways on the Centenary course, but when the situation demanded strength and length he wasn't shy to get out the big stick.
I've long been and admirer of this explosive golfer who has consistently headed the long driving statistics on Tour over recent years, with an average of over 300 yards. He's a great entertainer for the crowds of amateur golfers who flock to tournaments to gawp at the distances modern pros thump their golf ball.
Stand behind this pocket battleship of a golfer on the range when he reaches for his driver and it's a site to rival John Daly at his awesome best. The ball explodes off the face and frequently disappears off the radar.
Canonica - explosive power
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Canonica - such a great name for one who fires golf balls like armoured shells - is a hero to most of us who seek to crush our golf ball long and straight and occasionally own up to the motto 'never mind how MANY…how FAR is the name of this game!'
Some might discuss over a pint in the clubhouse 'did you see that putt I holed on the tenth?' or 'that wedge I stuck stiff to the pin at 18?' But eavesdrop most post-round conversations and the chat will be about clobbering a drive some outrageous distance past your mates.
They're the shots we remember!
During August, Golfmagic will be looking at every aspect of driving and drivers. As well as revealing the latest technology and reviewing the drivers we've been sent for testing, we'll be advising how you can squeeze an extra few yards off the tee and how versatile this club can be for shots you might never have thought of.
And we want you to tell us about the driver in your bag by reviewing it for the chance to win a prize and tell us on the forum your favourite driving stories - the good, the bad and the ugly.
The reputation of Italian drivers may not be the best on the world's roads but at last golfers have found a pint-pized, prodigious belter of a golf ball they can look up to.
