In the quest for distance and forgiveness, drivers have changed dramatically! First was the move to metal woods and then all of the drivers got increasingly larger, until they reached the USGA maximum size limit of 460cc. At the limits of the size boundry, manufacturers have started to tinker with the traditional shape of the driver. The new shapes have received plenty of press and buzz in the industry, but why change the shape of the driver that has existed in golf since the days of Old Tom Morris? What is so hip about being square?The short answer is forgiveness. Manufacturers are working to increase the golf club’s moment of inertia or MOI. As you increase a club’s MOI it will be more resistant to twisting on off-center hits. For example, if you hit the ball out on the toe of the driver that is being swung at a clubhead speed of 90-100 mph, you would expect the club to twist a little, opening the face and causing the ball to deviate from the intended path. A driver with a higher MOI will twist less, limiting the damage done by off-center hits. The result is a shot that generally will go straighter and lose less distance than a club with a lower MOI (if you are like most golfers, you generally get excited about anything that will help your ball fly straighter and farther).
Moment of Inertia has become a very popular marketing term lately, especially in putters. In drivers, the MOI always took a back-seat to other measurements: head size and the Coefficient of Restitution (CoR). CoR is basically the trampoline effect of the metal on the face. With limits on size at 460cc and the CoR at .830, manufacturers have turned to using the MOI as the marketing tool.
MOI is a physical property of the club that can be expressed as a numerical measurement. This number is being increasingly used in the marketing of clubs. Instead of boring you with all of the details on how the exact MOI numbers are calculated, we’ll keep it basic: the higher the MOI the more forgiving the club.
Two of the biggest changes to the driver come from Callaway and Nike. The Callaway Fusion FT-i driver and the Nike SQ Sumo Squared driver have received a large amount of press because of their square shape.
The Nike SQ Sumo Squared boasts the highest MOI of any driver at 5,300. As a comparison for the MOI number, Golf World has estimated that the average large-headed driver on the market today has an MOI in the 4,000-4,300 range.
Callaway calls the FT-i its “most advanced driver ever” and Gary Player calls it “the best driver I have ever had the pleasure to use.” The FT-i utilizes what Callaway calls “Complete Inertial Design” to target both horizontal MOI (resistance to twisting heel-to-toe) as well as vertical MOI (resistance to twisting on off-center shots sole-to-crown).
Many traditionalists have cringed at the new shapes, worrying that they could never look down at such an odd shape. For most, this attitude has lasted only until they took the club out onto the course and tested it. Most have noted a much tighter shot dispersion on off-center hits. As I mentioned earlier, most golfers get very excited about longer and straighter shots and will quickly adapt to a club that provides results.
I took both of the square drivers out on a recent weekend golf venture. It took about 10 swings and I was no longer thinking about the shape of the driver; I was taking my usual swing and getting excited about how straight and far the drives were going. The only negative I found was that the square shape of the drivers and the sound at impact started to draw a small crowd on the range.
Forgiveness and distance do come at a price: the SQ Sumo has a price-tag of $399.99 and the Callaway FT-i sells for $499.99. Remarkably, the higher price has not seemed to hamper golfer’s enthusiasm in their never-ending quest for forgiveness.
Other manufacturers are challenging the square drivers with high MOI drivers of their own that are a little more traditionally shaped: Adams Golf new Insight driver boasts an MOI of 5,000 with a price at $299, and Tour Edge has their GeoMax driver that also has an MOI of 5,000 and a price-tag of $199.
Even Titleist is coming to market with a non-traditional shape. Their 907 D1, which will ship the beginning to middle of April will have more of a triangular shape and a price of $399. Titleist bills this club as their most forgiving driver ever built.
By the numbers, the new square drivers offer about 20-25% more forgiveness than the average traditional shaped driver currently on the market. Will helping the average golfer find more fairways and get more distance from off-center hits make it hip for a driver to be square? This is a question that only the consumers can answer, but the interest and excitement have been high so far.
If history is any indication, golfers will have no problem adjusting to the new shape. Remember when the first 460cc driver came out and the traditionalist said it was too big? These days it is almost impossible to find a driver under 460cc. Many pros have already put the square drivers in their bag and this exposure will only help them be adopted by the weekend golfer striving to play from the short grass of the fairway.
Special Thanks to Mark McDonald and the folks over at Oregon Golf.
www.orgolf.com
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