I’ve seen it happen every year since I began writing about golf and golf clubs. Every year the equipment manufacturers introduce their latest, greatest drivers with each claiming to be longer and easier to hit than last year’s model.
Every year, you and I keep buying their new products in the hope that they’re right. But are they really? Are they really as good as they claim? Are they really better than last year’s models? Will you hit the ball further than you can with your five-year-old driver that’s sitting in your closet?
Since the USGA and Royal and Ancient first placed limits on the coefficient of restitution (COR or what’s more commonly known as “the spring-like effect”) of drivers back in 2003, many thought the days of the 300 plus yard drives were a thing of the past. But nothing is further from the truth.
Golfers continued to get longer as they switched to new drivers, but it wasn’t because the drivers were launching the ball with higher initial velocities. Golfers were getting longer because shaft technology continued to improve with new materials, different weaves, a greater variety of shaft flex profiles and, in the end, allowed golfers to fit themselves to more accurately to their golf clubs.
Remember at this point, the rules of golf limited the velocity of the ball coming off the clubface, so gains were achieved by putting the center of gravity of the driver in the optimal location. This was enhanced to the most finite level with the application of the latest technologies in the manufacture of carbon fiber for use in the clubhead. This lighted the structure significantly, freeing up discretionary weight then allowing engineers to position the weight in the clubhead where it would do the most good, increasing launch trajectories while lowering spin at the same time.
As this goes to print, golf club manufacturers seem to have reached the limits of what current technology is able to do with the ultimate performance of a driver head. So, it’s now notable that golf club manufacturers have focused their energies in making their drivers easier to hit, after all, a shot hit in the center of percussion (the “sweet spot” to rest of us) travels further than one that misses it.
Based on our observations, the zenith of performance seems to have come to the fore last year with Callaway’s Jailbreak technology. Other manufacturers have come out with similar methods of preserving energy transfer (TaylorMade’s Hammerhead technology, for example) but have focused on making their clubs more forgiving without giving up performance.
That’s a good thing. It’s all well and good to have a powerful golf club that allows you to hit the ball great distances, but you still need to hit the ball in the center of the clubface for that to happen. Today’s tech allows you a little more leeway if you miss the sweet spot a little bit, and that’s a very good thing because a 280-yard in the fairway is infinitely better than a 300-yard drive that’s out of bounds.