| The driver is considered the second most important | | | | drives by the longest hitters in the 320-340 yard range |
| club in the golf bag after the putter. This is because it | | | | using titanium club heads. Distances like that would |
| can normally be used 14 times per round on a typical | | | | have been unthinkable in Bayer's day. |
| par 72 golf course, and more importantly because the | | | | Driver Club Head Evolution |
| tee shot sets up each hole. An accurate drive can | | | | A 460 cc club head is rather enormous. Why have |
| make the rest of the hole seem easy, while a drive | | | | driver club heads evolved to this state, and what |
| that is off line and in the rough, fairway trap, or behind | | | | advantages do they provide to the golfer? First of all, |
| a tree or in a water hazard can cause enormous | | | | the reason that driver heads can be so large is |
| problems and make par almost impossible. | | | | because they are made of light weight titanium |
| Golf Driver Evolution | | | | material. Titanium is strong and flexible, and today's top |
| Golf drivers have changed enormously over the past | | | | lines of clubs offer a spring or trampoline effect. That |
| 10-15 years. If you have been away from golf for | | | | is, when the club hits the ball, the face of the drive |
| some time and suddenly decide to pick up the game | | | | actually bends inward similar to what happens when a |
| again, you'll be in for a slight shock when you try one | | | | person jumps on a trampoline. When the club face |
| of today's modern drivers. First of all the price will be a | | | | recoils it thrusts the ball out faster than it would |
| slap in the face. It is not the least bit unusual for today's | | | | otherwise travel, and thus greater distance is obtained. |
| top brands to cost $500 or even more for a driver. | | | | The rules of golf now limit the amount of spring that |
| The next thing that will catch your attention is the | | | | can be provided by a driver's club head. If this were |
| enormous size of the club head. Today's top driver | | | | not the case then each year new models made of |
| models typically have the number 460 in them, | | | | different materials would come out and drives would |
| because the club head is 460 cubic centimeters (cc). | | | | get ever and ever longer. Before long all the golf |
| This is now the maximum allowable size for the head | | | | courses would be out dated. That has already been |
| of a driver. Shaft technology has changed a great | | | | the case for many courses, and oftentimes golf holes |
| deal, and the combination of today's flexible graphite | | | | have needed to be lengthened to keep up with the |
| shafts, along with the club head technology and that of | | | | greater distances provided by today's drivers and golf |
| today's modern golf balls are what produces the | | | | balls. Another major benefit of today's large driver |
| prodigious drives that are typically seen each week on | | | | clubs heads is a larger MOI, which stands for moment |
| the PGA tour. The ladies have benefited a great deal | | | | of inertia. To make a long story short, a larger MOI |
| as well. The top woman golfer, Lorena Ochoa from | | | | means that the club head will not twist as much on |
| Mexico, weighs only about 115 pounds, but her drives | | | | off-center hits. The result is a better shot even on |
| often fly 270 yards or more. When this author was a | | | | swings that miss the sweet spot by a certain amount. |
| boy, the longest hitter of that time was a player | | | | A miss-hit with one of today's 460 titanium drivers will |
| named George Bayer. Bayer was a large man, | | | | mean losing a bit of distance, but the same amount of |
| probably 6'4" or more, and he had a powerful swing. | | | | miss-hit with an old wooden persimmon driver would |
| He would hit the ball about 275 yards off the tee at | | | | result in a shot that would be comparatively much |
| that time, and of course that was considered very | | | | worse. |
| long. A good drive for male PGA tour players was | | | | Of course most golfers love the extra distance that |
| 250-260 yards in those days, and drivers and other | | | | the new high-tech drivers provide. There is a downside |
| woods actually were made of out wood, typically a | | | | to all this, however. That is, the longer the drive, the |
| hard wood such as persimmon. Today it is not unusual | | | | more difficult it is to keep the ball in the fairway. |
| to watch a PGA tour tournament on TV and see | | | | |