By Alan Watson, President, GOLF+ Dothan, AL and Panama City Beach, FL
I know. I know. I’ve heard it all before. Over and over. “Every time they (the golf manufacturers) introduce a new model they say it’s longer and straighter than the one before, but I still hit it the same distance I did ten years ago.”
Look, I agree in principle that if driver and iron technology had come as far as “they” say it has then we would all be hitting it as long as Bryson Dechambeau. At fifty years old I realize that the ball and club technology is the only reason I can hit it as far now as I did at forty. That being said, it does seem like these distance increases that they keep promising us should have us all hitting it 400 yards or at least 300 yards off the tee. Unfortunately, that just isn’t a reality for most. Here’s why:
1) Yes technology has gotten way better over the years. In the early 1980s, we still had wood woods. Thewer were not very forgiving due to the small sweet spot, the heavy weight and the inability to move weight to the perimeter of the club. Also, shafts were terrible back then. I mean just awful.
2) Modern drivers incorporate tungsten, titanium, steel, aluminum, and carbon fiber. The use of these materials allows for almost complete control of the design in terms of weight distribution, Center of Gravity placement, Moment of Inertia optimization, and overall weight and feel. Plus modern graphite shaft technology is amazing and infinitely better than steel shafts from 40 years ago.
But here is the kicker. The club still has to be swung by a human. And some of us humans are not good golfers. We don’t practice, take lessons, hit the center of the face, get properly fitted, and play from the correct tee boxes. Therefore, golf is still hard.
When a golf manufacturer says that their latest iteration is 3-8 yards longer than the previous model – it is. However, that relies on a center strike, and all other measurable dynamics being equal. Many golfers today are playing drivers that are more than a year behind in technology and also many of those drivers were not properly fitted in the first place. This actually means that by switching you could gain even more distance than the manufacturer’s most recent promises.
However, there is one more problem. Many of us are getting older. We’re not stretching or working out. We’re not in the best shape of our lives. This means we don’t have and/or cannot generate club head speed that is high enough to really see big gains on a new club versus an old one. This is not true for everyone but it is certainly true for many folks.
While I have often seen golfers gain 25-40 yards off the tee due to the new driver being properly fitted and the old one being ill-fitting, I have also seen some golfers with slow enough club head speed that even properly fitted with the newest club the ball might still only travel about the same distance as with their old club. Disappointing but true.
Bottom line: New drivers are better than old ones due to faster ball speeds and better design and materials. Every time.
Also bottom line: Not everyone will see the same gains or results due to club head speed issues. I fit many juniors, ladies, and seniors whose club head speed is what we in the industry call “moderate.” These speeds of 60-75 MPH with the driver often mean that a 3 wood or 5 wood might go just as far as a driver due to the increased loft and shorter shaft which makes achieving optimal launch numbers easier for many golfers. There is no shame in playing the clubs that work and eliminating the ones that are just not useful in the bag anymore. For example, we sell very few 4 irons anymore. They are too low lofted and without proper club head speed, long irons don’t launch high enough with enough spin to carry and go the distance most golfers expect. Same thing with the driver. Adding loft can help. Getting fitted into the right shaft can help. But sometimes there is no substitute for power and speed.
So next time you see an ad from a big golf company that tells you you’ll hit it farther with their new club it’s okay to believe them. But make sure you test them out on a quality launch monitor before you spend your money just in case.
