Aug
18
2007

The Square Driver Revolution

Posted by Double Eagle in Equipment

It seems to be the next big revolution in club design.

Unlike some of the club design atrocities from the past, I think this one is here to stay. Remember the Top-Flite Magna soup ladle? Ugh. Well, the square headed drivers are coming on in a big way, and frankly, they look kind of neat if you can get over the initial “new things are bad” feeling.

Since the creation of metal drivers, manufacturers have been toying with ways to increase the “more factor”: more distance and more straightness (and let’s not forget – more money).

In recent years, the trend has been to make the heads larger. The USGA limit of 460cc for club head volume has been the norm for a few years now. The final frontier, at least for the time being, is the shape that is employed in the club head.

There are some limitations there too. According to the USGA’s Rules on Clubs and Balls:

When the club is in a 60 degree lie angle, the dimensions of the clubhead must be such that:

  1. the distance from the heel to the toe of the clubhead is greater than the distance from the face to the back;
  2. the distance from the heel to the toe of the clubhead is not greater than 5 inches (127 mm);
  3. the distance from the sole to the crown of the clubhead is not greater than 2.8 inches (71.12 mm).

So, the distance from heel to toe may not be more than 5 inches wide, and 2.8 inches high from bottom to top. Also, most importantly, that heel-toe distance can’t be greater than the distance from the front (face) to back.

The design wizards got together and found that they couldn’t make the clubs any bigger because they’re already at maximum volume. And they can’t make the faces any more springy because they’re already at the maximum coefficient of restitution (COR). So the only place left to go is shape and because of the requirement on proportion of heel to toe length versus face to back depth, squareish was the next logical step.

What came out of all that is a boost for us players. These square headed drivers claim to have some of the highest moment of inertia (MOI) values of any drivers out there. What that means is that the face is resistant to twisting. And what that means is that off center hits will fly straighter and further.

Callaway and Nike got into the trend recently with their FT-i and SasQuatch Sumo2 models. This week, I saw on The Turn on the Golf Channel that several other manufacturers are offering up square headed designs, one of which is Nickent that I happened to see on a window shopping trip to Golfsmith last night.

These drivers are getting exposure on Tour too. I’ve noticed both KJ Choi and Ernie Els hitting their respective sponsor’s square shaped offerings in recent tournaments, including the 2007 PGA Championship. When technology hits the various tours, it’s a good bet that it’s here to stay.

I haven’t had a chance to test-fire any of these square headed drivers yet, but I’m more than intrigued (hint to equipment manufacturers and/or retailers: got any spare demo models?).

Does anyone have any experiences with these drivers to share? I’d love to hear them!

————————-

Further Reading:

Moment of Inertia and Coefficient of Restitution (Life in the Rough)
USGA’s Rules on Clubs and Balls (United States Golf Association)

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There are currently 5 responses to “The Square Driver Revolution”

  1. 1

    The Happy Rock said:

    I looked at the Nickent driver, it isn’t too too expensive at $199.99.

    I will eventually need to get new clubs, and a driver is a scary buy. What are all the options like loft, flex, and shaft type mean? If I look at the options for a Sumo Sasquatch(which is out of my price range), it is a little overwhelming? Do golf places actually let you test drive these clubs?

    Posted on August 21st, 2007 at 10:32 am

  2. 2

    Double Eagle said:

    Club specifications can really be overwhelming. Flex simply refers to the stiffness of the shaft. The problem there is that there isn’t a standard easy to understand way to denote that. Loft just refers to the face angle. If you get in your stance and address the ball with the sole of the club sitting on the ground, loft is the number of degrees from vertical the club face is.

    Many retailers such as Golfsmith and Dick’s Sporting Goods will let you hit demo clubs, normally into a net.

    Understanding all the specs and things is not an easy thing to do, so getting a professional club fitting can be worthwhile. Depending on the level of analysis (like launch monitor analysis, etc.) it can get pricey, but with the amount of money that can be spent on clubs, at least a rudimentary fitting is a good investment.

    Posted on August 21st, 2007 at 5:14 pm

  3. 3

    Club Review: Callaway FT-i Tour Driver said:

    [...] couldn’t help myself. I joined the square driver revolution. I recently bought a “like new” FT-i Tour driver from Callaway Golf Pre-owned. I think [...]

    Posted on March 10th, 2008 at 11:12 pm

  4. 4

    Joel said:

    I bought a Nike Sumo2 last year and love it. The ball sails straight and just as long as my old driver. The big bonus is the off-center hits. I used to lose 20-40 yards and be 5 yards into the rough. Now I’m still on the fairway (far edge) but don’t lose much if any distance at all. It’s great.

    One thing though — after buying my Nike Sumo, a friend got a custom clone from GigaGolf. He hits it great. I tried it and couldn’t tell much if any difference from mine. The difference? Mine was $399, his $99. Here is a review that may be helpful:
    http://www.shopperosity.com/golf-square-clubs.php

    It’s worth a look. Either way, I don’t think you can go wrong going sqaure. :)

    Joel

    Posted on March 18th, 2008 at 11:08 pm

  5. 5

    Tim said:

    Hi,

    I still cant get over the psychological barrier of having to push such a big square head through the air before i hit the ball.

    I am in the minority now though when i go to the course.

    Tim

    Posted on March 30th, 2009 at 8:52 pm

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