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I thought this was a very good article and worth passing on.



"Reality Check" HOW CHANGES IN SPECIFICATIONS AND NEW TECHNOLOGY REALLY EFFECT DISTANCE. by Britt Lindsey - Golf Works Director of Technical Services

Considering the bombardment of media hype on golf equipment enabling players to pick up unbelievable amounts of distance, I thought we might take a moment to look at the real math behind some of the claims. There is no doubt that equipment is better today than it has ever been, but to think that by changing golf balls or clubs we could pick up 40 or 50 yards in distance is simply not realistic. In other words, it's time for a REALITY CHECK!

First, examine this whole business of face deflection and those drivers which are deemed 'illegal' by USGA standards. Stories abound about how players immediately gained 50 yards by changing from their conforming drivers to the non-conforming drivers. But look at the math.

The Coefficient of Restitution (COR) is a scientific ratio which measures the efficiency of the impact between the ball and the clubhead. A zero COR indicates that all energy between the ball and the clubhead was lost in the collision and would be considered the worst case scenerio. At the other extreme, the highest rating of 1.0 COR would be considered a 'perfect' impact, where all the energy of the collision is retained within the ball after impact. If you measured the COR of the first popular stainless metal woods that came out in the 1980s, you might get a COR of 0.740. Some of the hot metal woods of today easily reach 0.845 COR. For reference, the USGA limits clubheads to a maximum COR of 0.830. At 90-mph clubhead speed, the difference in these two heads, all else being equal, would be approximately 13.7 yards. The difference in the performance of a 1980s metal wood and a clubhead that is just under the USGA's legal limit (say 0.815 COR), is approximately 9.8 yards.

Another factor in the quest for increasing distance has been increased clubhead speed which also affects an increase in ball speed. Longer and lighter clubs have continued to be developed in the hope that a person could generate greater clubhead speed without actually having to become stronger, nor improve their technique. Again, the math reveals that for every 1 mph we increase clubhead speed, distance could be increased by approximately 2.8 yards. The misconception is that every player that goes to a longer and lighter club automatically sees distance increases, but looking only at length, clubhead speed increases by only about 0.5 mph in computer models for every one inch the club's length increases. Of course, golfers are different and the results may vary, but if all golfers could swing exactly the same from one swing to another with the only exception being the club length, the math says that the increase of one inch would be just 0.5 mph, which equates to 1.4 yards.

Overall club weight is the other key factor in determining what swing speed a player can achieve, and it must be considered when testing longer clubs. The bottom line is that longer clubs must be lighter for most people to swing efficiently. To examine the differences let's look at a comparison between a 43.5-inch, 13.5-ounce overall weight driver (which was the average 25 years ago) and a 45-inch, 10.45-ounce club that could be built today. Based on our computer model, the increase in mph would be 8 mph and, if you consider the 2.8 yards for every 1 mph increase, the increase in yards is 22.4 yards. That is, indeed, significant, but remember that the player must be able to hit the lighter, longer club in the center of the face to achieve the optimum results. These numbers are based on one type of swing path. Each person can experience different results due to differences in their swing angles and swing speeds from the model.

These exercises help us set realistic prospects on what we can expect from golf equipment with regards to distance. In a nutshell, you should play the longest, lightest, club you can control (hit in the center of the face) with a face designed to deflect the maximum amount allowable.