What are you driving with?
With the USGA limit on driver head size remaining at 460 cubic centimeters, and golf club manufacturers turning out offerings to the limit, it is worthwhile to consider whether a driver of that size is good for your game.
When we are asked by a member about what driver they should purchase, we have to immediately ask a series of questions to address each person's particular needs and tendencies. Some of the question we ask in most cases include:
Are you looking to add distance or accuracy or both?
Where are your poor shots going? Hook, slice, high, low?
What driver are you currently using?
Do you have any physical limitations as well?
After listening to our member's answers, we can then take a look at their swing to get the full picture of what driver model might be appropriate. We keep an ample supply of demo drivers on hand so that we can have them try a few clubs that fit their profile. It is only then that we will have a custom driver ordered.
In the past few years, we do tend to order mostly bigger driver models approaching and including 460cc. For the casual golfer, when matched with the proper shaft flex and loft, they offer exceptional forgiveness and distance.
For the lower handicap player however, these drivers tend to take away most of the ability to work the ball and control ball flight. If you fall into this category, it might be wise to try some of the available traditionally sized drivers.
Most importantly, we always stress that with the price of golf equipment being what it is, you should never buy golf clubs without hitting them first. Remember: Size does matter, but you need to play with it first.
Thomas Clooney, PGA Professional, Islandwood C.C.
http://www.islandwoodcountryclub.com/
