quires a club with a longer shaft
and a lower flex point.
Start researching the new equip-
ment by talking to salespeople, to
club professionals and to manu-
facturing reps. Read the maga-
zines; the ads alone will motivate
one toward new directions. Go
online; there must be a dozen or
more Web sights.
Keep in mind that what works
for a buddy who's 6-feet-4-inches
and weighs 240 pounds does not
work for someone of a different
stature. Many stores have a net-
ted area for demonstrating clubs
from different manufacturers.
Some local golf professionals will
provide personal advice and help
players select clubs.
IS BIGGER BETTER?
Lighter than steel, yet just as strong,
titanium in club construction has
permitted clubmakers to increase
clubhead size without increasing
the club's weight Once considered
an expensive, exotic material that
only an obsessive golfer with deep
pockets could purchase, titanium
has come into its own.
Now manufacturers pro-
duce big and very big club-
heads, still allowing for
perimeter weighting to
compensate for off-centered
shots on the toe and heel.
Not only does this give
golfers a larger sweetspot
on the clubface, but be-
cause the golf clubs are
light, average golfers can in-
crease clubhead speed.
Manufacturers can also
achieve strength and rigid-
ity with titanium so that the
big hitters can distribute
their speed at the sweetspot
without crushing the club-
head face. The drives do
go farther.
SHAPELY SHAFTS
Many golf lines have combined
the titanium head with light-
weight graphite shafts, produc-
ing some very long drivers
that still have the same club
weight as a standard metal wood.
Graphite shafts are no longer
a trend; they're a fact. They
are used in almost half the golf
clubs although a steel shaft
often remains the choice for
irons. The trend is in the odd-
shaped shafts that are entering
the market. No matter the test
results for performance, or the
type of shaft, the bottom line for
selecting a shaft is usually feel —
which shaft makes the club feel
right?
The Taylor Made Bubble
Shaft narrows below the grip, dis-
placing weight to the middle. This
promotes a faster swing speed be-
cause it takes less effort to get the
clubhead around. The result is
more distance. Brunswick's new
stepless Rifle shaft is said to ab-
sorb more shock through the use
of internal grooves. The Lynx
Hare Tip shaft widens as it enters
the hosel, providing more stabili-
ty for the clubhead at impact. This
translates to more accuracy be-
cause there's less twisting caused
by off-centered shots and more dis-
tance from increased clubhead
speed. ,
One big area for discussion is
shaft length. Not that long ago,
the typical driver for a man was
43 inches long. Today, the stan-
dard graphite shafts for drivers
are 44 and 45 inches long be-
cause the longer and lighter the
driver, the faster a golfer can hit
the ball and get more distance.
The only problem is losing con-
trol and ending up more often in
the rough or out of bounds. If
clubs with longer shafts are ap-
pealing, try them out first to make
certain there is a solid contact and
not extra yardage that creates a
drive out-of-bounds.
several lofts and shafts. There now
are a 3- and 5-wood, plus a selec-
tion of heads, lofts and shafts for
women. The new M-70 superlight
weight graphite is for swing speeds
up to 85 mph, an excellent choice
for seniors and some women
($500).
The Tommy Armour Tom-
my Gun features the Hot Scot
sole design and a very light 45-
inch graphite shaft in regular or
stiff from Grafalloy ($500).
Yonex is staying with its ultra-
light oversized clubhead, all-
graphite clubhead and a full line
of fairway woods($350). The
new King Cobra Ti oversized
driver is Greg Norman's favorite.
It features an oversized titanium
clubhead and an oversized shaft;
it is offered in lofts of 9.5, 10.5
and 11.5 degrees with a full
range of flex shafts. It features
added weight in the neck area to
reinforce the oversized graphite
tip and to promote better club-
head rotation ($370).
The Wilson Invex, John Daly's
current driver, has a lightweight
titanium hosel which is supposed
to allow for more mass. The stain-
less clubhead is $300 and the ti-
tanium head is $450. Top Rite
Intimidator has a body of steel
and a face insert of titanium for
greater perimeter weighting and
less spin. The high-flex zone with
the graphite shaft from Adila
promises more clubhead speed
($250).
Four more new oversized
woods are Tommy Armour's
855s Tommy Gun, a titanium
driver with a light shaft and cavi-
ty-balanced head ($500); Gary
Player's Black Night Driver
($500); Cleveland's VAS titani-
um driver in which the hiding
area is 35 percent larger than a
standard oversized metalwood
($500); and Mizuno's T Zoid
which has a power bar across the
top and a special punch dot-groove
combination on the face to im-
prove trajectory and widen the
sweet spot ($300 graphite, $200
steel).
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DARING DRIVERS
The manufacturers have length-
ened the shafts and enlarged the
clubheads. A longer shaft equals
a longer and wider swing
arc, which equates to in-
creased clubhead speed,
which means more dis-
tance. And the jumbo-sized
titanium heads gives more
room around the sweetspot
The Great Big Bertha
by Callaway is big and fun
because golfers can get
good results. The contoured
War Bird soleplate with a
low center of gravity to hit
it off the fairway can im-
press a crowd. Available in
five lofts, from 8 to 12 de-
grees. Graphite shaft only
($500).
Taylor Made's very suc-
cessful Bubble Burner met-
al woods are produced in
Bottom left: The Alien Tutch Mallet
Putter has an oversized grip.
Above: Impress a crowd with the Big
Bertha.
The new Nicklaus Bear tita-
nium driver has 20 percent more
clubface surface than the original.
The sole design features two sta-
bilizing bars, has a 10.5 degree loft
and is equipped with a lightweight
graphite shaft ($500).
The Howitzer by Titelist
comes in the traditional 43-inch
graphite shaft for men, or longer
as an option. The men's club of-
fers 12-, 10- and 8-degree lofts and
a 14 loft for women. The new
Judge Oversize Titanium pro-
duced by Founders Club is a dri-
ver in a variety of lofts and in three
graphite flexes. Available for
women are fitting options with dif
ferent flexes and shorter length as
well as lightweight graphite shafts
($475).
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DRIVING FORCES page 50
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