Re: Big vs. Small Driver head

OK then, and given Gord's sweet spot answer I'd appreciate his comments, would y'all recommend I invested in a change from my 189cc Ping steel head driver to a 400+ beastie?

Re: Big vs. Small Driver head

Just as an aside, not sure if I mentioned this is a previous post, but one of the pros my son took a lesson from felt that kids are hitting it farther due to the large head. The reason is is the feeling that you can go after the ball more. If you look at some of the old smaller driver heads, you would think you could whiff it.

Re: Big vs. Small Driver head

@bdbl: As long as your old Ping is at maximum COR, there's no reason to change.

@msklar: As we all know, in golf, confidence is a big, big thing.

Re: Big vs. Small Driver head

As LowPost said, there is the COR effect to take into effect. Even if the lofto nt the two were measured to be identical it's not likely the results would be fairly compared unless you evened the playing field.
If the COR is equal (highly unlikely), and you can hit the exact sweetspot every time (even less likely), with the exact same swing plane and head speed (very difficult) and shafts being identical (unless you get both reshafted with the same brand, near impossible), there should be no difference. It's like comparing a Ping Eye II persimmon driver to a G5. I'm sure if you reshafted both so they have the exact same shaft kick point and flex and you could hit the exact swetspot with the same swing path and club head velocity you should have similar results, but the G5 should still be longer due to the higher COR. BUT if only 1 factor (COR) is not the same, the results should not differ by more than 5 yards.
Of course, old clubs have less COR, inferior shafts and off center hits simply are punished more because of the reduced forgiveness. Therefor, it benefits almost every golfer to move to a more forgiving head because as the shaft gets longer, it's harder to hit the center of the clubface.

Re: Big vs. Small Driver head

Since if I could hit the sweetspot every time I probably wouldn't have asked the question I'll take that as a Yes then . Thanks for an informed answer to set against OEM marketing hype.

Re: Big vs. Small Driver head

I play with a Taylor Made 300 series driver (300 cc). I have a Harrison 2.5 Pro Titanium Stiff shaft (spined using the poor man's method) and hit the snot out of it. Yes, the tolerance for off-center hits is small but isn't the point of golf is to groove a swing that is repeatable? Unless I am swinging really poorly (and should consider bowling at that moment) I can repeat my swing around 1/4 of an inch. On-center shots fly true and bore through the air. Off-center shots will fly a little shorter and with gear effect (even as minimal as it is now) my drives are still playable. The main reason is that I do not try to kill my driver shots and swing between 75% and 80% and DO make solid contact very near the sweet spot.

The newer drivers may give a slight increase in distance but for $400-$500 bucks, I do not need distance. I can carry around 265 yards (285 in the Colorado front range) so distance is not what I need. My feeling is that I really love my Taylor Made and do not require a change. Confidence breeds great shot making. That said, I never stop looking for a driver in the 400 cc to 425 cc range. If my playing partner has an advantage, maybe I should gain the same advantage.

Re: Big vs. Small Driver head

With a larger head comes a different tee height. This can be problematic if you've never been comfortable hitting the larger driver.