Question:

I have some of the new perimeter weighted clubs and really feel the improvement.  They are more forgiving than my old blades. However, I also tried the Great Big Bertha and I just don’t see any improvement over my old wood driver.  First, the extra length makes the club more difficult to control and next I’m not getting any more distance.  The USGA is considering banning the Titanium drivers.  Some manufacturers have actually come forth and said that the clubs don’t actually lower scores. Well this has been my experience.  The  Great Big Bertha has not lowered my score.  I don’t see what all the hoopla is about. —

Response:

The USGA is not planning on banning ALL titanium drivers, just the ones that are thin faced, their reasoning the thinfaced design might trampoline the ball. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have some of the new perimeter weighted clubs and really feel the improvement.  They are more forgiving than my old blades. However, I also tried the Great Big Bertha and I just don’t see any improvement over my old wood driver.  First, the extra length makes the club more difficult to control and next I’m not getting any more distance.  The USGA is considering banning the Titanium drivers.  Some manufacturers have actually come forth and said that the clubs don’t actually lower scores. Well this has been my experience.  The  Great Big Bertha has not lowered my score.  I don’t see what all the hoopla is about. —

Response:

That has to make a difference. In Ben Hogan’s book "Power Golf", he list his club distances he counted on. His drive was 265, shorter than many today, but not an awful lot shorter than what many of today’s pros can count on. He says his 5-iron distance was 155. That’s a big difference over today. Iron technology has improved, but to that extent?

The iron that Ben Hogan carried with a 5 on the sole would have a 7 on the sole if it were manufactured today.  I think calling it "technology" is a stretch.  It should be called "marketing".  If you can find a set of clubs from the ’50s, you will see that a 5 iron matches up almost exactly for length and loft with a modern 7 iron.  Boy, those newfangled irons sure hit the ball a lot farther! — Barry Smith