Smaller or Bigger Driver Head Better

Technology tell that the bigger the better in term of distance and forgiving, Thats why now we have 460cc. IMO

Hi bro TDO,

from the 90s-2000s is almost 20 years ago.
likely your swing speed and technique might be the contributing factor to the 5% distance?

that said. I find that the "technology" these days vs the older clubs had little difference in distance. The real difference comes in reduction of spin and forgiveness.

Probably be very similar in terms of distance, maybe ~5m difference?
Tried a old Great Big Bertha for fun once. arrived to similar distance. but the small face required confidence and concentration to hit.

The difference I feel is the ease of hitting.

But the real game changer for me recently is the covert tour 2.0 and SLDR, the low spin really helped with the roll out.

just my 2 cts worth;)

A 388cc head perhaps?

This one garnered a lot of interest with performance to boot ever since Kobayashi san rejoined S-Yard from Endo/Epon

http://www.tourspecgolf.com/s-yard-t-388-forged-driver-limited-edition

Just sharing what I just experience at MBGC for Cobra and Nike Demo.
Try both Cobra Bio Cell and Cell+ and Nike Covert 2.0 Tour and non-tour version...

Cobra Bio Cell stock shaft, 460cc, stiff shaft easier to launch among 4 driver
Cell+ after market shaft, Matrix HD 603 stiff, 440cc. Personally think it give a better distance and more accurate.

For Nike Covert 2.0 US stiff shaft, 460cc don know why my ball tend to fade.. distance lost ard 214 yards, 5yards lesser compare to my own driver base on Nike machine reading.

Using the Nike Covert 2.0 tour, the head seem smaller I assume is 440cc. it give a better distance, 218yards on the machine reading.

Conclusion, for me, seem like the driver head 440cc give better distance than 460cc. but I think the shaft make a bit difference also.

 

Always found it curious how so called 'better' players publicly shun any irons that are remotely oversize and forgiving calling these game improvement equipment yet have no qualms in playing freakish behemoth drivers for the very exact same reasons.

I have tried both Tity 910 D2 & D3. Somehow, the D3 (with a smaller compact head, perhaps a little bit heavier than D2) gives me better distance.

I'm using 975 now, think is 290cc only... not a fair comparison with my previous driver (tour burner) as the shaft are of different weight

got this driver because i'm looking for a smaller head and this cost me $30

It's a tough question to answer. Many other variables involved with different driver head size.

In the early 2000s, I brought my persimmon wood, 975D and a R540 for a shootout on course. It was an empty weekday and I teed-off 3 balls each, total 9 balls.

The persimmon wood was steel shafted. Weight distribution was even throughout the entire club. I think it was only about 42" long, thereabouts. I was able to swing hard and fast without fear of losing control. Only that I'd miss the ball or mishit sometimes. Low forgiveness.

The 975D was 45" with a filament wound EI-70 shaft throughbore. Extremely stable and hit better the faster I swung. Timing was a little difficult as it felt a little too long. But it felt easier to launch than the persimmon.

The r540, which looked like the easiest to swing, performed the worst for me.  The weight was very polarized and felt hollow. The head felt so big and dwarfed the ball. During both backswing and downswing, I could feel the MAS70 stiff flex shaft twisting and flexing. The head felt wobbly and did not inspire any confidence, despite the larger headsize.

All the distances were within +/-3 metres of each other. I swung at about 60% with control in mind.

In short, if you can find the sweetspot consistently, a larger head is unnecessary as it would demand a more advanced and stable shaft to be wielded well. 

kamen wrote:

Always found it curious how so called 'better' players publicly shun any irons that are remotely oversize and forgiving calling these game improvement equipment yet have no qualms in playing freakish behemoth drivers for the very exact same reasons.

I share your views. It is indeed amazing that "better" players will go for more pro irons because they feel that it gives them more feedback, better feel as in slicing butter with a hot knife, and since it is more difficult to use, it will make them work harder to make their swing correct and consistent. Oh, some also said these pro irons allow them to shape their shots much better and easier. I don't understand and never will since I am forever a beginner.

As for drivers, only one factor is important, i.e. DISTANCE. Size doesn't matter at all.

I somehow feel that lots of golfers have huge ego and "if you can't play well, at least look well" effect.   

I remember we once had a gun fight with another group, 2 flights aside. My opponent has JL top to bottom, caps, shirts, belts, pants, shoes and maybe underwear too. Pro bag with pro equipment and it did scare me a little but my worries went away after the first hole.  

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r we oncest had a gun fight with aoup, 2 flights aside. My opponent has JL top to bottom, caps, shirts, belts, pants, shoes and maybe underwear too. Pro bag with pro equipment and it did scare me a little but my worries went away after the first hole.  

the easiest way to see a newbie.  he sponsor the brand to sponsor him.

@hara, but..... I didn't know mah. I thought he was sponsored by JL. Didn't know he was the sponsor afterall. HAHAHA

Hahaha, for me personally, a chap could walk up to the tee box in a 3-piece suit and it wouldn't do anything for me. I only just wanna see chiobus in sleeveless and short shorts.   

tried out some drivers at the recent golf fest at KLGCC over the weekend and my take on how it related to this whole smaller vs larger driver head issue is that it is difficult to compare as the heads will normally differ in other physical specs besides size

As an example, after hearing so many comments about the G25, i went to try it out.  Not great for me.  Tried the i25, and found it much better.  Swapped the i25 shaft onto the G25 head, again, not great.  However, I have tried the G25 (with a diff shaft) before and found that very controllable.

So even though the i25 is a smaller head, can i really conclude that it is better for me.  I can only conclude that the combination on that day was good.

Guess the shaft really needs to match the driver head and both need to match your swing tendencies.

So although it has been said many times, the better driver for you is the one that works best for you, and given the vast variety of swings (of social golfers), it is not surprising there will also be a vast combination of driver heads and shaft which can be considered "optimal".

Seem to me that hitting with those big head drivers is more challenging than smaller heads. Cos i need to slow down my swing as i tend to slice badly. Using a SR shaft but i cant handle the S type shaft cos i am not young anymre. So, in essence, is this what the majority of you experienced with those big heavy heads?