Driver club head speed ?

[jswjr]

I was just wondering.

 

Let's say you take several drivers,for example the R7(400cc),R7425.R5(450cc) or R7460.

 

Has anyone seen any tests or found from personal use that the smaller driver allows you to generate greater club head speed and the resulting higher speed give longer drives?

 

 

I know the larger heads normally will be more forgiving but I'm talking distance on fairly good hits.

 

The reason I ask is you often hear that many people hit their 3 wood longer that their driver and that often is attributed to added loft and I'm sure that has a lot to do with it but I wonder how much club head speed has to do with it ?

[Yellow Jacket]

I was just wondering.

 

Let's say you take several drivers,for example the R7(400cc),R7425.R5(450cc) or R7460.

 

Has anyone seen any tests or found from personal use that the smaller driver allows you to generate greater club head speed and the resulting higher speed give longer drives?

 

 

I know the larger heads normally will be more forgiving but I'm talking distance on fairly good hits.

 

The reason I ask is you often hear that many people hit their 3 wood longer that their driver and that often is attributed to added loft and I'm sure that has a lot to do with it but I wonder how much club head speed has to do with it ?

A smaller clubhead does not produce any significant increase in clubhead speed. The people who hit their 3 wood longer are:

 

1) unable to hit a low-loft, driver-length club consistently

2) unable to generate enough backspin on the ball and need the additional loft

3) unable to generate a high enough launch angle and need the additional loft

[arkstorm]

I was just wondering.

 

Let's say you take several drivers,for example the R7(400cc),R7425.R5(450cc) or R7460.

 

Has anyone seen any tests or found from personal use that the smaller driver allows you to generate greater club head speed and the resulting higher speed give longer drives?

 

 

I know the larger heads normally will be more forgiving but I'm talking distance on fairly good hits.

 

The reason I ask is you often hear that many people hit their 3 wood longer that their driver and that often is attributed to added loft and I'm sure that has a lot to do with it but I wonder how much club head speed has to do with it ?

A smaller clubhead does not produce any significant increase in clubhead speed. The people who hit their 3 wood longer are:

 

1) unable to hit a low-loft, driver-length club consistently

2) unable to generate enough backspin on the ball and need the additional loft

3) unable to generate a high enough launch angle and need the additional loft

 

I would add:

 

4) or tend to hit 3-wood straighter and get more roll because they hit the fairway.

 

But as for increased clubhead speed, the answer is an almost invariable no, because a shorter shaft given nearly equal swing weight will yield a slower (allbeit more controllable) swing.

[idrive400yards]

clubhead speed has alot to do with distance as long as you hit the sweet spot, for example if you swing at 100mph distanc should be around 250-260, but if you hit it off center you might lose 5-10 yards depends on how far off center you hit it, heel mishits go shorter than toe mishits, the more clubhead speed the more ball speed wich equals distance, just look at the difference between tiger, bubba, hend, and say pavin, donald, and funk, the latter cannot generate the clubhead speed as the others which means less distance.

[jswjr]

Maybe I should have left out the part about the 3 wood.

 

Let me use myself as a example. I use a R5(450cc) and my ss is 93ish.

 

Would I swing a R7(400cc) faster and therefore hit longer?

 

 

I know the R5 will be more forgiving but I asking about distance. I am of course assuming equal loft.shaft,etc.

 

 

 

OR, am I splitting hairs on this question altogether ?

[arkstorm]

Maybe I should have left out the part about the 3 wood.

 

Let me use myself as a example. I use a R5(450cc) and my ss is 93ish.

 

Would I swing a R7(400cc) faster and therefore hit longer?

 

 

I know the R5 will be more forgiving but I asking about distance. I am of course assuming equal loft.shaft,etc.

 

 

 

OR, am I splitting hairs on this question altogether ?

 

I don't think you're splitting hairs at all, in fact, I believe this is an important question. But the short answer is no, you shouldn't experience any significant swing speed difference between a 400 and 460 cc head. Here's why:

 

The main factors in determining swing speed for a given club are shaft length and swing weight. Secondary considerations include shaft flex and aerodynamics. These secondary considerations do not make an appreciable difference.

 

Given today's technology with regards to materials, golf heads can be 460cc but wheigh the same as one's that were much smaller a few years ago.

 

If two heads, one 400 the other 460cc, weigh the same, and are on the end of an identical shaft of identical length, yielding an identical swing weight, then for an equal amount of energy transfered the only difference in speed will be how much air they catch, I.e. their aerodynamics. So a bigger face will catch a little more air, but this will not translate to an appreciable speed difference. As a matter of fact, there is more to aerodynamics than just the size of the face, E.g. the shape of the back edge of the body where the air releases from the head, etc.

 

Anyway, what ever miniscule gain you will get due to aerodynamics, is unlikely to translate into better distance due to the enhanced MOI of the bigger head.

 

But the proof is in the pudding...most players on tour are playing larger heads (>400cc). Even the great ball strikers get more advantage from the bigger heads' MOI than from the smaller heads' aerodynamics.

[arkstorm]

clubhead speed has alot to do with distance as long as you hit the sweet spot, for example if you swing at 100mph distanc should be around 250-260, but if you hit it off center you might lose 5-10 yards depends on how far off center you hit it, heel mishits go shorter than toe mishits, the more clubhead speed the more ball speed wich equals distance, just look at the difference between tiger, bubba, hend, and say pavin, donald, and funk, the latter cannot generate the clubhead speed as the others which means less distance.

 

What you are saying is only true in the broadest generalities...

 

Clubhead speed does equate to distance, but so do many other considerations broadly termed as "launch conditions" which are equally important.

 

Take a 100 mph swing as you described, if two guys' ss is 100 but one of them has a steep outside in move, while the other has an on-plain inside out move, the second guy will hit it much further.

 

Also, it is an absolute neon sign saying, "snake oil salesman" to say a 100 mph swing =250-260 yards. Considering the enormous variety in launch conditions, backspin, sidespin, ball speed, ball flight shape, etc. a guy with a 100 mph ss can hit it anywhere from 200 to 275.

 

I know this is taking the conversation off point, but its important to dispell these old school golf myths to get at the best results.

[dfung]

I think drive400yards has pretty much answered this. Numerically, the volume of the heads is significantly different, but in practice, with the same loft, shaft, etc. you'll never feel any substantive difference between the heads and how fast you can swing them. But, the sweet spot of the larger head will almost certainly be larger, which increases your chance of getting a solid hit at any swing speed. The solid hit translates into more yards, so, with all other factors equal, the bigger driver should give you a longer average drive.

 

Since your 3 wood is shorter, the clubhead speed will be lower than you can acheive with your driver. But a shorter shaft is easier to get a solid hit with which is why you might hit it farther than you would expect relative to a mishit driver shot. [disclaimer - I know that I can hit a 3-wood more accurately than my driver, but my friends tell me that being convinced of that is the only thing that makes it true, plus or minus my flawed swing]