Light Driver heads?

[alexbravo]

Or a good driver head for 48"

Has anyone had luck with a lighter head on a 48" club?

Or what head have you had the best luck with?

I feel that the 460 cc heads lose speed due to wind resistance, unless the trampoline effect counter acts this.

[sanderslongdrive]

alexbravo,

The weight issue is not as significant as some would have you believe. In any event many in the know state that if one goes below 196g with a 460cc head then it is more prone to breaking.

Aerodynamics is a big issue and that is why Adams Golf have addressed this with their 9032LS and 9032LD versions. They claim that one gains 4-5 mph in swing speed via shaving the sides of their driver heads. I own a 9032LD in 7.5d and it fails to cut through the air as well as my 360cc ERC Fusion driver heads which are no longer produced. (I bought out world stocks of such new heads a couple of years ago).

That leads me on to your point about the 'trampoline effect' or what is technically referred to as COR - coefficient of restitution. I think that you are asking "Can I still have the COR legal max. of 83% energy return with a head smaller than 460cc?" The answer is "Yes," but I do not know if the expertise yet exists to secure it within a head of less than 360cc. The market has been duped into believing that 'big is best.' Such may be the case for very wild inaccurate swingers!

But, COR is an illusion for most golfers. Most golfers secure nothing like as much as an 83% return as their swing speed is under 110mph. Also COR of 1.0 can be achieved by hitting the ball on its inside edge, with driver heads of all sizes, and thereby causing an 'oblique collision.' (See Wikipaedia for an explanation.)

(As an aside; The old Persimmon heads manage to secure a 78% return for those who swing 110mph+.)

An aerodynamic 360cc head is possibly the best scenario for talented drivers but I do not believe that such has been invented yet. Bar possibly in my head.