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Can a Driver’s club head make a big difference?

SuperStroke
v.man

v.man

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I’ve been pondering this for some time, and thought I’d throw it out to see what y’all think. The last time I had a complete bag fitting from a top 100 fitter, he asked me a simple question with regard to the driver fitting. “Ken, are you looking for a couple of extra yards, or is hitting fairways more important to you?” My home course being a mountain course where accuracy is a must, I answered the latter. He said okay, let’s get rid of your off the rack driver with that ultra-light, longer than standard shaft and find the shaft that will fit your needs. He went on to say that all manufacturers have pretty much maxed out driver head performance to USGA specs (COR, etc.) so the big challenge is to find the shaft that is best fit for your swing, then pick a head that is aesthetically pleasing and instills confidence for you.

His advice was pretty sound from one perspective. Since that fitting and swapping out to a driver with the recommended shaft, I went from hitting 50% or less fairways, to better than 85% and really didn’t give up any distance, and that average has held up for over two years. I will be changing drivers this year (hopefully not shafts) and, being a typical greedy hacker, I want more—distance and accuracy.

It’s pretty easy to test shafts in the same club head, but not so easy to test different club heads in the same shaft. Hence the question, can the club head make a real difference?

Sorry I took so long to get to the question, but, I though it important that you know the background leading up to it.
 
The simple answer is yes.
While many point out that COR is maxed out on the balance point strikes, different club heads handle shots made by us mere mortals differently. Then add to that the idea that club heads offer different levels of spin, different shapes, different weighting, etc and many would say it is the most important part of the entire club by far.
 
Good question first off. To answer it I'd say clubheads can make a massive difference depending on COG, face depth, perineter weighting etc. I still say the shaft makes the biggest difference though but it's important to match both.
 
I would imagine it could make a tremendous difference, but I've seen you hit that driver multiple rounds and I'd certainly try to stick with that formula or as close to it as possible. I'm in the same boat as you so this should be an interesting journey to watch unfold with you.
 
So heres my thinking... first find the shaft. Then put on the most forgiving head? If the looks don't fit your eye for what ever reason, will you still game it if performance is good?

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kc720 said:
So heres my thinking... first find the shaft. Then put on the most forgiving head? If the looks don't fit your eye for what ever reason, will you still game it if performance is good?

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What happens if you find a great shaft for you that is low launch and low spin and you love the feel. Then you switch to a low spinning deep head. Unfortunately too many are doing this now and then assuming a club head does not work for them. We fit someone last year for a great combination in the Amp Cell. Then they switched to the SLDR and thought the shaft would still be great. Sadly, they were hitting shots too low.

I know so many that assume that the shaft is the more crucial part, but I would be willing to bet that I can show a bigger difference in driver heads via launch monitor than shaft changes for many many people.
 
JB said:
What happens if you find a great shaft for you that is low launch and low spin and you love the feel. Then you switch to a low spinning deep head. Unfortunately too many are doing this now and then assuming a club head does not work for them. We fit someone last year for a great combination in the Amp Cell. Then they switched to the SLDR and thought the shaft would still be great. Sadly, they were hitting shots too low.

I know so many that assume that the shaft is the more crucial part, but I would be willing to bet that I can show a bigger difference in driver heads via launch monitor than shaft changes for many many people.
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Makes sense. If the shaft was low spin and low launch, and the head was mid/mid then putting on a low spin head definitely would not preform the same with said shaft. Im learning more and more every day and that's why I love this place!

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Why switch to a low spinning head if you know your shaft is a low spinning/low launch shaft though? You would stay from those heads and focus on the newer heads that were more along the lines of the previous head you were using, just newer.
 
Vegan702 said:
Why switch to a low spinning head if you know your shaft is a low spinning/low launch shaft though? You would stay from those heads and focus on the newer heads that were more along the lines of the previous head you were using, just newer.
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Sadly that is not what happens and no two heads are the same, so even if you stayed mid/mid, the numbers would in fact change.
I can show you at least a dozen people that went from mid/high spin heads to low spin heads and vice versa on this very forum in the last 2 months.
 
I fully believe that the driver head can make a big difference. I have played the same exact Kusala Blue shaft in, a Diablo, R9 SuperTri, R1, Razr Fit, X Hot, and Razr Fit Extreme head (may even be forgetting one)...and every driver has played somewhat differently due to the weight distributions and spin characteristics of the heads.
 
I was talking about this the other day with a club fitter friend of mine. He said that he would say spin is affected most by swing next by shaft and then by club head. One thing I have always felt affects me is weight, but he explained to me this would revert back to the swing as heavier or lighter clubs usually cause one to swing a little differently.
 
OK, in this case someone likes the shaft they have been playing for the last few years. Assume it is a low spin/launch shaft and they were playing a mid spin head. If they want to keep the same shaft but upgrade to a newer head assuming it will give them more distance and forgiveness, they would need to only look at heads that are mid or high spinning heads, and rule out low spin heads, correct?
 
I have a X hot 11.5* set on closed on a stock Project X lite shaft at 45" and my partner has a Womens X Hot 11.5* set on open on a Project X womens shaft at 45". We done some testing one day I used her driver and she used mine we both didn't like that, we then swaped heads I used her Womens head on my shaft and she used my head on her shaft. The womens head must be lighter as she said my head felt heavier on her shaft and her head defiently felt lighter on my shaft. Using this set up we both hit further and straighter I don't know why but we do so now I am using the Womens head and she is using the Mens head.
 
Vegan702 said:
OK, in this case someone likes the shaft they have been playing for the last few years. Assume it is a low spin/launch shaft and they were playing a mid spin head. If they want to keep the same shaft but upgrade to a newer head assuming it will give them more distance and forgiveness, they would need to only look at heads that are mid or high spinning heads, and rule out low spin heads, correct?
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Not necessarily. That is where fitting CAN be so crucial. And frankly why I believe that many people feel as though they are in love with their shaft, but normally more in love with the combo.
 
I think it's cyclical, but it's coming back around to mattering a great deal again. Different companies are riding the wave of adjustable drivers differently, which is affecting heads from a center of gravity perspective. Some companies are approaching low-forward CG much more aggressively than others, while companies are choosing to decrease the variables of adjustment and allow for more forgiveness. So as others have said, you could find a shaft that works for you, but you could pair it with the wrong head and be no better off.
 
That is inspired JB. Each club is a unique mix of physical factors (shaft characteristics, head characteristics, total weight, swingweight, length, even lie, etc) plus add in the human factor of feel and how a club looks - suddenly changing one factor can change results more than one would think.

JB said:
Not necessarily. That is where fitting CAN be so crucial. And frankly why I believe that many people feel as though they are in love with their shaft, but normally more in love with the combo.
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Aussie Dave said:
I have a X hot 11.5* set on closed on a stock Project X lite shaft at 45" and my partner has a Womens X Hot 11.5* set on open on a Project X womens shaft at 45". We done some testing one day I used her driver and she used mine we both didn't like that, we then swaped heads I used her Womens head on my shaft and she used my head on her shaft. The womens head must be lighter as she said my head felt heavier on her shaft and her head defiently felt lighter on my shaft. Using this set up we both hit further and straighter I don't know why but we do so now I am using the Womens head and she is using the Mens head.
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Has anyone got any theroies why this would be so.
 
Possibly either the MOI of the club (a measure of the force needed to move the club) fits you both better or the swingweight works better (I see the former more than the latter).

Aussie Dave said:
Has anyone got any theroies why this would be so.
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bellairemi said:
Possibly either the MOI of the club (a measure of the force needed to move the club) fits you both better or the swingweight works better (I see the former more than the latter).
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So am I right in assuming that a lighter swing weight will produce more clubhead speed which would make sense why I get more distance, and the heavier swing weight for my partner gives it more MOI for her.
 
This where tinkering can be a hinderance in some ways. Well for me anyways. I tinkered around with the XHOt Pro last year, found a shaft I wanted to make work, just to find that it wasn't a good match, perhaps it had more to do with ego and ignorance, but I chased my tail for a few months. After going with what I was fit for, I started to see huge improvements. My newest gamer is a fit for combination, so there will be no tinkering with the equipment. Any issues will be swing just like it always has been.
 
Yes the head makes a difference.
 
I think that is why they are tinkering with the Club head all the time. Looking for that perfect number.
 
JB said:
Not necessarily. That is where fitting CAN be so crucial. And frankly why I believe that many people feel as though they are in love with their shaft, but normally more in love with the combo.
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I agree that many times it is the combo. When I bought my SuperTri with the Rip shaft, I did NOT like it. Then, it was suggested that I try the Miyazaki 43s (maybe by you, JB). Bingo! Excellent length and tight dispersion. I used the SuperTri until last summer when I got the Amp Cell driver with the Graphite Design 40. I hit the Amp Cell very well also. I, of course, took both to the range. The Amp Cell just edged the SuperTri by about 5-7 yards with better dispersion.

I, then, tried the Miyazaki shaft in the Amp Cell. It just didn't perform as it had in the SuperTri. So, I agree that the combo is the secret. I'll be gaming the Amp until I get another itch. I HATE scratching that club itch!!
 
JB said:
The simple answer is yes.
While many point out that COR is maxed out on the balance point strikes, different club heads handle shots made by us mere mortals differently. Then add to that the idea that club heads offer different levels of spin, different shapes, different weighting, etc and many would say it is the most important part of the entire club by far.
Click to expand...

Well said as usual!
 
I am no club pro, but in my opinion the head can and does make a difference, but so does the shaft.
I look at it like building a hamburger. No one just says, give me a hamburger.
You have to find the right combination of ingredients to make the perfect burger....for you.
Maybe you need cheese, or bacon or no tomato. You have to find that perfect combination that suits your taste buds.
In a driver, you have to do the same thing. It's not just the head or the shaft that make the driver the right one for you, it's finding that perfect combo.

So get out there and build a better burger !
 
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