Square Head Drivers and Iron Byron

Filed in archive Golf Equipment on March 3, 2007

I'm afraid golf equipment manufacturers don't make a lot of money from me.

In January, I wrote that, after more than 25 years of playing the game (albeit, sporadically for a number of those years), I finally bought new irons.

That's when I was shocked to realize how much irons had improved. The technology was leading edge and it worked magic in my game.

In another post, I wrote that I finally took lessons in a serious, consistent way, tossing the instruction books aside, and revolutionized my swing.

But it was the combination of new club technology and a new swing that made me a better golfer and rekindled my love for golf. Not just the clubs, themselves.

Now that Callaway and Nike have brought out their square head drivers, the golf world is abuzz again over club technology.

Can a square head deliver a longer drive? Yes, say Callaway and Nike and they have the testimonials from professional golfers to back up their statements.

Ironically, not all the pros endorse them. The cynic might argue that's because not all pros are signed to Callaway and Nike. Fair point.

But the pros who don't like the square head drivers maintain that the ball flight is too straight and the ability to shape the shot is minimized. Maybe that's true.

Callaway and Nike have the science and physics on their side, they claim.

And they can make that claim by testing their clubs with machines like the Iron Byron which delivers a perfect swing path every time.

But who has an Iron Byron golf swing? As many of you may recall, my teaching pro is Mark Greenwood, the Director of Swing Machine Golf Canada.

Swing Machine Golf is a concept developed by the highly talented Paul Wilson.

That's the swing I learned from Mark and it's modeled on Iron Byron. And it works for me superbly.

But even Mark and Paul, who make their living teaching this swing theory, will agree that no one can swing exactly like Iron Byron.

The machine is perfect.

So where does that put the claims made by Callaway and Nike?

I would argue it puts them in perspective.

Their square head drivers make Iron Byron a better driver of the ball. But not by all that much.

Then, what about me, the consumer?

That would depend. On my swing speed, my swing path, my mechanics, my golf ball, my timing, my rhythm, my mental state, heck, my relationship with God. And all on any given day.

In other words, Iron Byron and machines like it demonstrate exact science because they can.

The rest of us demonstrate that science inexactly.

The biggest distance gain we can create off the tee or the fairway is by improving our golf swings.

Callaway FT-i drivers retail around 500 dollars US; Nike SQ Sumos retail around 400 US.

One golf lesson with a good teacher retails around 85 US or Canadian or Australian or Euros.

See you on the practice tee!

Tomorrow, join me for part two of my interview with Sandra Post. Sandra gives me her very direct views on Michelle Wie and talks about the struggles of the Women's Senior Tour.