Titanium Driver

Titanium Driver Trends

Last season saw a trend in titanium driver models pushing the legal limits in Moment of Inertia (MOI) to the maximum. The coming season has seen a shift away from the “bigger is better” philosophy towards a titanium driver models that offers a better combination of distance and control, rather than pure distance.

Check our Titanium Driver Essentials for a quick overview of the most common terms used in driver design.

The new breed of titanium driver on offer now include slightly smaller heads that will appeal to golfers who want to keep more of their drives on the short stuff and under control rather than just flat out blasting.

That’s not to say the new season’s offerings lack any in distance. Simply put, the overall equation has been re-calculated and the new titanium driver heads offer a better control/distance balance. New shaft technology has a lot to do with this as well, as modern shafts hit further for the same effort.

The DIY custom-fit market has also seen some significant new developments. Drivers like the Dynacraft Prophet or the Power Play System Q2 offer a huge amount of adjustability to the tinkerers amongst us. It’s a no-brainer really. Who wouldn’t like the ability to vary the setup of their driver to suit course conditions?

Titanium Driver heads are available in all shapes and sizes. From the traditional pear-dropped Acer XP 905 and Dynacraft Avatar to the square Acer Mantara and Acer Mantara XL and even the bullet shaped triangular models like the PowerPlay Caiman and Acer XK.

Driver size has changed considerably over the last 20 years or so. Image to the left is for comparison of the size of a Persimmon Driver with a modern 460cc Titanium Driver. The increase in size has also done away with the real meaning of the old expression "getting it out of the screws". Face inserts on Persimmon drivers were held in place with screws. No more of that on a Titanium Driver.

Thin wall casting techniques allow even more weight to be taken from the crown to the sides of drivers and the centre of gravity lowered to increase the launch angles. Gone are the low stingers of yesteryear. Modern drivers are designed to launch the ball high and long.

That is something to watch out for though. High-launching drivers need to be matched to the right shaft as shaft flex and bend-point will affect launch as well. Goal here is a penetrating ball flight, not a pop-up.

All our Titanium Driver models come custom assembled with the shaft and grip of your choice so take the time to have a look at our shaft and grip fitting guides.

Titanium Drivers Essentials

Centre of Gravity: The internal point on which the club-head rotates. A low, deep centre of gravity and the ball will launch higher.

Coefficient of Restitution: The measure of the amount of spring in the face. The legal limit for the USGA and the R&A is 0.83. Fire a ball at a driver face at 100 mph and it should rebound at less then 83 mph for the driver to be conforming. You can check the Conforming Driver Lists on the R&A and USGA websites.

Moment of Inertia – MOI: The measure of a driver’s resistance to twisting. This is also commonly referred to as “forgiveness”. The legal limit is 5,900 grams / cm³. Most drivers fall well within this limit.

Cupface: A construction where the faceplate is part of the front portion of the crown, sole and skirt. This positions the weld further away from the face, increasing face spring for more distance.