Club manufacturers in North America and Europe have started a move towards smaller-sized drivers designed to achieve better ball control.
Instead of the 300-cubic-centimetre club which many amateur players favour, manufacturers have been issuing various mid-size drivers in the 260-cc range. The belief is that golfers will feel more comfortable when addressing the ball.
Oversized drivers are unwieldy and expensive and manufacturers have discovered there is a limited number of consumers who are willing to pay more than US$500 for a club.
The original idea behind the jumbo-size craze was to create a bigger sweet spot on the club face to produce straighter, longer drives. While it worked for some golfers, others struggled to get control of the often-awkward clubs.
The movement to smaller-sized club heads has been slow to reach Asia where the big-headed driver rules the market. However, the situation should slowly change this year with the introduction of several new clubs. Titleist is heavily promoting its titanium 975D driver, the favoured club of last year's winners of the majors, Tiger Woods, Davis Love and Justin Leonard .
The 260-cc pear-shaped deep- faced driver has a unique hosel and through-bore shaft which has been designed for maximum energy transfer from club to ball. The graphite shaft club sells for about $3,900.
Cleveland Golf has also introduced a mid-sized driver in its 260-cc Tour Action titanium wood. It claims the club's symmetrical face and inset hosel makes it easy to hit a draw shot when desired.
