Metalwood Head

In earlier times, the choices for wood heads were simple. A wood was made of wood. Now the wood business has changed dramatically. As we roar into the technological age, woods are more often made of steel-alloy, titanium, graphite, aluminum etc.

What are the benefits?
The metal wood designed to be more stable than wood made of wood, simply because they are perimeter weighted. The mass or weight of the club-head is distributed all around a void in the middle. Theoretically, this results in a greater moment of inertia, which in the case of a club-head means it is more resistant to twisting at impact if ball is struck somewhere other than on the center of the club-face. So shots hit on the heel or toe will go straighter because there is more mass at those points. In theory, that advantage can be increased with oversize club-head upon which weight can be distributed.

The Type of Material for Metal Wood Head
The materials such as 6-4 Titanium, 15-5 steel, Maraging steel, Elasteel etc which have various metallurgy elasticity and yield strength etc are currently used by designers to engineered the maximum Coefficient of Restitution (COR) of 0.83 USGA Limit.

COR is a barometer measurement of energy loss/retention. For example,
Elastic Collision = COR 1.0 =All Energy Retained.
Inelastic Collision = COR 0.0 =All Energy Lost (like dropping a chewing gum on the floor).
Currently the COR of Drivers is 0.7 to 0.8.

The other factors that can influence the COR are face size/thickness, impact stress by various swing speed and ball's materials.

Please note that if you can consistently hit the ball at or close to the centre of the face, your shots will not go a significantly farther and straighter with a wood wood as compared to metal wood. Major factors that can produce greater carry distance are loft-angle, shaft length/Flex, total weight and clubhead speed must be considered.

Horizontal Face Bulge
Horizontal bulge is the intentional curvature from the heel to toe on every wood head. It is not present on an Iron because the center of gravity is much closer to the face of an Iron than it is on wood. The closer the CG is to the face and the more loft on the club head (e.g. a more lofted wood like #7), the less hook or slice sidespin will occur from hitting the ball on the toe of heel

Bulge must be present on a wood to help start the ball to the right or the left of the target to counteract the hooking or slicing sidespin generated by the off-center hit. Without it, every time the golfer hits the ball on the toe or heel, the ball would hook of fade much more off line while not traveling nearly as far.

Effect on Golf Shotmaking Performance Factors

When selecting a fairway wood especially the driver, the loft angle is a major factor for the right launching angle and optimum trajectory which results in the maximum carry distance. Although drivers are available with loft angle from 7 to 13 degree. From field studies performed with golfers, we offer the following recommendations for relating loft with swing speed - it applies regardless of whether the golfer is a man or woman, a good tee shot with maximum distance can only be achieved by hitting the ball to the right launching angle for optimum trajectory that will result maximum carry distance. If your tee shots are low, go with more loft-angle. If your tee shots fly high and don't roll enough, try less loft-angle. But be careful as you reduce loft-angle, you will lose backspin and increase sidespin - the cause of hooks and slices.

From Golfsmith field studies performed with golfers, we offer the following recommendations for relating loft with swing speed.

What happens if the loft is too strong for the golfer?

• Will lower the impact launch angle and trajectory, making harder to stop the ball, making easier for the ball to 'run' into trouble spots on the course.

• Will decrease carry distance and with it, decrease overall distance particularly for the medium to slower swing speed golfers.

• Will cause a golfer deliberately to making a scooping impact swing movement by adjusting the ball's tee-up position and the timing and rhythm of the swing.

What happens if the loft is too weak for the golfer?

• Will increase the impact launch angle and trajectory, making easier to stop the ball at same time could decrease the carry distance for higher swing speed golfers.

• Will increase carry distance particularly for the golfers with slower swing speed golfers.

• Will cause a golfer deliberately to making a lesser scooping impact swing movement by adjusting the ball's tee-down position and the timing and rhythm of the swing.

FAST FACT

A little weaker loft is better than too strong in the driver. However too strong is better than too weak in the high lofted fairway woods.