Bridgestone Golf Utilizes 12-years Of Ball-Fitting Data To Build Balls With Unparalleled Distance and Forgiveness– e12 SOFT and e12 SPEED

Bridgestone Golf, the #1 Ball-Fitter in Golf, has unveiled its innovative e12 family of golf balls, using 12 years of proprietary ball-fitting data to take distance and accuracy performance to a new level.

Bridgestone e12 Soft Golf Balls

The e12 family of balls builds upon the 3-piece, surlyn construction, spin-reducing forgiveness of Bridgestone’s popular e-series, now with more power than ever before. The e12 family includes two models – e12 SOFT and e12 SPEED – delivering increased firepower off the tee and reduced sidespin for players who need it most.

Both of the e12 balls feature Bridgestone’s proprietary new Active Acceleration Mantle layer as a key component of their 3-piece construction. The Active Acceleration Mantle is comprised of a new High-Performance Polymer material that provides increased thrust and higher initial velocity at impact while allowing Bridgestone to soften the core for greater forgiveness and enhanced feel.

In addition, each of the balls utilizes Bridgestone’s Delta Wing Dimple pattern for less drag and optimized aerodynamics. The e12 SOFT is designed specifically for players with less than 105 mph swing speeds who fight sidespin challenges, while the e12 SPEED is intended for higher swing speed players (greater than 105 mph) who struggle with accuracy off the tee.


The Bridgestone e12 SOFT and e12 SPEED balls will hit retail on February 15, 2019, and feature a street price of $29.99 per dozen. They will be available for retail on In addition to the classic white version, the e12 SOFT will also be available in bright Matte Green, Matte Red and Matte Yellow colors.

In addition to the new e12 SOFT and e12 SPEED, Bridgestone Golf has a diverse portfolio of golf balls, designed based on information gleaned through ball-fitting, to meet the needs of a wide range of player performance characteristics, including the popular TOUR B series. For more information on the company’s entire offering of golf balls and for help selecting the right ball for you, visit

About Bridgestone Golf

An Insider’s Look into the 2019 PGA Merchandise Show


2019 PGA Merchandise Show



Friday, January 25, 2019


Lucky in Love Sneak Peak



Katherine Way




Surprize Shop



Thursday, January 24, 2019


Donald Ross

Donald Ross Sport features timeless and classic apparel designs for men.



Annika Sorenstam meet and greet at Cutter and Buck.


Odyssey Stroke Lab Putters Arriving February 8








Callaway Epic Flash Drivers

Customize the colors on your New Callaway EPIC FLASH Driver!




Callaway APEX CF19 Irons


Finn Scooter by Sun Mountain Motor Sports coming soon.


The Buyers (and Merchandiser) for Morton Golf


Tom Morton celebrates his birthday in Orlando


PING Introduces G410 Iron, More Compact Distance Model

Ensuring the distance demands of today’s golfer while advancing PING’s reputation for making the most forgiving irons available, PING has introduced the G410 iron, a high-performance game-improvement model in a compact design.

PING G410 Irons

The multi-material iron isavailable for pre-order and custom fitting at authorized PING golf shops around the world beginning today.

“In the G410 iron, our engineers challenged the idea that you can’t make an iron smaller and increase the forgiveness at the same time,” said John K. Solheim, PING President. “They’ve developed a clean, highly appealing design with less offset and a significantly higher MOI when compared to the G400 iron. It’s the most forgiving iron of its size. It will appeal to a very wide range of golfers as it produces faster ball speeds, maximum forgiveness and amazing feel with a pleasing appearance — all the attributes they need to hit their iron shots higher, farther and straighter.”

Re-shaping Distance and Forgiveness
PING’s engineering team created a face and cavity structure in the G410 iron that delivers faster ball speeds and saves weight to expand the perimeter weighting. The additional weight savings are concentrated in the toe and hosel to achieve an 8% increase in the moment of inertia (MOI) for more forgiveness and consistency.

The more flexible, free-moving face amplifies ball speeds for greater distance and higher max height, allowing golfers to hit less club into the green with the control and precision to hold the putting surface. This is achieved by de-coupling the weighting structure from the face to create a larger flexing zone, which performs like a hinge to launch the ball faster and higher with consistency and predictability. The next generation of COR-Eye technology powers the performance in conjunction with the cascading sole design and deep top-rail undercut.


High Marks for Look, Feel and Sound
The clean, refined shape of the G410 iron results from a slightly shorter blade length and 10% less offset compared to the G400 iron, creating an inspiring blade-iron-style look with broad appeal. Its resilient hydropearl 2.0 finish provides an attractive appearance and contributes to smooth turf interaction. The full-cavity, co-molded aluminum and elastomer badge delivers a powerful, reassuring feel and sound.

“We all know the first impression of any club design is vitally important. It starts with the appearance at address and continues when the golfer solidly strikes that first shot,” said Solheim. “We’re seeing very positive results from our own data and hearing outstanding feedback from others about every aspect of the design and performance of the G410 iron.”

High-spin wedges
Using the same geometry as the Glide 2.0 wedge series, the grooves on the G410 PW, UW, SW and LW are precision machined with a sharper edge radius, increasing interaction with the cover of the ball at impact and creating more friction for improved spin and trajectory control.

“The fully machined grooves on all four wedges are an example of the added detail we’ve engineered into the G410 irons,” said Solheim. “For players who want a consistent look and feel throughout their set, they can now enjoy much higher spin and control in their scoring clubs along with all the other performance benefits of the iron’s technology.”

G410 Iron Specifications

Multi-material construction: Hyper 17-4 stainless steel head, tungsten toe/hosel weights, aluminum/elastomer badge, hydropearl 2.0 finish

Available 4-9, PW, UW, SW, LW in 10 color codes (lie angle). Black is standard.


Stock shaft options: PING AWT 2.0 (R, S, X), Alta CB Red (counter-balanced) powered by AWT (SR, R, S)

Aftermarket shaft options (noupcharge): True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 (R300, S300), True Temper Dynamic Gold (S300, X100), True Temper Dynamic Gold 120 (S300, X100), Project X LZ (5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5), True Temper XP95 (R300, S300), Nippon Pro Modus Tour 105 (S, X), KBS Tour (R, S, X)

U.S. MSRP: $135 per iron w/steel shaft (stock or aftermarket); $150 per iron w/stock graphite shaft

These irons are available for pre-order now at the authorized online PING retailer,

PING introduces G410 drivers with movable-weight technology



The multi-material drivers are available for pre-order today, online through authorized online PING retailer, You will be able to find them available for custom club fitting in authorized PING golf shops around the world beginning in mid February.

“We’ve continued to increase both forgiveness and distance in the G410 Plus driver while adding more dimensions to driver custom fitting,” said John K. Solheim, PING President. Our new, movable-weight technology provides the benefits of custom CG locations, including directional control, without sacrificing MOI or ball speeds, which is what we’ve always seen with other non-fixed-weight drivers. The G410 Plus offers golfers a simple, logical way to customize their driver and allows them to swing away on the tee box without fear of missing the fairway. It puts tour-level fitting into the golfer’s hands. We’ve also expanded the loft and lie options with a new eight-setting, lightweight hosel that further fine-tunes ball flight.”

Custom CG locations

In the G410 Plus model, three positions (Draw, Neutral, Fade) for the ultra-high density tungsten back weight shift the center of gravity (CG) location by 1/10″ in each direction from neutral to influence left or right shot direction approximately 10 yards (20 yards of correction between Draw and Fade settings). By positioning the weight on the extreme boundary of the clubhead, the moment of inertia increases compared to the original G400 driver – ensuring golfers enjoy the added ball speed and forgiveness required to hit their tee shots longer and straighter.

“Our engineering team took on the challenge of advancing driver fitting through custom CG locations without compromising the key attributes that ensure performance,” said Solheim. “It’s amazing how they’ve been able to deliver this new fitting element while also improving ball speed and MOI. The movable-weight technology clearly demonstrates the effects on shot shape and the ability to dial in your desired ball flight. This additional fitting element optimizes a golfer’s trajectory – meaning they’ll consistently be farther and straighter down the fairway than ever before.”

The G410 SFT (Straight Flight Technology) model is engineered with a fixed ultra-high density tungsten weight positioned on the clubhead’sextreme perimeter and 50% more heel-side CG than its predecessor to ensure straighter ball flights. A lighter swingweight (D1) further influences direction by helping square the face at impact.

“There is still a large segment of golfers who will play better with a driver completely optimized for performance with the benefit of maximum fade correction,” Solheim added. “When we pioneered Straight Flight Technology several years ago, we wanted to provide a ‘slice-fixing’ driver without adding huge offset or just closing the face. The G410 SFT sits visually square at address and delivers all the performance benefits of the G410 Plus while ensuring a consistently straight ball flight.”

Ping G410 Driver back weight

Dragonfly Technology Inside

A new “creased crown” design provides stiffening properties and combines with patented Dragonfly Technology on the inside to create an ultra-thin crown structure, which saves weight for optimizing the CG location and increasing forgiveness. Together with more aggressive and efficient Turbulator Technology, the 455cc head’s crown design provides a clean, powerful and faster look at address while making alignment nearly effortless.

Forged, T9S+ Face


Trajectory Tuning 2.0


“The expansion of the loft options is a tremendous benefit for all golfers who can now further optimize their launch conditions, including increasing ball speed, with the guidance of a club fitter or through their own experimentation,” said Solheim. “The lie angle fitting option adds another layer of opportunity for expert club fitters to really fine-tune a golfer’s driver performance based on a more detailed analysis of their ball flight and launch conditions.”

New Counter-Balanced Shaft Technology


G410 Plus and SFT Driver Specifications:

Multi-material construction: Cast Ti 8-1-1 body, forged T9S+ face, high-density tungstenback weight, lightweight aluminum/thermoplastic adjustable hosel

G410 Plus loft options: 9⁰, 10.5⁰& 12⁰

G410 SFT (Straight Flight Technology) loft option: 10.5⁰

Head volume: 455 cc

Head weight: 206g (Plus), 204g (SFT)

Swing weight: D3 (Plus), D1 (SFT)

Std. length: 45 3/4″ (Alta CB Red 55); 45 1/4″ (PING Tour and aftermarkets)



Stock shaft option: PING Alta CB (counter-balanced) Red 55 (SR, R, S, X)



U.S. MSRP: $540

A Golfer’s Guide to Golf Gloves

The golf glove is one of the fastest replaced items in a golf bag. Today most golfers consider them a necessity. Why are they even used though and how does someone go about choosing the right one? We answer these and many more questions in our complete guide to gloves

Golf Glove Selection at Haggin Oaks Super Shop

When were golf gloves first used?

While originally introduced in the late 1800s, golf gloves were not commonplace until the 1960s. Before that, golfing gloves were seen as mostly a gimmick. However, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer’s use of them helped thrust the golf glove into the mainstream. Since then, nearly every golf professional has used golf gloves.

What do golf gloves do?

Golf gloves serve two primary purposes. First, they provide increased grip with the club. The leather exterior of golf gloves has a much higher frictional force on the rubber grips of golf clubs compared to bare skin. Second, they protect golfers’ hands. Gloves are able to distribute a frictional force across the entire hand and lessen the chance of blisters and skin irritation.

Golf Glove Selection at Haggin Oaks Super Shop

Which hand does the glove go on?

The glove goes on your top hand. If you’re right-handed, then you wear a glove on your left hand.

How often should a golf glove be replaced?

A golf glove should be replaced “as needed”. What does that mean though? The lifespan of a golf glove is dependent on a multitude of variables including temperature, humidity, sweat, grip pressure, etc. Over time the leather on the glove will begin to break down, crack, and lose its grippy texture. Most sources claim this is every three to seven rounds of golf, but your mileage may vary. Overall, replace your glove once you distinctly notice its performance has declined.

What is the difference in golf gloves?

Premium golf gloves typically have a higher composition of leather. Leather is a premium material and companies typically try to save money by making much of the glove out of synthetic fabrics. These synthetics often are more stretchy than leather, but lack the grip and friction that leather can provide. Different gloves will have different designs and fitment as well

How do you know what size you are?

Many facilities, like here at Haggin Oaks, will have glove fitting gauge. However if you one is not available to you, we would recommend just trying on various gloves to find the one that works best for you. Different brands will have varying fitment, so be sure to try an assortment of gloves. Once you find the one for you, you can then simply purchase that model and size from the on.

Real Golf Driver vs. Fake Golf Driver

How will a counterfeit G400 Driver perform compared to a genuine Ping G400 Driver? We can probably assume the fake club will be worse but exactly how much worse is it?

We recently got a counterfeit club to test once somebody with poor moral integrity exchanged out a PING G400 driver head with a counterfeit head when they went out on our driving range to test their club. (PIECE OF ADVICE: If you EVER find yourself in possession of a cheap, knock-off club, let me give you some advice. Do NOT do what this dummy did! And when we find the Rebel scum who did this, we will string them up by their toes and let the crows attack…)

Genuine Ping G400 Driver on top and counterfeit G400 driver below

Anyway, we thought we might as well test the counterfeit PING G400 driver against the real thing since we now had one on hand and share the results with our readers.

Official scientific experiment beginning… NOW!

Hypothesis: The counterfeit driver will be substantially inferior because the driver head was not produced with the same quality of materials, design, nor standards as the genuine Ping product

Materials: (26) Srixon Range Balls, (1) Fake Ping G400 Driver Head – 9 degree loft, (1) Genuine Ping G400 Driver Head – 9 degree loft, (2) Genuine Ping Alta CB Premium Stiff Shafts, (1) TrackMan Launch Monitor, (1) Scale

Research: The defining characteristics of the Ping G400 Driver are a new forged T9S+ face that promises tighter dispersion, a higher density tungsten back weight, better acoustics due to redesigned rib structure, and club head streamlining.

Procedure: This procedure was created in order to test around the main selling points of Ping’s G400 driver. We will be testing weight, acoustics, consistency, club speed, ball speed, launch angle, spin rate, carry distance, landing angle, and overall distance between the fake and genuine Ping G400 Driver. Firstly, both driver heads will be weighed separately on a scale. The heads will be weighed in their entirety with the tungsten weights attached. Next, the tungsten weights will be removed and weighed separately from the driver heads as well. The clubs will be reattached onto identical genuine Alta CB Premium shafts. Then, the clubs will both be taken to the Haggin Oaks Driving Range, in Sacramento, CA, where a scratch golfer will hit three balls each with both clubs. The scratch golfer will not be told which club is genuine. The sound of impact will be recorded in six sound clips that will be labeled “A” through ”F” randomly. These six sound clips will then be played blindly and randomly for fifteen staff members at the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex. These individuals will be asked to assign the clips into two categories; the “better” (the definition of “better” will be left to the individual tested to define on his or her own) sounding three and the “worse” sounding three. Following this test, the clubs will be taken to the Haggin Oaks Player Performance Studio. There, a scratch golfer will hit 5 balls with the fake driver, 5 balls with the genuine club, then an additional 5 balls with the fake club, and finishing with 5 more using the genuine club for a total of 20 Srixon Range balls hit. These swings will be recorded by the TrackMan Launch Monitor. The TrackMan Launch Monitor, uses Doppler radar and will supply the following statistics: consistency, club speed, ball speed, launch angle, spin rate, carry distance, landing angle, and overall distance. All eleven measurements from the entire test will be compiled and a determination made on the performance of the clubs in comparison to one another.

Results: To start, it was pretty obvious to tell the fake PING G400 driver when comparing it up against the authentic club in terms of looks. As you can see in these pictures, the graphics aren’t straight on the counterfeit club. Also the grey lines on the background of the “G400” graphic are unpainted on the counterfeit club.

The “9” degree loft graphic is straight on the genuine Ping G400 club on top, while the fake club (bottom pictured) has a slanted graphic.

The “tungsten” weight is also obviously made of a different material in the fake club. It isn’t even the same color. It will be interesting once both weights are weighed on our scale to see the differences here.

The genuine Ping G400 is displayed on top with its darker more matte colors compared to the counterfeit G400 driver shown below.

You can obviously tell the difference in the face and crown as well. The counterfeit club has a significantly less textured feel than the genuine club. The crown is also matte on the genuine Ping G400 driver, while the fake club is much more glossy.

The real Ping G400 driver on top shows its matte and streamlined surface on the crown, while the counterfeit club on the bottom is glossy and more angular

By using the TrackMan Launch Monitor, we were able to find the following results. The genuine Ping G400 driver had an average club head speed 1.3 miles per hour faster than the fake driver. The genuine Ping G400 driver had an average ball speed 1.1 miles per hour faster when compared against the fake driver.

The fake G400 driver had an average launch angle 1.5 degrees higher than the genuine Ping G400 driver. The average spin rate of the genuine Ping G400 driver was 999 rotations per minute lower than that of the counterfeit driver. The genuine Ping G400 driver averaged a 14.5 yard carry farther than the fake G400 driver.The landing angle of the fake G400 driver was 6.3 degrees steeper than that of the genuine Ping G400 driver. The genuine Ping G400 Driver averaged a total distance that was 21.1 yards farther than the fake G400 driver.

The scale test also produced interesting results as well. When we removed the genuine Ping G400 driver head from the shaft and took out its tungsten weight, it weighed 189.942 grams. The stock genuine Ping G400 tungsten weight was an additional 9.922 grams. In comparison, the counterfeit G400 head without its “tungsten” weight, weighed 193.910 grams and its “tungsten” weight weighed 5.103 grams. Overall, the genuine Ping G400 driver head was heavier by .850 grams.

Counterfeit driver being weighed on a scale

The sound test results revealed that of the 15 people we polled, only 3 people showed a preference for the sound of the counterfeit driver. This means that 80% of people prefer the sound of the genuine Ping G400 driver in a blind sound test. Additionally, the average preference for the genuine Ping G400 driver was 66.67%.

Here are the results of the testing we did on the TrackMan. The real PING G400 driver is shown in blue and the fake driver is shown in red. Our golf professional who hit both drivers was Ben Ledbetter. Ben is a scratch golfer.

Weight Test Data Table
Sound Test Data Table Above

Analysis: The increased club speed of the genuine Ping G400 driver suggests that the fake driver head does not have as streamlined aerodynamic properties as the genuine product. This is further supported by the fake driver having more angular ridging along the crown and the paint being less smooth. Furthermore, the fake G400 driver exhibited a launch angle that was much higher than the genuine Ping G400 driver. Since the shafts were identical, this would suggest that the nine-degree loft claimed on the fake driver’s head is inaccurate. Hence, it is likely the face of the counterfeit G400 driver has a higher loft than the genuine Ping G400 driver. The faces of the clubs clearly differ as well because the genuine Ping driver has drastically less ball spin and faster ball speed. Physically, the fake G400 driver face does not feel as textured as the real Ping G400 driver face. Both this higher ball spin and higher launch angle most likely contribute to the fake G400 driver having a landing angle 6.3 degrees steeper than that of the genuine Ping driver. Likewise, this steeper landing angle and high spin result in the fake driver traveling an average of 6.6 yards shorter than the genuine Ping G400 driver, once they both hit the ground.

Ultimately, all the factors cultivate to result in the genuine Ping G400 Driver traveling an average of 21.1 yards further than the fake driver. However, more noticeably, the genuine Ping G400 driver is drastically more consistent than its fake counterpart. In every category, except ball speed, the genuine Ping G400 driver exhibited more consistent results.

Most importantly, the genuine Ping G400 driver had a much tighter grouping of shots. This would imply that the genuine Ping G400 is more forgiving. Ben Ledbetter, the PGA Golf Professional who hit the clubs on the range, commented on the fake G400 driver while hitting it during the experiment. He was overheard saying, “I can generally tell what the ball is going to do by feel when I hit it, but this thing doesn’t do what I think it will.” This statement supports the results recorded.

This consistency difference would be partially explained by the weight test. Here, it was found that although both clubs have a very similar total weight, the genuine Ping G400 driver has a much heavier tungsten weight. This means that the genuine Ping G400 driver has a significantly higher moment of inertia (MOI) and will be more forgiving. The tungsten weight test also revealed that the counterfeit G400 driver is most likely using a different metal than tungsten for its weight insert. It was too large and too light to be tungsten, which is understandable because tungsten is an expensive material and an expense likely not spent by someone counterfeiting clubs.

As for the sound test, the vast majority of the people tested preferred the sound of the real Ping G400 driver. The genuine Ping G400 driver has an audibly higher tone on impact when compared to the counterfeit club. Most people preferred this high tone because, as one participant wrote, it has a “crisper sound at impact.” The sound files used for the experiment and the answer key can be found below. Can you hear the difference?

Conclusions: The performance differences between the genuine Ping G400 driver and the counterfeit club are substantial. The genuine Ping G400 driver hit an average of 21.1 yards farther than its fake counterpart. Likewise, the genuine Ping G400 club had an average of 999 fewer rotations per minute (RPM) when tested. However more noticeable than either statistic, the real Ping G400 driver was much more consistent, probably thanks to its higher moment of inertia (MOI). The grouping of shots on the range was drastically tighter with the genuine Ping G400 driver. The materials and construction of the real club also seem much better compared to the counterfeit driver. The “tungsten” weight on the fake G400 driver is not heavy enough to be real.

Furthermore, the fake club exhibited noticeably more wear on the face and leading edge after being used than the real Ping G400. As for the sound, Ping’s engineers will be proud to hear that 80% of people preferred the sound of the genuine Ping G400 driver in a blind test compared to the counterfeit club. Overall, none of us here at Morton Golf would ever recommend an illegal counterfeit club. First of all, the ethics of patent violation is one we take seriously. The performance of these fake golf clubs is substantially flawed and inferior in nearly every way to the genuine products. We also now have the concrete evidence to confirm that.

Authored by Taylor Morton

Tour Edge Announces New Pure Feel Template Series Putter Line


Tour Edge Template Series





The New Template Series models include:

Blades: Cape, Eden (RH and LH available)
Semi-Mallet: Redan







The new models come in standard lengths of 33”, 34”, and 35” inches. The six Template Series putters will be available online at, a Tour Edge authorized retailer, starting February 1, 2019 for an MSRP of $99.99. Two models are being made available in both right and left handed models.

How Dangerous are Golf Balls?

Due to their low weight and relatively slow speed, golf balls rarely carry enough energy to inflict a fatality.

“FORE!” The most (but definitely not only) four-letter word everyone dreads yelling out on the course. We’ve all seen some close calls before but what’s the worst thing a golf ball can do to a person? Could a golf ball potentially kill you?

While there are many reports of fatal accidents on golf courses, a surprisingly low amount are from golf balls themselves. However, these fatalities do occur infrequently. For example as recently as February 2018, a New Zealand man was struck and killed by a golf ball while teeing off. In comparison, vending machines kill over two people in the United States a year (2.18 to be exact). So that begs the question as to how likely golf ball injuries are to result in death?

Well, let us do the math. If a golf ball weighs 0.10125 pounds and the fastest golf ball ever recorded was hit 211 miles per hour, then the ball would have a kinetic energy of 151 foot-pounds. Let’s compare that to something more concrete. A scientific journal posted in 2005 by the British Sports Journal of Medicine found that Olympic boxers punch with anywhere between 447 and 1066 foot-pounds of force. So in comparison, the fastest golf ball ever recorded carried 14 percent the energy of an Olympic heavyweight boxer. Likewise, the kinetic energy of a 180-grain bullet fired from .357 magnum handgun is 580 foot-pounds. In comparison to that, a golf ball carries 26 percent of the energy of a bullet.

While force is not a direct indicator of lethality, it is helpful when coupled with the object’s ability to deform. A bullet, for example, does not deform easily and so it imparts its energy within a very short distance/time. Boxing gloves, on the other hand, have a relatively large cushion on the outside, this means the energy of the boxer’s punch is transferred over a longer amount of time (the time it takes for the padding to compress). This makes the acceleration more gradual and the punches less deadly. So what about golf balls then? Golf Balls are surprisingly compressible. They will not transfer all of their energy instantly. Furthermore, while golf balls travel quickly at first when hit, by the time they approach landing, the velocity has greatly diminished to far less than 211 miles per hour. This does mean however, that the most dangerous time to be struck by a golf ball is within the first few yards, as that is when it carries the most kinetic energy.

However in total, the threat of dying from a golf ball is very low. The circumstances for a lethal tragedy to happen are very infrequent. People are struck by golf balls every day and freak deaths are as rare as they are statistically improbable. So the next time you accidentally shank a shot towards some unsuspecting golfers on the fairway over, know the most likely death will simply be your sense of pride.

Authored by Taylor Morton

What does a 460cc Driver mean in golf?

“cc” stands for cubic centimeters and the USGA dictates the maximum volume a golf driver can be is 460cc


The volume of a golf club can be broken down to mean the amount of space that the club head occupies. Unfortunately, for many people that definition is not much clearer. Luckily though, we can break this down even further. In our day to day lives, one of the few things measured in volume is liquids. For example, soda is commonly sold in 2-Liter bottles. The “Liter” is a unit of measurement of volume and is defined as 1,000 cubic centimeters (cc). Therefore, the USGA is saying that the maximum size of a golf driver head must not exceed roughly ¼ the size of a 2-Liter bottle of soda. So great, a driver head can’t be bigger than ¼ the size of a soda bottle. How do they measure that though? I assure you, Titleist is not shoving TS2 drivers into soda bottles to see if they are compliant with USGA rules.

The measuring process is actually very simple and uses the Archimedes Principle. I assume everyone is familiar with Archimedes of Syracuse. We all know his work along with his colleagues Diocles and Apollonius from the end of the 3rd century BC and the beginning of the 2nd century BC, do we not? Ok, I’ll quit pretending we all paid attention in high school history class. I for one, was busy trying to get the cute girl sitting behind me to like me. So how does this old Greek guy pertain to golf? He was good with water. He figured out how to calculate buoyancy and water displacement. Sounds scary, but pretty much it just means if you submerge a 460cc golf driver in 1000cc of water, the water level will rise to 1460cc. Same reason if you climb into a bathtub, the water level rises. The USGA official test is a bit more exact but it is the same principle.

Now why don’t companies just make club heads with holes in them to let the water flow into the club to decrease the water displacement? That one is pretty simple. The USGA said they can’t do that. The club head must be fully enclosed and divots or cavities with a collective volume greater than 15cc must be filled in with waterproof clay for the measuring process. That means that those old Nike Covert and Vapor drivers had to account for the volume that Nike “cut out” on the sole.

What does all this mean though? Why does it matter that a club head can only be 460cc? Think about the clubs in your bag. Your hybrids go further than your irons, your fairway woods hit the ball further than the hybrids, and your driver hits the ball the farthest of everything (or it should if you have a decent driver). The larger the club head, the more energy is going into the ball, and the further the ball is traveling. The USGA is simply trying to limit how far drivers can hit the ball. They don’t want people out on the course swinging bowling ball size drivers.

Authored by Taylor Morton



