Square drivers: what’s the story?

One of the year’s big equipment stories is the square driver. But what exactly are square drivers and why would you want to buy one? Here’s a simple overview of the issues.

Until recently, drivers were all about distance. Golfers like to see the ball fly off the tee into the middle distance. But the ruling bodies have fairly tight technical specifications on how big and bouncy a driver can be. So it’s getting harder to find new designs that add a few more yards to your tee shot.

As a result, manufacturers have turned to the other important element of your drive: accuracy.

Nobody has a perfect and consistent swing. And drivers have various properties that determine just how good they are at tolerating your swing idiosyncrasies and mishits. One of these is the so-called Moment of Inertia or MOI (click here for a jargon-free explanation). Essentially, it’s a measure of how stable the clubhead is.

The higher the MOI, the more stable the club, the less likely it is to twist when you hit the ball off-center. And the less it twists, the truer your shot.

This concept is behind pretty much all modern putter design, where accuracy — and thus putter stability — is critical.

The square driver moves away from the traditional pear-shaped driver look and turns the clubhead into more of a square shape (no surprises there). It does this to improve the MOI…the stability of the club.

The square shape means the designers can shift weight back and out to the far corners of the clubhead. This wider weight distribution makes that clubhead more stable than traditional designs. The result –  at least in theory — is improved accuracy. All things being equal, a square driver should be more accurate than the typical alternatives.

But it’s not all good news. The first issue is an aesthetic one: the square heads looks unusual and has a more metallic ring to it. Traditionalists may not like that. But that’s a cosmetic problem.

More importantly, it’s suggested by some that the shallower, wider clubface and the square weight distribution encourages a higher launch angle and spin, meaning more accuracy but less distance.

Are they right? Well, there’s some debate. Nickent Golf, for example, recently released the 3DX square driver and claim tests demonstrate that there is no loss of distance compared to their more traditional drivers.

Since square drivers are relatively new, it’s unclear whether they’re a fad or here to stay. The major golf brands are split on this issue.

Callaway and Nike, for example, are fully behind square drivers, with their FT-i and Sumo models, both of which retail for around $500. TaylorMade, for example, have chosen not to join the bandwagon, preferring to stick to their successful movable weights technology.

Ultimately, golfers will decide the fate of the square driver based on real world performance. What does seem clear is that the square design is better suited to the recreational, rather than professional, golfer. Which means you and me, rather than Tiger Woods.

If you’re having trouble keeping your drives straight, then a square driver is a promising option and definitely worth a try.

If you’re wary of the $500 price tag, there are clone alternatives. Several retailers offer value-priced clone square drivers, such as the Ozzy Moto (formerly XQ Mutu), the Acer XP Mantara and the Tour Series BLOC (on temporary sale as I write this.) These cost anywhere between $70 and $140.