Volume: A numerical designation given to the size of a club head (normally a wood or hybrid) as measured by liquid displacement.

One of the more remarkable achievements in golf club design is the evolution in the size or volume of the metal driver heads in the short time span they have been in existence. Most

golfers that are new to golf may think that metal woods have been around a long time – and they would be partially correct. The first British patent on a metal wood was issued in 1891 (Currie Metalwood) and several early attempts to make heads out of metal, such as aluminum, had been tried but none really stuck. The very limited usage of metal for a wood was in driving range clubs for its durability.

Someday it may only be a small footnote in the history of golf, but it was in 1976, John Riley of the Pinseeker Golf Company designed the first stainless steel metal wood called the Bombshell, although it looked more like a modern day hybrid than a metal wood. Short-lived because of its torpedo-like shape, it did pave the wave for other manufacturers to produce “wood” heads made out of metal.

The late Gary Adams is considered by many to be the “father of the metal wood”. But it was a fellow co-worker at Taylor Made, John Zebelean, a Yugoslavian nuclear physicist, who is credited with creating the modern shape of the metal wood. In 1979, their design that Adams would aptly name the Pittsburgh Persimmon would reshape the industry forever and within only a decade.

The early metal woods of the 1980s began to catch on because they were easier to hit because of their superior perimeter weighting, less labor-intensive to produce and were more durable than wood. Another advantage was that each club was nearly identical to one another. A golfer didn’t have to go through a barrel of clubs to find one just like the one they lost or broke. There were also more loft options available to golfer.

In the late 1980s, the aerospace industry in Southern California was declining rapidly. Engineers and scientists began seeking employment for local golf club companies who resided in the area. These companies, even a little company at the time named Callaway Golf, invested million of dollars in research and development. By 1988, sales of metal woods surpassed those made of wood.

Metal wood size was slightly smaller (150cc) to that of the wooden drivers (195cc) at the time. The volume remained relatively unchanged until 1991, when Mid-size metal woods came into existence. These “larger” sized heads where about the same size (185-190cc) as the wooden driver. Part of the change to the size might have been spurred on as golf clubs made of lightweight carbon fiber were increasing in popularity by their larger volume (up to 230cc) and increased playability.

A milestone of sorts came in Japan in 1990 as Mizuno created the first titanium driver called the Ti-110. Titanium had been well known for it high strength, yet lighter weight compared to steel. The extremely expensive price tag made this a very limited product to consumers. Driver heads produced from titanium didn’t become popularized until 1995 when the Callaway Great Big Bertha and the TaylorMade Titanium Bubble were introduced. These enormous sized heads were among the first heads to crack the 250cc barrier in volume. It took just 4 more years for Callaway and the rest of golf industry to make drivers that were 300cc. 1999 was the same year manufacturers were able to make stainless steel drivers with a 250cc volume with lighter and stronger alloys than 17-4 stainless steel as it had been used prior.

In golf, progress is usually measured by decades, but in the case with driver size and the ability to produce these clubs out of lighter, yet stronger materials, size grew exponentially in only the next few years. As a timeline, the year 2000 saw the first 350cc driver, followed by 2001 with a 400cc driver and finally a 500cc driver was made in 2002. It was known at this time that the larger driver would have a higher moment of inertia and subsequently makes it easier to hit the ball straight even on off-center shots. At this point, the USGA stepped in and began to propose limits on drivers as they were potentially seeing technology threaten to diminish skill level. So in October 2003, the USGA imposed a 460cc limit on clubhead size effect January 1, 2004.

Since 1980, the modern 460cc titanium driver has tripled in volume and increased in size by an average of 1” taller from the bottom of the sole to the top of the crown and 1” wider from front to back. Not coincidently, tee height has gone from 2 1/8” to 3 ¼”– nearly the same 1” difference. Yet at the same time, the fairway wood had gone relatively unchanged. Why? The fact may be due to the driver being facilitated by the use of a tee and the fairway wood’s primary use is off of the ground.

In comparison to size, the volume of a traditional wooden #3-wood is approximately 150cc while the first series for metal woods had the volume closer to 120cc. As mid-sized metal woods came into existence, the #3-wood grew to approximately 160cc. This is where on average the average volume (+/-30cc) has stayed ever since.

The only exception was around 1998 where you saw clubheads that fell beyond these dimensions. First, there were extremely shallow face height woods, following the lead by the Adams Tight Lies that the #3-wood was in the 115cc range. These extremely playable clubs has one downside and that was they were perhaps too shallow that a golfer could run the club underneath the ball in the deep rough during the swing. To the other extreme, the late 1990s saw how popular oversize irons were that it expanded into oversized fairway woods too. Some titanium and stainless steel #3-fairways grew as large as 230cc. These were fine off of the tee, but to the average player, nearly impossible to hit the ball of the ground because of the extremely high center of gravity. In years following, most #3-fairways gravitated back to the 130-190cc range.

Now that we have seen a cap on the volume of a driver become established at 460cc by the USGA and the R&A of St. Andrews, manufacturers are going to now concentrate on how best to utilize that volume to maximize performance. In much the same way that John Zebelean, with the assistance of Terry McCabe of Taylor Made came to create the modern “wood” head shape from that of a wooden wood, there will eventually be a new shape that will be accepted by golfers across the globe. Now wait for the next quarter century to see how drivers and fairways will evolve…

by Jeff Summitt
Hireko Technical Director
jsummitt@hirekogolf.com