Grip:
The end of the shaft opposite the head is covered either with a rubber, synthetic leather, or colloquially, a leather grip for the player to hold. "Cord" grips are also available, which are more suitable to wet weather as they do not slip as much as the plain rubber grips. The modern grip has also undergone a number of iterations and the vast variety of models makes it far easier for a discriminating golfer to find a model that is comfortable to him or her.
Clubhead:
Each head has one face which contacts the ball during the stroke. Clubs may have two striking faces, as long as they are identical and symmetrical (some putters and chippers are designed in this fashion, and may be used by left or righthanded players).
Older persimmon and maple woods had heads that were primarily made of those materials, except for occasionally a metal sole and/or faceplate. These wooden headed clubs were dense and heavy, and were generally much smaller than today's clubheads. Their smaller surface area also made consistent contact more difficult, as the sweet spot of these clubs was considerably smaller than today's models.
Gary Adams, founder of TaylorMade Golf, is considered the father of the modern metal wood. Adams began to market his club in the late 1970's, but it was nearly a decade until metal woods became more popular with most golfers. Many PGA Tour players still used persimmon woods into the 1990's.
Metal woods provided an advantage over persimmon in that they were constructed with a stronger and lighter material which allowed manufacturers to make larger clubheads. Larger clubheads resulted in larger faces, which meant that it was easier to make solid contact with the ball. These larger clubheads also expanded the sweet spot of the club, or the optimal striking area on the face of the golf club. The larger the sweet spot, the better the chance of hitting a good shot.
Furthermore, the use of titanium as a metal in golf club construction has revolutionized the equipment industry. Since titanium has a higher strength to weight ratio than steel and has better corrosion resistance, it is an ideal metal for golf club construction. Manufacturers could now make woods with greater volume, which increased the hitting area, and thinner faces, which reduced the weight. The first mass-produced titanium wood bought in large quantities, The Callaway Golf Great Big Bertha, was introduced in 1995.
It had 253 cubic centimeters of volume, which was the largest clubhead being manufactured at that time. Subsequent drivers were even larger, which made the driver even easier to hit consistently. As a result of this technological expansion, the USGA has curbed the volumetric growth of drivers by instituting a size rule which states that no club can measure greater than 460 cubic centimeters. 2006 was the year when Nike and Callaway golf introduced their new square drivers. Nike produced their new square driver, SasQuatch Sumo2, while Callaway made the FT-i driver.
Nike and Callaway believe that square drivers will soon be 'the next step forward' for drivers.
Traditionally, most iron heads were made by forging, which involves the careful shaping of the club head through hammering and pressing of heated steel. Today, most modern golf club heads of all types, not just irons, are cast through a process known as investment casting. This process allows manufacturers to redistribute the weight into the perimeter of the club, known as perimeter weighting, which helps to increase the accuracy of mishit shots. Forged clubs are still prized for feel and "workability", the ability to curve a ball's flight intentionally.
We invite you to South Africa for your next golf holiday.
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