Today's drivers are more specialized than ever. With a few twists of a wrench, Average Joes are now able to adjust face angle, loft and lie angle without having to schedule an appointment with their local clubfitter—or having to buy a new club altogether.
In 2011, Adams, Srixon and Titleist (
cheap 910 d2 driver/
cheap 910 d3 driver) each debuted their first adjustable driver, joining a growing list of converts, including Cobra, Nike and TaylorMade. What's more, Golf Datatech reports that the metalwood category is up for the first time in five years, spearheaded in part by sales of the adjustable
cheap r11 driver. Through June, two of the top three best-selling drivers (among new for 2011 clubs) offer adjustability.
Regardless of where you fall in the debate, understanding the pros and cons of adjustable and nonadjustable drivers will help with your next purchase decision. "There are many advantages to adjustability/interchangeability," says Chris McGinley, Titleist's Vice President of Golf Club Marketing.
"You can adjust loft, lie and weight, and try different shafts at a fitting, which produces a more precise fit. If so desired, the settings can be adjusted later to improve the fit or ball flight. There really are no disadvantages [to our adjustable technology]."
The Titleist 910 series features an adjustable hosel that allows users to change loft and lie independently of each other (for up to 16 settings), while
taylormade r11 driver allows the independent alteration of loft, face angle and flight path to create a total of 48 different settings. TaylorMade claims it can affect left/right trajectory up to 100 yards, which is a huge selling point for slicers, who make up 85 to 90 percent of all golfers.