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You've probably heard about the new square drivers. Everyone's talking about them. But
will they be talking about them in 6 months? Time will tell. But here's the facts on the
technology behind them and what they mean to your game.
The idea behind the technology is that when you move the weight in the club head away from the
club face you create a more stable golf club that won't twist on mishits. This is called
greater Moment of Inertia (MOI). Greater MOI should lead to more stability and theoretically
make the ball go further and straighter. I guess you could say manufacturers have gone to
extremes with the theory and this new square design.
One reason manufactures have gone this direction is because the USGA has put
a limit on head size and the rebound effect of the club face. The head has been limited to 5"
by 5". That means the last place manufacturers have to move weight to are the corners of the
club. The face is already relatively square so the back corners are what's left. Thus
the square headed drivers.
Both Callaway and Nike have already come out with clubs using this concept. Nike has the SQ Sumo and
Callaway has the FT-i. Not many pros are using them although K.J. Choi won with the Sumo last
fall. We haven't heard if Tiger, a Nike endorsee, will be using the Sumo. Should be interesting
to see. Many pros are not using them because they say they go too straight. Thankfully many of
us "normal" golfers won't have that problem.
Component clubmaker Tom Wishon, who wrote the book, "The Search For The Perfect Golf
Club," wonders if this square technology and the chase for high MOI is really another type
of chase...to win the golfer's dollar.
Wishon said since golf companies have hit the limits for face rebound speed and head size, now the
race will be on to figure out who can get the MOI to the specified limit. But he wonders if golfers
who already have drivers that have a reasonable high MOI currently will notice much of a difference
with the new geometrically challenged breed of clubs.
However, Golf Digest in its recent club test gave the new square drivers high marks. It gave
the Callaway an Editors Choice award and also ranked the Sumo highly. One Golf Digest tester said
about the Sumo..."It has a nice high ball flight...Better players would rate it a 6 out of 10,
but high-handicappers might like it." What that says to me is it's straight and long but
might have too high of a ball flight for a really fast swinging golfer. I think us "normal" golfers
will take straight and long anyday.
The Sumo has been reviewed on some golf forums. On GolfMagic.com, Bob Warters and his buddies
took the Sumo and a clone version out for a test ride. They said all the clubs were long
and straight and might actually live up to the hype. In particular he mentioned..."It's
not perhaps what a leading manufacturer like Nike Golf would want to hear, but first impressions
comparing the company's latest SasQuatch Sumo 2 (square-headed) drivers and a cheaper
copy - the Turbo Power XQ MUTO 460Ti
- detected little difference in performance." With the new brand drivers selling
for between $400 and $500 dollars and the clone selling for under $100 it makes you wonder if
all those endorsement dollars are getting a little out of hand. 
So it looks like the technology has promise. The only way to know for sure it to give it a try. GigaGolf
offers the above XQ MUTO
for $99 (price subject to change without notice). It's technology is based on the Nike
Sumo. GigaGolf offers the MUTO with a top-of-the-line shaft and grip. Might be worth a try.
Well get ready golfers. The square headed drivers are here and you'll get to see if they are
worth the money and the hype.
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