Adjustable weight drivers and static weighted drivers are arguably the hottest product in golf today. These are drivers that are designed to affect the flight of the ball to fly in a specific way. The combinations can promote higher or lower ball flight, draw spin or fade spin, or straight ball flight. The adjustable weight drivers are just that, adjustable, the rules of golf allow the weights in the clubs to be adjustable, so long as they are not moved during a round. Static weighted drivers have the weights permanently placed in the position to give the player the desired ball flight.
While it may be interesting about what is a weighted driver, the key question would be, "do they work”? Technically, the answer is yes. Testing on a hitting machine bears this out. A great gauge of what works and what doesn't would be to watch the pros. Very recently, the golf tournament commentators have documented the fact that Phil Mickelson is carrying two drivers, to promote the flight he wants for a given tournament.
It has been known for a very long time that placing weight in different places on the club head will change the playing characteristics of the head. Until recently, however, adding enough weight to make the desired ball flight changes would make the overall weight of the club too heavy and difficult to control. The same high strength titanium alloys that allow the head designers to make the jumbo sized heads of today, makes it possible to specifically place the weights in the desired area of the head.
Now we know that specific weighting works and has been known for a long time, your question might be "how will it help me”? The answer to that question depends on how consistent you are with where the ball hits your clubface. If you tend to spray the ball all over the course in random patterns, you would probably be better served if you bought a club with the maximum forgiveness. But, if you have one fairly consistent ball flight, (draw, hook, slice, fade), weighted heads can help you lessen the effects of miss hits.
Steve Passarell is the owner of Custom Club Creations, a golf club fitting and building facility. Custom Club Creations is where craftsmanship meets technology. He has over 15 years of experience and has had extensive training by some of the industries best experts. His philosophy on custom clubs is to offer the best quality products for all levels of golfers at prices that everyone can afford.
Contact Steve at steve@clubfitter.com http://www.clubfitter.com