Best of our tests : The science of the game - golf equipment testing

Golf Digest, Dec, 2000 by John Strege, Peter Farricker

If the shoe fits . . . you'll play better

A 1998 test enabled us to conclude that better-fitting footwear makes it possible to improve your golf. How so? "If your feet are not fitted properly into a shoe," said Tom Brunick, director of the Athletes Foot Store Research and Development Center, "you won't be as stable as you can be. While that definitely impacts comfort, it also can impact performance." Points to ponder: If you're a walker, then your priority may likely be comfort, rather than support. If you're a big hitter, you may be more interested in stability than comfort.

xForged or cast?

Investment-cast irons, according to conventional wisdom, are more forgiving than their forged counterparts, and to test this notion in 1999 we compared an investment-cast 5-iron (a Mizuno Sure iron), with a Mizuno Comp-EZ forged 5-iron, each of them designed similarly. The performance of each was nearly identical on center and heel hits. The only variation occurred on toe hits, which demonstrated that the investment-cast iron was more forgiving, slightly tightening the dispersion pattern. That said, the cast iron's average distance was five yards shorter.

The conclusion: Irons with exact design and weighting ought to perform similarly, whether cast or forged.

What loft off the tee?

We put the notion that you're better off hitting a 3-wood from the tee to the test in 1995. The conclusion? Not necessarily. Four men and two women were tested, using driving clubs with lofts ranging from 9 degrees (a driver) through 15 degrees (a 3-wood) and, in some cases, 20 degrees (a 5-wood). Here is the punch line: "You'll probably get a more professional-looking ball flight and just about as much carry with your 3-wood, but you may get a lot more distance with your driver--maybe even a 9-degree driver--and it might be just as accurate." The carry, even for those hitting the ball no more than 200 yards, might be equal with either the driver or 3-wood, but the driver consistently produced more roll.

The right driver for your game

We deployed robotic and real golfers for the third time in 1999 to analyze the industry's best-selling drivers for shot shape and trajectory tendencies. The purpose of the test was to cut through the marketplace clutter and help steer you toward a driver more suitable to your game.

Of our test group, some drivers performed differently when swung by the robot than when swung by players. One driver, for instance, produced a slight draw when hit by a robot, but delivered a fade when hit by a golfer. We also found that drivers might look similar and cost virtually the same, but the differences can be both subtle and immense. The test confirmed the old adage: Try before you buy.