Golf Clubhead Materials, Wood and Metal - By: Tauqeer Hassan

Wood
When the first clubmakers began, the only way to manufacture a long-distance club with enough mass in the head was to use wood which was plentiful and could be crafted.

Until the 1970s, woods still deserved their name. Designs were rather traditional, and the only choice you had then was between clubheads carved from a single block of wood and laminated ones.

The solid clubhead, made of persimmon wood, was and is the preferred choice, because it is considered to offer better feel. Since it is also expensive, persimmon is used to manufacture better quality woods.

Laminated maple wood is still used by some manufacturers, and is in fact very effective. Don't think a laminated clubhead is necessarily inferior. If the club is well made and fitted with a top-quality shaft, there is no reason why it shouldn't work.

If you like the feel of wooden heads, stick with them. Many successful tour players, including Nick Faldo, Fred Couples and Ian Woosnam tried metal-headed drivers but have since gone back to persimmon.

Wooden heads in general tend to suit the better golfer, because wood cannot offer the game-improvement characteristics that metal or composite heads do.

It is very difficult for a layman today to tell the difference between a good and a bad wooden clubhead. Ideally, good wood should have a rather dense grain and be of a dark brown colour, indicating that the wood has matured and won't warp any more. However, woods may be stained or treated with a dark veneer, making a sound judgement almost impossible.

It is of utmost importance that you protect your wooden clubheads well from shocks and moisture. You must wipe them after every shot when playing in wet conditions and dry them in an airy room, but not near a radiator. If you take care of them well, wooden clubs age gracefully.

Metal
When metal-headed woods were first released in the 1970s, they failed to grab the public's imagination, mainly because the heads were quite small and golfers still wanted a large hitting area. Clubmakers overcame that problem with innovative weight distribution which allowed metal-headed woods to be designed along the lines of conventional wooden heads.

The next breakthrough came with the refinement of lightweight graphite shafts which complemented metal heads, and now metal drivers and fairway woods dominate the market with a mind-boggling range of products.

Metal woods offer two distinct advantages over wooden clubs: they can be perimeter-weigh ted, which helps to correct mis-hit shots, and their weight can be customized for steel, graphite or titanium shafts. The light metal woods allow you to gain clubhead speed and therefore distance.

Through the 1980s, metal-headed woods were refined. Oversized and midsized heads, low profile heads and heads without necks are all designed for a particular purpose whether it be lowering the centre of gravity, reducing twist or increasing the hitting area. Metal woods also come in a great variety of lofts.

Error-correcting metal woods with hooded or open faces, usually about 2° either way, as well as square ones are designed for the golfer who has an ingrained swing fault, such as a slice, but who does not have the time or inclination to go to the practice fairway and correct the problem.

The disadvantage of metal heads is the loss of feel in comparison to wooden clubs. But since the Rules of Golf changed in January, 1992 to allow inserts, the faces of some metal-headed woods and irons are fitted with graphite inserts to give a softer feel at impact.

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Also learn how to choose the right wood clubheads and how to select a golf glove.

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