GOUGE: Why is a blade 2-iron a better (read: easier) choice off the tee then a driver with close to the highest moment of inertia of any club in the game? That's the one that is the great irony about Tiger Woods' victory in the British Open last week, even more than the tears at victory (Tiger seems totally in control as a competitor, dominant, merciless, and then he shows you in an instant, he still is as fragile as we all are, crying and needing to be held). Is there some validity to the idea that shorter is better? Look at it this way: 1. A shorter shaft is easier to control. 2. A lower ballflight is more achievable with a 2-iron and a bonus in a potentially windy British Open. 3. Shorter yardage off the tee was a smarter play to take the bunkers out of play. Here's what he said. BUT the interesting thing to me from an equipment perspective is this little nugget: The moment of inertia of Tiger's driver (in the heel-toe direction) is about twice that of his 2-iron, but that also means that the moment of inertia in several other directions is much higher in the driver than the 2-iron. This drawing explains my point. Can super high MOI make clubs feel mid-swing a little too klunky, perhaps so much so, that a long-time blade iron virtuoso like Tiger might like the feel of a small-headed iron much more than the feel of a big-headed driver? I don't know about you, but why is the guy who ranks in the 150s in driving accuracy when he uses the big MOI club suddenly No. 1 when he uses an iron? It can't be that much easier, can it?
BOMB: Tiger’s use of the 2-iron at the British was smart, effective and falls into the category of “don’t try this at home.” That goes for him as well as everyone else out there. Hoylake was a perfect storm of conditions (burnt-out fairways that made golf balls run like they landed on an airport runway, fairway bunkers positioned where errant balls struck with a driver might find them). But I doubt we’ll see a similar strategy from Mr. Woods upon his return to the competition in the States. But to answer your question of is shorter better, well, that depends on what you’re looking for. If you want distance, heck no. But if you want straighter, sure. Look no further than Phil Mickelson. Although he didn’t put it in the bag, Philly Mick had a shorter (about 43.5 inches), higher moment of inertia Callaway Big Bertha Fusion FT-3 driver made for him before the U.S. Open. His “straight” driver, he called it. Gee, wonder if that puppy could have come in handy anywhere at Winged Foot? Bottom line: swing like a banshee with the big stick and all the MOI on earth probably isn’t going to help a heck of a lot. But for choppers like you (and, at times, me), it does. And that makes the driver a much better choice than a 2-iron off the tee any day.
Rating
Comments
Post A Comment