Driver design has moved forward dramatically during the last ten years with an emphasis on shifting the center of gravity lower and deeper into the club head.
This has been made possible by manufacturers expanding the driver design and mass up to 460 cc. As many players will know, this is desirable because a lower center of gravity allows more forgiveness and better launch on off center hits. The lower and farther the center of gravity is pushed back in the driver, the higher and more forgiving the shots will be.
However some players, especially those with faster swing speeds and lower handicaps, may need more emphasis on shaping tee shots. For this, a low center of gravity is not ideal and a higher center of gravity will provide more benefits. This is because a lower and deeper center of gravity wants to minimize the chance of excessive side spin and will actively try to take any deliberate shape off the shot being attempted by better players.
Deep faced drivers are normally categorized as taller than standard when measured from top to bottom, greater than 59mm. This is combined with moving the center of gravity higher in the club head. The center of gravity is the point in which all the balance points of the club intersect. Deep faced drivers are not the only way which the center of gravity can be changed. With the advent of modern interchangeable weights, lofts and lies built into the driver heads, players can now alter the center of gravity on their own clubs.
Although not exclusively true, many deeper faced drivers are also slightly smaller than 460cc with many being measured at 440cc or even 420cc. This helps lift the center of gravity but also tends to suit the eye of better ball strikers.
Although the deeper faced drivers tend to suit better players, some golfers less blessed with talent could also take advantage. People who are most likely to benefit are those who sky the ball (where the ball is struck with some or even most of the ball above the driver’s top edge at impact), or people who thin the ball (strike shots from the bottom edge of the driver). People who sky the ball would benefit because they would have a greater vertical hitting area fromwhich to strike the shot with, instead of the shallow face of most modern drivers. Golfers who hit the ball thinly could also benefit as they could tee the ball higher than normal increasing the possibility of striking the shot from the center of the club face.
There are benefits for players of all abilities to use a deep faced driver but only by experimenting with different shapes and models will you be sure of the right shape for you.
