What is the Reason Behind Golfers Spending R18,000 on High-Quality Drivers Today?

Spring hasn’t arrived yet, but major golf brands have already begun rolling out their most enticing release: the driver. Often referred to as The Big Stick, The Big Dog, or The Hammer, it has recently earned the title of the Most Expensive Club in Your Bag.

Since the transition from wood to metal three decades ago, modern drivers have seen relentless innovation. Today’s drivers are remarkably lightweight yet incredibly durable, empowering players to strike the ball higher, straighter, and farther than ever before.

Last year on the PGA Tour, over 100 players averaged 300 yards off the tee. In comparison, the average drive in 1994 was just 261 yards, with tour leader Davis Love III averaging 284 yards. The sport’s top players, including icons like Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, have consistently excelled as long hitters off the tee.

The extensive research and development effort has transformed golf into both a power game and a costly one, with average driver prices surging to over R11 000 from about R9 000 just four years back. The rise in costs can be attributed to an increasingly intricate and expensive blend of materials, investments in computer technology, complex manufacturing techniques, and the ongoing rivalry among original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). When custom fitting and premium shafts are factored in, you can easily find yourself facing a $1,000 club price tag.

“If you went to China or Thailand, where clubs have been manufactured for 40 years, and visited 15 years ago, it was quite rudimentary,” explains Nick Sherburne, executive vice president of operations at Club Champion, a nationwide outfitter with 125 locations specializing in custom fittings. “Now, you go there, and it’s mind-blowing. They’re basically building a spaceship.”

The era of carving drivers from single blocks of persimmon wood is long gone. Modern metal and composite drivers can be constructed from six, seven, or even more components, as Sherburne points out. “With the advancement of AI, they are calculating various thicknesses for the face and measuring how ‘hot’ the face is,” which describes how swiftly the ball rebounds at impact.

“We have to incorporate every bit of available technology to compete effectively against others in the market,” says Brad Schweigert from Parsons Xtreme Golf LLC, noting that artificial intelligence and improved computer-aided design (CAD) software have significantly accelerated the development and design process for new models. PXG’s Black Ops Driver ($11,000), similar to others today, combines metal alloys with carbon fiber and features adjustable weights designed to optimize the center of gravity for different golfers’ swings, all intricately combined in multiple pieces, according to Schweigert.

Brian Bazzel, vice president for product creation at TaylorMade Golf Co., which provides drivers for current world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, as well as Rory McIlroy and Woods, explains that bringing a product from concept to market takes four to five years, encompassing design, CAD, and engineering phases, until they find a product that “checks all the boxes.”

The company’s newest offering, the Qi35 (R11,000 to $11,800), launched in January, integrates substantial amounts of carbon fiber into its design, making it lighter and allowing TaylorMade to reduce the center of gravity, enhancing forgiveness and launch properties of the club.

The pursuit of forgiveness is driving most advancements in driver technology, especially concerning a club’s moment of inertia (MOI), which indicates how resistant a clubface is to twisting upon impact. Clubs with higher MOI values are considered more forgiving, allowing shots to stay airborne even when struck off-center. Lightness also plays a vital role—the lighter the club, the faster it can be swung, which translates to increased distance.

The challenge for club engineers lies in optimizing the two primary functions of a driver—launching the ball high and far—while adhering to the strict regulations set by the US Golf Association on club properties, such as volume (with a maximum of 460 cubic centimeters) and any factors impacting MOI (it cannot be too forgiving). Each golfer’s swing is as unique as a fingerprint, making it difficult to replicate, but a well-fitted driver can significantly improve anyone’s game.

Clubmaker Mizuno, originally renowned for its irons, is confidently stepping into the driver market, looking to showcase its offerings at half the price. The company has spent the last five years expanding into drivers and aims to capture market share from established brands like TaylorMade and Callaway with competitive pricing. “We’re taking a very aggressive approach in 2025 to enhance our wood lines’ visibility,” states Chris Voshall, head of product development. “Our drivers will be priced at $299, substantially lower than the $599-plus woods available.”

Sticking to its promises, Mizuno’s latest ST-MAX 230 is priced at $5,400. Voshall mentions that the company is “operating on extremely thin margins as a strategic opportunity to gain trial and establish brand recognition in this category,” despite increasing production expenses as golf magazines and instructors advocate for custom fittings (and rightly so, given the technical nature of today’s clubs). Modern players expect the ability to select specific clubheads to address or mitigate negative habits or enhance performance.

“Each model now features anywhere from two to four variations—Standard, Low Spin, Draw Bias, Max MOI, etc.—and different lofts for each option,” Voshall adds. “This translates to more molds, prolonged development times, greater inventory risks, resulting in higher costs.”

The complexities extend further: Custom fitting often reveals that premium performance shafts, like the R6 300 Ventus from Fujikura, frequently outperform standard shafts—those pre-installed by the OEM—on measurable swing characteristics such as spin rates and clubhead speed, in addition to intangible traits like feel.

“A stock shaft from a major OEM is akin to painting with a large roller,” explains Club Champion’s Sherburne; it’s designed to cater to a broad range of players, rather than delve into the specific details of an individual’s swing. Furthermore, he states, “when investing in a performance shaft, you’re paying for a high standard of quality control to ensure it performs as the engineer intended upon leaving the warehouse.”

However, as advancements in club technology progress, Sherburne advises against the temptation to rush out and upgrade to the latest models. Similar to transitioning from one iPhone model to another, the enhancements may often be marginal. A proficient fitter will help identify a lasting club and shaft combination that optimizes your swing to maximize your potential. “Getting fit for golf clubs isn’t about the brand, the name, or the price — it’s all about the numbers,” he emphasizes.

When it comes to the current selection of drivers, Sherburne notes, “Could you argue that it may feel different? Certainly, but that’s just vanity. Could you assert that it looks better? No doubt, but that too is vanity.”

Golfers should consider changing drivers only every two to three years, if necessary: “If you feel compelled to test the latest product, that’s perfectly fine,” he says, “but keep an eye on your numbers, as they don’t lie. Just give it a try and see what the results are.”

© 2025 Bloomberg

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