Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghmam was a moderator at a Dec. 3, 2007 news conference to promote Nike’s new products and technology. Among the guests was Tiger Woods who was quoted when asked about changing to a square driver saying “I hit it straighter, but I enjoy working the golf ball and almost need to for the golf club length that I hit it. I just found a little bit more of a difficult time putting the ball into some of the doglegs because the ball would just go too straight, which is great for all the amateurs out there.”

The average golfer has just the opposite problem of a pro as they shape the ball without intentionally doing so. That is the amateur wants the ball to land straight ahead of them with their current driver, but they end up aiming way left for the ball to fade hard to the right and hopefully land in their own fairway. So much of the potential distance is lost in the ball curving. By using a square driver (or clubhead in general), with a higher moment of inertia (MOI), the player would not only hit with less curve, but also gain more distance by a clubhead designed to hit the ball much straighter. Remember, the longest distance is a straight line between two points.

The Square shape has proven that it is not going to be a fad as some predicted, rather something that the everyday golfer ought to pursue more so than the players they see on TV week in and week out. But even the pros are looking for any advantage they can get. With the larger 460cc golf clubheads and increased internal weighting, they can get the balance of forgiveness and workability and continue to use more traditional shapes. And yes, a small percentage of them will enjoy the same game-improvement benefits available to you and me by carrying a square driver too.