Clubheads on drivers keep getting bigger and bigger. And more and more players are using them. How popular are they? Pretty popular, I would say, judging by the numbers of players taking my golf lessons who have oversized clubheads. In fact, it seems like every player who attends my golf instruction sessions these days has one.

But are these clubheads really effective? Do they really drive the ball farther and help you lower your golf handicap. Do they just provide a psychological edge? Are they just a gimmick to sell more clubs-a marketing ploy based on America's natural belief that bigger is always better?

No one knows for sure. But tests conducted by various sources indicate that the bigger clubheads do provide an edge when it comes to driving the ball and lowering your golf handicap. Let's take a closer look

Proven Performance
The average size of a driver's clubhead on the Tour is 350 cubic centimeters, a jump of 80 cc in the last few years. Obviously, tour players are using bigger clubheads. And it's not because many of them are shills for equipment manufacturers or because they get them for free. It's because today's pros believe that the bigger clubheads are better, so they use them more. They've proven themselves on the tour.

What does that mean for the average player? What it means is this. If you're buying a new driver, you should seriously consider buying one with an oversized clubhead. If you make a good swing, chances are good that the ball will go further today than it used to. That's its biggest and best benefit. The big question is-Why do they perform better?

Increase Size A Key
Some people think today's drivers hit the ball farther because of a higher coefficient of restitution (or spring-like effect). Contrary to what these people think, the bigger-headed drivers don't perform better just because the coefficient of restitution is higher. It's clear from tests conducted on these clubs that increased COR has a limited influence on carry and distance.

Instead, the drivers perform better thanks to a combination of the increased size of the clubhead, a better understanding of impact factors, or better design. Engineers at today's equipment manufacturers have discovered how to expand the area on the clubface that yields quality distance.

One independent test conduced by a noted golf magazine compared three generations of titanium drivers. Generation 1 had a clubhead in the range of 250 cc to 285 cc. Generation 2 had a clubhead in the range of about 300 cc to 360 cc. Generation 3 a clubhead in the range of 360 cc to 400 cc. Know what they found?

The area on the clubface that produces shots that fall within five yards of the maximum distance has remained similar for all three generations. But the additional driver head size has increased what is “ the distance zone”- the area on the clubface that produces a carry distance of about 200 yards or more on a 93 mile per hour swing, significantly less than a tour players swing speed.

The distance zone has grown significantly over the three generations of titanium drivers. That's the biggest difference between the drivers. Generation 1 had a distance zone of about an inch wide and one-half inch deep. Generation 3 had a distance zone of two inches wide and an inch deep. That's a growth of 300 percent. No wonder today's clubs hit the ball farther.


Better Clubhead Designs
The increase in distance produced by the bigger drivers should not be attributed strictly to an increase in distance zone. New drivers aren't just bigger, they also are better designed. A larger clubhead has an enhanced moment of inertia (stability on off center hits), while the improved design of the best new drivers have less falloff in ball velocity on off-center hits.

In other words, technological improvements like variable-face thickness and cross section shapes have contributed to the better performance of drivers. The decrease in ball velocity on off center hits is due to a better understanding of spring-like effect and how to maximize velocity. In short, bigger clubheads make the ball farther.

Diminishing Returns
Is there a point of diminishing returns with clubhead size? No one knows for sure. Some speculate that it's between 350 cc to 400 cc. As the heads go significantly beyond 400 cc, the walls have to be made that much thinner, leaving less material to distribute the weight. But engineers and club designers are working on the problem, too.

The upshot of all this is simple. If you're thinking about buying a new driver, getting one with an oversized clubhead could improve your game and lower your golf handicap. At least, that's what the tests are telling us.

Ultimately, the only why to know for sure is to try one out. See how it fits your game. If it does, keep it. If not, try something else until you find one that does. After all, good driving is one of the keys to lowering your golf handicap.

Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book "How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros." He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.