Titanium 101.... There is a difference
Titanium has taken the world of golf by storm. Manufacturers of
some of the world’s top golf clubheads have chosen to use
titanium as their chief ingredient in assembling space age,
state-of-the-art components. But why is this?
There are many materials as strong if not stronger than titanium.
So why is titanium the material of choice? Titanium is not only
one of the “hardest” metals known to man but unlike these other
hard materials, titanium is extremely lightweight. Because of
these weight characteristics, manufacturing advances have enabled
clubhead designers to build drivers of ever increasing size while
not being inhibited by added clubhead weight.
Three different types of titanium are used in the manufacturing
of today’s clubheads: 9-6AL-4V, 15-3-3-3 and SP700. There are 3
characteristics that are used to gauge the quality of each type
of titanium. Tensile strength represents the material’s
resistance to breaking or cracking. The higher the value the more
resistant the clubhead is to cracking. Elongation is the
percentage each type of titanium will flex or spring upon impact.
The higher the percentage, the more spring each metal will
experience. HRC Hardness is fairly self-explanatory, exhibiting
values that correspond to the metals hardness. The higher this
figure, the less likely the metal will dent or become deformed
upon use.
When evaluating the types of titanium and the figures used to do
so, clearly noted is the separation between 9-6AL-4V and 15-3-3-3
/ SP700. A golfer should avoid the purchase and use of 9-6AL-4V
as the minimal cost savings (typically $20 to $40) do not warrant
the inferior playing characteristics. As one can surmise, a
clubhead made with 9-6AL-4V is much more likely to crack or dent
through continued use. In addition, the elongation percentage is
not nearly as high as the others mentioned therefore, a golfer
would not experience the potential gains in distance/yardage that
he/she would if using either of the other titanium’s.
Titanium’s 15-3-3-3 and SP700 offer tradeoffs when considering
which may be better to seek when making your next purchase.
15-3-3-3 has the highest tensile strength of the 2 but a smaller
elongation percentage. Meanwhile, SP700 still possesses
considerable tensile strength but does add a few percentage
points in the category of elongation. How does this translate?
SP700, through its’ higher elongation figure, can impart more
spring upon impact and thus deliver more energy to the golf ball
thereby increasing distance.
So what are the trade off’s? Simply put—dollars for distance.
Though this figure varies widely, the SP700 titanium is typically
a bit more expensive than the 15-3-3-3, usually on the order of
$20 - $40. This amount is oftentimes minimized by using SP700
strictly in the face of the driver head. Also, the higher one’s
clubhead speed, the more realized benefit that could be realized
from the increased spring effect of SP700. Golfers with a lower
swing speed may not notice substantial yardage gains when
comparing the two and therefore may not wish to pay this premium.
Truly though, it is hard to go wrong with using either titanium
as both offer such incredible playing characteristics, such vast
improvements over stainless steel
Please feel free to visit TourPureGolf.com
where we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding clubheads,
titanium, golf technology etc. We have a wealth of knowledge obtained from
over 20 years of experience in designing and
building golf clubs. We specialize in only the best in tour quality
golf clubs and equipment and using only the finest in materials.
Inferior grades of titanium will never be tolerated with us.
You can visit our website to learn more about our club selection
and how selection of clubs can dramatically improve your golf
game.
Tom Erwin is President and co-founder of TourPureGolf.com
http://www.tourpuregolf.com An
avid golfer and club-craftsman
for 20+ years, he and the staff at TourPureGolf.com are strictly
focused on improving the golf game of each customer through
technology and the proper fit of each golf club.
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