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The R&A, St Andrews and the United States Golf Association, the governing bodies for golfers worldwide, have recently announced a new rule with respect to the use of drivers.
From January 1 hundreds of drivers will become illegal for competition play under the new rule designed to limit the "spring-like" effect of the club face.
Golfers will no longer be permitted to use a wide range of drivers named in a "non-conforming drivers" list, whether playing at amateur club level or professionally.
The R&A Rules of Golf, which are also approved by the United States Golf Association, are revised and reissued every four years. The possibility of outlawing certain types of drivers because of the unfair advantage they give the golfer has been under discussion for several years.
"Titanium is commonly used in the manufacture of modern driver heads," explained Michael Braidwood, PGA professional and general manager of the Riffa Golf Club.
"Because titanium can be milled to such a fine finish, the club face imparts a trampoline effect on the golf ball. The banned drivers are those with a particularly high coefficient of restitution, or COR."
A full list and physical description of all drivers on the banned list can be viewed on the R&A website, https://www.randa.org
