I was never a technology geek. I was from the old school, proudly swinging my butterknife Wilson Staff Fluid Feel irons and Toney Penna Persimmon woods while others were embracing metal woods and cavity-backed irons. I was a player, carrying a low handicap, solid swing and ego to match. The new fangled equipment was interesting, but I thought it was for the lesser gifted players who needed fast fixes instead of instruction and practice. That all changed the evening I had my automobile stolen with my sticks in the trunk.

What compounded matters was I had an outing at a prestigious club the next day, one I've always anticipated playing. I called a friend who I knew was an equipment junkie, asking to borrow one of his many set he had stored in his garage. He handed me a full set of Titleist metal woods and cavity back irons and wished me luck playing with strange clubs. I soon learned luck was not part of the equation.

I went to the practice range at the club and immediately connected with the new clubs. They just felt right. The irons were launching the balls crisply with laser accuracy. The woods gave me an unfamiliar sound, but admittedly, were carrying a good 20 yards farther than my persimmon woods. I finished the round with a two over par 74 punctuated with 5 birdies, and my friend never saw his clubs again.

The purpose of this tale is to let those of you who are searching for a new driver to take advantage of the technology on the market today. I happened upon a demo day at my local range a couple years back and out of curiosity decided to inspect the new models being promoted by two major manufacturers. I was not in the market for a new driver, being more than satisfied with my Titleist 905S which I hit sufficiently long and deadly straight. But no longer a hard head to new concepts, I took my turn on the practice tee to see what wonderful toys were available.

The manufacturer reps were more than competent. They asked me about my game, handicap, swing idiosyncrasies and what I was currently playing. They handed me a few variations of their newest clubs and set up their laptop computers to analyze all the aspects of how I struck the ball. I was fascinated with the sum and substance of their analysis, both from their personal recommendations to the graphic charts on the computers showing my club speed, launch angles and spin rate. Where I once had to rely totally on feel to select a new club, I could now review factual data

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