I tell ya - I'd be screwed if I had to go back to the circa 1990's sized driver heads. Totally screwed. I'd probably have to slow my swing down so much that I'd be lucky to hit the ball 200 yards.
Of course, back in those days, I could hit a small-headed 5wood 230 yards, which was a pretty good strike for me. Not any more. I'm no longer that guy. The advancements in technology will never completely trump practice and knowing your swing, but this technology has helped me make up some of the difference that would otherwise be mitigated by age and lack of athleticism.
But still... if you have a driver that is somewhere between 5-7 years old, or just about any piece of equipment for that matter (except for maybe hybrids - which have improved leaps and bounds over the years) it's still just as advanced as the drivers today, with exception of the ability to change the directional bias and loft settings. But even then - I'm not so sure that this is a can't-live-without feature. It just so happens that they all pretty much come standard that way now.
Shot 72 today on a par-71 layout. It was short (6100 yards) - which is a far cry from the 6500+ yards I typically play, and we rolled the ball everywhere, so there were no really bad lies. But 15 years ago, back even when I was younger and much more physically fit - I couldn't take two months off, then go out and shoot +1 in my next round back. I've actually lost distance over the years, but have become a much better player despite that. There's gotta be some sort of advantage to these more forgiving clubs, even if only the slightest.
