The Truth About MOI in Golf Drivers

The golf driver represents the pinnacle of golf club design and technology.

Each year, the envelope is pushed further to help golfers of all levels hit the ball longer, straighter, and better than ever before.

Manufacturers scour the elements chart to find new exotic materials, wind tunnels are used extensively to hone aerodynamic shapes, and we are now seeing the growth of AI creeping into various aspects of the design and build process.

What we ultimately see from driver releases today are three distinctive driver models from the manufacturers.

For the better players, a low-spin model works well for the higher clubhead speeds they tend to generate.
There is a standard model that fits the widest variety of golfers.
An ultra-friendly draw-biased or high-MOI model for golfers who really struggle to square the clubface through impact.

The high-MOI driver is relatively new in the driver world. Certainly, TaylorMade did its best to raise our awareness of high MOI when it launched its Qi10 series in 2024.

It’s one thing to tell us that drivers feature high MOI, but what is a high MOI driver? Is high MOI good or bad?

Our article will answer these two questions as we delve deeper into the world of high MOI drivers.

We’ll cover the following areas to help you understand whether a high MOI driver is right for you:

How High MOI Affects Performance
Who Benefits Most?
Custom Fitting Considerations

How High MOI Affects Performance

First, let’s tackle what MOI means and how it impacts driver design.

MOI, or Moment of Inertia to give it its full title, refers to an object’s resistance to twisting. So, for a driver head, it’s the resistance to twisting closed or open at the moment of impact.

The twisting motion is amplified if we strike the ball out the heel or toe of the face, which leads to highly inaccurate shots.

In the past, manufacturers have dabbled with the idea of creating driver heads that are resistant to twisting. This led to designs like the infamous square-headed drivers produced by Callaway and Nike in the mid-2000s.

For those who couldn’t stand the looks (and sound) of the square drivers, Titleist offered the 907 D1 driver. The 907 D1 was distinctive with its triangular head shape, which Titleist thought might appeal more to traditionalists, and indeed, it proved to be very popular.

All these drivers shared the idea of moving mass as far away from the face as possible, which helps to create stability and reduce the clubface’s tendency to twist open or closed on off-centre hits.

Whether square-headed or triangular-shaped, the concept didn’t gain much traction, which didn’t seem to bother the majority of golfers as they chased more distance off the tee.

Ping had more success with its G400 Max driver, which entered the market in 2018. The G400 Max looked like a conventional driver, but it did something we hadn’t seen in a driver design. It breached the 10K barrier.

The 10K barrier is the all-important marker for what constitutes a high MOI.

There is an equation for measuring MOI. We’ll spare you all the details. The most important thing to know is that MOI is calculated as grams per centimetre squared. The higher the number, the more resistant the head is to twisting.

The 10K is deemed to be the threshold for maximum stability in a driver head. For the eagle-eyed amongst you, the new TaylorMade Qi35 has the full equation as a graphic on the sole of its Max driver.

With the advancement of technology and the introduction of new materials such as carbon fibre derivatives, engineers can push the weight further and deeper away from the face to create a highly stable driver head design that resists twisting on off-centre hits.

The net result is a driver head profile that is the largest within the legal framework set out by the game’s governing bodies.

If you look at drivers like TaylorMade’s Qi35 Max, Ping G430 10K, or Cobra DS-Adapt Max-K, you’ll quickly see how big these drivers look behind the ball.

The footprint of these high-MOI 10K busting drivers can be positive and negative.

The positive is the confidence-inspiring look for higher handicap golfers or golfers with slower swing speeds.

However, the footprint of high-MOI drivers means they don’t sit at the higher end of the spectrum when it comes to clubhead speed.

If you are a golfer who naturally generates high clubhead speeds, a high-MOI driver is unlikely to offer any improvements, and you might even lose clubhead speed with a high-MOI driver.

You also might be confident enough with your driving that you like to shape the ball in different ways depending on the hole you’re playing. High MOI drivers are not going to allow you the option to hit draws and fades because of how they are designed.

The final and probably biggest killer with a high MOI driver is that you will likely lose carry distance due to too much spin being imparted onto the golf ball. Higher spin and lower ball speeds are not a good recipe for any golfer, but if you are a better player, you are likely to feel the pain the most.

If you are a better player, should you discount a high MOI driver entirely? The answer is no. You could still gain from a high MOI driver if you consistently struggle to hit the sweet spot.

Who Benefits Most?

So, who would benefit the most from this type of driver?

You may be a prime candidate for a high MOI driver if you are a golfer who has issues with:

Accuracy off the tee
Finding the centre of the clubface consistently
Poor carry distances

If you fall into one of the three brackets outlined above, the chances are that shaping shots isn’t your priority. Basically, you’re looking for a driver that feels like one big sweet spot. Your game will benefit simply from finding the fairway more regularly. The more stable clubface promoted by a high MOI driver can improve accuracy, especially if you struggle to find the sweet spot.

The lower positioning of mass in the clubhead can help optimise launch and spin numbers helping to push your carry distances further.

If you are new to golf and looking to invest in your golf equipment, a high MOI driver can benefit you for the reasons we’ve just discussed. The bigger footprint behind the ball is likely to give you more confidence in hitting good drives.

We have discussed generalisations regarding which player is best suited for high MOI drivers. However, golf is not a sport that fits neatly into such clearly defined models.

For example, PGA Tour player Cameron Champ was statistically the longest driver on tour last season, averaging 323 yards off the tee. His driver of choice? The Ping G430 10K.

The lines can get blurred for one simple reason - custom fitting.

Custom Fitting Considerations

How do you maximise your driving distance?

Optimising your launch and spin figures with the driver is a good place to start, and that’s one of the key objectives of a custom-fitting session.

A launch monitor measures launch and spin rates and other important data such as clubhead speed, ball speed, angle of attack, clubface angle at impact, and smash factor.

If that sounds like a lot of data to take in, it is. However, you have the services of a qualified fitter on hand to interpret all the data the launch monitor provides.

A common misunderstanding of custom club fitting is that it is solely about improving distance. However, a good custom fitter is looking as much to improve the quality of your bad shots. When it comes to driving, this tends to focus on improving accuracy.

There’s no point in giving you 20 more yards off the tee if you hit it further into the trees; your scores will not improve!

Establishing a benchmark with your existing driver will give the fitter a chance to assess your current game. The data captured on the launch monitor will show how consistent your ball striking is and whether the clubface is opening or closing at impact. Spin rates and launch angles will determine carry distance and overall distance.

The fitter can then get you to test a high MOI head and shaft combination and record improvements in any of the numbers captured on the launch monitor.

As we’ve mentioned, the bigger footprint associated with high MOI drivers can inspire confidence before you make a swing. When you’re hitting shots, if you feel that the contact is more solid and you can see you're hitting the ball straighter, you could be on to a winner.

The human interaction with a golf club is vitally important, and during the fitting session, the fitter isn’t just relying on what the numbers are showing. They’ll ask you for your feedback because, at the end of the day, if this is the driver you end up going with, you need to have the confidence it will perform and that it looks and feels right to you.

How that translates on the golf course is you automatically reaching for the driver even on the tightest driving holes.

Remember when we mentioned that Cameron Champ, the longest driver on the PGA Tour, was using a high MOI driver? It doesn’t seem right that a player with an average clubhead speed of 126 mph would need a high MOI driver. However, when he was looking to change his driver and going through a fitting session, the driver head he ultimately ended up with could still offer him noticeable improvements in ball striking and accuracy.

Champ won’t mind that he is using a driver head, which, on the surface, could be argued is designed to help players of lesser ability than him. He is purely focused on using equipment that will help him perform better under the pressure of a PGA Tour event.

So, if you are a better player looking for a new driver, be open-minded that a high MOI driver could also improve your game. The best way to witness that is through custom fitting.

Nine By Nine Golf is an independent club fitter experienced in helping every level of player improve their game.

Using the latest launch monitor technology, we can identify which driver head profile would be best suited to your game. If a high MOI driver will work for you, we should see improvements in your carry distance and spin numbers and an improvement in accuracy.

We can show you the improvements this type of driver can make compared to your existing driver, and we can take it a step further by matching the right shaft for your preferred driver head.

So, are high MOI 10K smashing drivers the driver hype of the moment? Will the current crop of drivers go the same way as the square-headed Callaway and Nike drivers from 20 years ago?

The answer is no. Modern design, engineering, and materials such as carbon composites will ensure the 10K driver will likely be around for the foreseeable future.

Do 10K drivers suit every golfer? Again, the answer is no. However, this is not a problem, as manufacturers have created different driver profiles for different types of players.

If you are a golfer who struggles with consistent ball striking, suffers from poor accuracy, and doesn’t get much carry out of your existing driver, then yes, a 10K driver is likely to suit you better.

The lines blur in situations where you are a good player with high clubhead speed but struggle with accuracy or consistency of strike.

Ultimately, deciding which driver type is best suited for your game comes down to the custom fitting process from an independent fitter such as Nine By Nine Golf.

Your numbers are captured and analysed to assess where improvements in your driving game can be made. Choosing the correct head type answers part of the puzzle. The fitting session will uncover which golf shaft will complement the head to optimise your numbers.

If you want to improve your driving game, book your custom fitting session today and discover how the right equipment can transform it. Visit Nine by Nine Golf to get started.