In the first part of a revire of golf eqiupment, Philip Reid gets to grip'n'rip lighter, and more reflexible tee monsters

What's new for 2005: For most of us, apart from the few sensible ones who think like Fred Funk, the impulse when standing on the tee is to power the ball as far as you possibly can down the fairway.

Funk's theory that it is better to be "short and straight" than "long and crooked" is alien to most mindsets. Which is a shame; but also a reason why golf club manufacturers, conscious of our foibles, entice us with clubs that bring out our "macho" instincts.

As ever, the research and development personnel have been busy as the 2005 season (for most club players) gets under way in earnest. However, the restrictions placed by the R & A on drivers - limiting club-head size to 460cc and the COR (coefficient of restitution) which is a measurement of the efficiency of energy transfer at impact, the so-called "spring-like effect" - is reflected in the new designs.

What is evident is prices have come down in the shops. As Carl O'Keefe, of McGuirk's in Howth, explained: "The competition is immense, really fierce - and that is reflected in the prices. It's actually great for the consumer. Not only are there a lot more products from which to choose, but, if you look, even the drivers at the top-end of the market are now within financial reach of most pockets."

Drivers remain the ultimate draw for most purchasers, a legacy of the grip it 'n' rip it philosophy espoused by John Daly. Today's new drivers feature faces constructed of a very thin, very responsive Beta Titanium. When one of today's multi-layered balls collides with the more reflexible (relatively speaking) clubface, the ball compresses less against the face, minimising energy loss and increasing ball velocity and ultimately contributing to longer drivers. Of course, you must hit the sweet spot.

Anyway, high-grade, lightweight titanium and the use of other lightweight materials such as graphite have allowed designers to expand today's driver heads to the R & A limit, without making the clubhead too heavy. In fact, today's materials are so strong and yet so light designers are able to construct a massive, durable clubhead and still have some weight left over. Engineers strategically reposition this so-called discretionary mass to improve the club's performance.

Clubmakers generally position this weight "back, low and toward the heel" in today's oversized drivers, according to Todd Beach, TaylorMade's director of product development. "At impact," he explains, "this back weight rushes forward in an attempt to align itself with the shaft, adding dynamic loft for a higher launch, while the weight in the heel helps the golfer square the clubface at impact for straighter shots."

This dynamic loft works with the actual loft designed into the face of the club to launch the ball on a much higher angle. And, since today's balls spin less off the driver, drivers don't "balloon" but instead fly on a high, yet flat trajectory for maximum carry-and-roll distance. That's the theory, anyway. The reduced spin also helps produce a straighter ballflight.

While driver sales remain very strong throughout the industry, Mick O'Kelly of Nevada Bobs in Kimmage, Dublin, has observed a dramatic increase in the sales of hybrid clubs. Part long-iron, part fairway wood, these clubs have taken the game by storm for one simple reason: they are much easier to hit than the long irons they are rapidly replacing.

The category got a huge boost last summer when British Open winner Todd Hamilton used his Sonartec 17-degree Md hybrid with tremendous versatility, playing it off the tee and from the fairway as well as around the greens. "The hybrid category is one that has really taken off," said O'Kelly, observing that it has gone from a fad to a full-blown category.