What
are
the
best
new
drivers
for
the
2012
golf
season?
The
best
hybrids?
Irons?
Wedges?
Putters?
John
McPhee,
systems
design
engineering
professor,
can
tell
you.
For
the
sixth
consecutive
year
he
was
a
scientific
advisor
to
Golf
Digest
for
its
annual
‘Hot
List’
of
new
equipment,
published
in
the
February
issue.
McPhee
joined
five
other
engineers
and
scientists
on
the
technology
innovation
panel.
Two
other
panels
advised
on
product
popularity
and
club
performance,
including
look,
sound
and
feel.
Three
senior
editors
and
a
contributing
writer
from
Golf
Digest
and
Golf
World
decided
the
final
rankings.
So,
what’s
hot
this
year?
“More
recent
advances
include
lighter
drivers
with
an
emphasis
on
streamlining
to
reduce
aerodynamic
drag,”
explains
McPhee.
“One
of
the
most
interesting
ideas
was
the
inclusion
of
a
“slot”
in
the
top
and/or
bottom
of
a
3-wood
to
improve
the
ball
speed
resulting
from
impact.”
McPhee
joined
his
colleagues
in
Phoenix,
Arizona
at
The
Wigwam
resort
to
review
and
evaluate
this
year’s
crop
of
golf
equipment.
They
began
by
reviewing
technical
claims
…
about
464
megabytes
worth
of
documents
he
estimates.
Many
hours
of
discussion
followed.
Then
it
was
out
to
the
driving
range
and
finally
the
golf
course
to
squeeze
in
nine
holes
with
a
bag
full
of
assorted
new
clubs.
The
process
was
repeated
the
next
day.
McPhee
commented
that
golf
club
performance
has
improved
significantly
over
the
past
five
years.
Design
and
materials
have
made
them
lighter,
longer
and
more
accurate.
They
improve
the
game
of
top
players
and
help
compensate
for
the
errors
of
less
advanced
players.
But
it’s
not
just
the
technology
in
the
club
that
influences
performance.
McPhee
explains
that
the
look,
sound
and
feel
of
the
club
hitting
the
ball
have
a
significant
impact
on
a
player’s
confidence.
McPhee’s
interest
in
golf
started
when
he
was
growing
up
in
Cape
Breton.
A
daily
playing
regiment
led
to
his
competing
in
the
1978
Canadian
Junior
Golf
Championship.
Today,
when
he
plays
regularly,
he
is
about
a
seven
handicap.
And,
like
all
golfers,
he
plans
to
lower
that.
In
2009,
McPhee
and
his
graduate
students
partnered
with
AboutGolf
and
the
varsity
golf
team
to
help
install
a
golf
teaching
and
research
simulator
at
the
university’s
physical
activities
complex
where
they
now
use
the
facility
for
evaluating
golf
club
and
golfer
performance.
McPhee’s
research
interests
go
well
beyond
golf.
He
heads
up
the
Motion
Research
Group
at
the
University
of
Waterloo,
which
includes
biomechanics,
sports
engineering
and
automotive
design.
Last
year,
he
and
a
team
of
students
developed
a
robot
that
replicates
the
human
slap
shot.
Named
the
SlapShot
XT
(or
Thor),
the
robot
tests
hockey
sticks
for
reaction
to
impact,
resistance
to
wear
and
tear,
and
failure
characteristics.
Based
on
the
initial
prototype,
they
founded
Hockey
Robotics,
an
independent
testing
and
research
and
development
firm
dedicated
to
advancing
hockey
technology.
McPhee
is
also
part
of
the
WATCAR
automotive
research
group
at
the
University.
As
the
NSERC/Toyota/Maplesoft
Industrial
Research
Chair,
he
leads
a
research
team
that
looks
at
areas
such
as
multibody
system
dynamics,
vehicle
systems,
robotic
and
mechatronic
systems,
mechanism
and
machine
design,
and
computation
and
design
optimization.
Busy
as
he
is,
the
annual
Golf
Digest
product
review
remains
a
priority
in
his
calendar.
“The
whole
event
is
a
highlight
for
me!”
says
McPhee.
“I
look
forward
to
it
all
year.
The
Hot
List
summit
gets
me
in
a
room
(and
on
a
course)
with
five
other
experts
for
two
very
intense
days,
and
the
discussions
are
lively
to
say
the
least.
[Golf
Digest
2012
Hot
List]
[Waterloo’s
Motion
Research
Group]
Professor, Systems Design Engineering