[sammyg2]

Golf digest payed for a scientific study a few years back comparing an old steel shafted persimmon driver, a regular stainless steel driver, a ss driver with graphite shaft, a big bertha, and a couple other clubs.
All were hooked up to a mechanical golf machine and were swung with the same club head speed. results? the difference between the persimmon and the longest driver was less than 13 yards IIRC and most of that was attributed to the graphite shaft.
The toaster on a stick drivers have a much larger sweet spot but really aren't that much longer.
If you can hit a persimmon well you can be competitive.