Garland; For those of us who grew up playing with persimmon woods, the old blades and balata balls there is no question that we can hit the ball further and that it is harder to make the ball curve to the same extent as the old balls.
As I wrote earlier, this ball benefit accrues not to the average guy who couldn't afford waste money on balls that would cut wide open every 3rd hole. My length off the tee has lessened by at least 50 yards with age and putting the new equipment into play. Why? Primarily, because the new balls gave no new length to those who had always been using two piece balls. I will give you that the COR on the new woods can give a slight increase in distance, but it mostly accrues to the best players. I think a bigger factor on modern woods is the increase in shaft length. Which unfortunately makes the average guy just hit it further into the hay.
...Incidentally, the lower lofts are offset by weight distribution which allows for higher ball flight from lower lofted clubs.
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This is a common fallacy brought to you by those lovable marketing folks at golf equipment companies. To get higher ball flight, you have to get the weight behind the clubhead, not down the the clubhead as golf companies would have you believe. An iron head has too little weight behind the club to make a noticeable difference by moving weight down the clubhead. It is something they can measure on their computers, but it is not something that can be seen by the golfer. Hybrids get weight behind the clubhead, thereby allowing higher ball flight that can actually be seen by the golfer.