A recent article in The Golfsmith Clubmaker posted the results of testing done with their swing robot "Max Headspeed" and compared various clubface materials and their effects on ball flight.
What they found was that the ability to make Maraging steel faces that were very strong and very thin offered very real performance advantages over other clubface materials. The thinner face wall deforms more at impact so the ball deforms a little less, retaining more of its energy and providing golfers with more distance.
| Clubhead Type & face material | Ave. pre impact club velocity | Ave. post impact club velocity | Average Ball Speed | Average Launch Angle | Ave. Carry Distance | Ave. Kinetic Ball Energy (higher is better). |
| Amorphous | 95.7 | 67.3 | 136.5 | 12 deg | 196 | 90.8 joules |
| Maraging Steel | 95.1 | 67.5 | 140.8 | 12.2 | 201 | 98.8 |
| 17-4 Stainless Steel | 94.7 | 67.2 | 138.7 | 12.5 | 201 | 93.2 |
| 17-4 Stainless Steel | 95.1 | 66.7 | 139.6 | 15.2 | 199 | 93.4 |
| Titanium, body & face | 94.7 | 67.5 | 138.8 | 13 | 196 | 93.7 |
| Titanium, face only | 95.4 | 66.7 | 138.1 | 13.2 | 192 | 92.1 |
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