Help Selecting a Driver

[Txxxxxxx]

Just pulling your leg

I know. It was a hard decision to choose which one to keep. The main reason I decided on the 905T was because I already own Titleist irons and will have the 906F2 and 585H tomorrow so it matches.

[Chieflongtee]

Not to start a big argument here Denny but there is a big difference between a 3 wood and an 11 degree driver. Most 3 woods(steel mainly) have 15 degree of loft and are usually 42 inches long. 4 degrees of loft and the shorter length make a big difference in ball flight especially if playing with a 45 inches long driver. I personally have run into telephone poles shafts where I could not get the ball to go up high enough. We also forgot one important factor which is torque. If a golfer has a high swing speed and a high torque shaft the ball will always go right as the face will stay open. Cheers.

[dbleber]

Not much difference then a 13° 43" graphite 3 wood.

High torque will cause twisting, that's way you should get fitted. I don't see where the argument is?

If your experience with low torque, high flex point shafts or telephone poles made it hard to get the ball airborne, wouldn't a shaft replacement change the launch angle? As I suggested above.

[Chieflongtee]

[QUOTE=dbleber]Not much difference then a 13° 43" graphite 3 wood.

QUOTE]

Not many of those kicking around. Also these have very small heads and are mostly for fairway shots. Not much room for forgiveness.

[tsunami]

It seems most people posting are using OEM drivers. I've never been able to get the idea that all that advertising/sponsorship has to be paid somehow and that would be in the price of the club. Any comments on non-OEM performance? In the meantime I'm think stiff flex, low torque, 44" lg, shaft. Head would be 9.5 to 10 deg with @ 425 - 450 cc. For the record I hit the three wood 270 "with" to roll. I still had good height but the angle was much better.

[jvincent]

Any comments on non-OEM performance?

I haven't played OEM in years. The good components are just as good as the OEM heads and you can get pretty much any shaft you want in them.

[lms]

Most people play OEM "because" they are heavily advertised.

For $136.25+tax you can have a slice fixing driver including:
MXO HM450 Driver, Graphite Design YS6 Type II Shaft, FREE Golf Pride Velvet Grip,
and best of all, if you are not satisfied, you can return it for a full credit (not refund). There are many here who could assemble this for you.

http://www.golfworks.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_MA0034PAK

[Kona Golf]

Try This...

Strengthen your grip on your forward hand (Left for righties) so both "V"s formed between your thumb and index finger on both hands point to your trailing shoulder (Right for righties).

Be aggressive through the ball.

This should eliminate the slice and perhaps create a hook. If it creates a hook back off the leading hand a bit at a time until you get the flight you want!

Most important is to be aggressive through the ball!

If this does not work see a good teaching pro. One that comes recommended by other clients. Ask for references and call them! Pay the price and see a good one! Fix the problem first, then get the best equipment you can afford. Usually the best for you will cost less from a custom club builder than what you can buy off the rack at the local retailer.

just my .02


BTW- A good teacher probably does fittings and will have demo clubs you can try out.

[Chieflongtee]

Jim. Wise words. What's the clubhead on your avatar?

[Kona Golf]

Jim. Wise words. What's the clubhead on your avatar?

Golfsmith Elite - Lynx BlacK Cats! Been playing them all year!

Awesome. They are almost Identical to the tour specs that Raven struggled with last year. I love them.

Forged Carbon, soft feel.......

I have them on Smoothlines. Best yet Andre!

[guitarman]

I'm not a huge Taylor Made fan, and I'm certain that they're making plenty of money anyway, but I've heard good things about their new R7 Draw driver.

I had a Wilson Dd5 and hit nothing but slices. I then bought a Cobra M speed and the shaft seemed kind of long for me and I was very inconsistent. A mix of slices and hooks and lots of skying the ball. Went in to Dimarco and tried out the Callaway Fusion FT-3 a Ping G5 and finally the Taylormade r7 with weights at a draw. It felt the best in my hands hitting at the simulator. I took it out to the range and I was able to fade the ball or draw it or hit it straight when I wanted. It was so easy to hit. I started to swing harder gaining confidence and even knocked a few off the heel and they flew straight and far. I love this driver.

[guitarman]

Interesting that most recommend a higher loft. The driver I am hitting now is an SMT Nemesis 370 at 11 deg. I bought it off another André from this site. It has a reg. flex shat at 43.5. I hit all my drives way too high. They start off great and then the ball dies and drops. I never get any roll. Played in a charity tourney at Predator last week and gave up on the driver to hit my three wood. Distance on Driver was max. 250 (when I hit it properly). Three wood was consistent and best drive was apprx. 270 with some roll. Perhaps a stiff flex on the Nemesis? Thanks again to all with their comments. Also, I believe the Nemesis is an offset head.

Same problem I was having with my 10.5 cobra offset. I hit way too high. But some of that was attributed to having my hands way behind the ball at impact. If you get a 12 degree offset like some one suggested I think your height would be way too much.

[Dez]

Try This...

Strengthen your grip on your forward hand (Left for righties) so both "V"s formed between your thumb and index finger on both hands point to your trailing shoulder (Right for righties).

Be aggressive through the ball.

Excellent advice! This is exactly how I fixed my slice last weekend. It was like a revelation from above and I soon found myself creating a hook, fade or straight shot almost at will. I still need tons of practice, but this was the most useful advice I'd found yet-- way more useful than the teacher I gave $50 to and got nowhere with. Great advice.

[g8r]

It seems most people posting are using OEM drivers. I've never been able to get the idea that all that advertising/sponsorship has to be paid somehow and that would be in the price of the club. Any comments on non-OEM performance? In the meantime I'm think stiff flex, low torque, 44" lg, shaft. Head would be 9.5 to 10 deg with @ 425 - 450 cc. For the record I hit the three wood 270 "with" to roll. I still had good height but the angle was much better.

If you are hitting your $19.99 3-wood 270, why in gods name would you want to spend a couple hundred dollars on a driver to get maybe and extra 15-20 yards?

Sounds like your "3-wood" might actually be a 19.99 driver.....

[tsunami]

I have an appointment at Golfworks today for a swing analysis. Seems like a good idea before I actually put money down on a club/clubs. Thanks to all for the help.

Andy

[tsunami]

So I went to Golfworks yesterday for a swing analysis and I also had my clubs tested. To anyone contimplating having that done...Do it! I was amazed. I'm kicking myself for not having done that before. My session was with Dale and I was very impressed with his approach. He had me try different clubs to illustrate the differences in lenth, flex and torque (I never really understood). I now know I need to either reshaft all my irons or, more likely, get new irons. Also, my driver was all wrong for my swing. The only club left in the bag will be the three wood. Now I need to convince my wife of my overwelling need for new clubs. I also want to mention that Dale pointed out two very simple changes to my swing which had amazing results. I'm not trying to "sell" him but I do want to recognize what I felt to be excellant service.

Andy

[jvincent]

Just curious tsunami, what do you normally shoot or what's your handicap if you have one?

[leftylucas]

I have an appointment at Golfworks today for a swing analysis. Seems like a good idea before I actually put money down on a club/clubs. Thanks to all for the help.

Andy

That was a good idea for sure, it is really the best way to determine what you need to get the right equipment for your swing. I was lucky enough to get fitted by Downhillslider when I decided to buy my first set and it made a world of difference. He fitted me with clubs that suited me at the time and I am sure you will not regret going this way. If you decide to go ahead and get new irons, you should contact him, he is under "ClubsRus" in the equipment heading on the menu (left).

[Fozz]

Did you say your swing speed is 108mph and you have a regular flex shaft?

With a 108mph swing speed, you should hit a stiff shaft at the very least and maybe even a x stiff... I suggest you go and get measured on a swing monitor somewhere.

[tsunami]

My handicap is I have a wife, three kids and a busy job. Seriously thought I really want to start to play regular. I shoot mid-nineties sometimes better, sometimes worse. Had an 86 at Stonebridge once so I know the potential is there.

[tsunami]

Club head speed on Driver was 110 after the the tips by Dale. 94-96 with the irons.

[jvincent]

First off, you did the right thing by going to get fitted/analysed. There are so many variables in getting a correct fit that using one parameter isn't enough.

Swing speed is a good one. I'm usually around 100-105 with my normal swing. That would generally suggest "S" flex for the driver, which I usually play, but I also get very good results, sometimes better, with an "R" flex shaft. Before BC jumps in, I should point out that S and R are aribitrary designations.

A lot depends on how you generate that speed, i.e. long smooth acceleration vs short and quick.

The reason I asked for your score was that if you have some fundamental swing flaws, then no amount of technology will help and that you need to address the swing issues to get the most benefit.

[tsunami]

I was happy about his take on my swing. Two things he changed. One was relaxing on the grip. He said I was not releasing the club properly because I had a "death grip". I never knew what "releasing" actually meant. The second change was on my swing with the driver. I was not taking the club "out" far enough on my back swing. Too much wrist as I pulled away from centre. With those two changes it was incredible. The sound the ball made coming off the back stop was pretty loud. Also the ball flight with the driver was much lower than I had been hitting. Dale compared it now to more like an aircraft taking off. Yeah, I'm pretty excited.

[dbleber]

So what shaft and head combo did he suggest and what were your before and after launch angles?

[tsunami]

Stiff flex, low torque/twisting (2.8-3.2 range?), and 10.5 loft. Not sure I remeber the exact angles but he told me I hit my driver like a nine iron before so that tells me something. He said the shaft is the engine of the club and you don't want to cheap out on the shaft.

[dbleber]

That is true, the shaft plays a very important role and getting fitted for the right pieces is a good way to ensure that you get the most of of your swing. Did he suggest a particular shaft with any certain launching characteristics or just the flex and torque? The UST V2, Accra's and Gaffoloy's Blue and Pro Launch come to mind as suitable shafts, but there are tons that would fit those specs unless he mentioned launch as well. are you going to get an OEM 10.5 head and have it shafted or go with a component head? I heard the new KZG driver head is supposed to be pretty sweet.

[Chieflongtee]

By the way Dale at the Golfworks is a very nice guy and has been building clubs for over 15 years. He gave me excellent tips on how to use a Nylon wheel for reshafting Callaway bore through irons.

[tsunami]

That is true, the shaft plays a very important role and getting fitted for the right pieces is a good way to ensure that you get the most of of your swing. Did he suggest a particular shaft with any certain launching characteristics or just the flex and torque? The UST V2, Accra's and Gaffoloy's Blue and Pro Launch come to mind as suitable shafts, but there are tons that would fit those specs unless he mentioned launch as well. are you going to get an OEM 10.5 head and have it shafted or go with a component head? I heard the new KZG driver head is supposed to be pretty sweet.

He did not suggest anyone shaft in particular but gave me a price on a component head and shaft combo. I really need to think about what I want to do. A co-worker has offered to sell me his clubs. (He won a full set of Callaways recently). I think the irons are Tom Weiscoff's? The driver is Mcgregor V-Foil and he has some other component stuff. I'm not sure will take a look.

BTW, the shafts in my irons (graphite) turned out to be somewhere between a ladies and a seniors flex. He said I should be playing steel and probably a reg flex.

[dbleber]

Probably Tom Wishon, good stuff for component!

[Chieflongtee]

Tom Weiskoff. Why would you buy a used set after being fitted? It si no saving in the long run. Do it once do it right.