therod

I once had a set of the Callaway forged GIs, the very first set they made forged. I have often asked myself why I got rid of them. They were as forgiving as anything I have used, they were forged, and as long as anything I've used. No, they aren't a new design, but they played very well. I haven't looked for a set in years, but you might be able to get a good deal on a nice, well-taken-care-of used set.

40th b-day is coming in a week or 2. Probably getting a new driver to celebrate. I use the term "new" loosely because I'm probably going to get something from the 2015 scene. Heard too many things, read too many reviews, and saw too many videos about the Fly-Z, so my mind may be made up.

And since it's last year's model, the Fly-Zs are pretty easy to get at a nice price point.

Hmmm interesting. Kinda surprises me that the Cobra employees were playing the Fly-Z and not the plus, but they obviously had the test results to validate it. I actually play my driver at 44", so I would definately need to add some weight. I also have a brand new shaft sitting in the corner of the basement patiently waiting to get a chance (a Wave shaft btw). I might be inclined to just order a 2nd adapter, and just have 2 different shafts ready to go.

Also now giving a serious look at the Fly-Z and Fly-Z+. Curious, did you hit both the Fly-Z and the Fly-Z+?

I actually don't know what kind of acid it is, the package doesn't say. I bought some stainless steel blackener from caswellplating.com from their antiquing section. It's easy to use. I sand-blasted the heads, blew them off with air, dipped them in some alcohol to clean them, dipped them in pure water to wash that off, then a 3-4 minute bath in the acid. Let them drip back into the acid bucket, put them on a towel to dry for 20 min, then repeated the process. After the 3rd dip and drying, I sprayed them with WD-40. And after that dried I did the paint fill.

The finish does fade a bit, and mine are due for a re-finish after a full season's play. I may get a bottle of the sealant and try it on them to see if it helps protect the finish any better when I do decide to do the refinish. The only thing I'll do different is this time I won't pull the shafts, I will just hold the heads in the acid with the shaft. I do have a wire jig just for the purpose, so my hands weren't in the acid.

Ask and you shall receive. It's actually an easy process, maybe just a little time-consuming. But worth it!

I've been playing the Xcaliber TourXs for a couple years now. I play the heaviest version, in the tour stiff flex. Quite lovely for me. But I had elbow troubles 2 years in a row, so as much as anything this was an effort to reduce some pain. It worked!

Good info to hear about the Jetspeed. I have a set of fairway woods at home that I bought on the bay for next to nothing. They feel really nice and I like the launch characteristics, and they go plenty far. But for me, for some reason, they set up closed. And when I already fight a draw/hook, having something that sets up or looks closed, it's dangerous. But I've hit a few balls with the 3wood that I absolutely pured, and I was almost shocked at how far they carried.

I actually recently went old-school with my irons. The course I play most often is a windy track. Very windy. It can be calm in the parking lot, but there will be a 2-club wind out on the course. So I went a little old-school hoping to actually lower flight a little bit and give me some versatility and trajectory control, as well as a slightly lower trajectory anyway. I bought an old used set of Golfsmith Tour Cavities, dipped them in acid so they turned black, custom paint-filled them, then put my Axe TourX graphites in them and went to work. Pretty happy with the results. Are they the most forgiving? No, but that's not what I was after. But...they are forgiving enough. A pretty forgiving head with some trajectory control available. And they look sharp dressed in black...

Right now, probably the 2 drivers I am most interested in (especially after replies in this post, thanks!) are the Jetspeed and the I25. Who knows, give me enough b-day money, I may be able to get both.

Well I don't think I need to knock numbers down. My tee ball doesn't float, it's not in the air forever. I think it would probably be a good driver for me with the right shaft and loft set-up. Looking at it as much from the price perspective as anything. I really like the look of the RBZ Speed, but I am also afraid of it launching too high for my swing. It's probably more forgiving than either of my drivers, but I was a little afraid of it launching too high for me.

Another club I have been considering, especially since now you can get them cheap, is the Jetspeed. Not popular I know, but launch angles, spin, and head speed aren't a problem for me, so I thought why not try something intended to reduce those for potentially longer drives.

I've not not the X2Hot but I have seen multiple reviews of guys saying it's the longest they've hit. I've also been wanting to try the I25 and the G30. What's a guy to do?

Technically I've not been "fitted." But since I do all of my own club work, to say I used to play around with different shafts in my drivers is like saying Trump has a few dollars. I just haven't been able to play around as much lately with my equipment now that I have a wife and 3 kids. I still have a few shafts in the basement, so whatever driver I get will probably go through a little experimentation anyway. And I have a Wave shaft that's still new-in-the-box waiting to be tried out.

I'm assuming given how old my stable of drivers is, I could probably find a few more yards in a store fairly easily. Not 20 or 30, but a few. The fact is, it's been forever since I bought a new driver, and I think it's time. I just want to have something new in the bag. I probably prefer a slightly heavier-feeling club. My birthday is next month, and I will be using money from the birthday gifts my wife told everyone to give me (since I told I her I would really like to get a new stick), so I'm not really sure what my budget will be. My most specific guess right now would be under $200.

Ask, and you shall receive. Hopefully this is of some help. I probably have a mid-trajectory or mid-high ball flight. My 9-iron goes around 150, my driver goes around 270. I probably have a little bit of a flatter swing plane. The current driver is an old KZG Gemini2 (still a very good club). My other is a Geek DCT. The KZG is 10.5 deg, the Geek is a 9. I hit more draws (or hooks) than I do fades. I have to WORK to hit a fade. But I can hook a sand wedge around a flag pole. The KZG has a blue Aldila Tour Proto shaft, while the Geek has a AXE Tour 6.0, both in stiff.

Long time reader, first time poster... So I turn the big 40 next month. And for my birthday I asked my wife to tell family just to give me cash so I can buy/build/reshaft a new driver. While looking around recently, I see that TaylorMade came out with the RBZ Speed series for Dick's Sporting Goods. I know it's trying to make the old new. But it is a sharp looking head, and I haven't hit a TaylorMade in years. Maybe decades. Has anyone hit? Played it? My newest driver is probably 4 or 5 years old (maybe more), so there is a lot out there I haven't played. I was also considering the SLDR-C, because with 3 kids in the house, money has to be considered. And if I want to buy new(er) I have to consider all options, and I was really hoping to get something new (for a change, since it's my b-day)