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Final Reviews: Dollar Driver Club

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Return/Exchange Process
Selection of Clubs
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Testers
Equipment Type: Service
Vendor: Dollar Drive Club

TESTERS WANTED (4)

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The Dollar Driver Club is the answer to a question you probably never thought to ask. It could also be a solution to a problem you never knew you had. Put another way, wouldn’t it be cool if you could actually play a driver for a year before buying it?

And after that year, if you didn’t like it, you could just give it back to the store and try a different one?

The idea behind Dollar Driver Club is simple. For $30 and change a month or for a one-time annual fee of $365, you get to try up to three brand-new drivers over the course of 12 months.

Now, we'd like to get feedback from 4 US Based (sorry, INTL testers, they only ship in the US) MyGolfSpy readers. Each tester will receive a FREE YEAR MEMBERSHIP to DDC to try our some new drivers!

Please congratulate our testers!
@KCLeo12
@Berg Ryman
@jddaigneault
@TxTwinDad+2

 

Speed of Shipping
Selection of Clubs
Return/Exchange Process
Customer Service
Purchase Process (if applicable)

The final review!!

When I was first selected for the DDC review, I was so thrilled. Driver has been a trouble club for me in the past. We’ve all had the fitting experience…you go in and your swing is an absolute mess, or you feel like Tiger Woods. By the time you leave you are (hopefully) confident in your set-up and order your new driver. 

Fast forward to the course…

Shank city. Slice-o-potomous. Frustration. 

Having a company that allows you to test out drivers on the course without any penalty is a needed model in the industry. I think about it akin to Apple’s program that allows you to upgrade your phone every year while paying a subscription fee. People want new drivers, and want to mix and match until they feel comfortable taking in that tight par five. Dollar Drive Club allows you to test out up to 3 drivers per year for $1 per day. If you find your perfect match, you can purchase the driver for MSRP minus the cost of your subscription.

When I first got my driver, we did not get along. Shout out to @dlow206 for helping me upgrade the shaft to Ventus, which really helped me get confident. 

Fast forward to now, I feel like I can reliably hammer this thing. I do not know if it is the one for me, but it is an improvement over my old driver. Being able to have time on course with the club knowing I could swap it out is a great feeling. The model can work. 

Let’s get to the scoring. 

Speed of Shipping: 4/5 Stars

Shipping was fast and easy. I had my club about a week later. Living in CA I am used to getting a pretty fast turnaround as I’m only a couple hours away from Carlsbad, so I docked one star for the extra couple days. Shipping also costs money, which was an unwelcome surprise. I’d like to see the model adjusted that the subscription fee covers everything. 

Selection of Clubs: 2/5 Stars

This was a disappointment. When I first began the review we were fairly late in the season of 2021. Pickings were slim, especially when it came to shaft options. I use an X-Flex, so I typically have trouble with off the rack options and was hoping there would be more than I found. Some heads were lefty only. I recommend finding a shaft you love and putting an All-Fit adapter on it so you can swap it out with different driver heads, removing the need to worry about shaft selection. 

What I was most excited about was being able to jump on new releases in 2022, which never came to fruition. There are still no new driver options on the DDC website. Without an update to inventory, it makes the model a bit of a head scratcher as to how it will be sustainable. 

Return/Exchange Process: 3/5 Stars

Full disclosure…I never did this. I had been looking forward to it, but without new clubs showing up on the site I never went for it. I was going to get fitted and order the top two contenders as my last two drivers, but that never happened. I was tempted to try a swap for the sake of the review, but the shipping costs are not cheap (roughly $20 range). As I mentioned earlier, it is disappointing this is not included in the cost of the membership. What really stopped me, however, was having to ship my driver back before they’d send me a new one. That would leave me driverless for over a week, which is not something I was wanting to do. I would prefer the model gives you a two to three week window to get your old driver shipped back. That way you were never without a driver, and could test two side by side and send back the new one if you decided it didn’t compare. 

Customer Service: 5/5 stars

I did not have much interaction with DDC customer service, outside of initially setting up my account. They were very helpful, timely in their responses and aided me in feeling confident navigating everything. They also have a great FAQ section which answers a lot of questions members might have. In my limited experience, I have no complaints!

Purchase Process: N/A

I have not tried this. I assume it is a simple enough process, but cannot fairly comment on it having not completed the transaction. 

Total Score: 14/20 Stars

Dollar Drive Club can work. There is a need for the service, and they are off to a good start. It will be interesting to see how this evolves, and if companies will begin a subscription of their own much like Taylormade appears to be. Until the kinks are worked out, however, I would recommend tabling it as a wait and see option. 

Thanks to MGS and DDC for the opportunity!

Jordan
 

Greetings everyone!

My name is Jordan Daigneault, and I have been lucky enough to be amongst an amazing group of testers to provide some insight into Dollar Drive Club. What an opportunity! Thanks to MGS and the folks over at DDC for providing us access to this amazing service. 

A little about myself...

I currently reside in Southern California, just north of Los Angeles. It is an amazing area for golf, with a variety of well maintained courses that you can play just about every day of the year (we maybe lose 5-8 days to rain and extreme wind every year, it is a burden). I teach high school and am fortunate to coach the boy's golf team. I work with an amazing group of golfers, most of whom are substantially better than me (and thoroughly enjoy reminding me of such). I got my handicap down to an 11, but that was before disc replacement in my lumbar spine. It popped back up to a 13 in the time since, and I'm working on getting it back down. It can be frustrating to have it one day and completely stink the next, but that's golf! I was finally able to play two days in a row for the first time in 8 months, so I expect the scores to come down. Outside of golf, I was fortunate to finally marry my amazing wife this summer! We had to postpone a year because of COVID. We managed to have our wedding occur right as things opened up, prior to them quickly closing again thanks to Delta. It was an amazing day! Better than breaking 80! We have two dogs, one of whom is a COVID puppy, so they keep us on our toes.

Though my short game is my biggest weakness, I know that it also an area I have improved a lot and will always be working on. What has me really excited about with this test is that I get to attack another weakness of my game...driving! I can absolutely hammer the ball. My swing speed is up around 120 on a good day, and I hope to get there more consistently as I will be working the superspeed training system with my golfers starting in a couple weeks. When I keep the ball in a good spot off the tee, I get far more greens and shoot great scores. Mind blowing stuff, I know. The difficulty with hitting it far, however, is that little misses end up missing by a lot. Where someone who hits 225-240 might be in the rough, I'm OB or in the trees. Distance can be a big advantage, but also ratchet the scores up quickly!

Enter Dollar Drive Club. With this membership, I'll be able to try out clubs on the course. We all know how huge this can be. You pepper the fairway in the fitting studio, but when you get exactly one swing on the course to make it count, it isn't always there. Finding a club I feel very confident with is something I am really looking forward to. The M5 I have right now has given me some great results, but you really need to find the middle if you don't want to get punished. 

I plan to begin my test with the MGS Most Wanted Callaway Epic Max LS. I will be going to the local golf shop to test it out and make sure it isn't a complete mismatch for what I like, but I used to have an Epic Sub Zero so I feel pretty good about this option. From the reviews, it seems like Callaway really found something special this year, and the forgiveness factor is a big one for me. I'm not sure if it is just the time of year, or COVID, but DDC also seems to have limited offerings right now, so that also helps me make the Callaway decision. There are only 3 X flex options available, so I might take @dlow206s advice and put the Allfit adapter on my Accra and see how that works out across different heads. I do still plan on swapping shafts, but the Accra is definitely one that has worked well for me so keeping it in the rotation will help me compare new shafts as I go. I may also throw a Ventus Black in the mix to see how that compares. 

I'm particularly interested to see what shipping times look like. Do I send the old stuff back before they send new? Vise versa? Does inventory increase as we get into new stock at the turn of the year? (I must admit, I am incredibly excited about the prospect of trying the latest and greatest as it comes out this winter). What are peak shaft offerings? All stock? Upcharge? I hope to answer all of the these questions, and any that the community would like to know about as well!

I cannot wait to get started on this ride with my fellow testers! If any of you have information you'd like during this test, please let me know and I will make sure to find out whatever I can. 

Jordan

Taylormade M5 Driver

Cobra F9 3 Wood

Srixon ZX5 4-6 Iron

Srixon ZX7 7-PW

Taylormade MG2 Wedges 50/55/60

Taylormade Spider X Putter

Link to review
Speed of Shipping
Selection of Clubs
Return/Exchange Process
Customer Service
Purchase Process (if applicable)

Well first things first I want to thank MYGOLFSPY for the opportunity to participate in this testing. I’m sure it’ll be one like no other being that this testing will last a year. 
 Next up my name is David Lopez I live in the DFW area in the somewhat great state of Texas. As my screen name states I’m a father of boy/girl twins(6), and 2 more boys (5&3) for a grand total of 4 kids under the age of 7. This family is held together by my amazing wife who never complains on how much golf I play which is typically 1-2.5 times a week year round thanks to our not too cold winter with the exception of the 1 week we had this year. 
 

This testing was appealing to me for many reasons. First being it’ll allow me to try something different step outside of my typical Callaway comfort products. Next is being a lefty I’m curious to see how many options in driver and shafts are offered for LH golfers. So far at first glance there are quite a few Lh  drivers available possibly more than RH. 
 

I am a bit of a researcher when it comes to making purchases so my process of selecting driver will not be without a lot of thought. Im currently doing Super Speed training so my club head speed is consistently mid but trending to high. With that being said I plan on gathering data from the MGS Mid swing speed & High swing speed most wanted  to determine my 1st choice. 

 

Link to review
Speed of Shipping
Selection of Clubs
Return/Exchange Process
Customer Service
Purchase Process (if applicable)

Dollar Driver Club: Final Review (4-12-22): “Move Fast and Break Things”

So, maybe those of you familiar with technology are familiar with that phrase above. You see, when asked about his now super-company known know as Meta, Mark Zuckerberg said that was the motto the company needed to abide by. Don’t wait, make mistakes and figure out how to catch up to those mistakes after the fact. A modern version of “you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.” It’s easy to see for early adopters where that has gotten them and also where there are flaws in that thinking.

Personally, I remember the rise and subsequent bottoming out of Movie Pass, a service where for $9.95 a month, and later even cheaper, you could see 1 film a day, bringing people to films in droves. However, those wings built on dreams and Icarian belief later cratered into immeasurable financial difficulty and eventual bankruptcy.

So, why I am I saying these things in the lead in to my final review of the Dollar Driver Club? Well, it is a way to bring some historical context to the issues and praises I have to this business model, and since this is more a review of a service and not a particular equipment based a review, a way to edu-tain you without the usual pictures, statistical analysis, and pure numbers that a club or ball review may provide. We’re looking at 5 factors on which to grade DDC, they have the star ratings next to them at the top of the post, but I’ll list them here as well

Speed of Shipping

Selection of Equipment

Return/Exchange Process

Customer Service

Purchase Process (if applicable)

 

Speed of Shipping: 4.25 stars out of 5

There are benefits to being in a central local for service providers. You don’t need to harvest from different warehouses across the country to make shipments happen, and if you focus on one specific product you can make shipments happen very quickly. Luckily DDC has that going for them. The company is located in Texas and was able to ship me both drivers I requested for this review in about an average of a week’s time, which for someone in New York is very good, especially considering one of those exchanges was made in the winter where it was only delayed due to a bomb cyclone in the northeast by a day.

However, there is a drawback to favoring speed in some circumstances, and it comes with handling in care. As mentioned in my initial post when I received my Cobra, the box had taken some damage in transit and as mentioned when I received the current G425 Max, the driver was shipped in a box with the headcover and the tool, no extra packing materials to ensure the club made it in one piece. I appreciate the commitment to fast turn-around times, but if I had to wait a couple of extra days to make sure I could receive my driver in one piece, I’d take it.

Selection of Equipment: 3.5 Stars out of 5

If you see that star rating and think it a big harsh for this company, I’m not going to sugarcoat. The selection is decent, but nothing more. Sure, you get the major companies, your Callaway, Titleist, Taylormade, Cobra, Ping, and Srixon for something a little exotic. The shaft choices are pretty standard as to the non-upcharge stock options, but that’s about as big the selection gets. I know, you shouldn’t be going in expecting to get the latest from Oban, Accra, Autoflex, etc… but this is more about the late release of 2022 drivers.

As of right now, no 2022 drivers are available to order for testing purposes and it’s a bit of a disappointment. In talking to the folks in the DDC chat, they’ve indicated to me that there are supply chain issues in them getting clubs, and while I’m understanding of that, all the major 2022 releases so far I would have expected were released in store 6 weeks ago with preorders a month before that. It’s not a total deal breaker, but it’s a definite hit.

 

Return/Exchange Process: 3.5 Stars out of 5

Again, this is not a knock on the service here. So as either a yearly member, like we were for the test, or a monthly member, you are entitled to test and receive 3 drivers every 12 months. The actual process to go through for the returns and exchange are actually quite easy. You enter the driver you wish to exchange or “upgrade” for or the shaft you wish to swap, complete a few pages of drop down menus and get yourself a pre-printed shipping label to send the club back to Texas.

What drops a star and a half off this easy process? The fact that it costs you each time you do. For me to get my new Ping driver upgrade, it cost me $20, and the initial Cobra ran me $16.95. Again, for someone who ‘paid’ upfront $360, I should be able to send what I want for either a reduced price to a month to month member or get a few free switches, or at least have those funds used toward a potential purchase. Perhaps that’s me wanting the service to be something it’s not, but if the idea is to make it advantageous to be able to switch and try different set-ups, it should be more financially viable.

 

Customer Service: 4.75 Stars out of 5

Look, I loved dealing with the staff at DDC. The people they have with the chat function to be the up-front people for folks looking to answer questions are friendly enough, and they were helpful enough in answering some questions we had of the service. It’s also worth noting that the package we got in our initial drivers of the tees, the ball marker, and the letter from the head of the company was a very nice touch. It’s hard to be up front about supply chain issues and getting back to us with answers to our questions so that’s why it’s not a perfect five as we have gotten a bit of radio silence as a group recently, but they have good people that work there and they try to go that extra step for the customers, which is all you can ask for.

 

Purchase Process: N/A Stars out of 5

Simply put, I don’t know if I’m going to purchase whatever driver I finish with, so I can’t grade this part of the review. I am planning on a personal fitting for woods this fall, but I could be convinced by great performance by the G425 Max or any other potential driver.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you guys ever heard of the saying format “X walked so Y could fly,” I think that’s what we’re in a case with Dollar Driver Club. Much like how Moviepass died and systems like Regal Unlimited, AMC Stubs A-List, and Cinemark Movie Club sprung up, I think you’ll see something similar if Dollar Driver Club falters in any fashion. You’re already seeing it with the Stealth Demo program attached to TaylorMade’s My TM+ service and if that proves popular, golf is one thing where it’s follow the leader. I could easily see Callaway and Cobra following suit soon after and potentially DDC might get played out of their own market.

I guess in summation, DDC is one heck of idea, a great proof of concept that it can and will work for some golfers. For Spies who tinker, I think you’ll find it a little threadbare for what it is we are looking for, but for the regular golfer with money to burn and a need to have the latest and greatest, Dollar Drive Club is one heck of a service.

FINAL SCORE: 77.5% (15 Stars out of 20)

 

Introduction for Posterity

"Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most"  - Dostoevsky

I often wonder some times if famous people or thinkers were golfers or not in a past life. In a way, I want to believe that ol' Fyodor Dostoevsky would have been one, and would have been one hell of a tinkerer, always trying new things in the search to get better.

Oh yeah, me. I'm Ryan Bergman, aka forum member Berg Ryman, commissioner of fantasy leagues, seeker of putters, tester of products, and writer of really intricate reviews that make multiple pop culture references that range from explanative to bizarre.

In that above quote, Dostoevsky puts forth the thesis that the one thing that man fears most is change, and he has a point. We are creatures of habit or routine, and for something as cataclysmic as change to come in and be a constant is scary. The idea of "evolve or die" comes to mind. Again, the parallels are there for us a golfers. We have our old reliable, we have our own superstitions, we have our way of doing things and it's hard for some of us to get out of there.

Interestingly, the same can be said of business and the golf industry. This is where Dollar Driver Club comes into play here. It takes a change in the way business is done to shift the golf world forward and Dollar Driver Club is attempting to be that shot in the arm. For a new company to come in and offer a subscription model for drivers is a welcome change to the typical big box model or even green grass model.

So, what can you expect from my version of this test? Well, I'm going into this as a general golfer, not as a Spy, not as a former worker in the industry. I'm not going to get fit in a big box store or a fitter before making my orders. The reason for this is two fold. One, I feel like this is a service built for those of use who want tinker and try for ourselves, so I do plan on using the options available and the people that DDC have on staff as my resources, as well as info from the companies themselves to direct me toward things I know I like. Two, I feel like beside the tinkerer in us, this service also really appeals to that "basic golfer", the one who may not dabble in the finer points of equipment differences, exotic shaft selections, kickpoints, etc. So I'm going to try and take some information about these clubs to again, color the choices. Namely, I'm looking at the measurements from the MGS Most Wanted testing.

Now, I've already signed up for the service and made my first selection. First, I want to talk to you guys about early interactions with DDC. They had us all fill out an intake form that basically set us up a profile. They asked us your basics, name address and then we got into golf specific questions. We gave them our current driver set up, preferred ball flights, lofts, etc. So I entered my info about my Mizuno ST180 with my Kuro Kage Silver TiniDual Core in Stiff flex in 60 grams (net weight 69 grams)

So, then we get into the search and as noted the selection is not all-encompassing, but is substantial. You have the Main five driver companies on offer with the newest lines from Taylormade, Cobra, Callaway, Ping, and Titleist, as well as one generation old Callaway and Taylormade in limited offerings. Again, using the info in the Most Wanted testing for mid speed swings and current feelings about drivers, there was one club that caught my eye and checked all the boxes to be the first driver I requested... and I guess I need to find out if it truly does suck.

That's right, I have a RadSpeed coming my way, 10.5 in the Peacoat Blue with the MotoreX F1 60 in Stiff. It was the longest at midspeed testing and I'm all after bombs right now. It should be here Wednesday. I am psyched.

So that's where we start from, there will be change, there will be questions, and we'll be there for the better part of a year to answer them and help you guys understand what DDC can be for you. As always, thanks to the MGS Staff for the opportunity and for the community for putting it's trust in me, I'm going to give you everything I got.

In a :ping-small: Hoofer Lite bag

 :titleist-small: TSR2, 10 degrees, A1 setting, Fujikara Speeder NX Blue 50-S

:taylormade-small: Stealth, 15 degrees, VA Composites Nemesys 70-S 

:755178188_TourEdge: E722, 19 degrees, Oban Devotion 80-S

:mizuno-small: JPX 921 Hot Metal Pro 4-P, Nippon 950GH Stiff Flex

 :cleveland-small: CBX Zipcore 50* (bent to *49) and RTX Zipcore Tour Rack 54* (bent to *55), DG 115 Spinner, Tour Issue

:wilson-small: Staff Model TG 60*, Dynamic Gold 120 S300

 SIK Golf Flo-C

:bridgestone-small: Tour B-XS (2022 Model)

Link to review
Speed of Shipping
Selection of Clubs
Return/Exchange Process
Customer Service
Purchase Process (if applicable)

To get this started I would love to thank MGS for the opportunity to test something I have always seen but wondered if it was worth it to try. 
 
So first off let me tell you a little bit about me and my game. I am a scratch golfer and I play 3-5 times per month when I am not in training or on deployment. I play all types of courses in the San Diego area.  I played one year of college golf before deciding that college just wasn't for me and I joined the Navy. Since joining I have played in several tournaments and done pretty well. 2018-2019 were the best years for me. I won several tournaments and shot some great rounds. I spend most of my time now with my 2 boys that are 9 and 5. 

 

When it comes to my game I have always been a long hitter and pretty accurate considering how far I hit the ball. I am currently playing the Taylormade SIM2 with a UST Mamiya LINQ Purple 7F5. This driver has been the best driver I have hit in years. 
 

I absolutely love to tinker with equipment it is a passion of mine. When I retire from the Navy I plan to open a fitting and building studio. I currently have a full build shop in my garage and do all my own builds along with most of my buddies builds. 
 

The Dollar Driver Club(DDC) is a really great idea for the person that loves to change and test different drivers for a long period of time without having to pay full price for every driver. I have a few drivers I have been wanting to test but didn’t want to buy without being able to play them first. I couldn’t commit to buying them as the Taylormade SIM2 has been a game changer. The Titleist TSi3 has had me drooling since the release and every time I have hit one it’s taken everything in my power not to buy one. I have always had great success with the Ping drivers since the G400 LST and G410 LST. So these are the top of my list to try in this review. 

 Ping G410 LST 10.5 set -1* Flat Accra TZ5 65 M5

Callaway Epic Flash 15* set -1 Aldila ATX Blue 75TX

Ben Hogan FT Worth Hi 19* KBS Tour V X

Ben Hogan PTX Pro 4-P KBS Tour V X 2* Flat 4* loft increments

Hogan Equalizer 50* KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 X 2* Flat

Hogan Equalizer 56* KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 2* Flat

Hogan Equalizer 62* KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 2* Flat

EVNROLL ER7 P2 Aware Tour
Scotty Cameron Newport2 Buttonback P2 Aware Tour Grip
Snell MTB-X

Link to review

151 Comments




21 hours ago, cnosil said:

So here is my question. I read people talking about the drivers they selected and the performance on the course.  That’s nice but the review is about DDC.  Do you believe the average consumer can get benefit from this model?  Will they find a driver that works for them by experimenting like this?   Why is this better than going to a brick and mortar and hitting a variety of drivers especially if you need to rely on a launch monitor to check performance.  Can you get non stock shafts?   Other than the big advantage of being able to hit the club on the course why should I use DDC….although that is probably something you will answer in the final review.  

I’ve been trying to keep updates centered around DDC, and I think it’s worth note that having the time with the driver to try it without freaking out you made a mistake is a really important element. 

18 hours ago, RollingGreens said:

Does it feel like OEM shortages have been noticeable in the DDC inventory?  Does anyone have anything negative about the current model of the DDC early on?

I think the shaft offerings have been quite a disappointment so far. I don’t know if that’s COVID or business as usual, but I didn’t see anything I was excited about when I ordered the Callaway. There were also some heads only available in lefty. I’m really interested to see if that’s just end of season stock, and there will be a nice selection when new stuff comes out. 

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I got a couple more rounds under my belt with the Callaway. I know I’ve mentioned this, but it’s really fun to be able to have it out on the course without freaking out. I’ve been working on making the fade a bit gentler. It definitely feels more right side biased than my M5. Ultimately, if I can’t work it out I can always swap it out for another driver!

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Just curious if DDC will be adding, mainly how quickly will they be available, all the new stuff that is coming out right now, i.e. the new Mizuno ST-G 220. Also do they have the full lines of the big 5 available? 

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22 hours ago, HomeTownKid said:

Just curious if DDC will be adding, mainly how quickly will they be available, all the new stuff that is coming out right now, i.e. the new Mizuno ST-G 220. Also do they have the full lines of the big 5 available? 

They have the big five, plus Srixon. Not every head is available in every loft/handedness. I’ll check periodically if/when Mizuno pops up, but the current Mizuno isn’t there. I’m definitely curious to see how quickly new stuff shows once the new year brings us new toys!

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2 hours ago, jddaigneault said:

They have the big five, plus Srixon. Not every head is available in every loft/handedness. I’ll check periodically if/when Mizuno pops up, but the current Mizuno isn’t there. I’m definitely curious to see how quickly new stuff shows once the new year brings us new toys!

That's an interesting thought there @jddaigneault, as mentioned before we do still have some older styles in play for potential testing if we wish with SIM OG, Big Bertha 21, and SZ from Cobra, but Mavrik was an option, now it's gone. I wonder what will happen when companies push the new product out.

Obviously thinking aloud I'd guess you'll see a new Callaway and Cobra driver, maybe something from TM as well, but I'm also hoping those older options will remain available for the consumer because although this service may benefit those looking for the latest and greatest, we'd be remiss to forget about those who buy older models on discount the year after they come out.

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So, figured I'd jump in here as I believe that my season is coming to maybe a self imposed close this weekend, but I do so in hopes that I will soon have a new job which will afford me the ability to partake in some indoor golf memberships for the winter, or at least make getting to our local dome in Verona a bit more feasible.

Why is this important? Well, the Radspeed has been I think a solid baseline driver for this test. When hit well it performs quite well, easily surpassing my Mizuno in the metrics I'm looking for, but perhaps lacking in overall consistency. Obviously I'm not stupid, part of that comes from me, but it does allow me to move into the next phase of this test, a winter shipment.

So, unlike my three fellow testers I live in the Northeast, right in the midst of the lake effect snow machine known as Lake Ontario and the Tug Hill Plateau. DDC, well those boys are in Texas. So what's a good test of their ability to ship? Why sending something to me in November or December sure sounds good. Now it becomes a waiting game for me to get to then and to pick out which new driver will grace my bag for basically winter swing work and maybe early season play.

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An interesting update, all drivers on the website right now are listed as 'upgrade only' because as I am being told right now through the chat, memberships for the season are closed and will reopen for nearer the start of next golf season.

So what this means for us testers as people already with memberships we can still "upgrade" our drivers aka send them back for new ones that they have in stock right now, but for those looking to try the service, they're on hold until the 2022 lines come out and DDC reopens everything in what they told me in chat was closer to February 2022. 

It seems reasonable and actually, fairer to do that this way, instead of asking people to pay for service that wouldn't get much use in some spots of the country due to golf courses closing. I was kind of upset at first but the more I reflect on this, it's actually a good move on DDC to make sure you don't part with your money if you're new to the service and allows them to restock fairly for 2022.

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7 hours ago, Berg Ryman said:

An interesting update, all drivers on the website right now are listed as 'upgrade only' because as I am being told right now through the chat, memberships for the season are closed and will reopen for nearer the start of next golf season.

So what this means for us testers as people already with memberships we can still "upgrade" our drivers aka send them back for new ones that they have in stock right now, but for those looking to try the service, they're on hold until the 2022 lines come out and DDC reopens everything in what they told me in chat was closer to February 2022. 

It seems reasonable and actually, fairer to do that this way, instead of asking people to pay for service that wouldn't get much use in some spots of the country due to golf courses closing. I was kind of upset at first but the more I reflect on this, it's actually a good move on DDC to make sure you don't part with your money if you're new to the service and allows them to restock fairly for 2022.

Great information! I haven’t been checking the site much as we await new stock and word from the higher ups about shipping and whatnot. I’m anxious to try something new, the Epic Max LS is not the one for me. Little too fade biased for my liking. 

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So, coming back to the thread here to say I've centered on what will be Driver 2 in the bag. I'm just waiting for the weather around me to get a big more 'wintery'. It's been a weird start to winter here in CNY, warmer than expected (gonna be 64 on Thursday!!!), wet but not much in the snow department. I think that'll be changing a bit as the calendar turns to 2022 and I do want to test the shipping capabilities in less than ideal conditions. Plus, I do have three hours of Trackman time to burn at Club Champion in Victor after I bought my irons and wedges from out there, so hopefully some good numbers.

As to what is coming my way... well, I guess once you've hit Bryson's driver the only other choice is to take on Brooksie's. 

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8 hours ago, Berg Ryman said:

So, coming back to the thread here to say I've centered on what will be Driver 2 in the bag. I'm just waiting for the weather around me to get a big more 'wintery'. It's been a weird start to winter here in CNY, warmer than expected (gonna be 64 on Thursday!!!), wet but not much in the snow department. I think that'll be changing a bit as the calendar turns to 2022 and I do want to test the shipping capabilities in less than ideal conditions. Plus, I do have three hours of Trackman time to burn at Club Champion in Victor after I bought my irons and wedges from out there, so hopefully some good numbers.

As to what is coming my way... well, I guess once you've hit Bryson's driver the only other choice is to take on Brooksie's. 

Nice! I’m anxiously awaiting the new drivers. It was awesome hearing about Stealth. Bryson seems jazzed about the new cobra offering as well. I recently got into a new ventus shaft that I really like so I can’t wait to try some new heads out. Im still thinking I’ll get a fitting once new stuff is released and then test #2 and #1 from the fitting to see how those go. 

I’d also like to test out some of the shipping stuff with regard to shaft swapping as I think it’d be helpful for the forum. 

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On 11/4/2021 at 8:46 PM, Berg Ryman said:

An interesting update, all drivers on the website right now are listed as 'upgrade only' because as I am being told right now through the chat, memberships for the season are closed and will reopen for nearer the start of next golf season.

So what this means for us testers as people already with memberships we can still "upgrade" our drivers aka send them back for new ones that they have in stock right now, but for those looking to try the service, they're on hold until the 2022 lines come out and DDC reopens everything in what they told me in chat was closer to February 2022. 

It seems reasonable and actually, fairer to do that this way, instead of asking people to pay for service that wouldn't get much use in some spots of the country due to golf courses closing. I was kind of upset at first but the more I reflect on this, it's actually a good move on DDC to make sure you don't part with your money if you're new to the service and allows them to restock fairly for 2022.

I know this is going back, but I wonder if they will run promotions which may run over the "offseason" that would essentially give priority to those that have the service. I would imagine that those which the service as of right now have priority essentially on the new drivers vs those who just signed up?

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8 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

I know this is going back, but I wonder if they will run promotions which may run over the "offseason" that would essentially give priority to those that have the service. I would imagine that those which the service as of right now have priority essentially on the new drivers vs those who just signed up?

Jaime, that's an interesting question. When I place the order for the Srixon upgrade I'll ask through the chat. Honestly it would make sense to give priority through the long time customer base, but once the floodgates open for the new 2022 stuff if I were running it I'd say get that stuff out the door ASAP regardless of seniority 

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I’m starting to wonder if Dollar Drive Club is going out of business or something. It appears they are not allowing new members, and they still do not show any of the new drivers on their site. The 2022 most wanted winner PING G425 is there, but that is a 2021 driver. This has proved to be a real disappointment. I was excited about the prospect of testing a couple of the new 2022’s out on the course. It does not look like this is going to end up being a possibility. 

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12 minutes ago, jddaigneault said:

I’m starting to wonder if Dollar Drive Club is going out of business or something. It appears they are not allowing new members, and they still do not show any of the new drivers on their site. The 2022 most wanted winner PING G425 is there, but that is a 2021 driver. This has proved to be a real disappointment. I was excited about the prospect of testing a couple of the new 2022’s out on the course. It does not look like this is going to end up being a possibility. 

I believe there are other factors in that Stealth has only been available for a couple weeks. Now I know it would take them some time to get stock in place so maybe that is a factor as well? Would hate to say only have 10 available and then be out of luck/stock for a while. Better to over deliver and under promise then vice versa.... Hopefully there are updates on their site soon and we will be able to see some of the new products in the testers hands!

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So, my second driver arrived today and after the Most Wanted testing I called an audible. Arrived today, after a weather delay, is a Ping G425 Max with the Ping Alta Slate CB 55 shaft in Stiff. Will likely be the driver I take into early season, with a third driver yet to be named, before I potentially make a big driver fitting choice at the end of 2022 as my post-wedding present for myself to set up the bag for the future.

With the bomb cyclone I was surprised they stuck to around the 1 week time to getting me the club after I sent my return back in. The set-up for this was simple enough and worked well, very happy to report that.

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So, thinking about my G425 and my current set-up, I've set it to increase loft by a degree, playing at a intriguing 11.5 for me, but also flattening the lie angle because that's the build of my irons and my woods are more "pro" models so flatter there as well. I think I come in a bit more upright and to compensate the big left miss when I built things 1 up, we've gone two flat. It's something to tamper with to see if I can take that big duck hook shot out.

However, I do have a bit of a grudge with DDC and its shipments and it comes down to how they ship. You see, my driver and wrench were the only things in the box. No packing material, no plastic cover, just a driver and a wrench. I know companies are trying to minimize the amount of waste in shipping, but it feels a bit tough when I'm shipping things back and being told to make sure that the club takes no damage in shipment. Seriously, here's a quote from the upgrade email.

"Please be sure to include the headcover and adjustment wrench in your return. Be sure to package up the driver appropriately to avoid any damage during transit"

And then I get a box with no packing material. Sure, the box is a solid one, better than a general box in my eyes, but it just makes me a bit frustrated at a slight double standard. 

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5 minutes ago, MattWillGolf said:

Great review. To be clear, their fee doesn’t cover return shipping? 

It does not. When I went in for the upgrade, it was a flat $20 dollar to get the next club shipped to me and the initial shipping cost was $16.95. There was apparently some discussion behind the scenes about them potentially covering these because we were testers, but that never came to pass. 

Considering the overhead on shipping I get charging, but if you're a year long subscriber I would have hoped for something a bit cheaper.

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@Berg Ryman So my biggest question and possibly even complaint, is if you went through 2-3 drivers and realized that your favorite was one that you had already tried and wanted to purchase, you couldn’t get that club back unless you used your final swap to get it back and then purchase. Correct? I understand why they can’t let people have multiple drivers at the same time but I think it would be better to have the testing pool be used drivers and then if you wanted to actually purchase one, you could get a new one. 

In its current form, I don’t think I’d see myself getting a subscription. If you could demo used drivers for periods of time and then use that money, or even a portion of the money, to purchase a new one, I’d be all in. Same thing with irons or woods. Hitting clubs on mats in hitting bays just isn’t the same thing as playing out on the course. I wish there were more ways to demo clubs and then make a purchasing decision.

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15 hours ago, PeterHenric said:

@Berg Ryman So my biggest question and possibly even complaint, is if you went through 2-3 drivers and realized that your favorite was one that you had already tried and wanted to purchase, you couldn’t get that club back unless you used your final swap to get it back and then purchase. Correct? I understand why they can’t let people have multiple drivers at the same time but I think it would be better to have the testing pool be used drivers and then if you wanted to actually purchase one, you could get a new one. 

In its current form, I don’t think I’d see myself getting a subscription. If you could demo used drivers for periods of time and then use that money, or even a portion of the money, to purchase a new one, I’d be all in. Same thing with irons or woods. Hitting clubs on mats in hitting bays just isn’t the same thing as playing out on the course. I wish there were more ways to demo clubs and then make a purchasing decision.

Peter,

So maybe the review wasn't clear on this point, but the fee you pay does get used as a credit toward the purchase of the driver you have in your possession, so for example if I wanted to buy the G425 I have currently, I'd be credited $360 toward the final purchase price of $549.

As to your point about getting used clubs, just thinking aloud here knowing what I know from working at a big box retailer which took trades in the golf space (hint, rhymes with Rick's Porting Woods), the quality of the used market can run the gamut and I would think unless you're buying direct demos from dealers, it's too much of a hassle to have all those different sku's. Plus, you're trying to put out your best product to entice me to buy, you ship me a used SIM2 with some beatdown on it when I'm paying 30 bucks a month or 360 all at once... I'm not going to be happy.

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15 minutes ago, Berg Ryman said:

Peter,

So maybe the review wasn't clear on this point, but the fee you pay does get used as a credit toward the purchase of the driver you have in your possession, so for example if I wanted to buy the G425 I have currently, I'd be credited $360 toward the final purchase price of $549.

As to your point about getting used clubs, just thinking aloud here knowing what I know from working at a big box retailer which took trades in the golf space (hint, rhymes with Rick's Porting Woods), the quality of the used market can run the gamut and I would think unless you're buying direct demos from dealers, it's too much of a hassle to have all those different sku's. Plus, you're trying to put out your best product to entice me to buy, you ship me a used SIM2 with some beatdown on it when I'm paying 30 bucks a month or 360 all at once... I'm not going to be happy.

Thanks for the reply. I knew that the money you paid for the subscription went toward the purchase of the final driver. I was, I think correctly, assuming that you couldn’t go back to a previous driver without using one of your allowed trade ins.

My idea was to let everyone use demo clubs and then if someone wanted to actually purchase one of the clubs, they would get a brand new one shipped to them. You would go in knowing you aren’t swinging brand new clubs initially but if you wanted to make one your own that you could pay the extra money and get a brand new one shipped to your door. Or if you were completely happy with the demo club, you could purchase it at a small discount.

Hell, if you weren’t swinging new clubs every time and you were already having to cover the cost of shipping like you already are, it would make it so you could swap out more clubs than just the 3 times. Since all the demo inventory would be used, it wouldn’t be dwindling as more people swapped their clubs out. I know it’s nice swinging brand new clubs but as long as it is structurally sound, cosmetic blemishes wouldn’t matter.

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165 Comments




This is a great idea and would love to be able to blame different drivers for all my shanks or may be there is a thing called true love. 

 

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Feel like this is the new business model for a lot of industries not just golf. Basically another way of leasing. Signed up to see what it is all about! Good luck to all those who signed up!

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The testing opportunities this year have been some of the most interesting I've seen, and this is another one. The business model of Dollar Drive Club is fascinating and I can't wait to hear how it turns out. Good luck to all applying, this should be a great review!

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Currently playing a Ping G30 and picking a new driver is so difficult most of the time and outrageously expensive.  If this got me something I loved then the purchase feels more worth it!  I play 4-5 nights a week and would love to try this out!

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This is perfect timing.  I have been spending too many hours over the last week trying to figure out what should be my next upgraded driver.  This is the perfect way to find out which one fits my swing and tendencies without worrying about buyer's remorse.  Great concept!

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This one is EPIC!! I’ll refrain from applying since I’m getting ready to start testing the Honma Driver.

Good Luckto everyone!

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Signed up, would love to give this a whirl. I tend to keep clubs I like for longer stretches, so this is a very different approach than I would normally take. Of course, it is an option to help find that clib you love. Will something replace my M4? Maybe

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8 hours ago, John S said:

Been there, done this.   I was one of the early members in this club.  I selected a Maverick.  After about 3 months I thought I would send it back and try a Ping driver ( simply because I could) and that is when I found out the trade process took weeks.  In mid season I was expected to send my dollar driver club " driver back, when it was received and checked in they would then send me a new one.  I pushed back and asked what they expected me to use for the weeks involved in executing the trade.  The answer was "policy" as they had experienced issues in the past.   This was not workable for me so I simply paid for the balance on the Maverick, kept the club, and opted out of the club.  Maybe they "fixed" this issue but to me it was a hurdle that seemed to make trades difficult by design.   I will say the buy out price on the Callaway  driver was fair and competitive to best prices on the market.  I assume the shaft trades work the same way.  Just was not a good plan for me but it may work fine for others

I think this is an important consideration where Ideally it would be a quick turn around (<2 weeks max).  Otherwise I need to make sure my old driver is handy as a backup.

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10 hours ago, John S said:

Been there, done this.   I was one of the early members in this club.  I selected a Maverick.  After about 3 months I thought I would send it back and try a Ping driver ( simply because I could) and that is when I found out the trade process took weeks.  In mid season I was expected to send my dollar driver club " driver back, when it was received and checked in they would then send me a new one.  I pushed back and asked what they expected me to use for the weeks involved in executing the trade.  The answer was "policy" as they had experienced issues in the past.   This was not workable for me so I simply paid for the balance on the Maverick, kept the club, and opted out of the club.  Maybe they "fixed" this issue but to me it was a hurdle that seemed to make trades difficult by design.   I will say the buy out price on the Callaway  driver was fair and competitive to best prices on the market.  I assume the shaft trades work the same way.  Just was not a good plan for me but it may work fine for others

I talked with their live chat service and their policy is when they see movement on shipping back to them they send out the new one. I was also told that until they email you letting you know that the new club is ready, not to ship the old one back. From that I believe they are trying to get the timeframe down to a week or close to it. 

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This sounds like an awesome opportunity to test drivers on an actual course.  I think it is amazing that you can try different shafts too.  Seems like a great chance.  I would love to "Test Drive" this 😉.

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1 hour ago, blackngold_blood said:

I talked with their live chat service and their policy is when they see movement on shipping back to them they send out the new one. I was also told that until they email you letting you know that the new club is ready, not to ship the old one back. From that I believe they are trying to get the timeframe down to a week or close to it. 

This would be an issue during the season.  With that said, I would like to be chosen and actually experience it for myself 😉.

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I love new clubs I'm a buyer of new two years old drivers and fairway woods. I just bought a new Callaway Rogue driver this year. I'd love trying new tech for once. 

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As a current member of DDC I'm thinking right now isn't the best time to give them a fair review,due to the supply issues the industry is experiencing you won't be able to switch that much or it's going to take weeks.I am on week 8 of waiting to swap the tsi2 I got first for a tsi3.

 

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