MyGolfSpy - TaylorMade LOFT UP+ Experience

[dru_]

Also, in my defense, I don't think anyone but Jon actually knew this, but I rescheduled a root canal for a tooth that is doing it's best to crumble and was VERY VERY painful all week so I could go on the trip , so when I wasn't drinking, there was a fair amount of trying hard to ignore the discomfort.  I do however blame Jon for the drunkeness.  I think I drank more Tuesday than I consumed in the entire year of 2013.

[hckymeyer]

I'm loving the banter in this thread and am wondering if it's not worth opening a new one to talk more about the benefits of loft up.  My driver is 2 years old, I have tons of equipment to trade in so I can upgrade fairly inexpensively so I'm intrigued.  I'm especially wanting to hear how the distance gained at first holds up with wear.

I'll say after being properly fit by the same guys that fit the pro's, and seeing/hearing all about Loft Up all week, I am completely sold on the benefits of both.

 

Like most things in golf though it's not enough just to loft up.  You gotta have the right fit to really make a difference.  For instance I actually brought a SLDR 460 set to 12° as my gamer and I still gained 15 yards by getting into the proper head/shaft combo.

[HighFade]

I'm loving the banter in this thread and am wondering if it's not worth opening a new one to talk more about the benefits of loft up.  My driver is 2 years old, I have tons of equipment to trade in so I can upgrade fairly inexpensively so I'm intrigued.  I'm especially wanting to hear how the distance gained at first holds up with wear.

 

Probably a good idea. 

 

Here's my take in 100 words or less.  I can remember one hole we played, where I hit a normal, not fantastic, but not bad drive that I watched bounding down the fairway after it landed.  At that moment, I was sold.  The forward CG and higher loft in the SLDR allows you put your same swing on the ball, and it will launch higher with less spin.

You're not gonna feel like you hit it any better or worse, and you really will get pretty close to the same carry (maybe 5 yards more), but because of the low spin, it rolls and rolls. 

[HighFade]

My previous driver was a Cobra Amp Cell with 10.5 loft.  But when tested, it was actually 12.5 degrees, and what was supposed to be a regular shaft, was more like a senior flex.  So my trajectory ended up being lower.  Others may feel the trajectory was higher, but for me, I've been looking for a more boring trajectory.  And this is what I got.

[The Dansome]

My previous driver was a Cobra Amp Cell with 10.5 loft.  But when tested, it was actually 12.5 degrees, and what was supposed to be a regular shaft, was more like a senior flex.  So my trajectory ended up being lower.  Others may feel the trajectory was higher, but for me, I've been looking for a more boring trajectory.  And this is what I got.

 

My trajectory came out fairly flat as well.

[hckymeyer]

I've been looking at WITB posts this morning and every time I see a driver that isn't a properly fit SLDR in the bag I can't help but think "You are leaving yardage on the table!"

[dru_]

I also want to add something to the SLDR Loft Up concept that I think needs to be articulated.  Right now, most of the "shop" fitters do not understand the SLDR at all.  You go in with what you carry and they try to match the SLDR to it. If you do this, you will leave unimpressed and probably unpurchased.  I say this, because I did it.  

 

When the SLDR came out, I did.  The week before this event I went to the PGA Tour SuperStore to check it out again, and had the same result. They did the same thing then, and I was still unimpressed. 

 

The SLDR *is* different, the numbers you want aren't the same as what they are used to looking for, and it seems the shops just haven't gotten the message yet, so you will probably have to push them to adjust to what you want, not what they are 'used' to. 17* @ 1700 RPM. Keep tweaking it to get as close to that 1700 as you can, with the highest launch angle you can (17* is VERY tough to reach unless you swing UP at the ball hard, which is a different set of conditions).

 

Also of note, I do not think that a single one of us ended up in the default/stock shaft, which I think is a little light.

[JBones]

It's so weird, when I read your posts now, I can hear your voices (if that makes sense).  Jon and I, being the low handicaps on the trip, were jawing at each other from the moment we arrived and we still are if you couldn't tell (all in fun).

 

As far as your question Rev, now is the time to buy a SLDR, because they will be releasing "the holy grail of drivers" in 3-4 years.  Definitely have to get fit though or it doesn't work; the first shaft I tried gave me high launch, high spin....which went nowhere.   As far as forgiveness, these guys saw me toe slap one about 310 on #9...........theres your answer.

[dru_]

It's so weird, when I read your posts now, I can hear your voices (if that makes sense).  Jon and I, being the low handicaps on the trip, were jawing at each other from the moment we arrived and we still are if you couldn't tell (all in fun).

 

As far as your question Rev, now is the time to buy a SLDR, because they will be releasing "the holy grail of drivers" in 3-4 years.  Definitely have to get fit though or it doesn't work; the first shaft I tried gave me high launch, high spin....which went nowhere.   As far as forgiveness, these guys saw me toe slap one about 310 on #9...........theres your answer.

 

I can confirm that I watched JBones toe slap a couple, as well as a couple wicked heel strikes that still traveled well.  In my own case, it forgave most of my mistakes, and the ones that weren't forgiven are completely on the guy swinging the club ( I have a bad habit of slowing down and getting the hands turned over too early for a dead pulled hard hook left that snuck up a few times ).  

[GolfSpy WD]

My previous driver was a Cobra Amp Cell with 10.5 loft.  But when tested, it was actually 12.5 degrees, and what was supposed to be a regular shaft, was more like a senior flex.  So my trajectory ended up being lower.  Others may feel the trajectory was higher, but for me, I've been looking for a more boring trajectory.  And this is what I got.

 

I can believe that. I took a few swings with your old driver. I'm not a high ball hitter by any means, but that thing shot for the moon. 

[HighFade]

I can confirm that I watched JBones toe slap a couple, as well as a couple wicked heel strikes that still traveled well.  In my own case, it forgave most of my mistakes, and the ones that weren't forgiven are completely on the guy swinging the club ( I have a bad habit of slowing down and getting the hands turned over too early for a dead pulled hard hook left that snuck up a few times ).  

 

I'm not gonna stand here and say it' perfect on mishits.  It's the same as any other driver.  Toe it, and you'll lose distance, and probably hook it a bit.  Heel it ( I did that a lot) and it goes left with slice spin).  The loft/spin configuration doesn't make mishits any better or worse than the driver you have now.

[GolfSpy WD]

I'm not gonna stand here and say it' perfect on mishits.  It's the same as any other driver.  Toe it, and you'll lose distance, and probably hook it a bit.  Heel it ( I did that a lot) and it goes left with slice spin).  The loft/spin configuration doesn't make mishits any better or worse than the driver you have now.

 

Off center hits aren't any more forgiving than other drivers, but because it spins so much less, slices/hooks aren't nearly as bad. The caveat is it's probably harder to shape. I didn't really try while we were there, so to each their own.

 

Main difference with these fittings is TM is trying to kill spin altogether. Before the event, I was told around 2700 rpm was good. TM brought me to 2200 with a goal of going even lower, meanwhile bringing up trajectory.

[SeeRed]

All of this feedback really speaks to the importance of not only getting fit, but of going through a good, thorough fitting experience. You guys were very fortunate to have had that experience, as you have already mentioned. This also makes me wonder how Callaway is going to handle fitting the Big Bertha. Or more accurately, how are fitters going to handle fitting both the SLDR and the Big Bertha so that they are getting the best results. dru hit the nail on the head above- if the fitter doesn't really know his/her stuff, then it's the customer who loses. I suppose this has always been true, but maybe more so now with what seems to me to be more specialized equipment- not to mention the million head-shaft combinations.

[Walkerjames]

My fitting was strange because I hit the ball really low even with my R1 set to 12* so my fitter had me hitting high hooks. With the driver set to the fade setting so during my fitting I was hitting shots that were opposite to my stock shot. what ever info he was getting on the LM must have been helpful to him because after a few shots I have never felt more confident with a driver in my life. And my fitter also gave me some tips to help hit the ball higher and also keep my banana slice under control. So my new set up is SLDR 430 12* set to high (so closer to 14*) set to draw With speeder TS 7.2 S

[Mr_Theoo]

OK full disclosure before it gets out.... I haven't said much in here all week.

 

So on Monday at the fittings I couldn't miss a shot, my swing felt better than good and I was beaming with confidence after the driver fitting.

 

So then Tuesday happened. What started out as a glorious day full of promise; TaylorMade headquarters, the company store and the sun, oh sweet warm, warm sun.... I felt a sub 80 round burning inside of me. Sadly this burning was just last nights dinner and eventually things took a turn for the worse. Don't worries I felt fine but any remnants of a golf game were long gone.

 

It all started with my topped drive on 1. Yes I topped it. On the 3rd tee I repeated my amazing drive of hole #1 with a heal top 10 yards under a tree dead right. 4 was my only par of the day, sadly I played the wrong ball from the middle of the fairway.... I think you know where there story is going.

 

106

 

Yup there it is, I shot me a 106.

 

Anyways the golf aside I will say this. No offense to all of the wonderful and amazing members we have around here, but we couldn't have selected a better group of guys. There was such a broad range of personalities and once you get Dru drunk he's a lot more enjoyable It was a pleasure to share this week with all of you and I'm sure we've formed friendships that will last at least a few more months, maybe a year.

 

Ladies & gents, more MGS branded golf events whether in our own areas or something more national are a must. It's my goal now to eventually meet you all after the great experience I had hanging out with these douchebags. Seriously hats off off to the 7 that joined me.

 

*cough* plug *cough*

 

Vancouver Open 2014

He only beat me by 1 stroke :-D

[The Dansome]

Sean's lesson program is paying off BTW and you can see the progression of a very natural move breaking through. It won't be long until he's crushing the 100 barrier.

[Mr_Theoo]

Sean's lesson program is paying off BTW and you can see the progression of a very natural move breaking through. It won't be long until he's crushing the 100 barrier.

Thanks Dan, you did get to witness the third birdie ever for me!

[Hula Rock]

He only beat me by 1 stroke :-D

 

Scores are relative..........    ya'll were in SoCal on one hell of a track with perfect weather.  Most of the guys on MGS were outside shoveling snow.......  

[revkev]

Great info. It's killing me that our local golfsmith is having a free fitting day tomorrow. I'm working all day and can't get to it. I don't trust any area fitter enough with this. But my repair guy works at golfsmith and I trust him. Armed with this info I can wait until after the tourist season here, catch him when it's slow, tell him what we are looking for and we could work it out together.

 

I have the ideal swing for this. My AoA is plus 3 like clock work. The problem is my club head speed is low 90s. Avery Reed from TMag got me to 251 with my current set up and I can get there on occasion when it dries out. Like several of you guys I was shocked at how flat my trajectory looked and it still looks that way on my good drives. Like you guys Avery relies on his eyes as much as the numbers. He needs both for a good fitting.

 

I will be patient with this one. I'm feeling very good about my equipment but would love some easy yards. Who wouldn't?

[dru_]

I will be patient with this one. I'm feeling very good about my equipment but would love some easy yards. Who wouldn't?

 

I think we all would, and there is no question, this is a source of some easy yards.

[kygolfer1980]

I don't think they had one of those in the bag.  I have a Speeder 661 XS with a R1 adapter on it, if you want to try it sometime.  It's really long, but not stiff enough to be accurate for me.

 

I'm in the same shaft, only 7.2X, instead of 6.2X.  The first thing they put in for me was a Fuel 70X...it felt like a wet noodle.  After putting in the Speeder TS 7.2X, it was just tweaking the settings on the 430 to get fine tuned; I think at the end I was averaging 16* launch, 1900rpm spin, and a total distance of around 307.

It would prob do me some good to get fitted again at Golf Etc.  Just don't have the cash right now.  Traded my R1 to Zalbert and have the 913 D2 with the Black Ops and Black Ops Pearl.  When it warms up we will have to get out there.  We usually go to Chariots Run a couple times a year.  You will have to join us sometime.  Nice course with great greens!

[revkev]

"Nice course with great greens." Music to my ears!

[JBones]

It would prob do me some good to get fitted again at Golf Etc. Just don't have the cash right now. Traded my R1 to Zalbert and have the 913 D2 with the Black Ops and Black Ops Pearl. When it warms up we will have to get out there. We usually go to Chariots Run a couple times a year. You will have to join us sometime. Nice course with great greens!

Definitely, that's over by Corydon, right? I still wanna play Hawes.

[Blade]

My previous driver was a Cobra Amp Cell with 10.5 loft.  But when tested, it was actually 12.5 degrees, and what was supposed to be a regular shaft, was more like a senior flex.  So my trajectory ended up being lower.  Others may feel the trajectory was higher, but for me, I've been looking for a more boring trajectory.  And this is what I got.

Funny you say that. Cobra said their Amp Cell is built deliberately with a higher loft than stated because most guys pick too low of a loft off the rack. They also said the stock shafts play softer than stated for the same reason. Most guys pick stiffer than they should.

 

The one they gave me said X flex. It freq'd the same as my stiff shafts. Even on its lowest setting I hit it really high with too much spin.  So I ended up getting a Pro version with a Diamana D+ 62 shaft.  It's been great.  The Pro version though was made to be what it stated including the shaft options.

 

I've been so happy with what I got I haven't even tho't about getting something else. But this is very interesting. I'm very surprised that they want everyone with a target of 17°\1700 rpm regardless of ball speed! I bet I'm not very far from that judging by my results. But I haven't checked. My swingbyte says I have a positive angle of attack of 3-5°. That's good if it's accurate. Some time on a launch monitor should be in my future.  Who knows...I may end up in a SLDR someday.  It'll be hard to beat what I'm seeing so far though.

[HighFade]

Funny you say that. Cobra said their Amp Cell is built deliberately with a higher loft than stated because most guys pick too low of a loft off the rack. They also said the stock shafts play softer than stated for the same reason. Most guys pick stiffer than they should.

 

The one they gave me said X flex. It freq'd the same as my stiff shafts. Even on its lowest setting I hit it really high with too much spin.  So I ended up getting a Pro version with a Diamana D+ 62 shaft.  It's been great.  The Pro version though was made to be what it stated including the shaft options.

 

I've been so happy with what I got I haven't even tho't about getting something else. But this is very interesting. I'm very surprised that they want everyone with a target of 17°\1700 rpm regardless of ball speed! I bet I'm not very far from that judging by my results. But I haven't checked. My swingbyte says I have a positive angle of attack of 3-5°. That's good if it's accurate. Some time on a launch monitor should be in my future.  Who knows...I may end up in a SLDR someday.  It'll be hard to beat what I'm seeing so far though.

 

Well, I can attest that being true.  Loft was higher than advertised, and shaft was more flexible than advertised.

If not for the TaylorMade Kingdom trip, I'd be playing the new Amp Cell with X-stiff (actually a stiff).

 

3-5* is really good.  If I'm above 0 I'm happy.

[revkev]

Okay I'm starting a thread cause this has to be discussed. AoA

[kygolfer1980]

It would prob do me some good to get fitted again at Golf Etc.  Just don't have the cash right now.  Traded my R1 to Zalbert and have the 913 D2 with the Black Ops and Black Ops Pearl.  When it warms up we will have to get out there.  We usually go to Chariots Run a couple times a year.  You will have to join us sometime.  Nice course with great greens!

Yes, about 15 min past in Laconia. We will for sure play Hawes. I didn't join it this year since we play so many other places. Also, it's literally twice as busy since the city bought it and reduced fees. They still keep it in pretty good shape though. It will look different to you, a few trees suffered the wrath of the ice storm a couple years ago.

[revkev]

Here's another question for the crew. Can you tell us about the fairway wood? What numbers are we looking for from it? Is it easy to hit. Like everyone else in the golfing world I'm struggling to find a 3 wood that works.

[Mr_Theoo]

Here's another question for the crew. Can you tell us about the fairway wood? What numbers are we looking for from it? Is it easy to hit. Like everyone else in the golfing world I'm struggling to find a 3 wood that works.

I got an SLDR 3 wood and had a good experience with it playing in San Diego. It's stock right now because I want to get fitted into the right shafts once my wrist heals. But even with a bad wrist I really found it easy to hit off the deck which was the main thing I was searching for.

[SPY ZINGER]

I got an SLDR 3 wood and had a good experience with it playing in San Diego. It's stock right now because I want to get fitted into the right shafts once my wrist heals. But even with a bad wrist I really found it easy to hit off the deck which was the main thing I was searching for.

Theoo-Maybe I missed it, but did you ever mention how you injured the wrist?  Just from hitting balls out there or a pre-existing injury?  Terrible timing, but hopefully it'll be ready for April.