SPY PICS! - Is This The Future For Callaway Drivers?

[GolfSpy_X]

 

READ FULL ARTICLE: http://www.mygolfspy.com/callaway-ft-mag-driver/

[canyon23]

Is there any reason that the face part doesn't cover the entire front of the club?? That part just looks weird to me.

[Moecat]

Magnesium is light, sure ... but what about strength and durability?

 

Also, having a potential fire hazard in your golf bag is not the most appealing thought.

[GolfSpy Dave]

Great point in the article about the impact of the weights on the lighter head. I know that this would be a scary driver to hit off the deck though.

One rock and waboom!

[cheymike]

I've done a little more research... As far as strength/durability, if its made into an alloy... think Mag wheels, 1957 Corvette SS body, Mercedes 300SLR, BMW 325i and 330i engine blocks, 2006 Corvette Z06 engine cradle. I guess as an alloy it's not near as "flammable". That's a GOOD thing!

[jamo]

Is there any reason that the face part doesn't cover the entire front of the club?? That part just looks weird to me.

 

My guess would be aerodynamics and possibly weight.

[apples]

I definitely don't like how the face looks, but if magnesium made it lighter, and wasn't like hitting with a strike anywhere match, i would totally give this a look

[Matt Saternus]

I'll echo the concerns about the face being small, but the idea of a magnesium head and an extra 30grams of discretionary weighting is pretty cool. This would definitely take Callaway off my, "Where is your innovation?" list (I did read that this has been done, but still...)

[Stephen_Peszel]

Magnesium burns really well, I have done accident investigation and recovery after helicopter crashes and the main gearboxes are often Magnesium and they BURN HOT, take a few shavings and expose to a spark and you have fireworks.

Mag alloy however is not as flammable nor is it as conducive to corrosion; ever seen - or heard - a main gearbox recovered from a sea crash? It sizzles for weeks.

That said Magnesium is a very strong material, which is why it is, or used, to be used extensively in aircraft structure. I would be surprised if it were pure Mag.

Have you never seen sparks fly from under the head of a driver as it strikes the ball? It does not need to be mag to achieve this. A few grains of sand on the tee and almost any metal will produce sparks. You can cause a fire with almost any metal.

The lightness of this material really does allow the designer to play with weight movement.

Mag can be welded using various techniques, the problem is in having dissimilar metals in contact which is why i think it must be an alloy.

I would like to try this one.

[Justin66]

No thanks. It's doubtful at best that Callaway can do this any better than anyone else has. The only thing that would make it "better" is having Callaway's name on it- which, obviously, doesn't mean squat. Not only that, carbon/graphite crowns (like the SuMo 5000) acheived this very same thing. So really, other than swapping one material for another, what are they acheiving?

 

I daid this in the article on the main page and I'll say it again, but with a tweak: thanks for letting us know two things:

 

1. The going rate of Mg. Since it's a cheaper material (which is why I believe they went to it and not for any "innovations" that should be reflected in its MSRP. I know it's going to have the current "it" shaft (at that moment), which is another reason to keep the price at $400. I know they'll use the "R&D" thing as well (even though there's very little of that, given all the times this has been done before). So, since the material is so much cheaper, and this is going to be what, 75% Mg alloy, this should be a cheaper club.

 

2. the new "it" "innovation". I'm almost certain we'll see Mg infused irons, as well. Whoopee!!! Just like tungsten, only applied differently!

 

Maybe next year they'll use Palladium, Halfnium or Antimony. They've already used Mg, Be, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Al, B, C, N, Pb, Ag, Au and W... there aren't many elements left.

 

http://www.williamsclass.com/EighthScienceWork/ColorPeriodicChartWebLarge.jpg

[Stephen_Peszel]

Don't forget the latest material: Unobtanium, (Unobtainium) and no James Cameron did not invent it.

"A substance having the exact high test properties required for a piece of hardware or other item of use, but not obtainable whether because it theoretically cannot exist or because technology is insufficiently advanced to produce it."

If that doesn't work then there is always unaffordium, cavorite, kryptonite, scrith, dilithium, carbonite, impossibilium and handwavium.

Unobtanium

[jonyim]

Is there actually going to be a version for average golfers and weekend golfers? I like the shape of the head though. The FT-iZ driver was pretty much a failure. Not many tour pros still use it. I like a more traditional head, but just need more MOI, like the FT-9 driver.

[Justin66]

Is there actually going to be a version for average golfers and weekend golfers? I like the shape of the head though. The FT-iZ driver was pretty much a failure. Not many tour pros still use it. I like a more traditional head, but just need more MOI, like the FT-9 driver.

 

I'm not trying to come down on you (NEVER my intent) but there's two things not kosher with this:

 

1. the FT-iz wasn't a flop because the pro's weren't using it... it just wasn't all that great compared to the other lines available at that time. That's exactly what the major OEM's want you to think, though: "This is gonna be a 'GOTTA HAVE IT' model because so-and-so-Tour-Pro is using it". Don't buy hype- buy what's best for you. If it's the FT-9, cool; if it's the FT-iz, cool; if it's something else altogether, cool... so long as it's properly fit to YOU.

 

2. according to Tom Wishon (TWGT owner, clubfitter/builder- his most famous client, in my eyes, was Payne Stewart- and author) has said through extensive testing it takes about 1,400 MOI points (g*cm2) to have ANY noticable difference. If you went from a pre-2006 model (before the 5,900 MOI limit was established) to something from the last 2-3 years, you will see a difference. If you bought the FT-5 and switched to the FT-9, for example, you won't see a lick of difference.

 

That said, you may not need more MOI, but a shorter shaft... especially if you bought your driver "off the rack". Tiger Woods uses a 44.5" driver, Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson use 45" drivers... but the average sold OTR has gone up to 45.75"- too long for most of us to handle. If that sounds like you (it was me a few years back), I bet if you got it to 44.5-45" you'd see a big difference in impact- if it starts getting on the center, more accuracy and distance.

[jamo]

No thanks. It's doubtful at best that Callaway can do this any better than anyone else has. The only thing that would make it "better" is having Callaway's name on it- which, obviously, doesn't mean squat. Not only that, carbon/graphite crowns (like the SuMo 5000) acheived this very same thing. So really, other than swapping one material for another, what are they acheiving?

 

I daid this in the article on the main page and I'll say it again, but with a tweak: thanks for letting us know two things:

 

1. The going rate of Mg. Since it's a cheaper material (which is why I believe they went to it and not for any "innovations" that should be reflected in its MSRP. I know it's going to have the current "it" shaft (at that moment), which is another reason to keep the price at $400. I know they'll use the "R&D" thing as well (even though there's very little of that, given all the times this has been done before). So, since the material is so much cheaper, and this is going to be what, 75% Mg alloy, this should be a cheaper club.

 

2. the new "it" "innovation". I'm almost certain we'll see Mg infused irons, as well. Whoopee!!! Just like tungsten, only applied differently!

 

Maybe next year they'll use Palladium, Halfnium or Antimony. They've already used Mg, Be, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Al, B, C, N, Pb, Ag, Au and W... there aren't many elements left.

 

http://www.williamsclass.com/EighthScienceWork/ColorPeriodicChartWebLarge.jpg

 

Lower/deeper COG. I'd bet they could do that without crossing the MOI limit. But you are right, they will find some made up reason to charge $400 (or, since it's Callaway, $500) for it.

[Justin66]

Lower/deeper COG. I'd bet they could do that without crossing the MOI limit. But you are right, they will find some made up reason to charge $400 (or, since it's Callaway, $500) for it.

 

But that was the purpose of the carbon/graphite crowns... to lower the CG. I did forget the extra $100 Callaway mark-up, didn't I?

[jamo]

But that was the purpose of the carbon/graphite crowns... to lower the CG. I did forget the extra $100 Callaway mark-up, didn't I?

 

You could probably make the whole head out of magnesium and then put tungsten or steel or something weights way in the back and bottom. I don't really know the relative weights, frequencies, costs, and strengths or carbon and magnesium so I don't really know if it would be advantageous, but I'm guessing that's their plan.