Still using "old" driver

[Toro3150]

I'm still using a Cobra ZL driver (which was released in 2010) and each spring I go to various demo days/new equipment shows to be fitted to try out the latest and greatest. This year with the help of my club pro shop, I tried more new drivers (playing multiple rounds and range time) than ever before. The bottom line is that none work better than the eight year old Cobra ZL for me. Has anyone else experienced this, the club that seemingly should not win out ends up winning? At this point I'm really starting to believe that there is a club for each person that somehow matches all the details of that particular golfer/swing regardless of what new "bigger,better, longer, springy, twisty,etc" comes out each year. Keeping in mind of course that the ZL would still be considered a "modern" driver (I don't think I would keep falling back to a persimmon MacGregor).

 

Thoughts?

[Peaksy68]

My driver is from 2008, shaft 2007. They were purchased at the same time separately as a very low cost gamble. All up, including getting the tip pulled and refitted it cost me $85. I've tried for several years to beat it, but I haven't found anything better. A lot have been around the same performance, but no where near worth paying for a new club.

 

The shaft is a big key, I really high confidence when I swing the driver, I know what's going on through the swing. Any new driver will need to be a full fitting, as I'm pretty sure lightning won't strike twice as far as shaft gambles go.

[perseveringgolfer]

Titleist 910 D3 here- couple of really nice looking new drivers out there so I might be tempted to change

[revkev]

It's entirely possible.

 

Once technology maxed out COR limits the only real equipment gains are in the forgiveness category. Of course better forgiveness may lead to more confidence and a bit more distance.

 

But if this driver/shaft combo clicks for your swing you could be all set for a while.

 

Continued success with it.

 

As a continued challenge I keep hoping that the MGS crew will do a test where they compare all of the top three finishers in the Most Wanted Driver year head to head going back to when it started.

 

Those are results I'd love to see.

 

 

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[Charli]

I'm playing with the r11s and went to GG to try the new m4 m3 against it. Well it was even close. The golf galaxy guy was trying to make excuses so I would make the purchase but I told him would you buy this club when the numbers favor your gamer. Of course he said yes because he would get used to the club and would hit it better. Ha!

[jb0330]

I play 2012 Ping Anser and I don't see it leaving my bag anytime soon. There isn't a reason for it to, I hit or slightly miss most of the fairways.

 

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[MGoBlue100]

I'm playing with the r11s and went to GG to try the new m4 m3 against it. Well it was even close. The golf galaxy guy was trying to make excuses so I would make the purchase but I told him would you buy this club when the numbers favor your gamer. Of course he said yes because he would get used to the club and would hit it better. Ha!

...and THIS is why I only go to GG to buy shirts off the clearance rack, LOLZ!

 

 

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[Peaksy68]

...and THIS is why I only go to GG to buy shirts off the clearance rack, LOLZ!

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I had a different experience at my local chain golf store. I tried a few drivers, the best one was a Callaway Big Bertha (about 1.5 years ago). I hit my driver too.

 

The guy gave me the Callaway to try on course, but said "try it, but you won't buy it. The spin numbers are a bit better, but no real difference to your current one".

 

The fact that I know him pretty well and have played with him several times might have made a difference.

[russtopherb]

A friend of mine has a ZL and has found the same thing - no performance upgrades with more recent clubs.

 

Sometimes comfort and familiarity with a club are more important than 5 more yards. If you know how the club is going to perform, and you're scoring well with it, then keep it in the bag. 

[tony@CIC]

I'm playing a G20 with a stock shaft I bought back in 2009/2010(?). Tried a F7, M2 and a G30 and still preferred my G20. Fitting day is coming up at our Club - will be interested to see how other drivers fair against my G20. 

[BenjaminButtonz]

I'm hitting a Cleveland Launcher Comp 460 from when I was in high school. I didn't know much about golf and what I actually “needed”. I couldn't afford brand name clubs, so I found a guy who built clubs 30 miles from my town, and was fitted for a set of Acer irons he built for me, which I still hit to this day 12 years later. I've tried other irons, but Acers still work just as well for what I'm capable of/trying to accomplish on the course. (Maybe that's just my biased opinion retaliating “change”.) And since I was so young then, and couldn't afford a $500 big stick, when every one of my friends had golfing parents who would buy them name brand Everything I felt obligated to compete. So when I saw the Cleveland Launcher online with an Aldila NV 65 S shaft(only recognized this because when you would daydream on websites building your “dream” driver that shift option was always a popular choice, so it was familiar only for that reason at the time) in the clearance section of a website, I immediately pulled the trigger without knowing anything about that club or the consequences of an improperly fit club. The gamble payed off, and I still love that driver just as much as the day It came in the mail. When I hit a pure drive I can get to 270-280 best case scenario, with my average decent drive around the 250 mark. I feel not having moving weights/adjustments/etc forced me into building a proper swing that could give me feedback on my shots on how to adjust for errors rather than “oh I'll just set this to the max draw setting and swig for the fences” Now a days, I know a lot more about this sport, and the fundamentals. The “what's” and the “whys” and have found that adopting a new perspective, attitude, and dedication towards progressing your skills in golf will benefit someone much more than buying a new driver. Maybe that's just because of my situation and restrictions I faced learning how to golf, or because Of the budget I've had for the sport. Kind of like having one of your grandpas old hand tools you use regularly. New ones may be better on paper. But it won't feel the same as Ol' Faithful, and that too me is the most important decision in a golf purchase. This is just my personal opinion, great question Toro!

 

 

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[PlaidJacket]

I'm still using a Cobra ZL driver (which was released in 2010) and each spring I go to various demo days/new equipment shows to be fitted to try out the latest and greatest. This year with the help of my club pro shop, I tried more new drivers (playing multiple rounds and range time) than ever before. The bottom line is that none work better than the eight year old Cobra ZL for me. Has anyone else experienced this, the club that seemingly should not win out ends up winning? At this point I'm really starting to believe that there is a club for each person that somehow matches all the details of that particular golfer/swing regardless of what new "bigger,better, longer, springy, twisty,etc" comes out each year. Keeping in mind of course that the ZL would still be considered a "modern" driver (I don't think I would keep falling back to a persimmon MacGregor).

 

Thoughts?

My thoughts...

As most of the regulars know I'm still playing my 2014 SLDR. It turned out to be the best driver I'd ever played. Plenty long and very accurate. And get this... it's OTR*. Blasphemy! No fitting other than me adjusting the weighting and hosel settings. I tried earlier this spring to replace it with a 2015 Cobra Fly-Z+. In 2015 this was a top three Most Wanted Driver. I'd always liked the look of the driver and wanted to put one in my bag. So, I bought a brand spanking new one off ebay for about $90. (yes, it's legit) But after many attempts and testing I had to put it aside. It just wasn't going to work out. I even tried a few different shafts and made adjustments in the weighting and hosel. But it was a non-starter.

 

So, what I decided to do was find and purchase another identical 2014 SLDR (brand new) and set it aside for the day when my original SLDR breaks or something. Will the backup SLDR perform like my original? I hope so. But I also wonder if my original might be a mfg. freak where all the stars aligned in some perfect fashion.

 

*Shotmaker installed in the shaft

[MotorCityKitty]

I'm still using a Cobra ZL driver (which was released in 2010) and each spring I go to various demo days/new equipment shows to be fitted to try out the latest and greatest. This year with the help of my club pro shop, I tried more new drivers (playing multiple rounds and range time) than ever before. The bottom line is that none work better than the eight year old Cobra ZL for me. Has anyone else experienced this, the club that seemingly should not win out ends up winning? At this point I'm really starting to believe that there is a club for each person that somehow matches all the details of that particular golfer/swing regardless of what new "bigger,better, longer, springy, twisty,etc" comes out each year. Keeping in mind of course that the ZL would still be considered a "modern" driver (I don't think I would keep falling back to a persimmon MacGregor).

 

Thoughts?

I had the same issue last spring. I was hitting a Titleist 913 D3 and wanted to upgrade. Everything I tried off the rack would be equal to or less than the 913. Frustrated that I couldn't find something that was better than what I had currently, I went to PGA Tour Superstore and bought an hour long Tour Fitting session. BEST DECISION EVER. I was able to hit the 4 different driver heads (M1, M2, Epic, 917) I was looking at switching to. I was able to also try about 4 or 5 different shafts in each head to dial in launch angle, spin rates, etc. Some of the head/shaft combos worked and some didn't. After the hour long session was done, I found a combo that added roughly 20 yards of distance. I always knew that the shaft made a difference but never thought it would help me gain 20 yards.

 

 

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[MGoBlue100]

BEST DECISION EVER. I found a combo that added roughly 20 yards of distance. I always knew that the shaft made a difference but never thought it would help me gain 20 yards.

 

 

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I can verify this story. Dude hits it STUPID far now. (It was pretty stupidly far previously...) I should get two strokes on the par 5's

 

 

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[Toro3150]

Well, it's nice to hear others are kinda in the same boat I am. Accuracy is probably the best attritube of the "old" ZL I'm playing. I've never really been a long hitter, at 40 now, I probably still hit distance wise what I did at 25 or 30. It's easy to fall prey to the notion that newer is always better. I think I'll check eBay for a spare ZL just in case. My next experiment will be with a Fly Z from 2015. A neighbor who doesn't play picked it up at an estate sale for me. I just haven't tried it out yet. Thanks for all the input.

[Miketheripper]

This really hits home for me, I have a 2013 Cobra AMP cell driver, I replaced the stock shaft with a prolaunch red, cut to play at 45" and it just seems to work for my swing, I then bought a bio cell plus driver thinking I was going to gain some distance, but that wasn't the case, I believe the spin was just too low for my swing speed and the 3000 foot altitude where I live, so I ended up selling that driver.

I also picked up a cobra F6 driver that works pretty well, but not any better than the AMP cell, and I prefer the sound and feel of the AMP cell.

 

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[The Dansome]

I put the PING G30 with Paderson shaft back into play this weekend and picked up some yards and noticeable accuracy. Going back to my old but trusted combo.

[revkev]

I put the PING G30 with Paderson shaft back into play this weekend and picked up some yards and noticeable accuracy. Going back to my old but trusted combo.

That combo worked great for me for nearly four years.

 

I think it's been surpassed - it certainly has been surpassed accuracy wise.

 

Review to come in a few weeks.

 

 

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[bens197]

I was also in the same boat. Last week I upgraded from a 913D3 whiteboard to a G400 LST HZRDUS.

 

Long story short, I cut my spin in half and lowered my launch angle by 7 degrees with the optimal setting (side note that Aldila Rogue is a beast of a shaft). Both heads were 8.5 and the numbers weren't even close.

 

The key is the spin. These heads are doing two things very well to keep newer technology relevant.

 

1) Making off-center hits more forgiving

2) Still moving MOI to optimize performance.

 

I was as surprised as anyone to see that profound a difference and truth be told, I cannot wait to see what it looks like in 3-5 years if my wife let's me upgrade 🤣

 

This was certainly a product of a much better fitting. Numbers definitely helped me dial in the settings for which shaft worked best. Having access to a launch monitor was truly eye opening to me. I had always fit on feel and flight. Hitting range balls vs premium 4 piece against a monitor is apples to typewriters.

 

 

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[Kwoodfield]

Very possible. Could be you are good with the shaft. Sets up well for your eye. Many reasons. I don't think the new technology has made leaps and bounds. Last driver broke, got the new latest and greatest and I'm back to where I was. I didn't gain 150 yards like every company States you will. It was just back to where I was before. It's all about hitting fairways and greens. Best of luck!

 

 

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[Sluggo42]

It's entirely possible.

Once technology maxed out COR limits the only real equipment gains are in the forgiveness category. Of course better forgiveness may lead to more confidence and a bit more distance.

But if this driver/shaft combo clicks for your swing you could be all set for a while.

Continued success with it.

As a continued challenge I keep hoping that the MGS crew will do a test where they compare all of the top three finishers in the Most Wanted Driver year head to head going back to when it started.

Those are results I'd love to see.

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+1

 

I had a Jetspeed that couldn't be beat for a few years.

Then finally the 816 DBD beat it.

Then the Epic beat that.

 

Now my new driver isn't as long (but it's still way long) but it's deadly accurate.

[RickyBobby_PR]

It's entirely possible.

 

Once technology maxed out COR limits the only real equipment gains are in the forgiveness category. Of course better forgiveness may lead to more confidence and a bit more distance.

 

But if this driver/shaft combo clicks for your swing you could be all set for a while.

 

Continued success with it.

 

As a continued challenge I keep hoping that the MGS crew will do a test where they compare all of the top three finishers in the Most Wanted Driver year head to head going back to when it started.

 

Those are results I'd love to see.

 

 

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And one thing some people don't understand is when there's added ball speed there is a chance for bigger miss. Open face or even some face to path relationships done have a driver on the market that's going to reduce the really big miss.

 

Adam Scott put his 910d3 back in play

[Gg Owen]

While I don't have it in the bag any longer I was teeing it up with a G10 for awhile there and loved it. It was a fairway seeking missile launcher. Trouble was:

 

1. I thought that something newer would be better.

2. I was told by a VIP in my household that I would have to part with one to buy another.

 

Since, at the time, I owned 5 drivers, I had to choose a weapon to part with. For some unknown reason I chose the G10.

 

In answer to the OP's question, is the newer stuff longer? Perhaps - or at least it can be if properly fitted. But therein lay the key. If fitted properly (shaft is the key), odds are the older models will be nice and long.

 

A sad truth is simply this; an older model properly fitted will most likely be longer than an off-the-shelf newer model that is ill fitting for the user. Many players don't understand this concept. Ironically I play in a league with one of them and he was complaining about his new driver in our last outing. He bought it "off the shelf" and said that he "hit a bunch of them pure on the range". Too many things can go wrong with off the rack. (Loft, length, flex, weighting, and grip size for examples).And also is imperative that you have a repeating golf swing.My swing may not be perfect look wise.But the results speak volumes in how good it works under pressure.No club will work consistently with a very poor swing action.

[Miketheripper]

I did the same thing, my G10 worked really well for me right off the shelf, but like an idiot, I traded it in towards a new AMP cell driver, and it took a few shaft changes for me to get back to where I was with my old G10 driver.

 

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