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All drivers equal nowadays?


Sluggo42

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I think so. It’s not like there are any clubs that are 10 yards longer than the rest. I think we’re down to subtle things like adjustability and twisty face things now, and that fitted shafts are the true things that’ll make a difference...

I say this as I check this page daily, and it’s virtually the same for months. The irons page however has lots of changes going on... shafts too. I mean some of the new irons go so far it’s ridiculous.

Shafts seems to be the thing in my mind that will be the next major development in golf. I predict someone figures out how to make a shaft “kick” the ball an extra 20 yards within the next 5 years...

 

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:mizuno-small:  T22 Denim Copper 54°, 58° on Kinetic X Trajectory 

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Agreed. Every major manufacturer has already reached max conformity, even pushing pass the legal limit. I think continued development in maintaining forgiveness or ball speeds across the face is the next marketing ploy. This has been the season for putter shafts and golf balls.

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9 hours ago, Sluggo42 said:

I think so. It’s not like there are any clubs that are 10 yards longer than the rest. I think we’re down to subtle things like adjustability and twisty face things now, and that fitted shafts are the true things that’ll make a difference

I agree 100% that all drivers produce about the same. I also believe 100% is you can play any driver head (from major brands not Walmart or Target drivers), put a shaft (the engine to the club) that's fitted to you, and produce the same type of numbers. To me the quantifying factor is feel, and which driver head you like the feel of and swing weight the best.

  •  SUN_MOUNTAIN_LOGO_ORANGE.jpg.a9d08a3a8868c113b375e59d107b307c.jpg C130 USA bag 
  • Driver - th.jpg.d6e2abdaeb04f007fd259c979f389de6.jpg 0811XF - Tensei Ck Orange - 65 G Stiff
  • 3 Wood - tm.jpg.b933503b8a6713406bcc109c48c76358.jpg M6 - Tensei CK Orange - 65 G Stiff
  • 19*  & 22* Hybrids -  tm.jpg.b933503b8a6713406bcc109c48c76358.jpg M6 - Tensei CK Orange - 82 G Stiff
  • Irons & Wedges- th.jpg.d6e2abdaeb04f007fd259c979f389de6.jpg 0211 5-PW, GW, SW, LW 45*. 50*, 54*, 60* - True Temper Elevate Tour 117 G Stiff
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  • Ball - tm.jpg.b933503b8a6713406bcc109c48c76358.jpg TP5
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Theoretically all drivers are equal on perfect shots. There are things outside the shaft that influence and may make one driver better than another for you. Things like weight distribution, total weight, lie angle, where you miss, and the influence the look of the driver has on you swing. Some of those you can adjust and some you can’t. Shaft will help consistency and dispersion but won’t necessarily make a head that isn’t ideal for you work better. For example a lightweight XXIO driver design for slow swing speed players will not equal heavy headed weight forward head even with the optimal shaft.

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Fairway: :titelist-small: TS3 15*  w/Project X Hzardous Smoke
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Irons:      :honma:TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite
Wedge:  :titleist-small: 54/12D, 60/8M w/:Accra iWedge 90 Graphite
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All drivers are equal.  All swings are not.  One driver will perform better for player A and fail for player B.  I'd put less emphasis on the brand and more emphasis on how it performs for my swing when going with a new driver.

Driver: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max (10.5* set at -1 and neutral) -- Mitsubishi Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Fairway: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max 3 wood (16.5*) and Heaven Wood (20*)-- Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Hybrids: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max 5H (23*)--Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Irons:  :callaway-small: Apex CF19 6-9, PW, AW -- KBS Tour Graphite  TGI 70 shafts R +1/2 inch 3* upright

Wedges: Edison 53* and  57* KBS PGI 80 Graphite +1/2 inch 2* upright

Putter: L.A.B. DF 2.1 -- BGT Stability shaft

Ball:  Maxfli TourX...Golf Bag: :ping-small: Pioneer...Shoes: :footjoy-small: Hyperflex... Glove: Red Rooster Feather

 

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2 hours ago, Maltenator said:

I agree 100% that all drivers produce about the same. I also believe 100% is you can play any driver head (from major brands not Walmart or Target drivers), put a shaft (the engine to the club) that's fitted to you, and produce the same type of numbers. To me the quantifying factor is feel, and which driver head you like the feel of and swing weight the best.

I don’t necessarily agree. While the shaft may supply the power thru loading/unloading it’s more of a tuning mechanism to optimize launch conditions. Getting the right loft so that launch is in the right window is more important. The shaft can then be used to tweak the launch and spin and feel. 

I don’t agree that any shaft can be plugged into any head. I’ve been to several fittings and something like the hzrdus yellow has worked in a few heads but didn’t work in a couple others. Same for iron shafts. Kbs $ taper worked in some heads while not so much in others. 

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

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Driver heads have varying levels of fade/draw bias which may "work" for everyone but certain players would be better served by 1 bias versus the other. Even more of an issue with high or normal spin heads versus lower spinning models. 

There are a few drivers that have the same stock Tensei and Project X shafts this year... Go test a few out and see if your trackman numbers are the same. I would bet the EPIC flash, M5, and G410 perform noticeably different for most people. 

Fitting only for shaft and ignoring head doesn't make sense. 

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Man, I’m not so sure. I’ve hit every driver on the market this year, did fittings (minimum of stock options) and saw HUGE differences. Is the CT maxed, COR as well? Probably, but we have the issue of MANUFACTURER’S TOLERANCES. Loft might be off by as much as two degrees. Weighting could be off by a few ounces, COR/CT of each head can vary (Schauffele), so I wouldn’t say they’re all equal.
I saw a 4 mph gain in ball speed from the EXS vs my G400 LST. That’s a LOT for me at 112-113 mph! The M5 and M6 couldn’t stay on the planet. The G410 was so-so.
Weighting in the heads is different due to if the crown is graphite, or of it’s titanium, and ball speeds high off the head will differ just because there is either graphite or titanium up there behind the strike.
I was unable to get fitted and get ALL DRIVERS to show me the same numbers. Not even close, across the board. Look at the MGS testing. GREAT variances....
Yes, CT and COR are generally at the limits, but all drivers are not equal.......

Driver: Ping G430 Max 9*, Ping Tour 70X

Fairway: Ping G425 15*, Ping Tour 70X

Hybrid: Ping G425 22*, Ping Tour 80X

Irons:  Ping i230 4-GW, TT DG X100

Wedges: :edel-golf-1: SMS 50D/54V/58D:Nippon:Modus 130 stiff, +1”

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I think they are close but I don't think they are equal by any means. I was gaming a rogue prior to being selected to be a tester for the flash. I picked up 10-15 yards overnight. Yes it was a newer generation driver but it shouldn't amount to that type of gain. Most manufacturers produce great drivers but IMO in order for them to be equal I should be able to hit each one the same and that simply is not the case. I think that what we are seeing is that it is easier to produce optimum launch conditions and ball speeds with all the options available. But that doesn't mean they are equals.  

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image.png.dee92ef6cebb2ac4a3883744fc248f12.png     Stealth 2+ 15 (Diamana PD 70 S 43")

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I think they are close but I don't think they are equal by any means. I was gaming a rogue prior to being selected to be a tester for the flash. I picked up 10-15 yards overnight. Yes it was a newer generation driver but it shouldn't amount to that type of gain. Most manufacturers produce great drivers but IMO in order for them to be equal I should be able to hit each one the same and that simply is not the case. I think that what we are seeing is that it is easier to produce optimum launch conditions and ball speeds with all the options available. But that doesn't mean they are equals.  


I agree partner. The Flash driver continues to amaze me!

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Love the thread but I would answer no -

All drivers produced by OEMs are of reasonably good quality - I agree with that premise - but certainly not the same.  Each one has its theory as to how to get to max performance which means that certain heads will work better for certain swing types.

With all due respect to some of our respondents it's most certainly not all about the shaft.  It's all about the entire fit and as others have accurately stated a shaft/head combo from a certain OEM for a certain player will not necessarily mean that the same shaft is ideal in the next head for that same player -

You just need to be fit to get maximized.

In regards to it being all about irons at this time of year here that's because they are what are being released and tested at this point.  Drivers came out at the end of last season, the beginning of this one.  In fact MGS called this the year of the driver early on and from everything our Most Wanted Testers have said and I've seen I have little doubt that they were right.  This was one of those year's when most OEM's offered heads that increased launch and reduced spin - the prescription for more distance.

If anything you could argue that it is irons that change the least - the advent of Player's Distance Irons over the last few years has been intriguing but other than that there really has been very little new to look at over the past 10 years or so.  Granted there has been a move this year by some OEM's to make their GI irons a bit more compact and visually appealing.  But I'm not quite sure how successful they've been.  At least for me I found that I hit my G30 irons much better than the G410. 

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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5 hours ago, THEZIPR23 said:

I think they are close but I don't think they are equal by any means. I was gaming a rogue prior to being selected to be a tester for the flash. I picked up 10-15 yards overnight. Yes it was a newer generation driver but it shouldn't amount to that type of gain. Most manufacturers produce great drivers but IMO in order for them to be equal I should be able to hit each one the same and that simply is not the case. I think that what we are seeing is that it is easier to produce optimum launch conditions and ball speeds with all the options available. But that doesn't mean they are equals.  

10-15 yards overnight! So was the older Rogue a fitted driver? Because the Rogue isn’t a short club. Was the Flash off the shelf? Or customer fit with aftermarket shaft? So something happened, because I don’t think that with all other things be equal,  the flash is going to outgain the Rogue by that kind of distance.

But, if both were equal and the Flash crushes the Rogue like that, I guess I better go get me one, and hang up the LST, as it’s about 2 years old now.

but seriously, I don’t see that gain coming from two (off the shelf) clubs, right?

 

:titleist-small: TSr2 on tensi blue stiff

:cobra-small: Speedzone 3-wood on Tensi blue S

:callaway-logo-1: Epic Max 5 and 7 woods on HZRDUS  Reg flex

:callaway-logo-1: Paradym 9 wood on HZRDUS reg flex

:taylormade-small: P770 / P790 combo set on Ventus R-6 shafts 6-AW

:mizuno-small:  T22 Denim Copper 54°, 58° on Kinetic X Trajectory 

:EVNROLL: ER3 or,

:edel-golf-1: E.A.S. #4   (“Fang” or “Adele”)
 

:titelist-small: ProV1x, or, Maxfli Tour X

:callaway-small: .Org 14 cart bag

Adidas Tour 360 , or Sketcher shoes

 

 

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1 hour ago, Sluggo42 said:

10-15 yards overnight! So was the older Rogue a fitted driver? Because the Rogue isn’t a short club. Was the Flash off the shelf? Or customer fit with aftermarket shaft? So something happened, because I don’t think that with all other things be equal,  the flash is going to outgain the Rogue by that kind of distance.

But, if both were equal and the Flash crushes the Rogue like that, I guess I better go get me one, and hang up the LST, as it’s about 2 years old now.

but seriously, I don’t see that gain coming from two (off the shelf) clubs, right?

Rogue was fitted at club champion. Flash was fitted with local pro. It blew my mind. If you haven’t read review, check it out. I wasn’t only one that saw increases like that. 


 

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3 hours ago, Sluggo42 said:

10-15 yards overnight! So was the older Rogue a fitted driver? Because the Rogue isn’t a short club. Was the Flash off the shelf? Or customer fit with aftermarket shaft? So something happened, because I don’t think that with all other things be equal,  the flash is going to outgain the Rogue by that kind of distance.

But, if both were equal and the Flash crushes the Rogue like that, I guess I better go get me one, and hang up the LST, as it’s about 2 years old now.

but seriously, I don’t see that gain coming from two (off the shelf) clubs, right?

 

2 hours ago, THEZIPR23 said:

Rogue was fitted at club champion. Flash was fitted with local pro. It blew my mind. If you haven’t read review, check it out. I wasn’t only one that saw increases like that. 


 

I didn't have much Arccos data from my TS2, but that was mostly because Flash was so much better. More consistent distance, and my longest drives were at least 10y longer -- so I had to put it straight into the bag. As I said in my review, the Smoke in my TS2 was a bad fit for me, but on mishits Flash feels like I get more out of it.

Driver: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max LS Tensei AV Blue S

3w/5w: :titelist-small: TSi2 Tensei AV Raw Blue S

4h: :mizuno-small: CLK 22* Hybrid Tensei CK Pro Blue 80HY S

Irons 5-PW: :mizuno-small: 223 Steelfiber PR 95 S

Wedges: :cleveland-small: RTX Zipcore Tour Rack 50, 54, 58 Steelfiber PR 105

Putter: LAB Link.1

Ball: :srixon-small: Z-Star Diamond

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So does the gain between your prior drivers and this year's flash speak more to a better fitting this time around or the club? 

It does seem like this year's iteration of drivers have greater adjustability and also a wider range of shaft selections at no upcharge. 

The proper head (setting as well) plus the proper shaft could net 15 yards without a doubt.  We are certainly at an time where driver fitting is essential.  There are so many choices and so much adjustability that one needs to maximize what he or she has. 

If you don't believe it just take your driver and adjust it to its maximums in either directions - you will see huge differences in results there and that's without changing shafts. 

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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8 hours ago, yungkory said:

 

I didn't have much Arccos data from my TS2, but that was mostly because Flash was so much better. More consistent distance, and my longest drives were at least 10y longer -- so I had to put it straight into the bag. As I said in my review, the Smoke in my TS2 was a bad fit for me, but on mishits Flash feels like I get more out of it.

So we are talking gains in total yards right and not carry?

what was the ball speed between the two? What were your launch angle, spin and descent angles?

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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There are so many variables to this that it is hard to determine what would create the gains. As I stated in my original post do the heads differ in weight, is there more forgiveness where the player mishits, are the shafts the same weight, are the shafts the same length, does the club change how you swing? I would expect to see more variation club to club if you simply go off the rack. The gap would narrow if you start looking at fitted shafts. From my own recent experiments with some driver shafts, I saw a 15 yard gain in carry. Multiple reasons mostly attributed to changing angle of attach from slightly down/level to 1.5 up, and 1 1/4 shorter shaft length and more efficient strokes. Now if I can find a shaft that helps me get the an upward angle of attack I will see better results. I personally went from 250ish with poor efficiency to 265+ with better efficiency.

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven
Fairway: :titelist-small: TS3 15*  w/Project X Hzardous Smoke
Hybrids:  :titelist-small: 915H 21* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype
                :titelist-small: 915H  24*  w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype        
Irons:      :honma:TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite
Wedge:  :titleist-small: 54/12D, 60/8M w/:Accra iWedge 90 Graphite
Putter:   :taylormade-small:TM-180

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4 hours ago, revkev said:

So does the gain between your prior drivers and this year's flash speak more to a better fitting this time around or the club? 

It does seem like this year's iteration of drivers have greater adjustability and also a wider range of shaft selections at no upcharge. 

The proper head (setting as well) plus the proper shaft could net 15 yards without a doubt.  We are certainly at an time where driver fitting is essential.  There are so many choices and so much adjustability that one needs to maximize what he or she has. 

If you don't believe it just take your driver and adjust it to its maximums in either directions - you will see huge differences in results there and that's without changing shafts. 

I went to a lighter shaft that I was able to increase CHS with and decrease dispersion.  Prior to the flash a light shaft did not equate to dispersion results that were acceptable. 

:taylormade-small:     Stealth 2+ 9 (Diamana PD 60 S 45") 

image.png.dee92ef6cebb2ac4a3883744fc248f12.png     Stealth 2+ 15 (Diamana PD 70 S 43")

:ping-small:          G425 19 (Raijin 2.0 85x)

:ping-small:          G425 22 (Raijin 2.0 85x)

:srixon-small:            ZX7 5-9 (KBS C Taper S)

:titleist-small:            Vokey SM9 45 10 F (KBS 610)

 :titleist-small:           Vokey SM9 49 08 F (KBS 610)

 :titleist-small:           Vokey SM9 55 08 M (KBS 610)

 :titleist-small:           Vokey SM9 59 04 T (KBS 610)

:taylormade-small:     Spider GT Splitback 34"

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"One thing Golf has taught me, is that my muscles have no memory."

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3 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

So we are talking gains in total yards right and not carry?

what was the ball speed between the two? What were your launch angle, spin and descent angles?

Total distance as seen on Arccos, and being closer to greens than I ever have been at my "home" course. Don't remember all of my LM data from the fitting. SS was up from TS2 from a better fitting shaft alone, but as I mentioned, Flash still seems to do better across the face than TS2 did.

Driver: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max LS Tensei AV Blue S

3w/5w: :titelist-small: TSi2 Tensei AV Raw Blue S

4h: :mizuno-small: CLK 22* Hybrid Tensei CK Pro Blue 80HY S

Irons 5-PW: :mizuno-small: 223 Steelfiber PR 95 S

Wedges: :cleveland-small: RTX Zipcore Tour Rack 50, 54, 58 Steelfiber PR 105

Putter: LAB Link.1

Ball: :srixon-small: Z-Star Diamond

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On ‎8‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 7:53 PM, revkev said:

Love the thread but I would answer no -

All drivers produced by OEMs are of reasonably good quality - I agree with that premise - but certainly not the same.  Each one has its theory as to how to get to max performance which means that certain heads will work better for certain swing types.

With all due respect to some of our respondents it's most certainly not all about the shaft.  It's all about the entire fit and as others have accurately stated a shaft/head combo from a certain OEM for a certain player will not necessarily mean that the same shaft is ideal in the next head for that same player -

You just need to be fit to get maximized.

In regards to it being all about irons at this time of year here that's because they are what are being released and tested at this point.  Drivers came out at the end of last season, the beginning of this one.  In fact MGS called this the year of the driver early on and from everything our Most Wanted Testers have said and I've seen I have little doubt that they were right.  This was one of those year's when most OEM's offered heads that increased launch and reduced spin - the prescription for more distance.

If anything you could argue that it is irons that change the least - the advent of Player's Distance Irons over the last few years has been intriguing but other than that there really has been very little new to look at over the past 10 years or so.  Granted there has been a move this year by some OEM's to make their GI irons a bit more compact and visually appealing.  But I'm not quite sure how successful they've been.  At least for me I found that I hit my G30 irons much better than the G410. 

Dead on it Rev

Driver ---- Callaway Big Bertha Alpha  Speeder 565 R flex- 5W TM V-Steel Fubuki 60r--- 7W TM V-Steel UST Pro Force Gold 65R----- 9 W TM V Steel TM MAS stiff---- Irons 2015 TM TP CB Steel Fiber 95 R--- GW Callaway Mack Daddy 2 52* shaft unknown junk pile refugee. SW Callaway PM Grind 56*  Modified sole grind--- KBS Tour Wedge-- LW Vokey 58* SM5 L grind--- Putter Ping B90I Broom Stick 

 

 

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On ‎8‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 9:28 PM, Sluggo42 said:

10-15 yards overnight! So was the older Rogue a fitted driver? Because the Rogue isn’t a short club. Was the Flash off the shelf? Or customer fit with aftermarket shaft? So something happened, because I don’t think that with all other things be equal,  the flash is going to outgain the Rogue by that kind of distance.

But, if both were equal and the Flash crushes the Rogue like that, I guess I better go get me one, and hang up the LST, as it’s about 2 years old now.

but seriously, I don’t see that gain coming from two (off the shelf) clubs, right?

Kinda like Rev and others have said just depends. For me I am still gaming my Homna over my 915 D-2. I hit a cut by design and the Homna does not have as bad of sidespin for me as the 915. We have proved that on the launch monitor. Now with the Homna if I do catch it in the toe some I can get a wicked rolling hook but that is rare for me. On the other hand if I catch the 915 in the toe it goes pretty straight and rolls like a freight train. But a toe hit hook is rare for me. Now I will add both of those drivers have off the shelf shafts but both have been tuned frequency wise and the heads have been tuned weight wise and placement wise. I have put the Homna against some of the newer drivers on the machine at PGASS. those new drivers did have stock shafts. Of course the one guy at PGASS figured out my driver had been tweaked and tuned some. Played with a guy today that is a club tinkerer himself. He had an older Cally X-1. He had a couple shafts he was experimenting with. I do remember the one shaft was a Project x and I can not recall what the other one was but he hit it well. now that Cally X-1 is about a 3 year old head but he was bombing it out there in the fairway straight around 280 290 or so. Like I told him that X-1 head IMHO is one of the best heads Cally made. I have messed with that head some and liked it. Was actually going to buy a used demo one from my course but got to messing with the 915 and then the Homna. But like I say different strokes for different folks

Driver ---- Callaway Big Bertha Alpha  Speeder 565 R flex- 5W TM V-Steel Fubuki 60r--- 7W TM V-Steel UST Pro Force Gold 65R----- 9 W TM V Steel TM MAS stiff---- Irons 2015 TM TP CB Steel Fiber 95 R--- GW Callaway Mack Daddy 2 52* shaft unknown junk pile refugee. SW Callaway PM Grind 56*  Modified sole grind--- KBS Tour Wedge-- LW Vokey 58* SM5 L grind--- Putter Ping B90I Broom Stick 

 

 

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My G25 driver stays in my bag not because I am cheap (well, I am) but because none of the new drivers have outperformed it.  Fitter this spring just shook his head after seeing my initial numbers with the G25 and said that will be hard to beat.  Forty-five minutes  and a bunch of combinations later, he threw in the towel.  Part of it is just familiarity I am sure but I just do not think driver tech has improved much in 6 years (at for my swing, which is not particularly high spin).

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... Interesting premise. It is true and it is false at the same time. Some golfers will hit the same drives regardless of which driver they try. Others can find 10-15 yds or more difference. Take 20 golfers at a demo day and let them hit every driver with multiple shafts and you will have different players hitting a given driver better than others. Every OEM will have a driver someone hits best. Difference in trajectory, spin, sound, feel and look can influence anyone's swing. And then the placebo phenomenon of hitting driver A well and driver B/C/D poorly can change your attitude about those drivers even of they fit you perfectly. 

... Lastly I would add that when I switched from a Cobra F9 10.5* to a 9* I gained a good 10 yards or more. Reduced spin and a more shallow descent contributed to the extra distance. 

Driver:     :taylormade-small:  Qi10 10.5* ... Ventus Red Velocore 5R
Fairway:  :cobra-small: Aerojet 3/5 ... Kai'li Blue 60R
Hybrids:  :ping-small:      430 Hybrid 22*... Steelfiber 780Hy 
                  :taylormade-small:  DHy #4 ... Diamana LTD 65r 
Irons:       :titleist-small:         '23 T200 5-Pw ... Steelfiber i95r
Wedges:  :taylormade-small: Vokey 50*/54*/58* ... Steelfiber i95r
Putter:     :cobra-small:  Sport-60 33" 
Ball:           Maxfli     Maxfli Tour

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54 minutes ago, chisag said:

... Interesting premise. It is true and it is false at the same time. Some golfers will hit the same drives regardless of which driver they try. Others can find 10-15 yds or more difference. Take 20 golfers at a demo day and let them hit every driver with multiple shafts and you will have different players hitting a given driver better than others. Every OEM will have a driver someone hits best. Difference in trajectory, spin, sound, feel and look can influence anyone's swing. And then the placebo phenomenon of hitting driver A well and driver B/C/D poorly can change your attitude about those drivers even of they fit you perfectly. 

... Lastly I would add that when I switched from a Cobra F9 10.5* to a 9* I gained a good 10 yards or more. Reduced spin and a more shallow descent contributed to the extra distance. 

A properly fit driver in the last 3-5 years of not further back on center face contact will net minimal gains. Some gains in either distance and/or dispersion can be seen on off center hits thanks to improving technology on the use of materials and moving weight around. Some of that distance will come from better ball speeds but as the usga and r&a start enforcing the ct testing across the face those gains are going to be less

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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1 minute ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

A properly fit driver in the last 3-5 years of not further back on center face contact will net minimal gains. Some gains in either distance and/or dispersion can be seen on off center hits thanks to improving technology on the use of materials and moving weight around. Some of that distance will come from better ball speeds but as the usga and r&a start enforcing the ct testing across the face those gains are going to be less

 

... While I agree and think everyone would benefit from a professional fitting, how many players have "properly fit drivers"? Dead center will produce different trajectory and spin for any given golfer. In my case an additional 10 yds just by switching heads, not even a different driver. And then of course some drivers perform better with heel shots, toe shots and high or low shots. My miss is high but rarely low and the F9 really excels with high on the face shots. Someone who's miss is low would probably do better with a different driver. 

Driver:     :taylormade-small:  Qi10 10.5* ... Ventus Red Velocore 5R
Fairway:  :cobra-small: Aerojet 3/5 ... Kai'li Blue 60R
Hybrids:  :ping-small:      430 Hybrid 22*... Steelfiber 780Hy 
                  :taylormade-small:  DHy #4 ... Diamana LTD 65r 
Irons:       :titleist-small:         '23 T200 5-Pw ... Steelfiber i95r
Wedges:  :taylormade-small: Vokey 50*/54*/58* ... Steelfiber i95r
Putter:     :cobra-small:  Sport-60 33" 
Ball:           Maxfli     Maxfli Tour

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57 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... While I agree and think everyone would benefit from a professional fitting, how many players have "properly fit drivers"? Dead center will produce different trajectory and spin for any given golfer. In my case an additional 10 yds just by switching heads, not even a different driver. And then of course some drivers perform better with heel shots, toe shots and high or low shots. My miss is high but rarely low and the F9 really excels with high on the face shots. Someone who's miss is low would probably do better with a different driver. 

Switching heads I’m guessing you are referring to loft since something like a ts2 to ts3 would be a different driver. Even so different lofts is a different driver. But that also gets to a proper fit driver. 

The number of golfers vs the ones that are properly fit it even have more than a quick session in a big box store are is most of the golfin public. It’s why distance is the main marketing point. Find some added speed on off center face and sell some clubs.

 

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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1 hour ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

A properly fit driver in the last 3-5 years of not further back on center face contact will net minimal gains. 

32DBEF41-AC62-432A-9C3C-922503229E70.thumb.jpeg.3123272d7625a706fee8df12ccd86784.jpeg

Epic Flash. 

173C660B-FFC0-4D67-B2DF-CE981F3FE8C1.thumb.jpeg.c4177d3445908152458218aa3cdf7175.jpeg
Rogue properly fit. 
 

14 yards gained on “center Hits”. 21 yards gained on “off center hits”

Huge difference between drivers. I would imagine I could hit other heads and the results will be different as well. 
 

I know that the rogue was properly fit at the time, when I went through a fitting at club champion there was nothing he could put together that would beat the results I was seeing. My guess is that the Flash was not properly fit as it was the only shaft I tried before LM went out. It could have been just a lucky guess by fitter but chances are there are a few more yards in there. 

:taylormade-small:     Stealth 2+ 9 (Diamana PD 60 S 45") 

image.png.dee92ef6cebb2ac4a3883744fc248f12.png     Stealth 2+ 15 (Diamana PD 70 S 43")

:ping-small:          G425 19 (Raijin 2.0 85x)

:ping-small:          G425 22 (Raijin 2.0 85x)

:srixon-small:            ZX7 5-9 (KBS C Taper S)

:titleist-small:            Vokey SM9 45 10 F (KBS 610)

 :titleist-small:           Vokey SM9 49 08 F (KBS 610)

 :titleist-small:           Vokey SM9 55 08 M (KBS 610)

 :titleist-small:           Vokey SM9 59 04 T (KBS 610)

:taylormade-small:     Spider GT Splitback 34"

 :titleist-small:           ProV1 #23

Twitter             @THEZIPR23

 

"One thing Golf has taught me, is that my muscles have no memory."

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I think there are tiers. But any driver head fitted properly probably doesn't make much difference within a tier.

Take Dead Aim

Take Dead Aim

Driver: PXG 0211 10.5* 

Fairway: Titleist 917 F3 15*

Hybrid: Adams Idea Pro Boxer Gold 18*

Irons: MacGregor MT-86 Pro

Wedges: Vokey 50/54/58

Putter: SeeMore X2 Costa del Mar

Ball: Srixon Z-Star

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