Potential Issue with my M3

[crope1 24]

About 2 years ago I was fitting for the TM M3 at a demo day. I normally do not hit TM drivers well, but the M3 was super feeling and did great, especially on my normal mis-hit (toe side). Since the quarantine has ended, I have played 3 times and the driver appears to be going nowhere. The ball is ending up 15-20 yards shorter than normal (compared to my playing partners I usually play with) despite good strikes. Has anyone had an issue with the M3 seeming to lose some pop? I know there is most likely something in my swing, but the only thing that appears different is driver distance, and nothing else.

 

thanks for the help!

[dalejbrass 110]

Only thing that comes to my mind is the ball.....have you changed balls? Is the ball(s) new/used/recycled? I would experiment with different balls first and go from there. My comment is based on your comment that the swing and ball flight are the same.

Edited June 1, 2020 by dalejbrass

[juspoole 1,398]

15 - 20 yards seems like too much for this to be the issue, but I know March me and May me are two totally different golfers usually.  I'm anywhere from 3 - 5 mph faster with the driver after the golf "muscles" are more active and I've been swinging on a regular basis.

[RickyBobby_PR 4,793]

Have you used something on the face to determine they were good strikes? 
 

What are the course conditions compared to what they normally are? I see you are in S Carolina. The east coast has been pretty wet this year. Total distance is achieved in different ways. Some carry it all he way and get no roll, others get lots of roll and others get a combo of carry and roll. How does your carry distance compare to your playing partners? Are you guys always grouped pretty close to each other off the tee in distance?

Have you practiced at all before you you finally were able to get on the course? Did your exercise or activity levels change from pre to post quarantine? Lots of unknowns To say if it’s the driver or not.

While it could be the driver unless you are hitting a ton of shots with it or stored it in super cold temps or something having an m3 Or any driver die in 2 years isn’t something that’s too normal. I know guys with r15s that are still getting plenty of pop out of their driver 

[crope1 24]

47 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Have you used something on the face to determine they were good strikes? 
 

What are the course conditions compared to what they normally are? I see you are in S Carolina. The east coast has been pretty wet this year. Total distance is achieved in different ways. Some carry it all he way and get no roll, others get lots of roll and others get a combo of carry and roll. How does your carry distance compare to your playing partners? Are you guys always grouped pretty close to each other off the tee in distance?

Have you practiced at all before you you finally were able to get on the course? Did your exercise or activity levels change from pre to post quarantine? Lots of unknowns To say if it’s the driver or not.

While it could be the driver unless you are hitting a ton of shots with it or stored it in super cold temps or something having an m3 Or any driver die in 2 years isn’t something that’s too normal. I know guys with r15s that are still getting plenty of pop out of their driver 

Yes, I have used foot powder on the face to make sure I was striking it where I felt like I would. 
 

Yes, it has been wet here in the southeast, which could cause some of it, but 2 of the guys I normally play with hit it about 5 yards behind me on average, and the other is about 10 yards longer than me. This year I seem to be 10 yards behind the guys I usually hit it past. I must be doing something different with my driver swing. It could be that the ball is spinning more. Now that I think about it, I did switch from TP5x to TP5 this year. That may cause a few yards in spin maybe?

 

as for practice, I have been hitting balls at least once a week on the range. With the lockdown that was in S.C. that was about as often as I could get there.

[RickyBobby_PR 4,793]

10 minutes ago, crope1 said:

Yes, I have used foot powder on the face to make sure I was striking it where I felt like I would. 
 

Yes, it has been wet here in the southeast, which could cause some of it, but 2 of the guys I normally play with hit it about 5 yards behind me on average, and the other is about 10 yards longer than me. This year I seem to be 10 yards behind the guys I usually hit it past. I must be doing something different with my driver swing. It could be that the ball is spinning more. Now that I think about it, I did switch from TP5x to TP5 this year. That may cause a few yards in spin maybe?

 

as for practice, I have been hitting balls at least once a week on the range. With the lockdown that was in S.C. that was about as often as I could get there.

It could be the ball and even if strike is in the middle or good the path, aoa, etc could cause issues. 
 

Course conditions can play a big role for those who get their distance from roll out and if spin off off it will be even more impactful 

[thatjasonlee 37]

15 hours ago, crope1 said:

About 2 years ago I was fitting for the TM M3 at a demo day. I normally do not hit TM drivers well, but the M3 was super feeling and did great, especially on my normal mis-hit (toe side). Since the quarantine has ended, I have played 3 times and the driver appears to be going nowhere. The ball is ending up 15-20 yards shorter than normal (compared to my playing partners I usually play with) despite good strikes. Has anyone had an issue with the M3 seeming to lose some pop? I know there is most likely something in my swing, but the only thing that appears different is driver distance, and nothing else.

 

thanks for the help!

I was actually listening to a podcast when they discussed driver heads. Instead of an older driver losing its pop, they talked about the face getting "too hot" and players having more difficulty controlling distance and direction. I think they were talking about it's a reason why Tiger was willing to switch so "quickly" from an M5 to the SIM. It's weird but to me that almost sounds like you gain distance but lose control with older drivers. I might've understood that incorrectly though.

I've also had the issue where I noticed sudden drop in distance. But that's usually when I am trying to prevent slices and hinge my swings really early, losing a lot of "width". Maybe the swing is something to look into as well?  [shrug].

[RickyBobby_PR 4,793]

1 minute ago, thatjasonlee said:

I was actually listening to a podcast when they discussed driver heads. Instead of an older driver losing its pop, they talked about the face getting "too hot" and players having more difficulty controlling distance and direction. I think they were talking about it's a reason why Tiger was willing to switch so "quickly" from an M5 to the SIM. It's weird but to me that almost sounds like you gain distance but lose control with older drivers. I might've understood that incorrectly though.

I've also had the issue where I noticed sudden drop in distance. But that's usually when I am trying to prevent slices and hinge my swings really early, losing a lot of "width". Maybe the swing is something to look into as well?  [shrug].

This is what happened to Schauffele last year and some others that failed testing before events. The faces get hotter til they break.
 

I don’t know about the loss of control part. 

[thatjasonlee 37]

2 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

This is what happened to Schauffele last year and some others that failed testing before events. The faces get hotter til they break.
 

I don’t know about the loss of control part. 

If they fail testing, do they get disqualified from the event? Or do they just have to submit another driver for testing?

[RickyBobby_PR 4,793]

45 minutes ago, thatjasonlee said:

If they fail testing, do they get disqualified from the event? Or do they just have to submit another driver for testing?

They don’t get disqualified. The driver is remove and they put one that has passed in play

[cnosil 14,588]

1 hour ago, thatjasonlee said:

If they fail testing, do they get disqualified from the event? Or do they just have to submit another driver for testing?

Testing is done prior to the start of the event.  

[thatjasonlee 37]

On 6/1/2020 at 1:01 PM, thatjasonlee said:

If they fail testing, do they get disqualified from the event? Or do they just have to submit another driver for testing?

 

On 6/1/2020 at 1:47 PM, RickyBobby_PR said:

They don’t get disqualified. The driver is remove and they put one that has passed in play

 

Thanks for the input guys! And just another question for my own curiosity. Who does the testing? Someone from the USGA? And is it mandatory?

[cnosil 14,588]

 
Thanks for the input guys! And just another question for my own curiosity. Who does the testing? Someone from the USGA? And is it mandatory?

USGA and R&A depending on whether the tournament is in US or abroad. It is done “randomly”
and if asked it is mandatory you submit the club.