The Driver Hype Wars 2021

[BNewton51]

On 2/19/2021 at 2:40 PM, JohnSmalls said:

Man I wish I could have seen what all the bubble shaft hype was first hand!

EVERYONE had to have a bubble burner.  That was a crazy time!  I look at pictures now and think, man that thing was ugly... but we all played it none the less! I was managing a golf shop and by far we sold the mess outta them.  Between those and the Big Bertha's.  

[BNewton51]

On 2/19/2021 at 3:14 PM, Shank Aaron said:

I've hit the first five poll choices, and the Cobra....A LOT! G425 was the winner in my testing. The rest of them can just fight it out in the court of public opinion after that, cant they?

Hands down, the G425 was the the straightest and most consistent in spin numbers for me as well.  The others performed well, but distance is relative.  Straight, well that is not!  

[Thin2win]

7 minutes ago, BNewton51 said:

EVERYONE had to have a bubble burner.  That was a crazy time!  I look at pictures now and think, man that thing was ugly... but we all played it none the less! I was managing a golf shop and by far we sold the mess outta them.  Between those and the Big Bertha's.  

The burner bubble was my first non hand me down driver. I loved it something fierce. 

[BNewton51]

On 2/2/2021 at 12:55 PM, Thin2win said:

So who has won the early hype war for you? IE, if you got a free driver delivered in the mail tomorrow, which one would you want it to be(and which shaft? please say autoflex)

Perhaps I am in the minority on this one, but I just don't get the Autoflex... I know I know... I may be missing something.  But A. The price is just ridiculous... and B. There are so many great shafts out there for far less price wise that produce great numbers that I just can't justify playing that outrageous amount of money for that shaft.  BUT, as I said, that's just me.... I may be wrong on this one.  

G425 with the Tensei Orange Raw on order simply because distances are ALL about the same in my testings amongst all the new drivers (There really isn't anything on the market head wise that's gonna hit it further - Shafts are about all that can make a difference), but the dispersion of the Ping is outrageously straight and grouping within 10-15 yards.  PING also does an amazing job of producing a consistent spin head where you don't shoot up or down in either direction tremendously far. 

I'll take my 280 average with fairways on every shot over being able to inch out a few more yards but little to no control.  

Great question thought since the new products are out there flooding inboxes luring people to the stores left and right currently! 

[BNewton51]

2 minutes ago, Thin2win said:

The burner bubble was my first non hand me down driver. I loved it something fierce. 

I bought one myself when they first came out and gamed it for half a season before I was compelled to put the BB back in the bag.  That was perhaps the most revolutionary driver I think I ever played and one of the most consistent.   BUT, having said all that... the Bubble was a HOT stick!  We sold ton's of them to the point that TM was sending us free product because we were shattering sales. 

If you remember those, they also coupled them with the Burner Bubble irons... Now flash forward and think of them against today's modern day hollow clubs on the market.  Talk about technology advances. 

[bens197]

I’d love to see the D9 take a top billing this year. I won’t get on it but I’m always rooting for the underdog. 
 

My smart money is on Ping for the third year. I’ll take an LST with a Ventus blue or Tensei Orange  

[BIG STU]

Well if the SIM is half as good as that M-6 I just started using well---- I did a trade deal on a M-6 really to benefit a friend but it really benefitted me. I tried it on a whim and loved it. even with me hitting at only 80% it is a straight cannon for me. One of the smoothest buttery feeling drivers I have ever hit. Now the shaft that fits me will be bitter dissapointment for some but it works for me. the Evenflow 45 gram R--- And I know I have made fun of the Twist face before but it works for me. In fact I nicknamed it Twisted Sister. But yep I guess it would be TM for me

[ejgaudette]

11 hours ago, BNewton51 said:

Perhaps I am in the minority on this one, but I just don't get the Autoflex... I know I know... I may be missing something.  But A. The price is just ridiculous... and B. There are so many great shafts out there for far less price wise that produce great numbers that I just can't justify playing that outrageous amount of money for that shaft.  BUT, as I said, that's just me.... I may be wrong on this one.  

It's one of those things for some people if that shaft helps optimize their driver 2% more then that is worth it. But many others will not want to pay that, myself included. Though if I got to hit one for free that could be fun.

[fixyurdivot]

4 hours ago, ejgaudette said:

Though if I got to hit one for free that could be fun.

Channeling @Golfspy_CG2and the folks at Autoflex .

[BNewton51]

4 hours ago, ejgaudette said:

It's one of those things for some people if that shaft helps optimize their driver 2% more then that is worth it. But many others will not want to pay that, myself included. Though if I got to hit one for free that could be fun.

yup, 100% agree.  Different strokes for different folks, but if it's free sure that would be fun!   However... the way Scott's raking his around the course lately I'd have to say that's not exactly a great look for Autoflex.  He literally looks like he doesnt have any control. 

[ZenGolfer]

On 2/2/2021 at 12:55 PM, Thin2win said:

So who has won the early hype war for you? IE, if you got a free driver delivered in the mail tomorrow, which one would you want it to be(and which shaft? please say autoflex)

Mizuno for me.  Everyone else can fight over the hype, meanwhile Mizuno has released yet another great driver that no one cares about.

[BNewton51]

34 minutes ago, BadgerGolfer said:

Mizuno for me.  Everyone else can fight over the hype, meanwhile Mizuno has released yet another great driver that no one cares about.

there's actually been some good traction with their new drivers.  I've seen a lot of write ups and youtubes with people being very complimentary.  It makes sense though that they are behind a lot of other OEM's currently because Mizuno has always focused on putting some of the finest irons on the market... but I think they're trying to broaden their appeal now. 

[RollingGreens]

13 minutes ago, BNewton51 said:

there's actually been some good traction with their new drivers.  I've seen a lot of write ups and youtubes with people being very complimentary.  It makes sense though that they are behind a lot of other OEM's currently because Mizuno has always focused on putting some of the finest irons on the market... but I think they're trying to broaden their appeal now. 

From listening to the MGS podcast it sounds as if the face isn’t hot enough to compete on the main stage with the big boys but is in the second tier

[txgolfjunkie]

I play the original SIM and took a trip to the local PGA SS to try the SIM 2, G425, Mizuno ST-Z, and RadSpeed (XB and regular) with my Titleist Left Dash Pro V1. 

SIM 2 - I wish I had my Sim on hand to compare the two but that ball flight...piercing, low spin, great carry...just can get a tad wild (blame it on the shaft - Hzrdus RDX Black 60 6.5). I'd really like to try a Ventus Blue or Black with that head and see what I could create. Only think I don't like about the Sim 2 is that there is no moveable weight. Longest of the bunch and felt like Thor's hammer at impact. 

Mizuno ST-Z - no lefty demo in stock. They never received one from Mizuno. Cool beans. First world problems. SCREW YOU MIZUNO! JK I take that back. 

RadSpeed - Low launching, low spinning demon. If I played in the wind a bunch or needed to play golf in a hallway, I'd go with that. Now, they only had a 9* in the RadSpeed but man, it was hilarious launching it at 8-9* with ~1900rpm. 

RadSpeed XB - spinny, felt really light in my hands. Tried the Motore X1 in 60x and the ball just spun too much. Decent initial launch but the ball ballooned on me. Felt much better than the standard RadSpeed but it didn't look nearly as good. 

G425 - I mean, if you like playing from the fairway, then it's a great club. But if you're like me and you enjoy the occasional left rough or hard draw/hook into the right trees, stay away from the G425. This club is for folks who drink skim milk and eat cheerios for breakfast. Where's the thrill in that? It was the shortest of the bunch but if I went to a real fitting, I'd like to see some other shaft options to boost ball speed and lower spin a bit. 

They didn't have many shaft options for the Srixon ZX 5 so I passed. 

[BNewton51]

47 minutes ago, RollingGreens said:

From listening to the MGS podcast it sounds as if the face isn’t hot enough to compete on the main stage with the big boys but is in the second tier

yup, i heard that as well.  That's their biggest ding, and I think PXG is finding the same right now too.  They're just not there YET with the bigger OEM's to get on that stage.  BUT.. and I do say BUT... They are trending in the right direction.  Might see them try to make a big leap here in the next few iterations. 

[BNewton51]

39 minutes ago, txgolfjunkie said:

I play the original SIM and took a trip to the local PGA SS to try the SIM 2, G425, Mizuno ST-Z, and RadSpeed (XB and regular) with my Titleist Left Dash Pro V1. 

SIM 2 - I wish I had my Sim on hand to compare the two but that ball flight...piercing, low spin, great carry...just can get a tad wild (blame it on the shaft - Hzrdus RDX Black 60 6.5). I'd really like to try a Ventus Blue or Black with that head and see what I could create. Only think I don't like about the Sim 2 is that there is no moveable weight. Longest of the bunch and felt like Thor's hammer at impact. 

Mizuno ST-Z - no lefty demo in stock. They never received one from Mizuno. Cool beans. First world problems. SCREW YOU MIZUNO! JK I take that back. 

RadSpeed - Low launching, low spinning demon. If I played in the wind a bunch or needed to play golf in a hallway, I'd go with that. Now, they only had a 9* in the RadSpeed but man, it was hilarious launching it at 8-9* with ~1900rpm. 

RadSpeed XB - spinny, felt really light in my hands. Tried the Motore X1 in 60x and the ball just spun too much. Decent initial launch but the ball ballooned on me. Felt much better than the standard RadSpeed but it didn't look nearly as good. 

G425 - I mean, if you like playing from the fairway, then it's a great club. But if you're like me and you enjoy the occasional left rough or hard draw/hook into the right trees, stay away from the G425. This club is for folks who drink skim milk and eat cheerios for breakfast. Where's the thrill in that? It was the shortest of the bunch but if I went to a real fitting, I'd like to see some other shaft options to boost ball speed and lower spin a bit. 

They didn't have many shaft options for the Srixon ZX 5 so I passed. 

Great comparisons there!  

I have a few guys I golf with that are drooling over the SIM2, but I just can't see that it's a huge jump over what we got with SIM.  Shafts are, and have been for a while, the REAL difference.  I suspect, though, that pretty much is the standard across every manufacturers clubs tbh.   

BUT, I did order the G425 though because my game could use a little less Indiana Jones and whole lot more Cheerios!  The consistency of flight and the fact that I pretty much could count on being 10-15 yards from the center of the fairway on every drive was the selling point.  However, I would agree it is a bit shorter per say with the standard stock option shafts and it surely doesn't give you that "Flashy" factor that some of the other clubs do.  

I swear, I need to move south cause snowy winters in Pennsylvania are driving me to the poor house!

[RollingGreens]

30 minutes ago, BNewton51 said:

Great comparisons there!  

I have a few guys I golf with that are drooling over the SIM2, but I just can't see that it's a huge jump over what we got with SIM.  Shafts are, and have been for a while, the REAL difference.  I suspect, though, that pretty much is the standard across every manufacturers clubs tbh.   

BUT, I did order the G425 though because my game could use a little less Indiana Jones and whole lot more Cheerios!  The consistency of flight and the fact that I pretty much could count on being 10-15 yards from the center of the fairway on every drive was the selling point.  However, I would agree it is a bit shorter per say with the standard stock option shafts and it surely doesn't give you that "Flashy" factor that some of the other clubs do.  

I swear, I need to move south cause snowy winters in Pennsylvania are driving me to the poor house!

How much shorter would you say the G425 is? I am looking to demo it during the summer during a demo day event for possible purchase later in the year.

[ejgaudette]

5 hours ago, BNewton51 said:

yup, 100% agree.  Different strokes for different folks, but if it's free sure that would be fun!   However... the way Scott's raking his around the course lately I'd have to say that's not exactly a great look for Autoflex.  He literally looks like he doesnt have any control. 

Yeah not the best endorsement though the guys at TXG that have done some great videos with the shaft recently did a video with his set up and agreed that some of the club choice and club weight might affect why it's not work or it might not work for him.

[Thin2win]

1 hour ago, RollingGreens said:

How much shorter would you say the G425 is? I am looking to demo it during the summer during a demo day event for possible purchase later in the year.

Really not enough to make a big difference. For me it was a couple yards. The mizuno was the only one of the bunch that was appreciably shorter in testing(about 12 yards). The TSi2 and SIM2 were longest, PING right behind them. Followed by cobra, then Callaway them mizuno. 

But between the top 4, there wasn't a huge difference. The biggest differences I saw were in dispersion with PING and SIM2 out in front. 

[BNewton51]

2 hours ago, RollingGreens said:

How much shorter would you say the G425 is? I am looking to demo it during the summer during a demo day event for possible purchase later in the year.

At most 5-7 yards really.. its not huge but you can see its slightly shorter.

[RollingGreens]

35 minutes ago, Thin2win said:

Really not enough to make a big difference. For me it was a couple yards. The mizuno was the only one of the bunch that was appreciably shorter in testing(about 12 yards). The TSi2 and SIM2 were longest, PING right behind them. Followed by cobra, then Callaway them mizuno. 

But between the top 4, there wasn't a huge difference. The biggest differences I saw were in dispersion with PING and SIM2 out in front. 

Would you say the TSi2 and G425 were similar?

32 minutes ago, BNewton51 said:

At most 5-7 yards really.. its not huge but you can see its slightly shorter.

Would both of you guys say it was as straight as advertised?

[BNewton51]

3 minutes ago, RollingGreens said:

Would you say the TSi2 and G425 were similar?

Would both of you guys say it was as straight as advertised?

i don't know what @Thin2win would say, but as for me I think it may just be one of the straightest and EASIEST to hit straight drivers I've hit in a LONG time!!  The thing is just flat out a fairway finder with full swings.  No need to ease into it or slow the swing to get that fairway finder.  I did hit the TSi2 and I have to say that the PING definitely was an easy choice above it!  

But as I always say, to each their own.  Your swing and preferences may very well dictate something completely different.  BUT, for me with the stock shaft offerings (And I went with the Tensei Orange Raw in X-stiff) it outperformed the expectations I had going in.  Now, if I play around with the shafts I'm fairly certain I could probably get equal distance out of it to any other OEM offering, but frankly distance is relative.  I average about 275-80 anyways so I don't need another 15-20 at the sacrifice of accuracy.  

I'll be very interested to hear your impressions though. 

[juspoole]

Biggest hype from the outside seems to be TSI series and SIM 2. 

Usually by this point of the year, i would have at least hit everything to get a feel for it.  This is an off year for the driver for me as I got the Mavrik last year paired with a Ventus Blue shaft, it's been really great for me and given me a lot of confidence.   Also, I am getting back from an injury so have not been able to give them a quick try at the local Golf Galaxy.

I don't have much brand loyalty to anyone.  Even though Taylormade is incredibly long, I found the M2 to be unforgiving for me so I do have that notion a bit.   That also was not fit for me so the shaft could have been way off so I do take that into account.

Obviously for being a part of MGS the past few years, I've tried the G400 and G410 and just haven't gotten along with them much for whatever reason.

Again most of these are only first impressions and not a full fitting.  The Mavrik was fit for me, but I was at a Callaway demo day for that one so no other drivers were really considered.

[RollingGreens]

34 minutes ago, BNewton51 said:

i don't know what @Thin2win would say, but as for me I think it may just be one of the straightest and EASIEST to hit straight drivers I've hit in a LONG time!!  The thing is just flat out a fairway finder with full swings.  No need to ease into it or slow the swing to get that fairway finder.  I did hit the TSi2 and I have to say that the PING definitely was an easy choice above it!  

But as I always say, to each their own.  Your swing and preferences may very well dictate something completely different.  BUT, for me with the stock shaft offerings (And I went with the Tensei Orange Raw in X-stiff) it outperformed the expectations I had going in.  Now, if I play around with the shafts I'm fairly certain I could probably get equal distance out of it to any other OEM offering, but frankly distance is relative.  I average about 275-80 anyways so I don't need another 15-20 at the sacrifice of accuracy.  

I'll be very interested to hear your impressions though. 

I’m giving my TS3 1-2 once the season start to see how things go. It it isn’t working out I’ll be headed for a fitting

[Thin2win]

31 minutes ago, RollingGreens said:

Would you say the TSi2 and G425 were similar?

Would both of you guys say it was as straight as advertised?

Biggest difference between TSi2 and G425.. The sound and feel. 

I've had the G400 Max for the last 4 years, and the G30 before it. And Ping drivers sound like Ping drivers. They don't bother me, but they don't have the sound and feel of the drivers that use some composite. 

The TSi2 was a little longer, but that was because I was getting a little more spin out of it. As mentioned, I'm a very low spin player and needed as much spin as possible. I started with 10.5 heads and the fitter had me in 12* heads almost immediately. So fitting me is a driver that is fade biased and high spin. I get that that is a unique combination so my results are definitely good for me, but unless you are also a low spin draw ball flight guy... I might not be the best comparison. 

I would guess that if I was a high spin fade player the Callaway and cobra would have been the best based on their spin(or lack thereof) and slight draw bias. 

The TSi2 was top of my hype meter, and I think the overall hype on it is deserved. 

I only wish the fitter had an auto flex for me to try. Lol. 

[Thin2win]

Looks like Callaway had won the coveted MGS Most Wanted. 

Definitely a club low on the meter of people excited to try. But I did say that if you needed less spin and more help VS a fade it might be the best driver. So I got that right (self pat on the back). 

TSI2 showed strong. Cobra continued their tradition of finishing 2nd or 3rd but never winning. 

Looking at the actual strokes gained numbers... The difference between the best and worst driver is .1429 strokes gained, so 1 full stroke every 7 hits, or about 2 strokes a round if I am doing that right. 

While the difference between the Callaway and Cobra means it is going to take 5.29 rounds to find 1 stroke of difference. 

Math says they are all pretty good, and getting fit seems to be the right answer (shocking I know). 

[Shank Aaron]

Yep, just finally looked at the MGS Most Wanted list. I'm not as surprised at the Cally winning top spot as I am that the Ping offerings finished so low. Since I'm a Callaway guy, this does fit well into my devious plans for domination this season, but the G425 Max will still find it's way into the bag randomly. I stick with my original comment on page #2, G425 performed the best for me with the shaft I built for it. The rest can fight it out....I vote they fight with knives. 

[tehuti]

Though I probably wouldn't buy one myself, if given an option to get one for free I'd probably look at the Sim2 based upon all of the hype. Shaft would be either a Project X (not sure which) or UST Mamiya since those are the ones I know and have in my bag already.