Jay412 Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 Hello All, I am in the market for a new Driver. I was looking at the speedzone xtreme, mavrik max, epic flash, radspeed xd, pingg410 and titleist TS3. I am a beginner, I slice the ball, top it at time etc. I am LH. So I can't go try out alot of these. Wanted to get everyone's experience, advice etc. Looking for distance and forgiveness. Any suggestions and advice is appreciated. Thanks GolfSpy_APH 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headhammer Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 Honestly, as a beginner you are not going to be able to discern the minute difference between those drivers right now. Your best bet is to pick-up a cheap used late model name brand driver on ebay, Facebook or Craigslist, get some lessons, develop a repeatable swing and then get fitted for a new driver. If you've got money to burn you could try the Dollar Driver Club where you can try out a few different drivers each year till you find one you like. aldoran, Paul Hedrick, russtopherb and 5 others 7 1 Quote Driver: Speed Zone 9* HZRDUS Smoke Yellow Shaft 3 Wood: King Speedzone 13.5* HZRDUS Smoke Black Shaft 2 & 3 Hybrids: Speedzone Recoil 480 ESX Shaft Irons: Speedzone 5-GW Recoil 460 ESX Shafts Wedges: PM Grind 54* & 58* Putter: Dual Force Rossi II Ball: Whatever I find in the woods HCP:18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GolfSpy_APH Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 Something I have done in the past is check out the older MGS most wanted. This can give you a decent idea of where to start. All that being said Ping G400 Max or SFT are great spots to start. Still used by a ton of golfers out there, few iterations old so it won't be too expensive and Ping is a good forgiving driver that offers good distance as well. Can't recommend enough and think you should be able to find them for a steal. Also along these same lines the original Taylormade M2 was super popular and may not have the newest and greatest tech, but again was and is still used by many and was considered to be far better then the 2nd version of the M2. Also shouldn't go without saying welcome to the lefty club! Happy to see another on the forum! RollingGreens, fixyurdivot, tony@CIC and 3 others 6 Quote as of Nov 6, 2023 (Past WITB) Driver: Paradym TD w/ GD ADDI 6X Driver Shootout! Wood: F7 3 wood 14.5* w/ Motore F1 Shaft Irons: T Series - T200 5 Iron T150 6-9 Iron T100 PW/GW Wedge: Toura Golf - A Spec 53,37,61 degree Putter: Mezz Max! Balls: Vice Pro Plus Drip (Blue/Orange) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Hedrick Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 22 minutes ago, Headhammer said: Honestly, as a beginner you are not going to be able to discern the minute difference between those drivers right now. Your best bet is to pick-up a cheap used late model name brand driver on ebay, Facebook or Craigslist, get some lessons, develop a repeatable swing and then get fitted for a new driver. If you've got money to burn you could try the Dollar Driver Club where you can try out a few different drivers each year till you find one you like. Good advice, in my opinion Headhammer 1 Quote Bag C130, 14 way Cart Bag Driver TSR1 Fairway. Halo XL Hy-Wood 4+ Fairway GBB Epic 5 Hybrid Epic Flash 3H Irons Launcher HB, 4 through PW Wedges CBX2 - 54 degree, CBX Zipcore 52 degree Putter Seemore Si1 Putter Ball Titleist pro v1x Other Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NM01 Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 Ping g400 sft RollingGreens, fixyurdivot and Golfspy_CG2 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony@CIC Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 3 hours ago, Headhammer said: Honestly, as a beginner you are not going to be able to discern the minute difference between those drivers right now. Your best bet is to pick-up a cheap used late model name brand driver on ebay, Facebook or Craigslist, get some lessons, develop a repeatable swing and then get fitted for a new driver. If you've got money to burn you could try the Dollar Driver Club where you can try out a few different drivers each year till you find one you like. I'd agree - as a beginner you can't tell the difference. I've got a Ping 410SFT which is pretty forgiving but also still pretty pricey for a beginner since it may not be the right driver for you in 2 yrs. BTW G400 SFT has gotten great reviews and may be a much lower price point. In addition to other recommendations, I'd also check out 2nd swing or other reputable online vendors - be careful of ebay as there are counterfeit clubs sold there. I can personally tell you lefty heads are tough to come by - selection even in new drivers is challenging so be patient. While you trying to find one, you can always use a 3 or 5 wood off the tee. . Find a good used club, put a new grip on it and take a few lessons. Then, of course, get fit, The latter will save you $$ long run. Tom D., Golfspy_CG2, Paul Hedrick and 2 others 5 Quote Left Hand orientation SIM 2 D Max with Fujikura Air Speeder Shaft Cobra Radspeed 3W/RIptide Shaft 410 Hybrids 22*, 26* Cobra Speed Zone 6-GP/Recoil ESX 460 F3 Shafts SM7 54* Wedge Glide 3.0 60* Wedge O Works putter V3 NX9-HD - 4 Wheel EZGO TXT 48v cart - too many shoes to list and so many to buy And BAG Boy Golf Balls: Vice Pro Plus 2020 Official Tester Beginning Driver Speed - 78 2019 Official Tester 410 Driver 2018 Official Tester C300 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DStar Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 I've gone through this as I've only been playing regularly since April. My swing had developed a lot since then and I've gone from a stiff TM R7 to a Cobra F6+ and now on an x-stiff Radspeed. As my swing has got more consistent I've learned a bit more about what I need. Buying cheap on eBay was what I did - that way you can get back most of the outlay if it's not right. Once you know a bit more about your swing, get a fitting but may be worth a lesson or 2 to iron out any obvious mistakes. Tom D. 1 Quote Aerojet F9 3/4 Wood Aldila NV 2KXV Blue JPX921SEL 4-PW Nippon Modus³ Tour 120 X SM8 50° F-Grind SM8 54° F-Grind SM8 58° K-Grind DStar 'Malvern' Putter AVX & -ProV1X Tour-X "Hey mister, your clubs are the wrong way round".. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fixyurdivot Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 If you have the time and money, I'd suggest getting fit - maybe full bag if you can score one of the many specials the various companies offer. From there you will have the important decoder information to begin shopping new and used options. The fitting process is, IMO, important. This coming from someone who thought it was largely hype and a waste of money. My .02 cents fwiw. Good luck with the search, welcome to the game, and to the forum. Tom D. and Golfspy_CG2 2 Quote G410 Plus, 9 Degree Driver G400 SFT, 16 Degree 3w G400 SFT, 19 Degree 5w ZX5 Irons 4-AW Glide 2.0 56 Degree SW (removed from double secret probation ) ER5v Putter (Official Review) AI-One Milled Seven T CH (Official Review) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shapotomous Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 Some might think this is heresy but instead of getting fit right away I like the combo advice@Headhammer and @GolfSpy_APH. You say you are a beginner so look for something relatively inexpensive from the used market based on past most wanted reports. You probably don't want to get a full bag fitting, spend $$$ and find out in 4 months you don't want to play any more and have a "Peloton" to get rid of. But I would recommend getting a lesson or three to go over the basics of grip, set up, and swing to get you started the proper direction since its hard to unlearn bad habits. After you get a few rounds in and decide you are hooked then get fit. The person giving lessons could probably make a suggestion or two about what to be sure to try out in the fitting. fixyurdivot, Headhammer, GolfSpy_APH and 1 other 4 Quote Modern Bag: G410 LST 10.5*, Hzrdus Smoke RDX 6.5 Flex; 915F 3w, Diamana S+ 70 S flex; Mavrik 18* 5w; JPX 919 HM Pro 4i; JPX 900 Forged 5 - PW, PX LZ 6.0; Edison 2.0 49*, 53*, 57* KBS Tour 120 S; Heppler Fetch; Ball - MTB-X; Bag - Jones MyGolfSpy Edition! Shot Scope H4, MG600 Rangefinder Classic Bag: Driver - Persimmon; 3w - Speed Slot; 5w - Tour Block; 3 - pw - Dynapower; sw - Ram Tom Watson; putter - bullseye standard or flange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fixyurdivot Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 11 hours ago, Shapotomous said: Some might think this is heresy but instead of getting fit right away I like the combo advice@Headhammer and @GolfSpy_APH. You say you are a beginner so look for something relatively inexpensive from the used market based on past most wanted reports. You probably don't want to get a full bag fitting, spend $$$ and find out in 4 months you don't want to play any more and have a "Peloton" to get rid of. But I would recommend getting a lesson or three to go over the basics of grip, set up, and swing to get you started the proper direction since its hard to unlearn bad habits. After you get a few rounds in and decide you are hooked then get fit. The person giving lessons could probably make a suggestion or two about what to be sure to try out in the fitting. Good points. I can't speak for Jamie and @Headhammerbut suspect we were thinking beginner as opposed to never played. Certainly lessons are priority one in that case. I mean presuming he's of typical stature and falls within the two sigma distribution of the playing population, it's likely 7/10 used sets of clubs on the market will be playable. I keep forgetting that my thinking about all things golf has been corrupted since June 2018 . Tom D. and Shapotomous 2 Quote G410 Plus, 9 Degree Driver G400 SFT, 16 Degree 3w G400 SFT, 19 Degree 5w ZX5 Irons 4-AW Glide 2.0 56 Degree SW (removed from double secret probation ) ER5v Putter (Official Review) AI-One Milled Seven T CH (Official Review) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chisag Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 ... You should at least get on a LM and see what kind of trajectory and spin you are producing. Even a beginner can spin the ball too much or not spin it enough, so finding the right driver is paramount to improvement. More forgiving the better as long as you have spin and trajectory in the right ball park. Even advanced players need to fine tune if they have not been fit. My last fitting a year ago showed me I did not produce enough spin with my Cobra SZ and switching to a Sim improved my carry with similar roll. I could hit some real bombs with the SZ but on average my drives were farther and straighter with the Sim. I would add I had no interest in changing drivers before my fitting and just wanted to dial in a shaft. Tom D., RollingGreens and Golfspy_CG2 3 Quote Driver: Qi10 10.5* ... AutoFlex Dream 7 SF405 Fairway: Qi10 5 wood ... Kai'Li Blue 70r Hybrids: G430 Hybrid 22*... Alta Hy70r Irons: P770 5-pw ... Steelfiber i80r TP UDi 4 ... Steelfiber i80r Wedges: MG3 46*/50*/54* MG4 58* ... Steelfiber i95r Putter: Custom 5.1 (no alignment) 33" Ball: '24 TP5x/Maxfli Tour X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John W Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 I am a true believer in the built-in forgiveness for just all the recent Ping models. I currently game a Ping G410 and rarely lose a ball off the course. Not to say that I never miss a fairway but almost never lose a ball. Tom D. and Shapotomous 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDTVMAN Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 If you're set on buying a driver, I'd recommend the Ping G400 Max or a Callaway Fusion Heavy (1" shorter weight adjusted). But I'd seriously recommend an adjustable 5-wood (17.5°) and set it to 16° or 16.5°, and use it off the tee as a 4-wood. You might be surprised how far and straight you hit it while getting better to the point where a driver makes sense. Tom D. 1 Quote Certified Club Fitter. Ping G425 Max Driver 10.5° w/Fujikura Ventus TR Ping G425 Max 5-7-9 Fairway Woods w/Ping Alta CB Ping G425 Irons 5-U w/Ping Alta CB (Power-Spec Lofts) Ping 4.0 Eye2 Glide Wedges 54°-58° w/Recoil SmacWrap Ping Redwood ZB Putter w/PP58 PING Pioneer Cart Bag Lamkin Sonar+ Wrap Mid-Size Grips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donn lost in San Diego Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 keep your driver. get a few lessons. or work up your skill on a 3 wood. Quote #1 PXG 0211 10.5 deg, Evnflo Riptide CB 40 gram A flex. 3W: Callaway Steelhead Xr, Tensei Blue CK 55 gram A flex. 5W : Titleist TSi 1, Aldila Ascent 40 regular flex. Driving Iron: Mizuno MP 18 MMC Fli-Hi 3i 18 degree, Recoil 95 reg flex. 4 iron: GFF Mizuno Fly-Hi, 24 degree forged hollow body, Aerotech Steelfiber . 5 Hybrid: Mizuno (2017) JPX Fli-Hi wave tech, Recoil ESX 460 reg flex. Irons: 6 - PW: Ping I 500, on Recoil Smacwrap ES 760, reg flex. Wedges: 2 x Mizuno S5 52/09. 1@ 50 deg, 1@ 54 deg; New (July 2024) Mizu ES 21, 58 x 08, jet black. Chipper: Don Martin "Up n In" brass/bronze. Putter: Odyssey Stroke Lab "R" Ball, face balanced, with 2 piece Stroke Lab multi material shaft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler86 Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 On 12/2/2021 at 7:39 AM, Headhammer said: Honestly, as a beginner you are not going to be able to discern the minute difference between those drivers right now. Your best bet is to pick-up a cheap used late model name brand driver on ebay, Facebook or Craigslist, get some lessons, develop a repeatable swing and then get fitted for a new driver. If you've got money to burn you could try the Dollar Driver Club where you can try out a few different drivers each year till you find one you like. @Jay412 ^^^^this^^^^. no driver fixes a slice or a top. Kenny B and Tom D. 2 Quote Mavrik Max Driver M2 5W 818 hybrids Steelhead XR Irons ZipCore wedges SeeMore PR M7X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterT Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 There are great suggestions above! One thing I would add (unless I missed it) is "loft is your friend." As a newer player, choose a driver with 10 or more degrees of loft to allow you to get the ball in the air more easily. Tom D. and Shapotomous 2 Quote TaylorMade Qi10 10.5° LS - Fujikura Ventus Black VeloCore 5-S TaylorMade M5 15° - Fujikura Ventus Black VeloCore 6-S Callaway CF-18 18° - KBS Tour Prototype 85 S Srixon 4-AW Nippon Modus 3 105 R TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe 54/10 & 58/10 KBS - Hi-Rev 2.0 115 Scotty Cameron Super Select Newport 2 35" Titleist Pro V1 Arccos Gen 3 sensors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RollingGreens Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 I have the g425 lst in my bag and am amazed at the forgiveness of ping drivers across the line. I have a few friends who game the g410 and would recommend it. My lather in law also play the 400 max which is a fantastic driver Tom D. and Shapotomous 2 Quote Stealth 2 Plus 9deg Kai' li Red Stealth 2 13deg Aldilla Rogue Silver Stealth 2 15deg Aldilla Rogue Silver JPX 921 Hot Metal 4-PW Nippon Modus 120s SM8 54 and 58deg Dynamic Gold Wedge Flex Scotty Cameron Newport 2 Titleist ProV1 Hoofer Stand Bag Stewart Q Follow Electric Caddie 300 PRO Rangefinder Official Nippon Regio B+ Driver Shaft Review Official Stewart Q Follow Review Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saz0418 Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 A few things. First, as a beginner, your swing is very, very likely to change if you continue to play and improve. Your improving swing is ultimately going to decide what driver is best for you--- shaft specifications, loft, draw bias, length etc. I would say if you currently have a driver that was released in, say, the last 10 years, keep using it and pay for a few lessons. Better use of your money and time. Then, you can make an informed decision about what driver fits you. I am partial to PING drivers. I had a new R1 and M1, and have owned COBRA and Callaway drivers in the last 5 or 6 years. I keep coming back to PING for consistency. But, I know people that hit TM or Callaway exclusively, and drive the ball beautifully. If you are going to buy a "new driver", a fitting will only optimize your equipment to your current swing and ability. You could, instead, go to a stock driver -- say 10 degrees of loft with a regular shaft and some degree of adjustability. There are really affordable options online at 2ndswing, Global Golf, Callaway Preowned and similar sites. You can use Google for the brand and model (ex: Ping G30 driver used), and then use the 'shopping' option to see who might have something available. Use that and then upgrade when you are comfortable with your swing, your shot patterns and your results. Tom D. and Shapotomous 2 Quote ---------- Wilson Staff Dynapwr Driver (TI) / Cleveland 3+ Hy-wood (18*) / Titleist 915 7w / Callaway XR 4h / Callaway XR 5h/ Mizuno JPX-921 Hot Metal 7i - GW / Tommy Armour 845 CB wedges (52, 56*)/ Tommy Armour 845+ LW (60). Wilson Staff Infinite putter (the "L" model). SkyTrak in the Garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dweed Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 I have a Ping G400 SFT and have used it for many years. A good choice and easily found decent "used" sites. Shapotomous 1 Quote D- Ping G 400 SFT 16*- Adams Tight Lie 19*- Adams Tight Lie 4H- Ping G 400 5-U- Ping G 400 SW- Nike 56*- Ping Glide 2 P- Sub70 004 Mallet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiTerp50 Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 As noted, no club can cure a slice. If you can move that to a fade, then the PING MAX 400/410 or a SIM Max Draw can help. If money is no object, then 425 or SIM 2 versions with a fitted shaft will get the most benefit. But you may need to get help to cure whatever swing fault is resulting in the slice before getting fit. We can only share opinions, a professional can directly work on flaws specific to you. Shapotomous and Tom D. 2 Quote Titleist TSR 11 degree, HZRDS Red R 44.75 LH Titleist TSR-1 5/7 Woods LH Titleist TSR-1 23 Hybrid LH Titleist T200 7-48 - T350 6 Tensai AMT Red LH Titleist SM9 50-54-58 TT AMT Red LH Scotty Phantom X 7.5 RH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny B Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 Most people taking up the game of golf slice the ball; if you don't, consider yourself lucky... even if you hook the ball (hooks are easier to fix). The problem is that instead of seeking out a professional to identify what is causing the slice for YOU, most golfers look for quick fixes to not slice anymore. That was me years ago. There are many reasons why we slice. The problem is that we don't know the root cause of OUR slice, and any "fix" will could make things worse. A quick fix can lead to other compensations in order to make halfway decent ball contact. Lessons on setup, backswing and transition are needed, drills to feel the proper movements, and lots of practice to replace our old bad habits and engrain those proper movements. Change feels awkward. If it doesn't, you haven't changed anything, and it takes time for the change to not feel awkward. Getting a new driver to replace an old driver won't change your swing. It's not a magic bullet. If you don't have a driver, a quality used driver that's a few years old will save money and provide the same experience as a brand new driver... hopefully a fun experience! cnosil, Shapotomous and Tom D. 3 Quote “We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC Golfer Posted December 20, 2021 Share Posted December 20, 2021 https://www.touredge.com/hotlaunche521driver Shapotomous 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom D. Posted December 21, 2021 Share Posted December 21, 2021 Great advice given so far. Technology doesn't change all that much in drivers every year (despite what the latest marketing push would have you believe), so a five year old driver will not be dramatically shorter or dramatically less forgiving than the brand new models. For instance, the G400 Max was pushing the limits of MOI when it came out (I believe it was ~2018), so the incremental changes to get ever-closer to that limit will NOT make a world of difference as far as forgiveness. Finding fairways is MUCH more important than an extra few yards! Shapotomous 1 Quote I'm decidedly brand agnostic -- but a bit less so with my recent change from a PING driver - TSi2 10.5 Driver - Tensei AV Raw Blue 55 R - TS2 4W - Graphite Design Tour AD DI 6 RS & TS2 7W - Alta CB 65 R - Baffler 23* - Aldila NV-HL 65 R - Original Series 0211 - 5-PW - MMT 80 S - CBX2 50 / 54 / 58 - Rotex - Directed Force 2.1 (Nickel) - KBS Tour - Press No. II 3* - MTB Black - DG Lite II cart bag attached via Top-Lok to - Quad XL and Tracked by - V3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shapotomous Posted December 21, 2021 Share Posted December 21, 2021 In addition to the Tour Edge DTC brand noted above, I recently swapped out my Ping G410+ for a Sub70 849 Pro that I reviewed. I have given up nothing in distance or accuracy and the Sub70 new price will be close to a used Ping. Tom D. 1 Quote Modern Bag: G410 LST 10.5*, Hzrdus Smoke RDX 6.5 Flex; 915F 3w, Diamana S+ 70 S flex; Mavrik 18* 5w; JPX 919 HM Pro 4i; JPX 900 Forged 5 - PW, PX LZ 6.0; Edison 2.0 49*, 53*, 57* KBS Tour 120 S; Heppler Fetch; Ball - MTB-X; Bag - Jones MyGolfSpy Edition! Shot Scope H4, MG600 Rangefinder Classic Bag: Driver - Persimmon; 3w - Speed Slot; 5w - Tour Block; 3 - pw - Dynapower; sw - Ram Tom Watson; putter - bullseye standard or flange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldharold Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 These guys are all giving you good thoughts. Callaway Pre-owned has a lefty G400 listed for $284...... I'm a 70 yo golfer who has at least 75 clubs, cuz I love to tinker. So start your collection now. Good Luck and have fun Paul Hedrick 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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