Looking for advice

[agentkc]

New to the forum here and would love some advice.

 

I am a mid handicap golfer at best and while my short game needs work I can (could) always count on my drives. Up until last August that is (when my clubs were stolen) I hit an R9 460 and while the rest of my game could use work I could consistently bomb the drives. Great scramble payer- put the drive 300+ on the fairway and then other than the occasional shot, let the group carry me until the next hole. When I had to replace last Aug the R9 was no longer being sold so I did what I thought made perfect since and replaced it with the R11. I was a little concerned the club head was a bit smaller but was assured there would be no noticeable difference. I don't know for sure if that is my issue or not but… I hate the R11 I got. I just cannot hit the thing, one hole I will snap hook and the next I will slice. I have worked and worked at it but just can not hit the ball, and even if I do I don't seem to go quite as far as I had with the R9 460.

 

Every once in a while I will look online to see if I can find a R9 but am hesitant to buy used clubs (especially on line) and have not had much luck finding the same specs I had on the one I lost. This R 11s is both exciting and scary to me. It does have the larger 460 head and reviews say it is at least a little more forgiving. Anyone experience anything like this? Hit all three much? Have any thoughts on it. If it would play like the R9 I had I would buy it in a heartbeat, if it plays like the R11 I would rather just flush the 4 bills down the toilet and skip the frustration. I can't keep hitting the club I have, I just get frustrated. But should I keep looking for a R9 460, get the R11s or move in an entirely different direction?

 

I appreciate any help!

[JMiller]

New to the forum here and would love some advice.

 

I am a mid handicap golfer at best and while my short game needs work I can (could) always count on my drives. Up until last August that is (when my clubs were stolen) I hit an R9 460 and while the rest of my game could use work I could consistently bomb the drives. Great scramble payer- put the drive 300+ on the fairway and then other than the occasional shot, let the group carry me until the next hole. When I had to replace last Aug the R9 was no longer being sold so I did what I thought made perfect since and replaced it with the R11. I was a little concerned the club head was a bit smaller but was assured there would be no noticeable difference. I don't know for sure if that is my issue or not but… I hate the R11 I got. I just cannot hit the thing, one hole I will snap hook and the next I will slice. I have worked and worked at it but just can not hit the ball, and even if I do I don't seem to go quite as far as I had with the R9 460.

 

This could very easily be the tip not recovering properly for your wing speed, sound like shaft could be too weak somewhere have you had it frequency tested (CPM number)?

 

I have a high swing speed and actually average about 300 yards, I play x-stiff but a label doesn't tell the full story of a shaft each one will have a different profile and with "stock shafts" it could be all over the map in performance. Normally after market driver / fairway shafts are based on a 205g tip weight and a 44" blank. If that is the assumption 255 CPM is pretty standard X-Flex shaft. My shafts come in at 262 or 263 raw blanks. At 45" only butt cut they test to 269 to 272 depending on driver head weight.

 

Every once in a while I will look online to see if I can find a R9 but am hesitant to buy used clubs (especially on line) and have not had much luck finding the same specs I had on the one I lost. This R 11s is both exciting and scary to me. It does have the larger 460 head and reviews say it is at least a little more forgiving. Anyone experience anything like this? Hit all three much? Have any thoughts on it. If it would play like the R9 I had I would buy it in a heartbeat, if it plays like the R11 I would rather just flush the 4 bills down the toilet and skip the frustration. I can't keep hitting the club I have, I just get frustrated. But should I keep looking for a R9 460, get the R11s or move in an entirely different direction?

 

I appreciate any help!

 

Again most of the time it is a shaft issue not a head issue, not sure if you shaft is OEM or aftermarket. If it is custom fit after market then probably your swing something has changed in the last year. tempo slightly faster, mechanics a touch different. Anyone that shots a good round one day then 24 hours later balloons up to a horrid round knows what I'm talking about in terms of slight differences in mechanics.

 

 

That is just my first guess, sounds like a shaft issue to me first and foremost assuming your mechanics haven't changed any.

[agentkc]

That may be something else to consider. I assumed my issue was the head but it could just as easily be the shaft.

 

I have actually thought about the fact that I have just as different shaft as I do club head but the R11 is actually stiffer than the R9 was. Everyone I have spoken with says that I absolutely don't want to go to a more flexible shaft and it sounds like you are saying the same thing or that I may even still have to much flex. But I sure did hit the more flexible shaft better than I can this one.

 

I am sure that it is at least in part mechanics. But it has been nearly a year now and I feel like I have tried about everything –short of actually going to some lessons and letting a pro take a look at my swing (always is worth while anyway.

 

I am just convinced that while mechanics absolutely play a part (I know they didn't sell a ton of these because no one could hit them) if I had my old club I would still be crushing the ball. I guess I just don't know if it is the club head or the shaft that is throwing me or if I chased down something else it would be any better.

[RookieBlue7]

New to the forum here and would love some advice.

 

I am a mid handicap golfer at best and while my short game needs work I can (could) always count on my drives. Up until last August that is (when my clubs were stolen) I hit an R9 460 and while the rest of my game could use work I could consistently bomb the drives. Great scramble payer- put the drive 300+ on the fairway and then other than the occasional shot, let the group carry me until the next hole. When I had to replace last Aug the R9 was no longer being sold so I did what I thought made perfect since and replaced it with the R11. I was a little concerned the club head was a bit smaller but was assured there would be no noticeable difference. I don't know for sure if that is my issue or not but… I hate the R11 I got. I just cannot hit the thing, one hole I will snap hook and the next I will slice. I have worked and worked at it but just can not hit the ball, and even if I do I don't seem to go quite as far as I had with the R9 460.

 

Every once in a while I will look online to see if I can find a R9 but am hesitant to buy used clubs (especially on line) and have not had much luck finding the same specs I had on the one I lost. This R 11s is both exciting and scary to me. It does have the larger 460 head and reviews say it is at least a little more forgiving. Anyone experience anything like this? Hit all three much? Have any thoughts on it. If it would play like the R9 I had I would buy it in a heartbeat, if it plays like the R11 I would rather just flush the 4 bills down the toilet and skip the frustration. I can't keep hitting the club I have, I just get frustrated. But should I keep looking for a R9 460, get the R11s or move in an entirely different direction?

 

I appreciate any help!

 

First, the R11 is 440cc's, not 460, so it's a little smaller than your R9 460 is. With that said, were you fitted for the R11, or did you buy the stock model off the rack and go with it? If that's the case, I'd recommend going in and having that driver fitted. I don't know how many people I know that had problems with the stock Blur that's in that club. It didn't work for almost everyone I know, especially the non-TP model of the shaft. I am one of the ones that did have a problem with it (yes, I owned and played one from April last year till December of last year). Loved it once I got the right shaft in it, should have kept it, but I wanted something new yet again, so the odyssey began to find a new boom stick.

 

If it were me, the first thing I'd do is find a fitter with a launch monitor in your area that has somewhat of a reputation of being good at his job (there are other ways to find them, but asking those you know might help weed out potential fitters). I, personally, prefer a fitter that can do fittings outdoors on the launch monitor, because let's face it, some people have anxiety hitting off of mats indoors. Hitting shots outside is more natural, plus you get the added bonus of seeing the total ball flight, not just the first 10-15 feet of it. Figure out what your launch and spin numbers are with your current setup and the fitter, again if he's good at his craft, should be able to get you into something that launches and spins more properly. Since there was little info other than you were hitting the driver bad, it's hard to even begin to guess at what could be the issue, whether spin, swingpath, shaft too stiff or too whippy, etc.

 

Just saw your addendum to the topic after posting this. If the shaft feels stiffer, it could be that the stiffer flex profile, even if it fits your swingspeed, doesn't fit your swing. I've put people in R flex shafts that have the swingspeed for stiff to stiff plus. Why? Their load mechanics and transition. Someone with a smooth swing can play a lower flex because of the fact that the transitional forces aren't overloading the shaft and causing it not to be able to recover. I've put stiff swingspeed guys in X before due to the same thing, transitional forces due to an aggressive swing and a violent transition. Hard to say what the issue is, however, due to not having raw data, seeing your swing, etc. I always want to put people into the least stiff shaft that they can handle due to transition and mechanics because in the long run, it'll be more controllable for them.

 

All in all, I'll sum up with go get fit. Your game will thank you for it.

[GolfSpy WD]

First, the R11 is 440cc's, not 460, so it's a little smaller than your R9 460 is. With that said, were you fitted for the R11, or did you buy the stock model off the rack and go with it? If that's the case, I'd recommend going in and having that driver fitted. I don't know how many people I know that had problems with the stock Blur that's in that club. It didn't work for almost everyone I know, especially the non-TP model of the shaft. I am one of the ones that did have a problem with it (yes, I owned and played one from April last year till December of last year). Loved it once I got the right shaft in it, should have kept it, but I wanted something new yet again, so the odyssey began to find a new boom stick.

 

If it were me, the first thing I'd do is find a fitter with a launch monitor in your area that has somewhat of a reputation of being good at his job (there are other ways to find them, but asking those you know might help weed out potential fitters). I, personally, prefer a fitter that can do fittings outdoors on the launch monitor, because let's face it, some people have anxiety hitting off of mats indoors. Hitting shots outside is more natural, plus you get the added bonus of seeing the total ball flight, not just the first 10-15 feet of it. Figure out what your launch and spin numbers are with your current setup and the fitter, again if he's good at his craft, should be able to get you into something that launches and spins more properly. Since there was little info other than you were hitting the driver bad, it's hard to even begin to guess at what could be the issue, whether spin, swingpath, shaft too stiff or too whippy, etc.

 

Just saw your addendum to the topic after posting this. If the shaft feels stiffer, it could be that the stiffer flex profile, even if it fits your swingspeed, doesn't fit your swing. I've put people in R flex shafts that have the swingspeed for stiff to stiff plus. Why? Their load mechanics and transition. Someone with a smooth swing can play a lower flex because of the fact that the transitional forces aren't overloading the shaft and causing it not to be able to recover. I've put stiff swingspeed guys in X before due to the same thing, transitional forces due to an aggressive swing and a violent transition. Hard to say what the issue is, however, due to not having raw data, seeing your swing, etc. I always want to put people into the least stiff shaft that they can handle due to transition and mechanics because in the long run, it'll be more controllable for them.

 

All in all, I'll sum up with go get fit. Your game will thank you for it.

 

The same is also true for the stock R11s shaft, I really didn't like it much, though I've heard good things about the TP version.

[RoverRick]

There may or may not be fifty cents different club heads built the last couple of years between Titleist, Taylormade, Adams, Callaway (non composite), etc.. The Big Boys. But there is $300 difference in the shaft that is right for you. Period.

[revkev]

First of all welcome aboard.

 

I think it's two things - first and foremost it's the shaft and more than likely shaft length - I believe that the R9 had a 45" stock shaft while the R11 is 46". The head size will also make a bit of a difference but like my compatriots here I think it's the shaft more than the head. Shaft is huge and way more than whether or not it has an R or S associated with it.

 

Having written that follow Rookie's advice - go get fit - you could find a good fitter, club maker who could build you a club with quality components to replicate or even improve upon your old R9 particularly if you don't mind not having the name on the club. Mind you this club would not be a clone - it would be a custom built club. You could also be custom fit by a fitter and then have him order what you want from Taylor Made or one of the other brand name companies.

 

Then work on your short game because that's where !

[revkev]

First of all welcome aboard.

 

I think it's two things - first and foremost it's the shaft and more than likely shaft length - I believe that the R9 had a 45" stock shaft while the R11 is 46". The head size will also make a bit of a difference but like my compatriots here I think it's the shaft more than the head. Shaft is huge and way more than whether or not it has an R or S associated with it.

 

Having written that follow Rookie's advice - go get fit - you could find a good fitter, club maker who could build you a club with quality components to replicate or even improve upon your old R9 particularly if you don't mind not having the name on the club. Mind you this club would not be a clone - it would be a custom built club. You could also be custom fit by a fitter and then have him order what you want from Taylor Made or one of the other brand name companies.

 

Then work on your short game because that's where the bounty of strokes saved comes from!

[Phana24JG]

That may be something else to consider. I assumed my issue was the head but it could just as easily be the shaft.

 

I have actually thought about the fact that I have just as different shaft as I do club head but the R11 is actually stiffer than the R9 was. Everyone I have spoken with says that I absolutely don't want to go to a more flexible shaft and it sounds like you are saying the same thing or that I may even still have to much flex. But I sure did hit the more flexible shaft better than I can this one.

 

I am sure that it is at least in part mechanics. But it has been nearly a year now and I feel like I have tried about everything –short of actually going to some lessons and letting a pro take a look at my swing (always is worth while anyway.

 

I am just convinced that while mechanics absolutely play a part (I know they didn't sell a ton of these because no one could hit them) if I had my old club I would still be crushing the ball. I guess I just don't know if it is the club head or the shaft that is throwing me or if I chased down something else it would be any better.

 

Normally, I would be onboard with the guys regarding launch monitor fitting. However, I get the distinct impression this is as much mental as it is a scientific issue. I would try and get my hands on your old stick from RELIABLE sources http://www.taylormadegolfpreowned.com/ or http://www.globalgolf.com/gallery/golfclub/-/bid--27/taylor-made.aspx?gd=3

 

Then you can see if it is a swing or equipment issue and proceed accordingly.