When does technology in golf clubs become obsolete?

[StrikurJim]

  I have noticed as of the last two Seasons that my woods and possibly my Driver are no longer meeting my expectations.  Now I have played less golf and practiced a whole lot less, but I am really not happy with the trajectory and yardages of my 3 and 5 woods.  So, with my 4i not performing as well as it used to, I bought a 4 Hybrid.  It’s only been one session, but WoW!!!!  I was happy with the 180yds I used to get with the 4i.  I hit a few with the 4H that was around 185yds.  The best one of the night went 191yds and was dead straight.  The longest went just over 195yds.  I guess what I am asking is…. Has technology passed me by my woods I mean…. Nike Covert Tour 3wood and Titleist 913 5wood.

[cnosil]

20 minutes ago, StrikurJim said:

  I have noticed as of the last two Seasons that my woods and possibly my Driver are no longer meeting my expectations.  Now I have played less golf and practiced a whole lot less, but I am really not happy with the trajectory and yardages of my 3 and 5 woods.  So, with my 4i not performing as well as it used to, I bought a 4 Hybrid.  It’s only been one session, but WoW!!!!  I was happy with the 180yds I used to get with the 4i.  I hit a few with the 4H that was around 185yds.  The best one of the night went 191yds and was dead straight.  The longest went just over 195yds.  I guess what I am asking is…. Has technology passed me by my woods I mean…. Nike Covert Tour 3wood and Titleist 913 5wood.

In my opinion, it is probably a combination of you and the clubs.   I don't know what your expectations are but the question is whether or not they are reasonable expectations.   With the 4i and 4h, there isn't necessarily a one to one relationship with the club numbers so a 4i may be more equivalent to a 5h if you want things to be apples to apples.   That said,  the goal of clubs is to be able to hit specific distances with appropriate gapping and not necessarily hitting them  all 300 yards.

As for fairway woods,  obsolete is a tough thing to justify.   Hickory shafts and persimmon woods are obsolete but people still enjoy playing them.  Newer clubs typically get more forgiving and easier to hit and as we age and are swing slows we can see some benefit.   Also, many players find they do better with a 4 wood than a 3 wood. 

Ideally what you should to is get distances for all your clubs and assess the gapping and where there are large gaps fill them with another club,  replace them, and/or adjust lofts.   

[StrikurJim]

  I like what you have written here.  I know as I age that I am losing a little distance.  I agree with the 4i 4H comparison.  I am thinking that a proper long game fitting is in order.  Hopefully help me figure things out.  Shafts/lofts/flexs….  After watching a friend go from 195 to 210 with a fitting with his 3wood it evened out his gaps again.  He chose the Cobra LTDx.  Whatever works right.

[DiscipleofPenick]

Pro told me that actual technological gains will be noticed ever 7-10 years depending on manufacturer and club (driver, iron etc.) 

[StrikurJim]

  I believe that is true.  I have heard 3-5yrs and 5+yrs up to 7yrs.  Beyond 7 and the difference becomes more ans more noticeable.  Also, what I read in an earlier comment, some people enjoy traditional golf equipment and I think while I don’t it’s great to keep these things alive in the game.

[cnosil]

1 hour ago, DiscipleofPenick said:

Pro told me that actual technological gains will be noticed ever 7-10 years depending on manufacturer and club (driver, iron etc.) 

 

Definitely true,  MGS has done some old vs new driver comparisons and you definitely notice performance differences.    I viewed the question probably a bit more; maybe too, literally.   Carbon Fiber has been used in drivers for much longer than 10 years and isn't obsolete.   Every year "technology" advances and products get better;  but as your pro told you the differences may not be noticed.   

[GolfSpy_APH]

Long game fittings are fantastic and I am sure may even surprise you to see some surprising results... hopefully for the better!

[bens197]

3 hours ago, cnosil said:

 

Definitely true,  MGS has done some old vs new driver comparisons and you definitely notice performance differences.    I viewed the question probably a bit more; maybe too, literally.   Carbon Fiber has been used in drivers for much longer than 10 years and isn't obsolete.   Every year "technology" advances and products get better;  but as your pro told you the differences may not be noticed.   

This is something I’ll testify to firsthand. 
 

My gamer driver is a 2017 G400 LST.  Side by side with my TSi3 they are negligible in differences. It’s important to say that I was fitted on a LM for both clubs and my ball speed and spin. 

Clubs that are separated by more than 5 years in R&D perform almost exactly the same. 

[Subdiver1]

7 minutes ago, bens197 said:

This is something I’ll testify to firsthand. 
 

My gamer driver is a 2017 G400 LST.  Side by side with my TSi3 they are negligible in differences. It’s important to say that I was fitted on a LM for both clubs and my ball speed and spin. 

Clubs that are separated by more than 5 years in R&D perform almost exactly the same. 

Funny that you mention the G400 comparison.  My experience echoes yours.  I have had my G400 since mid-2018 and I have yet to find another driver, driver-shaft combination that matches my set-up.  

I do have a ZX7 that comes close.  The ONLY reason I have that set-up in my back-up bag is because the shaft I have in my G400 is no longer made and I have had 2 shafts break. That was a weird experience; the original striated about an inch above the hosel at the 3-year mark; the replacement broke in the same place, same manner after 2-rounds; I am on #3 and I have found one more in reserve.   Getting back on topic, I also hit the TSI2 at a course fitting, because they were there and so was I.  The TSI2 with HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 60 was pretty tight as well.  But over the course of the 5-years I have had the G400 in my bag NOTHING I have tried has beaten it.  

I will say that these 10K drivers are intriguing though.  But that follows your 5-year mark thoughts since 2018-2024 is ... yup > 5-years.

[Subdiver1]

4 hours ago, StrikurJim said:

  I believe that is true.  I have heard 3-5yrs and 5+yrs up to 7yrs.  Beyond 7 and the difference becomes more ans more noticeable.  Also, what I read in an earlier comment, some people enjoy traditional golf equipment and I think while I don’t it’s great to keep these things alive in the game.

Funny story, I left my clubs back east last spring and had a tournament to play up here in WA.  I went into storage and broke out my 1980 Titleist Tour Model irons and 975D driver.  No, the irons do not keep up with the new stuff; they played about 2-clubs shorter.  BUT, I was keeping up or blowing the ball by younger guys with that 20+ year old 975D.  I was 3 shots out from the leader at the end of the day.  I think long iron play with those old blades was definitely a handicap, and a couple of 3-putts didn't help.  No, the forgiveness on that driver is not the same as the new gear, but averaging 265 yds (252yds - 276 yds measured by GPS over 13 drives) in March in WA state is a pretty good distance stat for a 20+ year old driver/shaft and a 50+ year old, decrepit, worn out couch potato.

I just watched the MGS Retro comparison between the 975D and TSR again.  And I found a couple other comparisons.

https://mygolfspy.com/news-opinion/retro-golf-2023-titleist-tsr-versus-1998-titleist-975d/ 

Comparison of a 975D 5.5 deg vs, TSR turned down to 7.25 deg.

This was an interesting comparison between the 975D and M6

Really interesting comparisons. As a side note, these comparison test results accentuate the B.S. about THE BALL being THE issue with distance. The same, modern ball is being used with old and new club tech here.  The ball may contribute to some degree, but physical fitness and other equipment advancements on tour are the prevalent factors in distance.  Anyway, interesting stuff to me.  Is it time for a new driver in my bag?  Maybe in a couple of years.

[bens197]

1 hour ago, Subdiver1 said:

Funny that you mention the G400 comparison.  My experience echoes yours.  I have had my G400 since mid-2018 and I have yet to find another driver, driver-shaft combination that matches my set-up.  

I do have a ZX7 that comes close.  The ONLY reason I have that set-up in my back-up bag is because the shaft I have in my G400 is no longer made and I have had 2 shafts break. That was a weird experience; the original striated about an inch above the hosel at the 3-year mark; the replacement broke in the same place, same manner after 2-rounds; I am on #3 and I have found one more in reserve.   Getting back on topic, I also hit the TSI2 at a course fitting, because they were there and so was I.  The TSI2 with HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 60 was pretty tight as well.  But over the course of the 5-years I have had the G400 in my bag NOTHING I have tried has beaten it.  

I will say that these 10K drivers are intriguing though.  But that follows your 5-year mark thoughts since 2018-2024 is ... yup > 5-years.

I truly believe the G400 LST is their best driver ever made. It’s really cool to read your experience and I know @chisag has played with a strong player who’s made it his preferred driver of choice for years. 
 

The 10K is definitely intriguing to me. It’s not what I need in a driver but it’s been long enough to see if the difference is noticeable. 

[chisag]

3 minutes ago, bens197 said:

I truly believe the G400 LST is their best driver ever made. It’s really cool to read your experience and I know @chisag has played with a strong player who’s made it his preferred driver of choice for years. 
 

The 10K is definitely intriguing to me. It’s not what I need in a driver but it’s been long enough to see if the difference is noticeable. 

... I should have my Qi10 with the same 10k moi next week. It will be interesting to see if and how my slight toe misses are improved. I am not expecting more yards on center contact but I am looking for a few more yards and tighter dispersion with my toe misses. It should at least be interesting comparison to my Stealth2 HD that was tTM's highest MOI driver. 

[Subdiver1]

1 hour ago, chisag said:

... I should have my Qi10 with the same 10k moi next week. It will be interesting to see if and how my slight toe misses are improved. I am not expecting more yards on center contact but I am looking for a few more yards and tighter dispersion with my toe misses. It should at least be interesting comparison to my Stealth2 HD that was tTM's highest MOI driver. 

I agree; I'm not sure I'd add distance, but if the dispersion gets tighter and loss is reduced on those misfits (mine seem to be heel centric lately) then it might be worth looking at. I'm not unhappy with my G400 dispersion, but the heel hits really penalize me (yes, I am working on the mechanics so it may a be moot. But it still is interesting). Look forward to hearing how the Qi10 compares for you.

[DiscipleofPenick]

On 1/27/2024 at 9:56 AM, cnosil said:

 

Definitely true,  MGS has done some old vs new driver comparisons and you definitely notice performance differences.    I viewed the question probably a bit more; maybe too, literally.   Carbon Fiber has been used in drivers for much longer than 10 years and isn't obsolete.   Every year "technology" advances and products get better;  but as your pro told you the differences may not be noticed.   

Right that was his point - that year to year those differences are minisucle, but over a few years they add up and then you notice the difference.