Golfspy_CG2 2024 Driver Shootout

[OdinSnipes414]

1 hour ago, Jeremy Meyer said:

It’s a double edged sword - it’s nice when he gets the new equipment and I get to try it, but then I want it and have to find a way to hide it from the wife

Time to have a storage unit that she doesn’t know about! Or keep them at the office! 

[MichaelC_81]

On 2/25/2024 at 8:23 AM, Golfspy_CG2 said:

The Qi10 has had the best combination of accuracy and distance.  The PING 10 K has been the most accurate by a slight margin. 
 

The Ai Smoke has been ok but nothing special. It may benefit most of all thw heads from the shaft i have coming in 

This sounds like what I was expecting. Going off a number of reviews for all drivers, the Qi10 seems the most forgiving but I love the look of the Ping.

[Golfspy_CG2]

So a fun update: 

Got in a new GD VR shaft with an All Fit adapter yesterday.  So if you've read above, I have two GD shafts that have worked well for me,  The Di 5 in my TSR and the new AD CQ in the Qi10.   I did a lot of research and talked to a rep at GD and determined a good shaft that blends the best of both of those for me would be the VR. 
 

 So I want to be able to try as many heads with it as I can.  So I got in the Ping, Callaway and Cobra adapters for it.   If you're reading that closely, you may pick up on a new or late addition to the shootout, which is mostly due to popular requests in here.

Yesterday I went out to the range with just the Ping head on the shaft, and had pretty good results.  it was too cold and windy to bother setting up the LM but I just wanted to see the flight.  And I hit it side by side with the TM QI10.  From my pure eyeball perspective it was right there with the QI10 in distance, and almost identical in flight.  Both had a very straight flight, some swings there was a slight draw and some a slight fade, both of those would be attributed to my swing. 

Today more of the same weather, even a bit cooler.   But again wanted to get some swings in with the shaft and the PING G430 10K.

I was loving what I was seeing, after I loosened up a bit definitely saw more left bias than right bias out of it which for a life long  fader of the ball, was nice to see.   

Next week is supposed to bring some good weather, so we'll get both some LM data and real on course results. 

 

 

 

[William P]

23 minutes ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

So a fun update: 

Got in a new GD VR shaft with an All Fit adapter yesterday.  So if you've read above, I have two GD shafts that have worked well for me,  The Di 5 in my TSR and the new AD CQ in the Qi10.   I did a lot of research and talked to a rep at GD and determined a good shaft that blends the best of both of those for me would be the VR. 
 

 So I want to be able to try as many heads with it as I can.  So I got in the Ping, Callaway and Cobra adapters for it.   If you're reading that closely, you may pick up on a new or late addition to the shootout, which is mostly due to popular requests in here.

Yesterday I went out to the range with just the Ping head on the shaft, and had pretty good results.  it was too cold and windy to bother setting up the LM but I just wanted to see the flight.  And I hit it side by side with the TM QI10.  From my pure eyeball perspective it was right there with the QI10 in distance, and almost identical in flight.  Both had a very straight flight, some swings there was a slight draw and some a slight fade, both of those would be attributed to my swing. 

Today more of the same weather, even a bit cooler.   But again wanted to get some swings in with the shaft and the PING G430 10K.

I was loving what I was seeing, after I loosened up a bit definitely saw more left bias than right bias out of it which for a life long  fader of the ball, was nice to see.   

Next week is supposed to bring some good weather, so we'll get both some LM data and real on course results. 

 

 

 

So the Dark Side, uh, Darkspeed will be joining the ranks...

[TJ Hall]

27 minutes ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

So a fun update: 

Got in a new GD VR shaft with an All Fit adapter yesterday.  So if you've read above, I have two GD shafts that have worked well for me,  The Di 5 in my TSR and the new AD CQ in the Qi10.   I did a lot of research and talked to a rep at GD and determined a good shaft that blends the best of both of those for me would be the VR. 
 

 So I want to be able to try as many heads with it as I can.  So I got in the Ping, Callaway and Cobra adapters for it.   If you're reading that closely, you may pick up on a new or late addition to the shootout, which is mostly due to popular requests in here.

Yesterday I went out to the range with just the Ping head on the shaft, and had pretty good results.  it was too cold and windy to bother setting up the LM but I just wanted to see the flight.  And I hit it side by side with the TM QI10.  From my pure eyeball perspective it was right there with the QI10 in distance, and almost identical in flight.  Both had a very straight flight, some swings there was a slight draw and some a slight fade, both of those would be attributed to my swing. 

Today more of the same weather, even a bit cooler.   But again wanted to get some swings in with the shaft and the PING G430 10K.

I was loving what I was seeing, after I loosened up a bit definitely saw more left bias than right bias out of it which for a life long  fader of the ball, was nice to see.   

Next week is supposed to bring some good weather, so we'll get both some LM data and real on course results. 

 

 

 

Might be a coincidence but the shaft coloring matches the Qi…

[Golfspy_CG2]

So an update for this week:   TLDR-Callaway was surprisingly fast!  The PING and TM still very good 

Monday: Played my first 18 hole round of the year and took out the PING with the GD VR shaft and the Qi10 with the GD QC shaft that I ordered it with. 

Had a really good range session with both of them, nice maybe 3 to 5 yard fades with both of them, and while I didn't have a LM out they both appeared to be carrying around the same distance.

Front 9 TaylorMade Qi10-Graphite Design QC 5 R

I decided I'd play the Qi10 the front 9 and the G430 10K on the back, and use my GPS to measure the distance of each drive.

I can't make this up, but the first hole, Qi10, I hit what felt like one of my best drives in a while, and judging by my playing partners reaction he thought so too.   He typically drives it 235 to 245, and as I mentioned up front 215 is a good drive for me now days, with most topping out 195 to 205 range.  As we were driving to the shots, I could see they were closer than I expected, and I knew he had hit a good one his self.   

Sure enough the GPS clocked mine at 227.  The longest drive I've had since at least last summer.  I'd love to say the front 9  featured 6 more of those, but in reality only one came close it was 214 on a slightly uphill hole, though.  Most were in the 196 to 204 range but I only missed one fairway and that was on 9 when I really tried to reach back and kill it!   But it was totally playable in the right rough.

Back 9-PING G430 10K-Graphite Design VR 5 

 Most of the 9 was like the front nine, very straight and in play...which is what this driver is about, it's not touted for outrageous distance.   But I did really flush one on 17 and it checked in at 216 on a pretty wet fairway, so not much roll at all. 

So both drivers did what they are supposed to do, go straight, and not lose distance on shots not on the sweet spot.  I think I can safely say I had some drives with both drivers that would have probably been 10 to 15 yards less with some of the non `10K drivers. 

Tuesday Range-Callaway AiSmoke Max Graphite Design VR 5

Very rainy day, but decided to get a very short range session in with this club, as I  feel like I've neglected  it during to this point in the shootout.  Mainly due to some not great early shots with it and the stock set up.  

But as I said earlier about the PING and the Graphite Design....it made this driver come alive. 

I set the Full Swing LM up and only hit about 15 balls with it and 10 to 12 with the QI10.   The Callaway really shined.   I was getting ball speeds in the low 122 and 123 on  a lot of my drives, and the ones that I didn't were in the 118'ish range.    I hadn't gotten 120 plus on the LM again since last summer.  I know that's a good 7 iron speed for most, but for me that has been living in the mid to high teens, it's hope  that my goal of 130 is not impossible.   

But also of note, is the Smoke Ai had a little draw going, and the ones that didn't went straight to a very small 5 yard fade again.   

If you have seen any of the Callaway marketing adds, you see the face with all the different face impacts showing the +gains in each of them.   I am generally a High Toe miss when I do, and I can tell you I had a couple of those, and that where the 114 or 115 ball speeds came in, where they might have been 110 to 111 on other drivers.    And the ball maintained it's lne, so it would have been totally playable. 

 

It made me very eager to get this driver on course to test, which I plan to do next week.   

 

 

 

 

[BCases]

On 2/8/2024 at 9:46 AM, Golfspy_CG2 said:

You know that strikes me that I might look into ordering a Grpahite Design with the All Fit Tip if I can from  WP or somewhere. 

The All-fit tips are great.

Edited March 6 by BCases

[Rob Person]

1 hour ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

So an update for this week:   TLDR-Callaway was surprisingly fast!  The PING and TM still very good 

Monday: Played my first 18 hole round of the year and took out the PING with the GD VR shaft and the Qi10 with the GD QC shaft that I ordered it with. 

Had a really good range session with both of them, nice maybe 3 to 5 yard fades with both of them, and while I didn't have a LM out they both appeared to be carrying around the same distance.

Front 9 TaylorMade Qi10-Graphite Design QC 5 R

I decided I'd play the Qi10 the front 9 and the G430 10K on the back, and use my GPS to measure the distance of each drive.

I can't make this up, but the first hole, Qi10, I hit what felt like one of my best drives in a while, and judging by my playing partners reaction he thought so too.   He typically drives it 235 to 245, and as I mentioned up front 215 is a good drive for me now days, with most topping out 195 to 205 range.  As we were driving to the shots, I could see they were closer than I expected, and I knew he had hit a good one his self.   

Sure enough the GPS clocked mine at 227.  The longest drive I've had since at least last summer.  I'd love to say the front 9  featured 6 more of those, but in reality only one came close it was 214 on a slightly uphill hole, though.  Most were in the 196 to 204 range but I only missed one fairway and that was on 9 when I really tried to reach back and kill it!   But it was totally playable in the right rough.

Back 9-PING G430 10K-Graphite Design VR 5 

 Most of the 9 was like the front nine, very straight and in play...which is what this driver is about, it's not touted for outrageous distance.   But I did really flush one on 17 and it checked in at 216 on a pretty wet fairway, so not much roll at all. 

So both drivers did what they are supposed to do, go straight, and not lose distance on shots not on the sweet spot.  I think I can safely say I had some drives with both drivers that would have probably been 10 to 15 yards less with some of the non `10K drivers. 

Tuesday Range-Callaway AiSmoke Max Graphite Design VR 5

Very rainy day, but decided to get a very short range session in with this club, as I  feel like I've neglected  it during to this point in the shootout.  Mainly due to some not great early shots with it and the stock set up.  

But as I said earlier about the PING and the Graphite Design....it made this driver come alive. 

I set the Full Swing LM up and only hit about 15 balls with it and 10 to 12 with the QI10.   The Callaway really shined.   I was getting ball speeds in the low 122 and 123 on  a lot of my drives, and the ones that I didn't were in the 118'ish range.    I hadn't gotten 120 plus on the LM again since last summer.  I know that's a good 7 iron speed for most, but for me that has been living in the mid to high teens, it's hope  that my goal of 130 is not impossible.   

But also of note, is the Smoke Ai had a little draw going, and the ones that didn't went straight to a very small 5 yard fade again.   

If you have seen any of the Callaway marketing adds, you see the face with all the different face impacts showing the +gains in each of them.   I am generally a High Toe miss when I do, and I can tell you I had a couple of those, and that where the 114 or 115 ball speeds came in, where they might have been 110 to 111 on other drivers.    And the ball maintained it's lne, so it would have been totally playable. 

 

It made me very eager to get this driver on course to test, which I plan to do next week.   

 

 

 

 

Thats awesome!!! 

[Golfspy_CG2]

11 minutes ago, BCases said:

The All-fit tips are bigger, heavier, uglier and break rather quickly.

Totally subjective. 

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  The looks don't bother me at all, the ability to move between heads far outweighs that, and if anything my swing speed has gone up a notch.   And granted it's only been a week, but having hit over 100 shots with it on two different heads, I haven't had it break yet. 

 

 

[GolfSpy_BNG]

18 minutes ago, BCases said:

The All-fit tips are bigger, heavier, uglier and break rather quickly.

I can assure you mine are no bigger outside the head than TM’s adapter. I have also been using them for quite a long time without any breakage. That statement should have been followed with sarcasm or an “in your opinion” wording. 

[rupp49er]

I am excited to have a fitting tomorrow, I am looking at the QI10 Max, 430 Max 10k, Darkspeed X and the AI Smoke Max and the Black Ops tomorrow. By no means am I very good but I do find the fairway regularly with my PXG 0811X+ but am looking for more yardage as I am getting old and my swing is slowing down...

[TJ Hall]

3 minutes ago, rupp49er said:

I am excited to have a fitting tomorrow, I am looking at the QI10 Max, 430 Max 10k, Darkspeed X and the AI Smoke Max and the Black Ops tomorrow. By no means am I very good but I do find the fairway regularly with my PXG 0811X+ but am looking for more yardage as I am getting old and my swing is slowing down...

Good luck with the fitting, provide an update of what you end up with!

[rupp49er]

Will do, this will be the first time I have ever been truly fitted for any clubs. I used to be around 100mph with a driver, now I am closer to 90 so I am interested to see what shaft works the best. I have no complaints about my current 0811, I hit more fairways than I ever have with it, but I am sure I will find a fair bit of yardage with any of these new drivers without giving up the dispersion I have now. Or so I hope.

[rupp49er]

Let me start by saying that my swing was not good when I went for my fitting! Lots of low slices with way too much sidespin. I tried the QI10 Max, AI Smoke Max, Darkspeed Max, as well as the Dark Ops, and quite a few different shaft combinations with all of them. Way too much spin for me and not the improvement I had hoped to see in carry and yardage. Finally tried the Srixon ZX5 MK2 with a Tensei White S 65. Even with my poor swing the spin was much lower and the carry +10 yards over everything else I hit, and 17 yards over my current gamer. So it's in the bag for now. 2hrs on the simulator and had my swing in much better shape and was seeing even better results. Played yesterday and the horrible cut was back, I had a couple of nice drives with it but nothing was working, but I can't attribute that to the driver. Back to the range after work, I do feel that once I get back to my normal swing I am going to be happy with it but we will see.

[Golfspy_CG2]

On 3/11/2024 at 10:07 AM, rupp49er said:

Let me start by saying that my swing was not good when I went for my fitting! Lots of low slices with way too much sidespin. I tried the QI10 Max, AI Smoke Max, Darkspeed Max, as well as the Dark Ops, and quite a few different shaft combinations with all of them. Way too much spin for me and not the improvement I had hoped to see in carry and yardage. Finally tried the Srixon ZX5 MK2 with a Tensei White S 65. Even with my poor swing the spin was much lower and the carry +10 yards over everything else I hit, and 17 yards over my current gamer. So it's in the bag for now. 2hrs on the simulator and had my swing in much better shape and was seeing even better results. Played yesterday and the horrible cut was back, I had a couple of nice drives with it but nothing was working, but I can't attribute that to the driver. Back to the range after work, I do feel that once I get back to my normal swing I am going to be happy with it but we will see.

Glad you found one that worked for you.  I will have some more updates by the end of the week. 

[Golfspy_CG2]

A new Player has entered the room! 
 

 

 

[sirchunksalot]

1 minute ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

A new Player has entered the room! 
 

 

 

I love how that looks at address, the dull carbon reminds me of my King Tec 4 hybrid. 

[Golfspy_CG2]

Some non LM but GPS Tracked shots yesterday were just so damn impressive.  Only w few mishits under 200 and most in the 215 to 222 range and w few in the 230’s

Now to the uniformed readers that is like. Whats so impressive about that.  Well go back and read my intro post and you’ll see.  Ha 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

4 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

I love how that looks at address, the dull carbon reminds me of my King Tec 4 hybrid. 

Jason, I was thinking the EXACT same thing. I hit the Darkspeed LS a couple weeks ago at Golf Galaxy and it was like looking at a larger King Tec. Cobra just absolutely knocked it out of the park this year.

[Golfspy_CG2]

4 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

I love how that looks at address, the dull carbon reminds me of my King Tec 4 hybrid. 

You know. I actually love both matte and gloss finishes.  
 

To me Drivers head finishes are like women, blonde or brunette..doesn’t matter beautiful is beautiful  

[sirchunksalot]

12 minutes ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

You know. I actually love both matte and gloss finishes.  
 

To me Drivers head finishes are like women, blonde or brunette..doesn’t matter beautiful is beautiful  

Totally agree, I love the crown on the Aerojet, I loved it on the Epic Flash, and the Ping G400 that I have owned. There's just something about that matte that I really have taken a shine to. 

[FallenSaber]

27 minutes ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

A new Player has entered the room! 
 

 

 

Love the look of it!

[aguybadatgolf]

1 hour ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

A new Player has entered the room! 
 

 

 

What head did you go with? Apologies if it was stated elsewhere and I missed it. 

[TJ Hall]

1 hour ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

A new Player has entered the room! 
 

 

 

That’s a sharp looking driver!  Quite a test you have going on!

[KC Golf]

The Cobra looks fantastic at Address… can’t wait to try it on outdoor demo day.

[Golfspy_CG2]

5 hours ago, aguybadatgolf said:

What head did you go with? Apologies if it was stated elsewhere and I missed it. 

Ah!  The X.  I. don’t think I mentioned it or showed the sole. 

[aguybadatgolf]

1 hour ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

Ah!  The X.  I. don’t think I mentioned it or showed the sole. 

Thanks! I’m getting a fitting in a couple weeks and am really hoping one of the cobra options work out for me.