The Driver Conundrum

[RatFink]

For those of you who read the R11 or 910 thread, you'll know I am considering a new driver.
I've spent the last hour going over the reviews from the outing to see what I should be checking out and it goes as follows:

910 D series
Razr Hawk
Cleveland Line

Of these drivers, the Titleists are adjustable, and the Cleveland/Callaways are not. I don't play an adjustable driver now, but I'm a gadget geek, so it's jsut another thing I can say I have (I'm sure some of you guys can relate).
My pro says that adjustable clubs are nice, but they're just something you set and leave anyways, so they don't matter too much, unless you have a significant swing change and you need to alter your combination.
I've only hit the 910 D series, and absolutely loved them. I love how you can just drop in a new shaft at fitting to see which one works, and which one doesn't. I also love the fact that I was maxing out the driving range at the course I was at with these clubs.
I hit the R11 for a few weeks, and only got average results, so I sold that club to my buddy who now makes the ball seem like it has been strapped to a Saturn V rocket, so its' in better hands. The Cleveland line obviously has a stellar shaft in it (hence why it's in my selection), but if they are the same as the mashie (ultra-light), I may have one heck of a time connecting with them. The Razrhawk of course has all the buzz of being longer than R11, and plus it has a whole bunch of reviewers saying it was the best, or one of the best drivers at the outing, so it's an "in" automatically.

Am I missing something else here?
I'm trying to assemble a list before I head over to golftown to blast holes in their launch monitor.

 

[#Cookie]

Probably does not help much but wait until you see the Srixon Z-Star reviews from demo day....bet you add that to your list (although I know they are hard to find and hit).

 

[JB]

Not all the demo day threads have been put up yet.
There are still lots of other great drivers to choose from.
Srixon
Adams
You mention Nike, but they are not on the list.
Cobra
Boccieri
Yonex
And more.

 

[RatFink]

Probably does not help much but wait until you see the Srixon Z-Star reviews from demo day....bet you add that to your list (although I know they are hard to find and hit).

I have not heard of a Srixon club in Canada before... if I see one, I'll hit it for sure though! The fact that one's been sitting in JB's bag for the last while is testament enough to try one out.

 

[Tmex]

I'd add...

ZStar
Wilson DXI
Boccieri

Depends what you're looking for. What's your miss? Are you looking for distance, control? The Clevelands do just fine with a hard or fast SS. You won't have to worry there.

 

[RatFink]

Not all the demo day threads have been put up yet.
There are still lots of other great drivers to choose from.
Srixon
Adams
You mention Nike, but they are not on the list.
Cobra
Boccieri
Yonex
And more.

My bad, I'm still waking up and my mind was in two threads at once I guess!
Of the ones on your list, the Adams, and Cobras are available up here. The others dont' appear to be I'm afraid. I shall wait!

 

[JB]

I believe you said you are planning on attending the THP Demo Day in 2012. I know its a year away, but why not put your money aside for a few lessons, work with what you have, and then try your hand at all the clubs side by side.

Just my two cents.

 

[Mark]

I have not heard of a Srixon club in Canada before... if I see one, I'll hit it for sure though! The fact that one's been sitting in JB's bag for the last while is testament enough to try one out.

Hey RF, I see that your in Calgary. GT doe snot have any srixzon, sad. Golfplus may though. I have yet to see any here. From what I have heard, this is on my hit list. The Nike VR Pro is a great driver. Although I really like my R11, I could see a switch after a few frustrating rounds. The PJX shafts in the Nike are great.

 

[RatFink]

I'd add...

ZStar
Wilson DXI
Boccieri

Depends what you're looking for. What's your miss? Are you looking for distance, control? The Clevelands do just fine with a hard or fast SS. You won't have to worry there.

My miss is an epic slice with a driver, but with the more robust shaft (read: feels like a 2x4 instead of a noodle in my current driver) it was reduced to only being 10-15 yards off centre to the right.

 

[mhuelsman131]

The Clevelands will do just fine with a faster swing speed. They should be able to fit you to international flex code that the miyazaki shafts have. I'd also look at the nike vr pro driver as I hit one for a while at a demo day at my course. The stock Project X shaft launched lower for me which I personally was not a big fan of, but the forgiveness on mis-hits was outstanding. My typical miss is low and towards the heel on the clubface. My TL310 loses a fair amount of distance on these, but the VR Pro handled mis-hits like a champ. Not a noticable amount of distance loss and a similar ball flight to a well struck shot.

 

[#Cookie]

RatFink - your miss is the same as mine. With a combination of swing adjustments and club adjustments with the Z-Star I got it fixed up very nicely. If you can't find one to demo, get in touch with Patty at Blind9 golf. If I am not mistaken, she said they had it to send out for a demo with a deposit. Definitely worth it IMO!!

 

[RatFink]

I believe you said you are planning on attending the THP Demo Day in 2012. I know its a year away, but why not put your money aside for a few lessons, work with what you have, and then try your hand at all the clubs side by side.

Just my two cents.

I was having the same thought last night in bed (golf dreams anyone?). I think part of my problem is a variant of the "keeping up with the Joneses" syndrome. I lag behind my friend by 20-50 yards consistently so now I "have" to get up there again. A year is a long time to wait, and I just looked at my schedule for June 8... I'm in training STARTING at 12pm EST! How coincidental and unfortunate is that! My heart actually sank when I looked at my calendar.

Hey RF, I see that your in Calgary. GT doe snot have any srixzon, sad. Golfplus may though. I have yet to see any here. From what I have heard, this is on my hit list. The Nike VR Pro is a great driver. Although I really like my R11, I could see a switch after a few frustrating rounds. The PJX shafts in the Nike are great.

The Clevelands will do just fine with a faster swing speed. They should be able to fit you to international flex code that the miyazaki shafts have. I'd also look at the nike vr pro driver as I hit one for a while at a demo day at my course. The stock Project X shaft launched lower for me which I personally was not a big fan of, but the forgiveness on mis-hits was outstanding. My typical miss is low and towards the heel on the clubface. My TL310 loses a fair amount of distance on these, but the VR Pro handled mis-hits like a champ. Not a noticable amount of distance loss and a similar ball flight to a well struck shot.

I shall take a look at Nike then!
My problem with ultra-light clubs is not the shaft holding up, but my inability to "feel" it through my swing and so I tend to overswing.

 

[JB]

I was having the same thought last night in bed (golf dreams anyone?). I think part of my problem is a variant of the "keeping up with the Joneses" syndrome. I lag behind my friend by 20-50 yards consistently so now I "have" to get up there again. A year is a long time to wait, and I just looked at my schedule for June 8... I'm in training STARTING at 12pm EST! How coincidental and unfortunate is that! My heart actually sank when I looked at my calendar.





I shall take a look at Nike then!
My problem with ultra-light clubs is not the shaft holding up, but my inability to "feel" it through my swing and so I tend to overswing.

You might not have to worry about it being full on 6/8.
As for the distance, your new driver is most likely not going to give you 30 yards more distance. Lessons would more than likely before the new club would.
As for the light shaft, keep in mind the Cleveland 59 is not that much lighter than many of the other options out there for drivers (heavier in some). So the inability to "feel" might be a mental thing unless you were swinging the 270 version and did not try the 310 version.

 

[mhuelsman131]

My problem with ultra-light clubs is not the shaft holding up, but my inability to "feel" it through my swing and so I tend to overswing.

Look at the TL310 then. Its the heaviest head they have and I dont have any problems feeling the clubhead through my swing.

 

[Hawk]

I think you are thinking too much when it comes to lightweight drivers. The 310 isn't that far off from other drivers anyway. Just swing it and put the pre-conceived notions out of your head and you might be surprised what works for you.

 

[golf4life]

If you're looking for something to help with your slice, I have never hit a better anti-slice driver than the Ping K15. My miss is a fade/slice, and when I hit the ball well I hit it pretty much dead straight to 5 yards right. Well, with the K15, I hit a draw. I would definitely try out the K15 before you buy anything.

 

[Tmex]

I just want to add what everyone is saying, the 310 might be the perfect option if you're going Clevelands direction.

Another note, JB has a good point lol. It may be hard to wait but if you can, and you fix your driver issue, you may get so much more out of the demo day. Anyway..

Two slice killers imo are

Wilson Staff DXI
Boccieri

You would reallly be doing yourself a disservice not trying these. Obviously hard to hold on a purchase but these are just great drivers that do a lot of the straight ball. The Staff seemed longer than the Boccieri but the Boccieri seems like a slicers dream.

My miss is an epic slice with a driver, but with the more robust shaft (read: feels like a 2x4 instead of a noodle in my current driver) it was reduced to only being 10-15 yards off centre to the right.

 

[Tmex]

Thats a great one too!!!!!!

If you're looking for something to help with your slice, I have never hit a better anti-slice driver than the Ping K15. My miss is a fade/slice, and when I hit the ball well I hit it pretty much dead straight to 5 yards right. Well, with the K15, I hit a draw. I would definitely try out the K15 before you buy anything.

 

[RatFink]

I think you are thinking too much when it comes to lightweight drivers. The 310 isn't that far off from other drivers anyway. Just swing it and put the pre-conceived notions out of your head and you might be surprised what works for you.

You hit the nail on the head with all aspects of my life.

Also, (another over thought maybe?) I would rather not buy a draw-based driver again. Everything set to neutral is my goal!

 

[JB]

Everything set to neutral is my goal!

Then why the want of an adjustable?

 

[RatFink]

Then why the want of an adjustable?

Good question! (It's one that swirls in my mind each time I think of a driver)
Like I mentioned in my first post, I'm a gadget freak, so it's another thing in my back pocket (next to the iPhone and what not). An adjustable driver would also maybe help me progress from an adjusted club, to a neutral club - with swing changes (not sure if that's a benefit or not). Also, maybe down the road with a new pro teaching me, my swing may change a lot so instead of having to buy another driver, I could just tweak the one I already have. Buyers remorse may also come in... say I don't get that grooved swing, and I end up with a club that isn't adjustable. It's conceivable that I may think I left something on the table, when I could have bought the club that could be tweaked to fit that nagging issue of my swing.
I try to buy clubs that will last a long time (I said that when I bought my current one... but obviously the devil of golftown may have made me buy the wrong one), so the adjustability could help make a club an investment instead of a stop gap.
You may be sitting at your computer thinking I'm a nutter, but somewhere this all makes sense in my head... I think. :glasses-nerdy: