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2010 Driver Shoot Out Results

SuperStroke
Great Job THP!!! Many thanks to all the participants. JB, the members of your club must really like to see you coming....they know something new is going to be tested. And the best part is they get to do the testing. These tests really do give us the average Joe's take on the golf equipment which makes the reviews so genuine.
 
Keith said:
Great Job THP!!! Many thanks to all the participants. JB, the members of your club must really like to see you coming....they know something new is going to be tested. And the best part is they get to do the testing. These tests really do give us the average Joe's take on the golf equipment which makes the reviews so genuine.
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Thanks Keith. This one was made up of only 3 guys at my club and the rest were from other local clubs. But they do like seeing us, that is for sure.
 
JB - I know you did a test on the Mizuno MX 700last year but i wanted to know if submiited for this shoot out would it have done well along side all these new drivers?
I am currently in the process of deciding on the Ping G15 or the Mizuno. Thanks!
 
micone13 said:
JB - I know you did a test on the Mizuno MX 700last year but i wanted to know if submiited for this shoot out would it have done well along side all these new drivers?
I am currently in the process of deciding on the Ping G15 or the Mizuno. Thanks!
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I really do not know micone. I really liked the MX-700, but do not have one anymore and frankly have hit so many over the last year that I am not sure anymore. It was a great driver and I am sure would hold its own though.
 
JB which driver did best with low handicappers? I live in FL and would LOVE to take part in any of these if u ever need a tester. I digress. glad to see the TM Burner Super Fast did so well in the distance category. can u post a pic of the Burner coverhead?
 
GMDNP1 said:
JB which driver did best with low handicappers? I live in FL and would LOVE to take part in any of these if u ever need a tester. I digress. glad to see the TM Burner Super Fast did so well in the distance category. can u post a pic of the Burner coverhead?
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The breakdowns by handicap will be out in the magazine. I can post a picture of that headcover in the morning.

I can send you the information via pm to be a part of it.
 
Excellent!

I would like to see how the Rapture V2 and 909D2 would fare agains the "2010" drivers.

I've hit the G15, i15, ZL, and a few others and nothing touched the 909D2.

I'm a fan of the "evil Empire" and the "Even more evil empire Nike!".

Great stuff JB.
 
JB said:
We will have a complete breakdown of every category and every handicap in the magazine.
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Glad to hear; I am looking forward to reviewing the breakdown information. Thanks, JB. Job well done.
 
Looks like it was a lot of fun for all involved.

The driver that intruiges me most has to be the Burner. I've come to believe the driver above all else needs to be long. I'm one of the minority who believe long and wrong isn't that bad.

I would have liked to see the iZ perform better though (seems invisible in the shoot out) as that has me curious as well, notwithstandint the results.

Nice job though in getting this put together THP!

PS: To those who hit the iZ and have also hit the FT-9, how do these two clubs compare in terms of distance?
 
kgeorge78 said:
Excellent!

I would like to see how the Rapture V2 and 909D2 would fare agains the "2010" drivers.

I've hit the G15, i15, ZL, and a few others and nothing touched the 909D2.

I'm a fan of the "evil Empire" and the "Even more evil empire Nike!".

Great stuff JB.
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Ironically the 909D2 fared pretty poorly in our last year's smaller shoot out. Finished near the very bottom.

vicar said:
PS: To those who hit the iZ and have also hit the FT-9, how do these two clubs compare in terms of distance?
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The iz and the FT-9 are very different clubs. Easier to compare the FT9 to the FT Tour and the iz to the iq. Everything is different with the iz, the shape, sound, ball flight, etc...
 
JB said:
The iz and the FT-9 are very different clubs. Easier to compare the FT9 to the FT Tour and the iz to the iq. Everything is different with the iz, the shape, sound, ball flight, etc...
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Hey JB, yeah I know the FT-9 and FT Tour are more similar, and the iQ and iZ in another category. But as far as I know the FT Tour is glued and not I-Mix, so I'm looking at I-Mix drivers only, i.e, the iZ.

Despite the many differences as you mention, sound, shape, etc, I just want to know which one has better distance, assuming same swing put on both. Hopefully Callaway Night will be at Golf Galaxy soon, I'm itching to hit that iZ like crazy.

Anyway, notwithstanding the differences you mentioned, if someone asked you, which driver hits longer, what would you say?
 
For me, the FT 9 went further.
 
SunsetBeachGolf said:
Luckily since I have a bunch of friends and customers that are playing the Nationwide tour, so I have been lucky to try a majority of these drivers or their tour counterparts. They five guys I hung out with late last week are close along the same lines as what you saw with the exception of the Taylormade. None of the guys played TM, but TM had sent almost everyone of them a driver. The favorites for them went....

1. Cleveland DST Tour
2. Bridgestone J38
3. Ping i5
4. Nike Victory Red
5. Callaway Edge Tour

Myself I am currently carrying a 1.3 handicap although after shooting 79 with 5 birdies that will go up. My favoritew were the Bridgestone J38 followed by a tie with the Edge Tour and DST Tour.
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Great information. Can you elaborate on why they liked the Cleveland and the reasons you chose the Bridgestone and the Edge?

I have played the J33 with Graffaloy Prolite. Very low spin head/shaft combo, but hard to square. When hit right it is a monster. Just too many misses.
 
GolferGal22 said:
Thanks for the feedback on what the Nationwide players are playing. It's always great to find out what the pros are playing but in this case it's the reason we do the shoot outs. We like to have consumers from all skill levels test equipment to determine what they like the best. Another factor is that most pros are using equipment that is fitted for them and the reason for our shoot outs is because consumers can try the drivers that are straight off the shelf.
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For the drivers they end up playing, yes they are seriously fitted for them. The reason I pointed out our results is that these were just random models (sometimes a tour only edition) that were sent to them. Nothing from their main sponsor and it was a group of about 12 guys total 5 of them being pros. The highest handicap was a 3.
 
SunsetBeachGolf said:
For the drivers they end up playing, yes they are seriously fitted for them. The reason I pointed out our results is that these were just random models (sometimes a tour only edition) that were sent to them. Nothing from their main sponsor and it was a group of about 12 guys total 5 of them being pros. The highest handicap was a 3.
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Was the distance being measured for each ball or the accuracy from the center of the fairway? What was the basis of the testing or was it more about what felt right for each player?

Im trying to figure out how close it was to the type of testing that we do here with multiple handicap groups and have multiple categories.
 
Andy804 said:
I know you must be exhausted from this work and the summary is interesting reading.

I would be curious if you would consider comparing 2008, 2009, 2010 best overall drivers and list the best driver in the same categories you tested with. I would probably recommend adding a category for Value (probably hard to measure).

I know the 2010 vs 2009 is a separate discussion/thread, but most buyers today realize that 2010 does not automatically mean better than 2009 or even 2008. Especially, when you factor in the price.

I think it would be an interesting comparison. For example, if a Callaway Diablo Edge is $299 and an Adams A4 driver is $150 and the results are close, would the tester choose the Diablo over the A4.

Just a thought.
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Excellent point. Why pay more for this year's model if last year's driver is better? Are they always better the next year compared to the current year? Probably not. Now if you haven't bought one in the last 3 or 4 years then you are missing out on a lot of good technology but the difference between this year and last year is probably less well defined.
 
JB said:
Was the distance being measured for each ball or the accuracy from the center of the fairway? What was the basis of the testing or was it more about what felt right for each player?

Im trying to figure out how close it was to the type of testing that we do here with multiple handicap groups and have multiple categories.
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As I said above, no handicap above 3.

Clubs there were 4 of each model(sometimes more) Everything was between 8 and 9.5 in loft. The local clubfitter (works on a ton of pro's clubs) that was there had them sorted by CPM's to keep flex somewhat consistent and had a portable launch monitor. He said it was not the best, but worked pretty well.

I took notations from each player in regards to feel and looks. No regard to sound, as sound is a major factor in feel and none of the players cared how they sounded. Caddies at the end of the fairway called distance back to me via rangefinders and how far from the center of the fairway for tiebreakers. The fairway was 45 yards wide from 270-330. The guys were not too worried about distance, with the change in grooves for this year they were more worried about total driving(distance + accuracy). No balls were removed from the test for the pros (longest and shortest from amateurs), they wanted the best and the worst charted. Players played the ball they play, no reason to have a Nike guy play a Titleist.

How the test was scored was total driving accounting for 70% of the score, with feel and looks each being 15%.

So as you can see ours was done a little differently. For guys who play for money performance mattered most to them, none would EVER sacrifice accuracy for distance with the new groove changes. They all said pretty much the same thing which I agree with. I could care less what it looks, sounds or feels like. If it goes pretty long and in the fairway I will play it.

I played the FT-3 Tour and the Nike Dymo, two of the most horrid sounding/feeling drivers ever made and completely different than one another. I played them because they performed.

For me the best was the Bridgestone J38 in 9.5 with the X flex. It was not the longest for me (fitter said I was not quite optimized) but was second in accuracy, and 9 yards longer than 1st in accuracy (which was settled in a tiebreaker for distance away from center).

I am sure I am missing something as all of my notes are at home. Is this any good for a 10 handicap? Nope, really no one above a 5 or 6 should pay attention to our test (unless they are a bad putter). Possibly only good for 3 and below, but it is amazing how depending upon skill level a driver a scratch golfer calls amazing maybe a driver a 20 handicapper calls crap.
 
SunsetBeachGolf said:
They five guys I hung out with late last week are close along the same lines as what you saw with the exception of the Taylormade. None of the guys played TM, but TM had sent almost everyone of them a driver.
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Apparently some of the golf companies read our forum and asked which Nationwide event had the new TM drivers? Or were these the old drivers. According to them, these have not been on any tour truck other than the PGA one at the Hope this week and they have not sent a single one out to the Nationwide tour, fitters, or any nationwide players.

Dont kill the messenger, just their words. They assumed that it was the older R9 or R9 460.
 
SunsetBeachGolf said:
As I said above, no handicap above 3.

I am sure I am missing something as all of my notes are at home. Is this any good for a 10 handicap? Nope, really no one above a 5 or 6 should pay attention to our test (unless they are a bad putter). Possibly only good for 3 and below, but it is amazing how depending upon skill level a driver a scratch golfer calls amazing maybe a driver a 20 handicapper calls crap.
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Some great responses in this thread about drivers and what each individual is looking for. It think it is pretty cool how each person is looking for that one thing to seperate one driver from another. I am like some people where I cannot get past the sound even thought the driver is performing. For others it is how the club sets up behind the ball...some people the colour plays a factor! You just never know what will be that trigger that makes you want one club over the other. In this case it is definately true that one mans junk can be another mans treasure!
 
If the sound is different when you hit it pure vs off center it can help to train you to make better contact by finding that sound every time. For me superficial aspects including sound and decoration make no difference at all, if I hit it well I will use it. I do have a preference for more traditional head shapes so no square or hex shapes in my bag, not yet anyway.
 
JB what did you think of the Nike Drivers after playing with them a bit longer.
 
I like both of them quite a bit. The VR driver has a very metal bat like kind of sound. But both work extremely well.
 
DO not forget that tomorrow is the last day to enter to win one of these drivers. Check out the contest section of the forum and get your entry submitted. Thanks.
 
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