rynobucket
Active member
I just got the standard Classic this off-season, now I already have the itch to upgrade. Grrr....this site is dangerous to my paypal account.
Cleveland Classic XL & XL Custom Driver Preview Thread
tgtt
Well-known member
JB, very interesting. I know last year, as you stated above, that you was low spin/high launch guy. Will your findings with this club setup lead you to experiment with other drivers in the same fashion?
- Thread starter
- Admin
- #1,328
I try to test every single driver that comes out on the monitor at the range and most on the course. Some work for me, others don't as well. I'm actually a high spin player so finding something lower spinning is usually pretty important for me. Last year the Classic was so low spinning that I went to a 12 degree head and it worked seriously well. I had no plans to change drivers this year, but this one is doing things I could not do in the past distance wise for me.
As someone that is not a long hitter, it definitely helps.
mikedean441
6X HOF
Great writeups jb and war, hard to believe the success of last year's edition could be trumped, but so far so good.
hereisnowhy
Garden Gnome
I'm learning to live with the Black Tie in the Custom. After a disastrous honeymoon, we are learning to live together quite nicely....
- Moderator
- #1,331
I know this type of update is a touch behind most of my fellow staffers, but I've finally been properly introduced to my Morgan Cup driver, and I really wanted to share some thoughts on the closeup looks on the driver itself. Selection wise, I went with the 9.0 head with the JDL 6x shaft, playing at the Cleveland standard of 45" with a Lamkin 3GEN REL grip with three total wraps.
The head.
Very cool design with the adapter along with the gap in the head to show where it aligns.
Nice deep face along with the Classic repetition on the center section offering a very mild alignment.
Difficult to see, but there is definitely an alignment dot there. Very 'murdered out' design and I dig it.
"Designed in Huntington Beach CA" is a great touch. Lots to be viewed here between the gold accents, the weight system, and the old school number.
A booklet to explain the adjustability, a wrench, and a pretty sleek headcover to be unique.
The Subtleties of the JDL really work in terms of looks with the XL Custom. If you want some detailed on course thoughts on the 6x I selected and how it worked for my game, check out the following links from the Miyazaki JDL testing from last year:
I can't wait to take this with the wrench out to the range (hopefully early this week) to see just how it works for me, and the differences I experience between this club and the driver I have been using for the last six months. If you guys have any questions or things you'd like to see concentrated on, please let me know!
Thanks again Cleveland and THP for making these opportunities available to us regular Joe's. I am so pumped to get to know Cleveland in 2013!
The head.
Very cool design with the adapter along with the gap in the head to show where it aligns.
Nice deep face along with the Classic repetition on the center section offering a very mild alignment.
Difficult to see, but there is definitely an alignment dot there. Very 'murdered out' design and I dig it.
"Designed in Huntington Beach CA" is a great touch. Lots to be viewed here between the gold accents, the weight system, and the old school number.
A booklet to explain the adjustability, a wrench, and a pretty sleek headcover to be unique.
The Subtleties of the JDL really work in terms of looks with the XL Custom. If you want some detailed on course thoughts on the 6x I selected and how it worked for my game, check out the following links from the Miyazaki JDL testing from last year:
Spoiler
I can't wait to take this with the wrench out to the range (hopefully early this week) to see just how it works for me, and the differences I experience between this club and the driver I have been using for the last six months. If you guys have any questions or things you'd like to see concentrated on, please let me know!
Thanks again Cleveland and THP for making these opportunities available to us regular Joe's. I am so pumped to get to know Cleveland in 2013!
hereisnowhy
Garden Gnome
Custom XL Black Tie was good to me on the front 9. Became a hook machine for me on the back 9 as I fatigued a little.
Quick update while I have a minute in traffic. I shot a 4 stroke personal best today (75), hitting only 4 FIR. The XL Custom played the front 9, 910 played the back 9. It wasnt a great driving day by any means, but there were a butt load of FAIRs out there. My 13/18 GIR is what shined. I will have a full writeup tomorrow when I get to a computer, but I found the CXLC longer than the 910 when hit on the sweetspot, the 910 better when hit higher on the face, and the 'bad' CXLC misses less penal than the 'bad' misses with the 910 D2. I would say the 910 averaged more yards overall, but it also put me OB once (by a foot or less). My best drive was with the CXLC around 290ish (downhill) but did have some in the low 230s too. The CXLC def. seemed to get more rollout than the 910, but also had less carry.
Here is some more driving info on my round yesterday. We were stacked up all day, so I couldnt play 2 tee balls like I wanted. So, I played the Classic Custom on the front 9 and my 910 D2 on the back 9 instead. The course we played was Lassing Pointe Golf in Union, KY. Here are the driving stats via GolfShot. It shows driver on 18, but I hit 3Hy.
When hit on the sweetspot (hole 8), the Classic (Std Square setting) is by far longer than the 910 D2's sweetspot hit (10,13). The 910 (A1 setting) was just more consistent distance wise, but definitely had a bigger lateral dispersion. Classic seems to be more forgiving on the toe and heel misses. They dont fly as far, but they are rather straight for misses. The Classic had much more roll out too, but just didnt fly anywhere near as far in the air as my 910.
My only drive with a penalty was the par 5 15th, which ended up underneath the OB fence, prob 15 yards off the fairway right. I was playing my draw and just missed it and ended up with a block right that didnt move.
My buddies I played with think I made a mistake going with the 7S, said I should've gone lighter (like War Eagle) did. They said I dont have the swing speed to get enough spin I need to keep the ball in the air long enough. They said my fitter will explain it better to me when I get on a TrackMan. I will probably go to a different fitter for that session. They gave me a strong recommendation, hope to get this done this week before I play again this coming weekend.
FWIW, one of my buddies hit my Classic on the back 9 (turned the loft down) and just murdered it much better than I did. Also, much better than his Titleist 909 (not sure which version) he usually plays.
When hit on the sweetspot (hole 8), the Classic (Std Square setting) is by far longer than the 910 D2's sweetspot hit (10,13). The 910 (A1 setting) was just more consistent distance wise, but definitely had a bigger lateral dispersion. Classic seems to be more forgiving on the toe and heel misses. They dont fly as far, but they are rather straight for misses. The Classic had much more roll out too, but just didnt fly anywhere near as far in the air as my 910.
My only drive with a penalty was the par 5 15th, which ended up underneath the OB fence, prob 15 yards off the fairway right. I was playing my draw and just missed it and ended up with a block right that didnt move.
My buddies I played with think I made a mistake going with the 7S, said I should've gone lighter (like War Eagle) did. They said I dont have the swing speed to get enough spin I need to keep the ball in the air long enough. They said my fitter will explain it better to me when I get on a TrackMan. I will probably go to a different fitter for that session. They gave me a strong recommendation, hope to get this done this week before I play again this coming weekend.
FWIW, one of my buddies hit my Classic on the back 9 (turned the loft down) and just murdered it much better than I did. Also, much better than his Titleist 909 (not sure which version) he usually plays.
dhill
New member
Congrats on the PB!
Good info on the driver. Will be interesting to see what the ultimate determination on shafts is.
Good info on the driver. Will be interesting to see what the ultimate determination on shafts is.
hereisnowhy
Garden Gnome
I agree with this. I'm a little bit shorter distance wise on average, but they are rarely far off the line. Strangely, my miss with the CXL is left and not a slice like my normal. I'm starting to like this club, even with a Black Tie in it...
I have a trackman session scheduled with a different fitter this morning. After my first round with the CXLC, I want to see what the fitter thinks and if he/she says the same things my buddies told me on Sunday morning. Going to a local retailer called Golf Exchange this time. Will be back to update the thread hopefully with some numbers and screen grabs later this afternoon.
dhill
New member
Thanks for the update Dan. I am very interested to see what they have to say. Maybe they will have a demo and can swap in the lighter shaft for you
- Staff
- #1,339
I forgot just how unique the sound of the Classic drivers are. Not my favorite sound, not my least favorite either though.
Quite the interesting day yesterday, lots of work going on with the ole driver swing and despite losing 2 OB I did manage 10/15 fairways. Confirming a lot of my suspicions I did indeed need the lower spin (compared to the standard Xhot) as my distance increased due to the more penetrating flight. Quite eager to get out again honestly.
Quite the interesting day yesterday, lots of work going on with the ole driver swing and despite losing 2 OB I did manage 10/15 fairways. Confirming a lot of my suspicions I did indeed need the lower spin (compared to the standard Xhot) as my distance increased due to the more penetrating flight. Quite eager to get out again honestly.
hereisnowhy
Garden Gnome
I can't believe how straight the CXL with the Black Tie is for me. I lose distance half the time but it doesn't move off the line AT ALL. I'm still certain I don't load this shaft enough, but I'll take the results I'm getting. I don't think I can miss a fairway right now...the honey moon started rough, but through counseling, we are moving forward just fine...
- Staff
- #1,342
Actually didn't take it out, rocked the Indigo 56s.
Need to put the Cleveland adapter on the JDL still.
- Moderator
- #1,343
I can't help thinking the indigo would be an absolute beast in this thing. Loving it?
- Staff
- #1,344
Definitely a different feeling shaft with the stable flex code on it (5555), but it seems to work with my quick transition so far.
Several weeks ago I went to an authorized Cleveland fitter at a local practice facility by my house and was fit to the Cleveland Classic XL Custom in 10.5 in the JDL 7S. My fitter recommended I move up to the 7S (from the stock 6S) in order to help control my 1-2 wild misses I have per round with the driver. He said the extra shaft weight will help slow my tempo down a bit for more control, tighten up the shaft flex a bit, but to expect to lose a few yards due to my slower clubhead speed.
Well after my first on course round with it this past weekend, I was seeing a much bigger loss in distance than I expected. So I wanted to meet with a different fitter and use the TrackMan launch monitor to get hard numbers. So I made an appointment at our largest specialty retailer here in the area, and got to work. My fitter (Will) asked for an intro to my game, what shots I like to play, what I struggle with, where I feel I lose the most strokes, etc. I did not tell him why I had the 7s, as I wanted to get his fresh perspective.
After about 10 warm up swings with some irons, Will had me hit a few into the net so he could make sure the Trackman was calibrated correctly. He had me hit about 15 swings and asked me to step away and walk into each shot like it was an actual golf shot, and not me just pounding balls into a net. After my 15 swings were through, he said he wanted to delete the best swing and the worst swing. Here are the averages for the remaining 13 swings. He was cool with me writing them down on the back of a demo day flyer I had with me.
Swing Speed - 102
Attack Angle - -2
Ball Speed - 144
Launch Angle - 9.1
Spin - 2140
Carry - 224
I admitted to him that I wasnt sure what I was really looking at and dont know much about the mathematical aspects of the swing and how they relate to performance. He brought over this nifty optimal Driver Carry chart Trackman provided them to use for fittings. He kind of walked me through each stat, explaining what it was and where I fell compared to the chart. He said what I already knew; I need to launch the ball higher with my driver. But he explained why too. He said my negative attack angle de-lofts my driver, which lowers the launch angle. That also keeps my spin numbers from being high enough to keep the ball in the air long enough to get the ideal carry.
This is when I told him why I was in to get fit in the first place, because I was losing a lot of distance with my new club and wanted to see why. I told him what the local fitter told me (about going heavier for more control), and he said the general idea made sense and was correct. But then he did say the fitter may have not known enough about the JDL line. He said the JDL has consistent flex stats across all the shaft weights, where most shafts out there get 'looser' the lower weight you move. This means I didnt have to move up for more control at all. Will said he wouldve actually told me to move down a weight class in order to boost my swing speed to compensate for my bad attack angle. He asked me if I ever really swung out of my shoes with it, and was not surprised when I told him thats how I hit my best 2 drives with the CXLC. He said that made sense, because 'the swing speed was up where it should be.'
I asked him if I could hit a few using the 6S but he didnt have any in stock, just Black Ties and 6Rs. I took him up on the 6R and saw my swing speed bump up 2-3 MPH. Admittedly, I had to throw out a few of those swings because I could feel myself swinging harder and trying to 'help' the numbers. He said the numbers on the 6r were good, but he said he is sticking by his recommendation fro the 5S.
I feel much better now I know why I was seeing what I was seeing. It turns out my buddies were the right path in trying to help me, but just couldnt explain it correctly without some numbers. I paid my $54 and he was going to talk to his manager and see if they can just custom order me the shaft without the driver head. He was awesome to work with and I will be making the drive to go see him from now on. He even offered to put a midsize grip on my club to help band aid my hook miss. I learned a lot today, never knew golf had so much math involved.
Driving home, it dawned on me how War Eagle posted something similar about why he went with the 5S, but it never really registered with me until now.
Well after my first on course round with it this past weekend, I was seeing a much bigger loss in distance than I expected. So I wanted to meet with a different fitter and use the TrackMan launch monitor to get hard numbers. So I made an appointment at our largest specialty retailer here in the area, and got to work. My fitter (Will) asked for an intro to my game, what shots I like to play, what I struggle with, where I feel I lose the most strokes, etc. I did not tell him why I had the 7s, as I wanted to get his fresh perspective.
After about 10 warm up swings with some irons, Will had me hit a few into the net so he could make sure the Trackman was calibrated correctly. He had me hit about 15 swings and asked me to step away and walk into each shot like it was an actual golf shot, and not me just pounding balls into a net. After my 15 swings were through, he said he wanted to delete the best swing and the worst swing. Here are the averages for the remaining 13 swings. He was cool with me writing them down on the back of a demo day flyer I had with me.
Swing Speed - 102
Attack Angle - -2
Ball Speed - 144
Launch Angle - 9.1
Spin - 2140
Carry - 224
I admitted to him that I wasnt sure what I was really looking at and dont know much about the mathematical aspects of the swing and how they relate to performance. He brought over this nifty optimal Driver Carry chart Trackman provided them to use for fittings. He kind of walked me through each stat, explaining what it was and where I fell compared to the chart. He said what I already knew; I need to launch the ball higher with my driver. But he explained why too. He said my negative attack angle de-lofts my driver, which lowers the launch angle. That also keeps my spin numbers from being high enough to keep the ball in the air long enough to get the ideal carry.
This is when I told him why I was in to get fit in the first place, because I was losing a lot of distance with my new club and wanted to see why. I told him what the local fitter told me (about going heavier for more control), and he said the general idea made sense and was correct. But then he did say the fitter may have not known enough about the JDL line. He said the JDL has consistent flex stats across all the shaft weights, where most shafts out there get 'looser' the lower weight you move. This means I didnt have to move up for more control at all. Will said he wouldve actually told me to move down a weight class in order to boost my swing speed to compensate for my bad attack angle. He asked me if I ever really swung out of my shoes with it, and was not surprised when I told him thats how I hit my best 2 drives with the CXLC. He said that made sense, because 'the swing speed was up where it should be.'
I asked him if I could hit a few using the 6S but he didnt have any in stock, just Black Ties and 6Rs. I took him up on the 6R and saw my swing speed bump up 2-3 MPH. Admittedly, I had to throw out a few of those swings because I could feel myself swinging harder and trying to 'help' the numbers. He said the numbers on the 6r were good, but he said he is sticking by his recommendation fro the 5S.
I feel much better now I know why I was seeing what I was seeing. It turns out my buddies were the right path in trying to help me, but just couldnt explain it correctly without some numbers. I paid my $54 and he was going to talk to his manager and see if they can just custom order me the shaft without the driver head. He was awesome to work with and I will be making the drive to go see him from now on. He even offered to put a midsize grip on my club to help band aid my hook miss. I learned a lot today, never knew golf had so much math involved.
Driving home, it dawned on me how War Eagle posted something similar about why he went with the 5S, but it never really registered with me until now.
Interesting info, Ddxu.
And you are correct. The reason I went with the 5S vs the heavier options is due to the nearly constant flex code throughout the JDL line. I gave up weight, without sacrificing flex stiffness. The lighter weight keeps my tempo in check most of the time, but the flex code being the stiffness that it is, prevents the "whippy" feeling some see when going to a lighter shaft.
And you are correct. The reason I went with the 5S vs the heavier options is due to the nearly constant flex code throughout the JDL line. I gave up weight, without sacrificing flex stiffness. The lighter weight keeps my tempo in check most of the time, but the flex code being the stiffness that it is, prevents the "whippy" feeling some see when going to a lighter shaft.
- Moderator
- #1,347
I got a chance to take out the Classic XL Custom tonight. First chance hitting mine on the open range, although it was off the mats so I didn't really get to select tee height nor was I all that impressed by the balls I was forced to hit with.
All that said, it was a great chance to get a feel for the weight, length, and some of the adjustability. It also gave me a chance to put it head to head against last years Callaway Razr Fit with an identical shaft plugged in. The club I've hit for the last six months.
The weighting is definitely different from what I am used to, along with a subtle 1/2 inch reduction in overall length compared to what I am used to. I believe it's something I'll dial in well, but it opens the door to trying to acquire an additional weight in 11 grams to measure up against the 7g weight currently installed.
My first swing was absolutely sweet. I started on totally neutral and got a rising flight that I am certainly not used to. My current setup is 8.5, and the increase in 0.5 degrees definitely made a touch of difference. The next few continued much of the same, with a number of shots rising quicker than I like. I generally set up for a draw, but for some reason my shots were kind of hanging out to the right a bit rather than coming back around.
I opted to switch the adjustment to Neutral Upright to see what difference there would be, and I really saw some solid connection. I really only took a few shots, but once again maybe a bit higher than what I am used to, and turning a bit more left in flight. Seeing an opportunity, I once again adjusted the head, this time to +0.75 off Neutral Upright, basically changing the head to 8.5* of loft and slightly open in the face. This was by far the best flight promoted adjustment setting, and I really started getting into a groove.
Distance wise it appeared to be as long as my previous gamer, with my friend constantly saying I was easily flying the 250 marker which gives me plenty of optimism. I'll certainly wait to see carry numbers either on the LM or GPSed soon before I throw around actual numbers, but I anything 260+ in carry is more than ideal for what I am looking for.
Picture 1: Canadan's wheelhouse setting
The one thing I am really going to have to dial in this year is moving my contact back towards the center of the face rather than slightly on the toe side. There is a miss there, and it's a high push, which happens here and there. I don't see a noticeable change in strike position, but something is causing it and it is worth trying to avoid.
Picture 2: Fairly visible strikes on the center, some of which were slightly outside of center towards the toe
Now, to the sound. I've heard lots of descriptions, and I'm not going to try and drop my 'noise' yet, but I could hear someone reacting to it a few stalls down on a couple of occasions which was kind of comical. As it stands, this driver when struck well flat out sounds long. It's got an almost angry clack to it that is quite infectious. I see a positive improvement from last years Classic offering.
I was expecting to get some feedback on misses low on the face, as I had been doing it with the Razr Fit, but I did not hit a single drive notably low (at least to my comprehension) with the XL Custom. I am certain that will be something I'll find out in the long run.
Can't wait to spend even more time on the range soon. Hopefully I can spend time on my home course range as the weather improves to allow for in process feedback and maybe some swing sound. As always, I'm happy to answer any questions you guys might have!
All that said, it was a great chance to get a feel for the weight, length, and some of the adjustability. It also gave me a chance to put it head to head against last years Callaway Razr Fit with an identical shaft plugged in. The club I've hit for the last six months.
The weighting is definitely different from what I am used to, along with a subtle 1/2 inch reduction in overall length compared to what I am used to. I believe it's something I'll dial in well, but it opens the door to trying to acquire an additional weight in 11 grams to measure up against the 7g weight currently installed.
My first swing was absolutely sweet. I started on totally neutral and got a rising flight that I am certainly not used to. My current setup is 8.5, and the increase in 0.5 degrees definitely made a touch of difference. The next few continued much of the same, with a number of shots rising quicker than I like. I generally set up for a draw, but for some reason my shots were kind of hanging out to the right a bit rather than coming back around.
I opted to switch the adjustment to Neutral Upright to see what difference there would be, and I really saw some solid connection. I really only took a few shots, but once again maybe a bit higher than what I am used to, and turning a bit more left in flight. Seeing an opportunity, I once again adjusted the head, this time to +0.75 off Neutral Upright, basically changing the head to 8.5* of loft and slightly open in the face. This was by far the best flight promoted adjustment setting, and I really started getting into a groove.
Distance wise it appeared to be as long as my previous gamer, with my friend constantly saying I was easily flying the 250 marker which gives me plenty of optimism. I'll certainly wait to see carry numbers either on the LM or GPSed soon before I throw around actual numbers, but I anything 260+ in carry is more than ideal for what I am looking for.
Picture 1: Canadan's wheelhouse setting
The one thing I am really going to have to dial in this year is moving my contact back towards the center of the face rather than slightly on the toe side. There is a miss there, and it's a high push, which happens here and there. I don't see a noticeable change in strike position, but something is causing it and it is worth trying to avoid.
Picture 2: Fairly visible strikes on the center, some of which were slightly outside of center towards the toe
Now, to the sound. I've heard lots of descriptions, and I'm not going to try and drop my 'noise' yet, but I could hear someone reacting to it a few stalls down on a couple of occasions which was kind of comical. As it stands, this driver when struck well flat out sounds long. It's got an almost angry clack to it that is quite infectious. I see a positive improvement from last years Classic offering.
I was expecting to get some feedback on misses low on the face, as I had been doing it with the Razr Fit, but I did not hit a single drive notably low (at least to my comprehension) with the XL Custom. I am certain that will be something I'll find out in the long run.
Can't wait to spend even more time on the range soon. Hopefully I can spend time on my home course range as the weather improves to allow for in process feedback and maybe some swing sound. As always, I'm happy to answer any questions you guys might have!
Nice Dan! Cant wait to see you hammer this one!
#FearTheAngryClack
#FearTheAngryClack
- Moderator
- #1,349
haha the CLACK!!!! I dig it. Thanks Ryan!
dhill
New member
The Dan's coming in with knowledge and results tonight.
#teamclevelandrocks
#teamclevelandrocks