- Staff
- #501
Paging Jman........
No fundage dude. Working on paying off debt and funding a vacay for March with the Doc.
Callaway FT Optiforce Driver Review - Forum Testing
No fundage dude. Working on paying off debt and funding a vacay for March with the Doc.
I'll let you hit mine at Winstar next month when we play. Guarantee's me that you'll be in my group then!
- Staff
- #503
I'll let you hit mine at Winstar next month when we play. Guarantee's me that you'll be in my group then!
HA! This can be arranged.
- Staff
- #504
I'll let you hit mine at Winstar next month when we play. Guarantee's me that you'll be in my group then!
it will probably be the first time it's been hit. We all know that Big Time doesn't hit the driver unless Buck is around haha
Not true anymore Captain! Cookie even helped defunct this awful perception a few weeks ago that was bestowed upon me in MC. The driver is in full force now and makes me feel young again!
- Staff
- #506
#bomber, I will be in Texas in February. Perhaps I'll see firsthand
Another round under my belt with the Optiforce and a bag of mixed results today. Haven't played in about 3 weeks so tried to get to the range early this morning to get some swings in. Hit about 5 drives on the range, probably needed another 5-7 as it turns out. Started 2 for 4 with one lost ball on the front and then another 1 for 5 on the back. Not my best. Couldn't get a groove going from the first tee but that's what I get for the layoff gap. Still love hitting this bad boy and just need a good range session with it to put me over the top. Still haven't done that yet since I've received it.
Hit 'em straight this week boys!
Hit 'em straight this week boys!
Tadashi70
Well-known member
I too had another round with the Optiforce and based on the range I was not expecting much. I hit four balls off the toe, one on the heal and four in the screws. Wasn't sure what to expect on the open tee. We played the tips at Championsgate into a good wind most of the day.
I hit 8of10 fairways, one miss was just off the fairway #1 and through the fairway #11. The accuracy is not like I have seen before. I've had moderate length but never this kind of fairway splitting accuracy. I think the driver performed best into the teeth. I uncorked two of best drives dead into the wind. I was kind of amazed as I was knocking it past one of buddies who can move it.
On 18 one of the guys grabbed it from me and asked to hit it. I said sure and he just about bought it on the spot. He was playing an RBZ and was no very long at all but steady. He uncorked the best of the day, a high arcing draw that took aerial shots of his first drive. We chatted and I do believe he will purchasing one right quick.
I stand by my earlier statement that this might be the best driver/shaft combo I have gamed. Next stop, VEGAS!
I hit 8of10 fairways, one miss was just off the fairway #1 and through the fairway #11. The accuracy is not like I have seen before. I've had moderate length but never this kind of fairway splitting accuracy. I think the driver performed best into the teeth. I uncorked two of best drives dead into the wind. I was kind of amazed as I was knocking it past one of buddies who can move it.
On 18 one of the guys grabbed it from me and asked to hit it. I said sure and he just about bought it on the spot. He was playing an RBZ and was no very long at all but steady. He uncorked the best of the day, a high arcing draw that took aerial shots of his first drive. We chatted and I do believe he will purchasing one right quick.
I stand by my earlier statement that this might be the best driver/shaft combo I have gamed. Next stop, VEGAS!
That drive on 8 was bombed. I hit mine good and then you hit yours.
GPS confirmed you at 58 yards past me. Have to think you were right about 290-295 on that one.
Into the wind too! He-He. Yea, the one on 8 and then on 17 were my best and what I'm use to with this driver. My mind and/or body just wasn't on the same page today. It happens.
Johnny mojo
Mojovated!
I SO want this driver to work out for me.
JM
JM
dcbrad
locked and reloaded
Testing from 9/12/13-9/23/13
Just wanted to update this thread after a few rounds I have had with the Optiforce. I was able to get out and play two 18 hole rounds with this driver since the last update. Weather has not cooperated at all here in PA. But it is what it is.
Couple of things!
-Played a round with my brother in law at the course I am member at and struck the ball extremely well with this bad boy. I have begun to develop that penetrating ball flight that just seems to carry on forever. My first two drivers were piped dead down the middle of the fairway. After my third drive that was bombed to about 50 yards away on a shorter par 4, my brother and law said: "What the heck of you been doing!?, You're crushing the ball!" I then showed him the Optiforce and he basically said that if I ever got rid of that driver I would be stupid. I ended up being 6/7 on fairways in the front with this driver, missing the last one just off in the rough because of a pull. Surprisingly, I wasn't very consistent with how I was hitting it off the face. I counted 2 on the heel, 2 on the toe and 1 dead center, and 2 higher of center. You really couldn't tell with the ball flight that it was producing.
-I've said it so many times that I feel like a broken record, and I tend to agree with what manlai was talking about in his most recent update. This driver probably is longer because of the length of the shaft that is installed. Most amateur golfers would probably benefit by playing a shorter driver shaft then what is being sold out there. You hear the buzz words "Less Drag, Longer and Distance" from Callaway when it comes to the Optiforce. Once thing that is not out there (and the testers at THP have made it loud and clear) is that this driver is FORGIVING. It's especially true with the way I was hitting off the face with the round with my brother in law, I hit the center of the face once, but had basically the same ball flight for each of those shots.
-IMO, this is Callaway's most forgiving option that they have released since the Fall of 2012 (RFE, X Hot, X Hot Pro). They really have perfected the technology in this thing to allow for maximum distance on mis-hits. In my opinion, that is the stat that should be marketed with these major OEMs. Something like: "Hey, you don't always hit the sweet spot on the golf club, how would you like maximum distance on mis-hits?" I think that would sell. (Lol, let's talk Harry!) Count me as a believer when it comes to that statement about the Optiforce.
I will continue to update every 10 days or so with what results I am seeing. Please feel free to shoot me a PM if you have any questions.
Just wanted to update this thread after a few rounds I have had with the Optiforce. I was able to get out and play two 18 hole rounds with this driver since the last update. Weather has not cooperated at all here in PA. But it is what it is.
Couple of things!
-Played a round with my brother in law at the course I am member at and struck the ball extremely well with this bad boy. I have begun to develop that penetrating ball flight that just seems to carry on forever. My first two drivers were piped dead down the middle of the fairway. After my third drive that was bombed to about 50 yards away on a shorter par 4, my brother and law said: "What the heck of you been doing!?, You're crushing the ball!" I then showed him the Optiforce and he basically said that if I ever got rid of that driver I would be stupid. I ended up being 6/7 on fairways in the front with this driver, missing the last one just off in the rough because of a pull. Surprisingly, I wasn't very consistent with how I was hitting it off the face. I counted 2 on the heel, 2 on the toe and 1 dead center, and 2 higher of center. You really couldn't tell with the ball flight that it was producing.
-I've said it so many times that I feel like a broken record, and I tend to agree with what manlai was talking about in his most recent update. This driver probably is longer because of the length of the shaft that is installed. Most amateur golfers would probably benefit by playing a shorter driver shaft then what is being sold out there. You hear the buzz words "Less Drag, Longer and Distance" from Callaway when it comes to the Optiforce. Once thing that is not out there (and the testers at THP have made it loud and clear) is that this driver is FORGIVING. It's especially true with the way I was hitting off the face with the round with my brother in law, I hit the center of the face once, but had basically the same ball flight for each of those shots.
-IMO, this is Callaway's most forgiving option that they have released since the Fall of 2012 (RFE, X Hot, X Hot Pro). They really have perfected the technology in this thing to allow for maximum distance on mis-hits. In my opinion, that is the stat that should be marketed with these major OEMs. Something like: "Hey, you don't always hit the sweet spot on the golf club, how would you like maximum distance on mis-hits?" I think that would sell. (Lol, let's talk Harry!) Count me as a believer when it comes to that statement about the Optiforce.
I will continue to update every 10 days or so with what results I am seeing. Please feel free to shoot me a PM if you have any questions.
TNTCigarguy
2014 #THPMC @TntCigarguy
After hitting the club at the event for Callaway in FL, I am really considering selling my R1 and making the switch. The reviews are making me want it even more. Thanks for them guys.
Kobey
I'm a French model
I wasn't in any shape to go out and test the Optiforce last friday (I've been sick for the last 5 days) but I forced myself since it was a nice, sunny day. I was just going to say that the only useable data I got from 36 holes was that I should never play when sick. Then when I started writing this I realized something. I was feeling weak, conjested and off balance, and still kept as many drives in play as I used to with previous drivers. As would be expected, there were a lot more penalties than I've been experiencing so far in my testing. I even skyed two in a row, one so far out on the toe I had to check it for a dent. But it wouldn't be fair to blame any of that on the Optiforce given my physical and mental condition at the time.
- Thread starter
- #516
I like to hear you having success with this one, Brad. After seeing you hammer that J40 in Myrtle, I was curious how moving to a completely different type of driver setup would be for you. Do you think the higher spin head of the Optiforce and the lighter weight is beneficial for you? You have a powerful swing, so I am curious if you find that your tempo has improved a bit, allowing you to stay a bit more controlled and put a solid move on the ball?
I know for me, the Optiforce offers me a balanced swing, as I really focus on my take away and back swing, and then try to make a strong move at the top of my transition of my back swing down toward the ball, to really get the club head moving and get a good swing on the ball. Maintaining my tempo with the Optiforce is key for me to see good results.
greggdrews
Active member
I just want to say thanks to DCBrad for lowering the balance in my bank account. JK, he was nice enough to let me hit his out at the range and it's been in my head since. I picked up an Optiforce 460 with the project x 5.5 shaft off of ebay today. Now I may love this shaft but I have a Tour AD DI 6 shaft I want to put the optiforce adapter on. I was wondering where you guys who have swapped shafts have gotten your adapters. I don't want some cheap aftermarket adapter. Is the one on golfworks OEM or will Callaway swap out adapters for me? Thanks for any help.
manlai
New member
Table of Contents
Part 1: Preface and Initial Impressions http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...orum-Testing&p=2395648&viewfull=1#post2395648
Part 2: Range Sessions http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...orum-Testing&p=2411524&viewfull=1#post2411524
Part 3: First Rounds http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...orum-Testing&p=2419748&viewfull=1#post2419748
Part 4: More on Course Impressions http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...orum-Testing&p=2437869&viewfull=1#post2437869
Part 4.5: Some Quick Comments on Ball flight, Trajectory, and Impact http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...orum-Testing&p=2452716&viewfull=1#post2452716
Part 5: SLDR vs. Optiforce on the Launch Monitor, Plus Some On Course Notes http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...orum-Testing&p=2463769&viewfull=1#post2463769
Part 6: Finale (Not Really, But Some Unifying Thoughts and Overall Review) http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...orum-Testing&p=2474043&viewfull=1#post2474043
Introduction
My review of the Callaway FT Optiforce, to this point, has been a real stream of consciousness mid-swing change on and off kind of affair. All I can hope is that some of the information I've provided have been helpful to people. As I read back on everything I've written, the whole thing screams for a sort of then-and-now post. This isn't the final post I make on the Optiforce, but I felt like some closure or wrap up was necessary. If nothing else, I wanted to show that any information I give is not just the honeymoon period talking. After part 6, I will be on the lookout for a new shaft (which may come after the fitters have their winter promotions). Worry not, I will continue to post any impressions I have as long as there are people wanting to read them.
Initial Impressions
The Optiforce is a very unassuming driver by the looks of it. It has a simple gloss black finish with a guide notch, a basic if slightly cheesy sole design (wind tunnel lines anyone?), and a very retro compact looking head. The compact looking head actually inspires a feeling of confidence and control. The shaft is a little too long (46") for my comfort. It swings at D0 with an overall weight of under 300g. It also touts improved aerodynamics over previous Callaway offerings. The commercials even had #bringit all over them. Before the first time I hit it, the ideas of #bringit, aerodynamics, speedy go fast sole lines, and other step on the gas clichés were buzzing in my head. I keep thinking that with the swing weight and the light overall weight, it's a "green light" driver that enables me to get more swing speed. This driver seemed like it was right up my alley.
After many rounds, I still love the compact look of the club head. I see it at address and it looks and feels like an easy to control club. And it is. It's a low key and unassuming looking club. It's even got a subtle muted sound to it. You're not going to annoy yourself or others at the range hitting this thing.
Swing Speed
I had expected noticeable improvements in swing speed from the club design as anyone would assume checking out the specs. It was probably an unrealistic expectation on my part and perhaps getting a little too excited over the marketing. From my experiences and perspective, my swing is built to generate a certain speed. Given the slight amounts of weight difference from 1 club to the next, it now seems a little silly for me to assume that taking what amounts to be maybe 1 ounce or 2 off a club (likely less) would do much to my swing speed. Certainly, my tempo and transition saw an adjustment period, but I doubt my actual swing speed changed in any meaningful degree. I've gotten on a couple of launch monitors and swung as hard as I can switching between this year's drivers and the Optiforce. I achieved the same average swing speeds across them all.
I adjusted my thinking and came to a different conclusion: it isn't that the driver gave me more swing speed (see part 5). It's more like I could swing more controlled and still achieve the same swing speeds I'm used to. It also made me more aware of my tempo, knowing that a good tempo swing will not cost me any speed.
Loft and Launch
I found the Optiforce to be an easy high launching driver as advertised. I have found the most success with the stock 10.5* setting. This produced a launch that's a little high for my tastes but I found that adjusting it down to 9.5* lowered the launch and trajectory too much. I was hitting stingers at this setting with regularity. When I was struggling the most with my swing, adjusting the loft up really helped me get off the tee. I'd recommend trying it at 10.5* first, regardless of your own driver settings. The Optiforce performs quite well in the stock or higher lofts. Adjusting the loft by itself also doesn't change the face angle, which made transitioning between loft changes pretty seamless.
Distance
Initially, I wondered why the Optiforce came in at 46" stock. It's a silly length for anyone to be playing, and I had my fair share of struggles playing it at full length. After the range, course, and launch monitor, I understand why. The Optiforce itself isn't the longest driver out there. It doesn't have that scorching hot feel off the face and it isn't a pure simple distance club as I incorrectly assumed at the onset. When I played the Optiforce at the same length as any other driver I've put against it, the Optiforce was consistently a little shorter. The difference isn't bad, somewhere around 10 yards often and 20 yards at the most. I'd never consider the club short, as I've gotten solid and consistent distance on every shot. If you're a longer hitter, it may not be a factor for you at all. I tend to notice the smaller yardage differences since I'm a fairly short hitter.
The extra length on the shaft was possibly put there to compensate for the difference in distance. I have had better success forcing myself to that length if I must, I feel that doing so compromises one of the Optiforce's best assets: control.
Control and Workability
I discovered that I had great control of the club head, something of a foreign idea to me with drivers traditionally. I'm more used to just trying to hit it to my target however it gets there. I also found that control came much easier when I played the driver at a more comfortable and familiar length. It started out with just aiming down the center of the fairway and hitting it regularly. I was finding narrow fairways with trouble all around. As I grew more confident in my swing and more familiar with the Optiforce, I began challenging myself with trying to hit draws or fades on demand. I believe that's where the design choices really shines. The aerodynamics, the lighter overall weight, the lighter swing weight, and even the more compact looking head made it easier for me to turn the club over more or less if I wanted to. I also felt confident adjusting my ball position knowing I won't feel strained making good contact despite the changes.
The amount of control I've found with the Optiforce has been eye-opening. Once I started to play it at the length I was fitted into, I was finding the sweet spot on a much more consistent basis. Better ball strikers than me could find similar control playing it at full stock length, but I highly recommend at least trying it at your fitted length.
Forgiveness
The biggest asset of the Optiforce in my opinion is forgiveness - both in length and in lateral misses. Early in my review process, my swing was a mess. I was in mid swing change and battled a terrible outside-in across the body move. I wasn't thinking about controlling my ball flight; I just wanted to get off the tee and be in play somewhere. When I started slotting my right arm correctly, I was still not pronating my wrists correctly thus striking the ball with a wide open face. If you've read my earlier review posts, or looked at some of the videos, you could see some of my struggles. At the same time, you would have also seen how well playable the shots ended up. The Optiforce didn't cure my swing or mask its flaws, no club can, but the results were often in play when other drivers would leave me well out of bounds. Wide open face shots still went right, but I wasn't 2 fairways over and often not even to the trees. Big hooks and slices became smaller and more manageable. I found many shots in the rough with still a look at the green or the fairway without the need for tour level heroics.
As for distance, I've also seen many shots off the heel and toe work back towards the center with noticeable but acceptable distance losses. I have continually been amazed by how much distance I kept with bad contact all over the face. My early round impressions have held true: good swings gave me great shots, while bad swings still gave me playable ones.
The Shafts
The Optiforce has 2 stock shaft options: the 62g Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana and the 43g Project X Velocity. I'm happy to say that no matter the shaft, the club never feels whippy. I started out reviewing the Diamana in R flex, but I have since tried the PXv option as well as in a couple of flexes. The PXv shaft didn't feel too light next to the diamana and I had no trouble moving between the 2. When I tried to give it a little extra, the Diamana pulled a little left consistently and felt a bit softer than its flex. The Diamana had a higher torque than other shafts of the same flex (including the PXv). Therefore, someone with a quicker or more aggressive transition in the downswing (like me) might find it bends a little more and may prefer the PXv stock option. I saw no swing speed change between the shafts. In either case, they are quality shafts that fit the club well.
440 vs. 460
I have taken some time to demo both size heads and I found them refreshingly similar. Both were easy to hit and easy to control. As I mentioned before, the 460 head appears fairly compact. The 440 head has much the same profile. I could certainly tell that it's smaller, but not to any degree that would affect my confidence over the ball. I can confirm a little more forgiveness in the 460 head, as well as a slightly higher ball flight.
Conclusion
I logged another round with the Optiforce the other day. My swing is still very much a work in progress, but the improvements have been apparent and so have the results with this driver. I had a match play round and my opponent eventually got worn down by all the fairways I hit. I was 1 Up through 9 and then won the next 5 holes to run away with the rout (we played the final holes for fun and I would've won them too). Dogleg left, right, tight, wide, straight, uphill, or downhill didn't matter. If I couldn't go left or right in a given hole, I could control this club as needed to take that side out of play. If there's a fairway I absolutely must hit, I pull this club. I think that describes my overall review the best. It may not be another in the long line of the longest drivers in golf, but it may very well be the straightest. I started out reviewing this club in mid swing change and playing the worst golf of my life. I hit many shots not even black magic could save. On many terrible swings I put with the Optiforce, I found many were in play and to a decent distance. Those shots kept my rounds going on days I might've packed up and gone home. On a solid day like my recent round (not even a good day), I could see my opponent getting visibly annoyed that every drive I hit was the shape I called it and about the place I said I wanted it. You don't have to be long to break someone down with your driving game. I wasn't striking the ball all that great so my distance left something to be desired. Sometimes being in the fairway and not in trouble consistently does the job just as well.
Thank you for reading and your continued words of encouragement and feedback. Whatever I've done right in the writing of all this is 100% due to the fine example set by everyone who's ever written a review here on THP. I can only hope that some of you found good usable information from me as well. Thank you once again for the wonderful opportunity and I hope to do it again sometime in the future.
Part 1: Preface and Initial Impressions http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...orum-Testing&p=2395648&viewfull=1#post2395648
Part 2: Range Sessions http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...orum-Testing&p=2411524&viewfull=1#post2411524
Part 3: First Rounds http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...orum-Testing&p=2419748&viewfull=1#post2419748
Part 4: More on Course Impressions http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...orum-Testing&p=2437869&viewfull=1#post2437869
Part 4.5: Some Quick Comments on Ball flight, Trajectory, and Impact http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...orum-Testing&p=2452716&viewfull=1#post2452716
Part 5: SLDR vs. Optiforce on the Launch Monitor, Plus Some On Course Notes http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...orum-Testing&p=2463769&viewfull=1#post2463769
Part 6: Finale (Not Really, But Some Unifying Thoughts and Overall Review) http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...orum-Testing&p=2474043&viewfull=1#post2474043
Introduction
My review of the Callaway FT Optiforce, to this point, has been a real stream of consciousness mid-swing change on and off kind of affair. All I can hope is that some of the information I've provided have been helpful to people. As I read back on everything I've written, the whole thing screams for a sort of then-and-now post. This isn't the final post I make on the Optiforce, but I felt like some closure or wrap up was necessary. If nothing else, I wanted to show that any information I give is not just the honeymoon period talking. After part 6, I will be on the lookout for a new shaft (which may come after the fitters have their winter promotions). Worry not, I will continue to post any impressions I have as long as there are people wanting to read them.
Initial Impressions
The Optiforce is a very unassuming driver by the looks of it. It has a simple gloss black finish with a guide notch, a basic if slightly cheesy sole design (wind tunnel lines anyone?), and a very retro compact looking head. The compact looking head actually inspires a feeling of confidence and control. The shaft is a little too long (46") for my comfort. It swings at D0 with an overall weight of under 300g. It also touts improved aerodynamics over previous Callaway offerings. The commercials even had #bringit all over them. Before the first time I hit it, the ideas of #bringit, aerodynamics, speedy go fast sole lines, and other step on the gas clichés were buzzing in my head. I keep thinking that with the swing weight and the light overall weight, it's a "green light" driver that enables me to get more swing speed. This driver seemed like it was right up my alley.
After many rounds, I still love the compact look of the club head. I see it at address and it looks and feels like an easy to control club. And it is. It's a low key and unassuming looking club. It's even got a subtle muted sound to it. You're not going to annoy yourself or others at the range hitting this thing.
Swing Speed
I had expected noticeable improvements in swing speed from the club design as anyone would assume checking out the specs. It was probably an unrealistic expectation on my part and perhaps getting a little too excited over the marketing. From my experiences and perspective, my swing is built to generate a certain speed. Given the slight amounts of weight difference from 1 club to the next, it now seems a little silly for me to assume that taking what amounts to be maybe 1 ounce or 2 off a club (likely less) would do much to my swing speed. Certainly, my tempo and transition saw an adjustment period, but I doubt my actual swing speed changed in any meaningful degree. I've gotten on a couple of launch monitors and swung as hard as I can switching between this year's drivers and the Optiforce. I achieved the same average swing speeds across them all.
I adjusted my thinking and came to a different conclusion: it isn't that the driver gave me more swing speed (see part 5). It's more like I could swing more controlled and still achieve the same swing speeds I'm used to. It also made me more aware of my tempo, knowing that a good tempo swing will not cost me any speed.
Loft and Launch
I found the Optiforce to be an easy high launching driver as advertised. I have found the most success with the stock 10.5* setting. This produced a launch that's a little high for my tastes but I found that adjusting it down to 9.5* lowered the launch and trajectory too much. I was hitting stingers at this setting with regularity. When I was struggling the most with my swing, adjusting the loft up really helped me get off the tee. I'd recommend trying it at 10.5* first, regardless of your own driver settings. The Optiforce performs quite well in the stock or higher lofts. Adjusting the loft by itself also doesn't change the face angle, which made transitioning between loft changes pretty seamless.
Distance
Initially, I wondered why the Optiforce came in at 46" stock. It's a silly length for anyone to be playing, and I had my fair share of struggles playing it at full length. After the range, course, and launch monitor, I understand why. The Optiforce itself isn't the longest driver out there. It doesn't have that scorching hot feel off the face and it isn't a pure simple distance club as I incorrectly assumed at the onset. When I played the Optiforce at the same length as any other driver I've put against it, the Optiforce was consistently a little shorter. The difference isn't bad, somewhere around 10 yards often and 20 yards at the most. I'd never consider the club short, as I've gotten solid and consistent distance on every shot. If you're a longer hitter, it may not be a factor for you at all. I tend to notice the smaller yardage differences since I'm a fairly short hitter.
The extra length on the shaft was possibly put there to compensate for the difference in distance. I have had better success forcing myself to that length if I must, I feel that doing so compromises one of the Optiforce's best assets: control.
Control and Workability
I discovered that I had great control of the club head, something of a foreign idea to me with drivers traditionally. I'm more used to just trying to hit it to my target however it gets there. I also found that control came much easier when I played the driver at a more comfortable and familiar length. It started out with just aiming down the center of the fairway and hitting it regularly. I was finding narrow fairways with trouble all around. As I grew more confident in my swing and more familiar with the Optiforce, I began challenging myself with trying to hit draws or fades on demand. I believe that's where the design choices really shines. The aerodynamics, the lighter overall weight, the lighter swing weight, and even the more compact looking head made it easier for me to turn the club over more or less if I wanted to. I also felt confident adjusting my ball position knowing I won't feel strained making good contact despite the changes.
The amount of control I've found with the Optiforce has been eye-opening. Once I started to play it at the length I was fitted into, I was finding the sweet spot on a much more consistent basis. Better ball strikers than me could find similar control playing it at full stock length, but I highly recommend at least trying it at your fitted length.
Forgiveness
The biggest asset of the Optiforce in my opinion is forgiveness - both in length and in lateral misses. Early in my review process, my swing was a mess. I was in mid swing change and battled a terrible outside-in across the body move. I wasn't thinking about controlling my ball flight; I just wanted to get off the tee and be in play somewhere. When I started slotting my right arm correctly, I was still not pronating my wrists correctly thus striking the ball with a wide open face. If you've read my earlier review posts, or looked at some of the videos, you could see some of my struggles. At the same time, you would have also seen how well playable the shots ended up. The Optiforce didn't cure my swing or mask its flaws, no club can, but the results were often in play when other drivers would leave me well out of bounds. Wide open face shots still went right, but I wasn't 2 fairways over and often not even to the trees. Big hooks and slices became smaller and more manageable. I found many shots in the rough with still a look at the green or the fairway without the need for tour level heroics.
As for distance, I've also seen many shots off the heel and toe work back towards the center with noticeable but acceptable distance losses. I have continually been amazed by how much distance I kept with bad contact all over the face. My early round impressions have held true: good swings gave me great shots, while bad swings still gave me playable ones.
The Shafts
The Optiforce has 2 stock shaft options: the 62g Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana and the 43g Project X Velocity. I'm happy to say that no matter the shaft, the club never feels whippy. I started out reviewing the Diamana in R flex, but I have since tried the PXv option as well as in a couple of flexes. The PXv shaft didn't feel too light next to the diamana and I had no trouble moving between the 2. When I tried to give it a little extra, the Diamana pulled a little left consistently and felt a bit softer than its flex. The Diamana had a higher torque than other shafts of the same flex (including the PXv). Therefore, someone with a quicker or more aggressive transition in the downswing (like me) might find it bends a little more and may prefer the PXv stock option. I saw no swing speed change between the shafts. In either case, they are quality shafts that fit the club well.
440 vs. 460
I have taken some time to demo both size heads and I found them refreshingly similar. Both were easy to hit and easy to control. As I mentioned before, the 460 head appears fairly compact. The 440 head has much the same profile. I could certainly tell that it's smaller, but not to any degree that would affect my confidence over the ball. I can confirm a little more forgiveness in the 460 head, as well as a slightly higher ball flight.
Conclusion
I logged another round with the Optiforce the other day. My swing is still very much a work in progress, but the improvements have been apparent and so have the results with this driver. I had a match play round and my opponent eventually got worn down by all the fairways I hit. I was 1 Up through 9 and then won the next 5 holes to run away with the rout (we played the final holes for fun and I would've won them too). Dogleg left, right, tight, wide, straight, uphill, or downhill didn't matter. If I couldn't go left or right in a given hole, I could control this club as needed to take that side out of play. If there's a fairway I absolutely must hit, I pull this club. I think that describes my overall review the best. It may not be another in the long line of the longest drivers in golf, but it may very well be the straightest. I started out reviewing this club in mid swing change and playing the worst golf of my life. I hit many shots not even black magic could save. On many terrible swings I put with the Optiforce, I found many were in play and to a decent distance. Those shots kept my rounds going on days I might've packed up and gone home. On a solid day like my recent round (not even a good day), I could see my opponent getting visibly annoyed that every drive I hit was the shape I called it and about the place I said I wanted it. You don't have to be long to break someone down with your driving game. I wasn't striking the ball all that great so my distance left something to be desired. Sometimes being in the fairway and not in trouble consistently does the job just as well.
Thank you for reading and your continued words of encouragement and feedback. Whatever I've done right in the writing of all this is 100% due to the fine example set by everyone who's ever written a review here on THP. I can only hope that some of you found good usable information from me as well. Thank you once again for the wonderful opportunity and I hope to do it again sometime in the future.
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dcbrad
locked and reloaded
I've made a few swing changes since myrtle which I feel is actually helping me drive the ball farther/better. I actually had to slow my tempo a bit with the Optiforce at the beginning because of the weight difference compared to my J40. I was losing the head at the top of my back swing and I wasn't being near as consistent as I could be. Now that I have gotten used to it, and become more consistent with my swing, I have been able to speed up the tempo a bit without having to think about what's going on in the swing. I do spin the Optiforce head a bit more, but I haven't seen any loss in distance compared to the J40, so I am not as worried about that. Typical ball path is straight or a slight baby cut.
Any golf shop should be able to remove the adapter off the Project X shaft for you and put it on the AD DI. The adapter is all metal so you don't have to worry about melting anything. Also, I had heard some complaints about the old Callaway adapter (RFE, X hot) having a rubber ring that had to be replaced when you reshafted the tip because it would melt due to the heat. You don't have to worry about that with the new Opti-Fit adapter. Golf Etc., Erie Sports Store or Dick's in Erie can do it for you in a day or two turnaround. I don't know what your golf shop situation is like up in Jamestown
Tadashi70
Well-known member
Some really nice work going on in the this thread. Impressive work to say the least. Well done guys.
I'm
Looking forward to taking some cuts with Ryan's in Vegas. I'd like to compare the 440 and 460.
I'm
Looking forward to taking some cuts with Ryan's in Vegas. I'd like to compare the 440 and 460.
Tadashi70
Well-known member
The only thing that will be replaced when you remove the adapter is the ferrule. Like Brad said everything else will be ok
greggdrews
Active member
I wasnt planning on removing the adapter from the px shaft but rather buy an adapter so I can use the two shafts side by side. I know some adapters you buy online can be cheap and poorly made. So I was hoping to buy an oem adapter. Golfworks sells one but im unsure of the quality. Brad where did you go in erie for an adapter or did you pull it off the diamana?
manlai
New member
Big box stores and club fitters can get them pretty easily. I'd suggest going to them first. I prefer to keep my stock shaft intact as well. I ordered mine through a friend at a local shop. After I try out some different shafts, I will have the tip ready for install.
Smithfaced
New member
Having some issues getting an adapter to replace the stripped one on my Diamana shaft but I have a promising lead.
The one struggle I am still having with the OptiForce is tee height. I had to tee my ball up quite a bit higher with my Amp Cell and if I do that with the OptiForce I get a high fly ball to center field. Fairways were rock hard today so I cranked the loft down to get some roll out. I only played 9 holes and played driver 3 times. 2/3 fairways and the one I missed I was going for a par 4 in one. I'm starting to find a groove with the OptiForce and I think it's about time to drop some cash on a new shaft or 2. I'm contemplating something in an x-flex trimmed to 45". Decisions decisions.
The one struggle I am still having with the OptiForce is tee height. I had to tee my ball up quite a bit higher with my Amp Cell and if I do that with the OptiForce I get a high fly ball to center field. Fairways were rock hard today so I cranked the loft down to get some roll out. I only played 9 holes and played driver 3 times. 2/3 fairways and the one I missed I was going for a par 4 in one. I'm starting to find a groove with the OptiForce and I think it's about time to drop some cash on a new shaft or 2. I'm contemplating something in an x-flex trimmed to 45". Decisions decisions.