I have a small conundrum regarding the driver.

[Hamfist]

I would get with a PGA Teaching Pro first and fix the swing flaw and then think about a new or different driver. A different club will not fix a swing problem.

You are now on the hit list of a thousand marketing departments.

 

[Hamfist]

A quick update: my buddy lent me 2 clubs to hit and see how they feel: a Cleveland Launcher 460 10.5 degree, stock regular flex shaft, and a Big Bertha Diablo 10 degree draw with an "A" shaft.

Granted, these are both older model clubs, but, hey, if one works, then it work! Also, the 0 dollars out of pocket didn't hurt.

So, I'll be hitting a bucket or 10, just for grins, and hope that I find one of these to be a just-right-for-now keeper.

 

[BamBooBender]

its late in the season but if you could find a demo day with a bunch of the OEMs then you could try out different drivers and see what works and get somewhat fit for one as well. If not then you could try a big box store and do a fitting there.

there is an option of getting the reg flex shaft for your driver.

an option i chose when i was a high capper was to not hit driver at all and to play 3w or iron off the tee. scores went down, i had more fun and i would work on my swing with driver at the range and take some lessons. i put driver back in my bag after i was comfortable hitting it and knew i would see better results on the course than my previous attempt with it.

Might not be what you're looking for, but the above is very, very solid advice.

 

[Johan185]

Might not be what you're looking for, but the above is very, very solid advice.

Now everyone knows you're right.

But you have to admit. Bomb and gauge has worked in the past. And is a lot more fun.


Hummm. Maybe that's why my handicap is stuck on double digits.

But while not as fun careful management and shot selection will always promote better scores.

 

[BamBooBender]

Now everyone knows you're right.

But you have to admit. Bomb and gauge has worked in the past. And is a lot more fun.


Hummm. Maybe that's why my handicap is stuck on double digits.

But while not as fun careful management and shot selection will always promote better scores.

It's true lol! Not gonna lie, bombing drives is fun! Breaking 100 for the first time is better though, and breaking 90 is even better than that. imho You can still have fun bombing drives on the range without getting burned all to hell and back by OB penalties on the course, or getting in jail behind trees. Maybe it was just me, but if I hit a drive OB, teed it up again, hit driver AGAIN, then I was more than likely going to hit another OB or at least another really crappy drive. My dad told me once that I would play better if I shortened my driver, and I said "really how much", he said "in half, like break it in half, then you'll play better". He wasn't a man of many words, but it took me many years to understand some of the things he said. I was a dumb kid, didn't want to listen, couldn't understand.

Anyway @hamfist, not saying this is what happens to you, just my 2 cents, from my own experience. ymmv of course.

 

[katman]

it's not the driver, it's you.

QFT

This is not criticism...it's the truth...for all of us. Equipment can change things but so can deck chairs on the Titanic. The exception to this is when your mental block with a club is so severe as to destroy all hope. Then, change for change's sake can help

 

[garethw]

I've been down this route over the last 23 months. Like others have said I'd save my money on a driver and use them for lessons with a good teaching pro preferably one that uses a launch monitor. Why? Its not the driver or the shaft its the swing you are putting on it to start with, however I do believe the equipment does have a part to play once you get a swing that is more repeatable. Once lessons and muscle memory have kicked in and your swing is more repeatable then look at a fitting.

 

[Johan185]

I've been down this route over the last 23 months. Like others have said I'd save my money on a driver and use them for lessons with a good teaching pro preferably one that uses a launch monitor. Why? Its not the driver or the shaft its the swing you are putting on it to start with, however I do believe the equipment does have a part to play once you get a swing that is more repeatable. Once lessons and muscle memory have kicked in and your swing is more repeatable then look at a fitting.

Are you sure. I'm thinking it's got to be the shoes.


But of course a qualified launch monitor PGA teaching pro would be the quickest way to the ultimate goal. Long Straight Drives down the middle of the fairway. Hey he may even teach you how to take advantage of those doglegs by learning how to work the ball.

Nothing like bending it around the corner while everyone is forced to lay up 200+ yards from the green.

 

[Hamfist]

I took lessons earlier this year, from a PGA professional to clarify, and I don't know if he had a launch monitor or not. When I get my next lesson I'll ask.

 

[garethw]

Are you sure. I'm thinking it's got to be the shoes.


But of course a qualified launch monitor PGA teaching pro would be the quickest way to the ultimate goal. Long Straight Drives down the middle of the fairway. Hey he may even teach you how to take advantage of those doglegs by learning how to work the ball.

Nothing like bending it around the corner while everyone is forced to lay up 200+ yards from the green.

You are way off, its the lucky boxer shorts not the shoes...........

 

[Golf Analyzer]

Preface:
I'm a high handicapper (36), I have an inconsistent swing, when I do hit a solid drive it has a high ball flight. I am also a fairly short hitter, with a slower swing speed.

Now, on to the conundrum. I would like to get a driver that I hit better than my current one, a Callaway Razr Fit with an aftermarket Fubuki Stiff shaft. I bought it because it seemed to hit well in the simulator, and it was quite inexpensive, being in the used rack.

I have hit some good shots with it, but a lot of high slices, leading me to believe that I am just not suited to the stiff flex. As a reference, I am currently using a Ping G15 three wood (regular flex) off the tee and getting about the same distances with better FIRs. I hit a friend's Ping G5 the other day, and hit one of the best drives of my life with it. It was a "Soft Regular" shaft.

I would love to find a driver that would give me consistent 210+ yards off the tee.

Now, being the budget minded fellow that I am, and having read here that a full-bore fitting is not sensible before having a consistent swing, would an off-the-rack driver/basic fitting be the way to go? Or should I just keep going the way that I have and buying inexpensive models as I build my swing? The concern I have is that I will go through 10 budget drivers totaling as much as I would spend getting a new one with a fitting.

Any input is welcome, and thanks in advance.

Like most of the posters on here have told you the lessons are more likely to have a drastic improvement than a driver change. At your handicap you've likely got at least a few setup flaws. If your instructor doesn't change something in your setup (grip, posture, ball position, alignment, etc), and you don't see instant improvement you may want to look for another instructor.

If your ball is slicing then the simple fact is your clubface is open relative to your target at impact. You can get drivers that compensate for that to a degree with closed clubface models and models with more weight in the heel (or weight(s) that you can move), but that is only going to work to a point, and its not fixing the fault that is causing it. The adjustable drivers are nice in that if you get one, you take lessons, and your setup/swing changes you're not stuck with a driver that doesn't fit your new setup/swing. You can reconfigure (change face angle, change weight, switch shafts, etc) to make it fit with your remodeled swing.

Contrary to what some people will argue stiff shafts don't cause slices, and regular flex don't cause hooks. (Torque - shafts ability to twist can have a slight influence, but these days pretty much all shafts out there as the default in clubs- including the Fubuki you have in the driver you mentioned - are low torque, so that is not the problem). The main things flex will effect are the height of your shot (Stiff will flight things lower and regular will flight things higher. Stiff will produce a little less spin, and regular a little more). Another way of explaining flex is that the more flexible a shaft the more it will bend to kick the ball up, and the stiffer the more it will hold its shape. Given that you say you hit the ball high the stiff you already have may be a better fit to your swing than a regular or senior flex. (Checking with a device that monitors you launch angle would be ideal. There are quite a few people out there that think they hit the ball too high, but actually don't. If you were to find somewhere with a launch monitor, and you were to see stats of 12-17* launch then you're in a good range).

The fact that you have hit good shots with it in the past, and that you originally hit it good in the simulator when you first got it are indications that the club can and does work for you. The physical properties of the club aren't changing producing the bad results, but the way you setup and swing no doubt are.

Its not a fool proof solution, but here is a quick tip that may help you. Make a swing, swing down to impact, and stop in the impact area. Where is the face of the club pointed. If its pointed to the right of your target the face is open, and that is where the ball is going to fly. If you maintain that impact position and loosen your grip (don't take your hands off the club or move where they are). Without moving the orientation of your hands gently rotate the grip in your hands -using your finger tips to spin the grip within your hands is an easy way to do it - until the clubface is square to the target. Now reapply your normal pressure to the grip (re-securing it in your hand), and with out taking your hands off the grip return to your setup position. Your hands should now have a different appearance on the grip (probably seeing the top of your lead hand and more knuckles at address) compared to how they looked when you were addressing the ball with a grip that was leading to an open clubface position at impact. That is the position you'll want to have your hands positioned at setup to get you back to square at impact. To verify make a swing again, and stop around impact again. This time you should see the face of the club pointing in the direction of the target instead of open to the target. (The area where the fool in the not fool proof comes in is that the position people think they swing into at impact, and where they really do can be two completely different things). Anyway, enough with this point (this isn't the instruction forum). You can go to the instruction forum if you want setup/swing advice.

Having pondered this some more, I think the most sensible route is to indeed, work on my swing, just hit the 3W off the tee, and plan on a new-to-me driver next year.

If you're more comfortable with the results you are seeing hitting a 3 wood then another option you could consider is one of the min-drivers (Callaway 1.5 mini driver, Auroburner mini driver, old SLDR mini driver, old Cobra Long Tom, etc). If you eventually were to get comfortable with your current driver, or find another driver that you hit good you could use the mini driver for hitting off the fairway on the longer holes, or off the tee on shorter holes where you may tend to run through the doglegs into trouble. Of course just like buying a new driver you'd be spending money on a new club...

 

[Hamfist]

Analyzer, thanks for that post! My instructor moved me to a stronger grip, I might simply have let my left hand creep back to a neutral position. I'll try the stop and check at impact drill you described as well. As for the driver itself, I will have to get to a launch monitor to see what the degree of launch is. You could be very well right in the assertion that what I think is too high, may indeed be correct.

Once again thanks for the excellent post.

 

[Hamfist]

You are way off, its the lucky boxer shorts not the shoes...........

"Chicks dig me because I rarely wear underwear, and when I do it's usually something unusual."

 

[BamBooBender]

Like most of the posters on here have told you the lessons are more likely to have a drastic improvement than a driver change. At your handicap you've likely got at least a few setup flaws. If your instructor doesn't change something in your setup (grip, posture, ball position, alignment, etc), and you don't see instant improvement you may want to look for another instructor.

If your ball is slicing then the simple fact is your clubface is open relative to your target at impact. You can get drivers that compensate for that to a degree with closed clubface models and models with more weight in the heel (or weight(s) that you can move), but that is only going to work to a point, and its not fixing the fault that is causing it. The adjustable drivers are nice in that if you get one, you take lessons, and your setup/swing changes you're not stuck with a driver that doesn't fit your new setup/swing. You can reconfigure (change face angle, change weight, switch shafts, etc) to make it fit with your remodeled swing.

Contrary to what some people will argue stiff shafts don't cause slices, and regular flex don't cause hooks. (Torque - shafts ability to twist can have a slight influence, but these days pretty much all shafts out there as the default in clubs- including the Fubuki you have in the driver you mentioned - are low torque, so that is not the problem). The main things flex will effect are the height of your shot (Stiff will flight things lower and regular will flight things higher. Stiff will produce a little less spin, and regular a little more). Another way of explaining flex is that the more flexible a shaft the more it will bend to kick the ball up, and the stiffer the more it will hold its shape. Given that you say you hit the ball high the stiff you already have may be a better fit to your swing than a regular or senior flex. (Checking with a device that monitors you launch angle would be ideal. There are quite a few people out there that think they hit the ball too high, but actually don't. If you were to find somewhere with a launch monitor, and you were to see stats of 12-17* launch then you're in a good range).

The fact that you have hit good shots with it in the past, and that you originally hit it good in the simulator when you first got it are indications that the club can and does work for you. The physical properties of the club aren't changing producing the bad results, but the way you setup and swing no doubt are.

Its not a fool proof solution, but here is a quick tip that may help you. Make a swing, swing down to impact, and stop in the impact area. Where is the face of the club pointed. If its pointed to the right of your target the face is open, and that is where the ball is going to fly. If you maintain that impact position and loosen your grip (don't take your hands off the club or move where they are). Without moving the orientation of your hands gently rotate the grip in your hands -using your finger tips to spin the grip within your hands is an easy way to do it - until the clubface is square to the target. Now reapply your normal pressure to the grip (re-securing it in your hand), and with out taking your hands off the grip return to your setup position. Your hands should now have a different appearance on the grip (probably seeing the top of your lead hand and more knuckles at address) compared to how they looked when you were addressing the ball with a grip that was leading to an open clubface position at impact. That is the position you'll want to have your hands positioned at setup to get you back to square at impact. To verify make a swing again, and stop around impact again. This time you should see the face of the club pointing in the direction of the target instead of open to the target. (The area where the fool in the not fool proof comes in is that the position people think they swing into at impact, and where they really do can be two completely different things). Anyway, enough with this point (this isn't the instruction forum). You can go to the instruction forum if you want setup/swing advice.



If you're more comfortable with the results you are seeing hitting a 3 wood then another option you could consider is one of the min-drivers (Callaway 1.5 mini driver, Auroburner mini driver, old SLDR mini driver, old Cobra Long Tom, etc). If you eventually were to get comfortable with your current driver, or find another driver that you hit good you could use the mini driver for hitting off the fairway on the longer holes, or off the tee on shorter holes where you may tend to run through the doglegs into trouble. Of course just like buying a new driver you'd be spending money on a new club...

Thank you for posting that! I still hear that all the time, even from folks that should know better.