Adams Fast 12 Driver & FW Wood Forum Review

[kuyaariel]

Thanks. I traded it for a K15 plus cash, which is what I wanted to begin with. My previous driver was a j38, which set up really nicely for me. The stock shaft was the real deal Fuji F1, which I thought was also awesome. So, we'll see. Looking at the pictures on here, if the Fast 12 was glossy black and got rid if the wi-fi circles, I think it would look even better than the J38 I recently sold!

Either way, I appreciate the time people took to read my post and answer my questions.

That's too bad, I can see where some might say it's too light if they're not used to a real light weight driver. The unforgiving part I'm personally not really seeing much of myself. I have found the forgiveness on my miss (higher on the club face) to be quite fine. I've hit a couple on the toe and definitely don't get the performance but that's to be expected I think. Good luck with whatever you traded in for!

 

[barryboymunro]

*in best Robin Williams Scottish accent* F@C& NO!!! We're gonna do it eighteen F@C&ING times!!!

That skit never fails to make me laugh!!!

 

[Puttin4Bird]

Thanks. I traded it for a K15 plus cash, which is what I wanted to begin with. My previous driver was a j38, which set up really nicely for me. The stock shaft was the real deal Fuji F1, which I thought was also awesome. So, we'll see. Looking at the pictures on here, if the Fast 12 was glossy black and got rid if the wi-fi circles, I think it would look even better than the J38 I recently sold!

Either way, I appreciate the time people took to read my post and answer my questions.

Anytime buddy, that's what we're here for! The K15 is a pretty solid stick as well, hopefully it treats you well.

 

[barryboymunro]

Testing Day 1 (12/04/2012)
Location: Cumbernauld (Glasgow) Scotland
Dullatur Golf Course Antonine Course
Holes Played 5 (in-between work)
Weather 10Degrees Celcius (50 Farenheit), Low Cloud with 4mph SW Winds and soaking wet course

I managed to get out today and test the club for the first time, i'm not really a fan of going to the range and working on using the club i rather just go out and swing away and see what happens naturally. I took some pictures which I'll add at the end of the post and a sorry in advance for the size of them as i struggle to crop them but my excuse is you are seeing them in better detail haha
Anyways first impressions of pulling the club out the bag and comparing it straight away to my D2 and what caught my eye was that it is a bigger head in terms of length but not with the height of the face. I seemed weird at first tee'ing the ball down slightly lower than i am use to on the D2 or for any modern driver that i have used. The lines on the back of the club were not off-putting at all which i was expecting however the lack of an aiming guide on top of the club was not something that i particularly liked however i felt with my results that i gained that it made no difference at all, just something that i am use to i suppose. The Fast 12 was much lighter than the D2 however did not feel flimsy compared but it did feel cheaper, i've no idea why it gave off that perception it was just something that i felt when holding the two together. I am playing the D2 about 9.5 degree with a slightly closed face so i was interested to see how i'd fare with the standard set up of the Fast 12.


First hole is a 396 yard par 4 with a slight dog leg left. Without a practice shot i gave the D2 the first hit of the day and as usual was a miss-hit fade right on this hole which is my natural shot and it went about 223 yards. I'm not a naturally big hitter so don't read too much in to my exact distances but do when comparing them against the D2. I then christened the Fast 12 and i sent an exact copy of my first shot in terms of shape but i could not have taken it any cleaner off the face of the club which was a nice start and a positive one. The club never really felt foreign in my hands just a tad lighter however i did feel that it never came off the face with as much zing as the D2, it just never felt as responsive and never popped of the face. If i could describe it best then it would be that the face of the club is about 2 inches thick and by the time the vibration came through the face thickness it had withered. The sound was also slightly duller than the d2 and came across as more as a thud which may have also be a sun-concious reason for the feeling of less zing off the face. My very first thought when i opened the box was that the club would easily mark on the bottom from tees and i was right, it did rub off slightly but it was still visible and obviously got worse during the round.

Hole 2 is a 311 par 4 with a sloping fairway down to the right so you really need to hit it to the top to stop it from rolling down the hill. I decided to only hit the Fast 12 from now on as i know what the D2 can do and its not a comparison review its an open mind and review of only this club. Sorry if i do sometimes compare to the D2 but its what i game and know. The drive for this hole was bang straight down the middle with no fade and landed about 235yards with a nice 60degree to the green. The ball flight i really liked as it was medium to high but what really caught my eye was the fact that it just continued to climb and climb. I did hit another ball on this hole which was straight as well but it was almost like a line drive and just stayed on course and never faded at all which surprised me but actually draw towards then end of the flight. The club did feel light again and never felt foreign but it did fell dead off the face with no zing but the numbers so far were quite good.

Hole 3 is a 317 par 4 with a river about 2/3rds of the way down but i've never been long enough to fit it so there is no danger of putting it in there. My drive again was bang straight down the middle which felt great as the face was neutral and not closed and this gave me confidence to swing away. Again no zip off the face but what i felt this time was how light the club is on the back swing but it felt very dreggy on the downswing and heavy. It makes a lot more drag sound than the D2 and it just felt really heavy and laboured on the swing but the numbers were good again and i hit it about 250.

Hole 4 is a 315yard par 4 uphill in to a wind which is a killer. Again hit the ball well and there was a draw in there which landed about 200yards which is not so great, it did feel off the centre of the club but felt fat slightly fat.

Hole 5 is a 507 yard par 5 in to the wind so its the toughest hole in the course as its danger all down the left side. I decided to compare the D2 and Fast 12 again and the results were too close to call, dispersion was the same and length both hit about 265 yards. The Fast 12 does feel whippier than the D2 but as i said it feels very heavy and draggy on the downswing which i would never have thought since the head it more aerodynamic and the face is not as high. It does not feel that impressive off the face but the results are pretty good so far and i can't say i really hit one shot that sliced right or faded that much which i'm use to so much. The picture below shows the difference between the two drivers with the one on the right being the longer and being the Fast 12.

Here are just some shots of the club at address and the club marks at the end of the few holes that i played.

I really felt that i was pretty consistent with hitting the ball off the centre of the club face as you can see from the pictures but as i first feared the club is getting pretty marked up which may be a nightmare to clean but i am going to leave it a few days and see how they clean up then. At address the club feels nice and its much easier at getting use to than the white crowns of the TM line. As i said the club is feels light but very heavy and slow on the downswing and there is no poppy zing to the ball coming off the face but the ball certainly does get out there and with the course being very wet today there was no roll so bring on the summer to really see the numbers this club produces. It's obviously way to early to love it or hate it but so far so good with good ball flight, decent control and dispersion. I really hope this was ok for my first ever shot at reviewing something and some pointers where i could do better are welcome.

Thanks Barry

 

[TC]

Hey guys, just back from holiday and i picked the club up today from customs. I done a little unboxing video, my first one so go easy.

cheers barry

What a sweet unboxing video bazza! I could barely understand a word you said but it sounded so awesome. I was hoping you would open the box, remove your Fast 12 and yell................"FREEEEEEEEDOM"

 

[CapC]

That's too bad, I can see where some might say it's too light if they're not used to a real light weight driver. The unforgiving part I'm personally not really seeing much of myself. I have found the forgiveness on my miss (higher on the club face) to be quite fine. I've hit a couple on the toe and definitely don't get the performance but that's to be expected I think. Good luck with whatever you traded in for!

This is just about exactly my experience as well.

 

[TC]

See, you expect a deep face driver to offer more vertical forgiveness and less horizontal forgiveness, at least that's what one would think.

I'm not a tester but I've hit this driver more than a few times and I like it but it definitely has it's shortcomings to me. The most blaring being the stock shaft. For the life of me, it just makes little sense to me. Everyone on the face of the earth knows that a Prolaunch shaft is economical and can be found anywhere. Maybe it's just mental but to me it kind of cheapens the driver. Now, that being said, I hit this sucker in the center of the clubface often. But there's no way I would ever be comfortable or live with a Prolaunch Blue shaft. It's just not ideal for me.

 

[Hanks]

this....

I'm not a tester but I will weigh in. The center of the face is actually pretty large, because of it's sheer size. But towards the toe or heel there is little forgiveness. The length and weight of the club make it easy for me to over swing the driver. But if you catch the center I've found the club to be very long.

and this....

For the fairway wood I'd say it's somewhat forgiving, but if it's off the toe or heel it seems to curve quite a bit. And really high on the face get's it super launch with quite a bit of loss in distance. But there's still that larger area in the middle of the club, that if it hits somewhere in there it get's pretty good distance and forgiveness for me. I'll try and get a pic after my range session this week. We're finally off mats and I can't wait to work this club hard!

Overall I'd say that I like the FW more than the driver and still think that I could play the FW with no problem whatsoever

 

[barryboymunro]

What a sweet unboxing video bazza! I could barely understand a word you said but it sounded so awesome. I was hoping you would open the box, remove your Fast 12 and yell................"FREEEEEEEEDOM"

TC i aint gonna lie it did cross my mind but the girlfriend was sleeping, she just watched my unboxing video and the first two things she said were "i think you love THP more than me" and "You could have at least tidied up a bit" haha

 

[TC]

TC i aint gonna lie it did cross my mind but the girlfriend was sleeping, she just watched my unboxing video and the first two things she said were "i think you love THP more than me" and "You could have at least tidied up a bit" haha

Hahahaha she sounds like a keeper! Glad you got your Fast 12

 

[Puttin4Bird]

Barry that was a phenomenal right up man. I don't know what 10 degrees Celsius means but otherwise that was awesome. Look where you're hitting that thing too....dead center baby and getting some pretty nice distances out of her too. Thanks for writing that up.

 

[barryboymunro]

Barry that was a phenomenal right up man. I don't know what 10 degrees Celsius means but otherwise that was awesome. Look where you're hitting that thing too....dead center baby and getting some pretty nice distances out of her too. Thanks for writing that up.

Cheers guys for the nice words, amended the temp for all.

 

[IceyShanks]

Anyone pondering putting a new shaft in their FW? After hitting the black project x yesterday I'm thinking that shaft would be a great combo with the Fast 12 3 wood.

 

[Scrap Iron]

I have been skimming through the thread on and off so my question is simple. Has anyone gained a noticable amount of distance with this.

Barry great write up and the pics with the app very nice. I do have a question for you as well did you try Tiny Monsters.

 

[marshallucf]

Anyone pondering putting a new shaft in their FW? After hitting the black project x yesterday I'm thinking that shaft would be a great combo with the Fast 12 3 wood.

after the testing is over, i might be tempted to reshaft it. i think the pl blue is the wrong shaft for me, i am hitting the ball way higher than i would like.

 

[marshallucf]

I have been skimming through the thread on and off so my question is simple. Has anyone gained a noticable amount of distance with this.

Barry great write up and the pics with the app very nice. I do have a question for you as well did you try Tiny Monsters.

im testing the fairway, not the driver. but i havent noticed any distance gain over my r11. i think a lot of it has to do with the shaft.

 

[Steel President]

Woooo. Looks like I should finally be able to get back on the course tomorrow.

 

[barryboymunro]

Anyone else testing the driver feel that its really dead and lifeless coming off the face? I really feel like i'm the one doing all the work trying to get it out there!

 

[Hanks]

It's definitely not the hottest of faces thats for sure. The ball seems to linger a bit even on well struck shots

Anyone else testing the driver feel that its really dead and lifeless coming off the face? I really feel like i'm the one doing all the work trying to get it out there!

 

[One-T]

I need to hit this. I always thought the ball would pop off the face.

 

[Adam0304]

Anyone else testing the driver feel that its really dead and lifeless coming off the face? I really feel like i'm the one doing all the work trying to get it out there!

I don't think it's dead, but it most definitely isn't "hot". The ball still gets out there a decent poke it just doesn't have that explosive feeling of some other drivers.


Tap before talk.

 

[barryboymunro]

It's definitely not the hottest of faces thats for sure. The ball seems to linger a bit even on well struck shots

Hanks I agree with this for sure, even the sound is dull. it almost feels like the head is solid throughout and your hitting a ball with a dead weight

 

[blugold]

I realized something today at the range - the feedback is almost opposite to what I would expect. The shots that I miss are loud and the head feels springy. The balls that I strike well sound muted and the face feels stout.

 

[barryboymunro]

I realized something today at the range - the feedback is almost opposite to what I would expect. The shots that I miss are loud and the head feels springy. The balls that I strike well sound muted and the face feels stout.

Funny you should say that, towards the end of my round today I hit a poor drive it was a slice right and i got the same thing.

 

[Steel President]

---

Adams Fast 12 FW Testing
Duck Hollow Golf Club
4/13/2012

Finally..Steel President has returned to the golf course!! I'm pleased to say that I had a good round today. Struck it well - I hit the driver a whole lot better than I had in a long time and it really brought my round together. The greens were just recently aerated - it was like putting on a beach - so I didn't get a great feel with the putter all day. However, I hit a lot of good shots and I had success with the Fast 12 today as well. I posted the scorecard for my round (it includes some pictures of the holes at the top so you at least have a general idea of what I was looking at) and I'm basically going to recap the holes in which I used the Fast 12. I didn't force anything with it today - just treated it like a completely normal round. I originally planned on only playing 9 holes but I ended up playing a full 18. I do apologize for the lack of video or pictures - the course was a bit packed so I didn't really have time to get any multimedia stuff. It was a beautiful 65 degrees and perfectly sunny so a bunch of people were out.

Hole #2:
Alright, this hole is a 337 yard par 4 that, as you can see, is a bit of a dogleg right. Driver is definitely an option on this hole but I opted to go with the Fast 12 - I just wanted to place it out in the fairway and leave myself with something inside of 150 yards. I just put a really easy swing on and struck it decent enough. It drew a little more than I wanted to but I was just off of the left side of the fairway with about 131 to go. So, I hit it right around 206 yards. I didn't quite catch this one flush but I'll take the end result. Unfortunately, I pulled my second shot just a bit and ended up carding a bogey.

Hole #6:
This course was taken over by new ownership a few years ago and they've done a TON of work on #6 - completely revamped the hole. It's one of my absolute favorite holes on the course. I need to do a HOTD with it sometime because it's requires a lot of strategy. The hole doglegs left and basically forces you to use something less than a driver because, well, there's a lake at the end of the fairway. Honestly, I often use a 4 or 5 iron on this hole but I was feeling confident with the Fast 12 so I gave it a swing. The tee shot plays to my strength because it encourages a right-to-left shot shape, something that I traditionally carry. It's a 326 yard par 4 - not long but it's challenging. I started it out a little too far to the right but definitely hit it flush. I was left with right around 100 yards, slightly uphill, to the green. So, I put the Fast 12 out there about 225-230 yards and it ended up settling just to the right of the fairway. Again, I made a mess of a good tee shot after this and airmailed my second shot. Ended up with another bogey.

Hole #8:
This hole is a shorter par 5 but it's another hole that calls for a couple of precision shots. It measures out at 508 yards from the whites and is a pretty sharp dogleg right. It's a slightly elevated tee box and the ideal first shot puts you at the top of the hill on the big bend that you can see in the picture of the hole. I did hit a nice tee shot with my driver but left it a little further left on the fairway then I wanted. Still - I put it out there and gave myself a good look with my second shot. I wasn't in a position to get to the green but I felt comfortable using the Fast 12. I didn't hit the greatest shot but it was far from a disaster. It hooked a little bit for me - that tends to be my miss. I was fortunate that the ball stayed out of the woods and I was left with about 110 yards, very uphill. Another bogey.

Hole #10:
The back nine starts off with a long par 5 - it measures out at 589 yards from the whites. Honestly, I traditionally struggle with this hole but I played it well today and ended up with a par. I hit my best drive of the day on #10 and left myself in great position. I hit the Fast 12 with my second shot - I felt like I had the ball too far up in my stance on #8 so I tweaked my alignment a little. I hit it really well and left myself with about 80 yards. I hit it right around 215 and it stayed pretty dead straight - didn't draw on me. I hit my third shot just over the green but ended up getting up and down for par. I'll take it and give the assist to the Fast 12.

Hole #11:
This hole might require the most precise tee shot on the course so I didn't hesitate to pull out the Fast 12 - I was hitting my driver well today (and really was just performing well on the tee box in general) but I'm more comfortable putting an accurate hit on with the 3W. 353 yard par 4 that bends a little more left than the picture might lead one to believe. The tee shot is down a rather tight alley of trees on both the right and the left. I hit the Fast 12 absolutely FLUSH...but...boom...I started it out JUST a little too far to the right and ended up clipping the top of one of those tree branches. Really disappointing because I think it would've left me in a really good spot. So, I had to punch out from some woods and did so with some success - I was able to save bogey with a great third shot. I needed one of those nice straight shots from the Fast 12 here and ended up shaping it a little more right to left. Oh well.

Hole #13:
Really short par 5. It's honestly not very difficult either. 454 yards and it's pretty straight - the fairway have a bit of a right-to-left slope though. I hit another solid enough drive and was left with right around 215 to the green. Fast 12 time - I figured this would be right in my wheelhouse the way I was hitting it and that I'd give myself a great chance to get on in 2. I hit the Fast 12 probably as well as I did all day - it was dead on. I thought it was going to be a fantastic shot and that I'd have a great look at eagle. However, it skidded across those stupid aerated sandy greens and went just OVER. I hit a poor third shot and then two putted. Ugh. Should've been a for sure birdie but I ended up carding a par. I felt more comfortable with the Fast 12 off of the deck when I set up with the ball further back in my stance - it was taking away my hook miss a bit and gave me some confidence.

---

So, it was a good day for me. I had a bunch of bogeys, a few pars, and I chipped in from off of the green for a birdie on #2. I need to turn some of those bogeys into pars but this was definitely my best ball striking round of the year. I've had a complete mental block from the tee box for the last month and a half and I felt like it finally came around today. Definitely encouraging.

Random Fast 12 Thoughts:
So, yeah, it's fair to say that I had another good day with the Fast 12. I hit it well off of the tee and was comfortable with it from the deck. Remember, I traditionally suck with woods from the deck so I'm really pleased that it's improving my game in this area. I definitely hit it better when I set it just a little further back in my stance - made life a lot easier. I went through a little stretch where I was looking at a nasty hook but that only really reared its ugly head once today. I hit a few absolute monsters - the green clearing shot on #13 comes to mind for me - and it was really steady off of the tee. My own incompetence caused a few other misses, haha, but I'd say I was pleased with the Fast 12.

Count me in the camp that thinks the Fast 12 provides a more muted sound when it's struck well. I really can tell instantly when the shot is a success. I actually agree that the sound is a bit louder when you miss with it.

I still maintain that it just feels easy for me to hit. I don't know whether I should attribute it to the 'coated' shaft or the velocity slots, or both, but I just get the feeling that this club cuts through the air for me. It really does feel effortless for me when I'm dialed in and that's a nice thing. I enjoy the muted sound, I enjoy the ball flight, and I can honestly say that I'm enjoying this club.

At this point..I'd say it's probably going to become a permanent fixture in my bag. It isn't a world beater but I'm very, very happy with the stability and consistency that the Fast 12 3W provides. I still need some work with it from the deck but I'm getting better and that's very encouraging.

I should be able to play 18 tomorrow with some buddies, weather providing, so I'll look to give the Fast 12 another nice workout!

Felt good to be back on the course today after a bit of a hiatus and, as always, I'll gladly answer any questions or pay special attention to something that someone might want to know.