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Adjustable driver = waste of time for high capper?

SuperStroke
Birdiesandbogeys

Birdiesandbogeys

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So, I'm currently of the mind that the player who is going to see more benefit from an adjustable driver (like the Taylormade M5, for example) is the low to mid handicapper, and NOT the guy who's shooting mid/high 90s and above.

In other words, the high capper who is all over the place and/or fighting a wicked slice is not going to be all that helped by getting to slide a few grams of weight around on his driver head. This guy would be much better off buying a cheaper driver (one that's still got great forgiveness & tech built into it, obviously) and just getting to work on building a more consistent & solid swing.

Who's with me? Who thinks otherwise? I'm here to learn....
 
I would not agree with this statement. Obviously fixing/correcting your swing should always be the #1 goal in golf, but if you are fighting a slice and move those movable weights toward the heel of the club, it can assist you in closing the face at impact and reducing the amount you fade/slice the ball.
 
There are benefits to adjustable drives, no matter the HC.
 
The adjustments are to make it easier for the fitter - I'd argue it helps everyone equally (give or take). Sure, the range of misses is larger for higher handicaps, but tendencies are still there and can be adjusted for.
 
To a point, I agree, but I also think that the adjustability of the driver means that as someones swing develops and improves, the movable weight can be moved back to more of a neutral position

Having something like the TM M5 or Callaway Epic Flash where you can move the weight to the heel can obviously help someone to close the face at impact, but once their swing evolves they may find that they hit a lot of shots left due to this, so being able to move the weight back towards the neutral position will save them having to almost go out and buy another driver now that their swing is better
 
I think you have to separate the notion that "buying a cheaper driver" means giving up on adjustability options. The question is will a high capper notice differences within the adjustment settings?

The primary answer...get on a launch meter and test it. the "get fit answer". I'm a high capper (22) and I have taken advantage of the adjustments on my Epic Flash. Mainly the hosel settings to get it more up right "draw bias". Sliding the weights had a lesser affect on my results. but again that's my swing.
 
I'm actually of the belief that someone whose swing could possibly change day to day would benefit much more. Someone who is a low cap and has a repeatable swing doesn't really need much adjust ability. They basically just need to get it to the setting they need and they are done.
 
As I’m adding speed my hips are beating my hands so I’ve had too many blocks. I moved the heavy weight in the Mav Max to the heel, and I’ve been much better at releasing the club and thus straightening out my ball flight. I’ll switch them back when the swing is back in order.
 
TheDoctor said:
To a point, I agree, but I also think that the adjustability of the driver means that as someones swing develops and improves, the movable weight can be moved back to more of a neutral position

Having something like the TM M5 or Callaway Epic Flash where you can move the weight to the heel can obviously help someone to close the face at impact, but once their swing evolves they may find that they hit a lot of shots left due to this, so being able to move the weight back towards the neutral position will save them having to almost go out and buy another driver now that their swing is better
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This 100%. Ultimately you could end up spending more over the long term by purchasing the older, cheaper non-adjustable driver.
 
I think the adjustable driver is beneficial to any type of golfer.

I think the issue is how many high cappers are going to take the time to mess with the driver? I know I fall into this camp at times (and i shouldn't).
 
This goes against every observable aspect of my personal progression as a golfer, but in the basest sense, the more you can adjust a club to fit you, the less you're adjusting to fit the club, and the better off you'll probably be in the end. imo
 
Moving a weight is not going to cure a hook or a slice. Strike is still king.
I don’t think handicap has anything to do with how beneficial an adjustable driver is though.

Interestingly, I had a little play around with the weight on the back of my new G410 down at the range earlier. It’s something like a 16 gram weight, so it’s fairly significant. Moving it around had no bearing on shot shape. It did however have an influence on sound and feel. The joy of a new driver is you get to see just where the ball is striking the face. I was just a tad towards the toe. Moving the weight out into the fade position gave a much better feel and sound on my strikes.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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The adjustable aspect of the driver will only help your game. It won’t cure a slice or stop a hook, but it will help you keep it less severe.
 
I would argue it's almost essential since you can't bend the majority for lie angle. And yes, lie angle matters a ton in drivers even though it doesn't come into contact with the ground (or shouldn't). Adjusting the lie angle influences how you set up to the ball and where the face is pointed.

Also, adjusting loft can help when optimizing spin, and can assist in opening/closing of the face that might improve the players average shot shape.
 
TheDoctor said:
To a point, I agree, but I also think that the adjustability of the driver means that as someones swing develops and improves, the movable weight can be moved back to more of a neutral position

Having something like the TM M5 or Callaway Epic Flash where you can move the weight to the heel can obviously help someone to close the face at impact, but once their swing evolves they may find that they hit a lot of shots left due to this, so being able to move the weight back towards the neutral position will save them having to almost go out and buy another driver now that their swing is better
Click to expand...
^ That's my line of thought too. As your swing changes/evolves, you can adjust the driver to fit it. If you buy a non-adjustable draw-biased driver to help with your slice, and eventually you fix the swing flaw that was causing your slice, you now are going to be hitting draws/hooks with that driver and don't have any way to adjust that out. So now you're buying a new driver instead of making a couple simple adjustments.

On the flip side of the coin, I don't think a player should be screwing around with their settings every time they go out based upon what's happening with their swing that day. That can lead to a lot of frustration and futility too.
 
Adjustability is good and what works for one person may not work for another. Choices! They're a good thing!(y)
 
That would be false.
 
I think adjustability is great to have a professional fitter get you dialed in... yeah someone like me may get into trouble with tinkering, but it's fun!
 
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