We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Driver Sound - How Much Does It Mean To You?

SuperStroke
as long as it does not sound like a genesee light beer can on the end of a rope, it s all good :golf:
 
Really don't hear my driver very much but can hear others. Could hear the Speed LD a few years ago. A friend used a Speed LD a couple of days ago and I could really hear it, but still a long driver. Don't care for the drivers that just thud, maybe with my slow swing speed I need a little sound to feel like I'm hitting hard. Main thing is results.
 
Not even a little. I like the sound of some over others, but it wouldn't stop me from buying a driver. It could be a tie breaker if all things were equal, but wouldn't be a main deciding factor.
 
Numbers are all that matter to me but I do find some drivers more appealing. The Classic has an awesome trampoline sound whereas sometimes my Amp Cell crack is loud and constantly feels like I broke something.
 
Sound doesn't mean a whole lot to me. First thing I look at is how the club looks and then the shaft. How does it feel in my hands and how does it look at address. If it doesn't appeal to me I put it down. There is something to be said about the sound of the driver, but for me as long as the ball goes where I want to, sound is the least important factor in my opinion.
 
Said it recently, but I don't think you have to settle for ugly or bad sounding drivers if you don't want to.
 
I would say, sound doesn't matter to me. However, I do enjoy hearing loud drivers that make it sound like your are smashing glass.
 
I think out of every category of a club, this one matters to me least (read - i gamed a hibore xls). Looks, distance, feel, ball flight are far far more important.
 
Unless it is just abrasive, I end up tuning it out.
 
I really like the sound of my RBZ driver... although it does tend to have a disturbing "crack/creak" after striking the ball and I bring the club back after my follow through. I'm hoping that it's just the shaft flexing but it can be unnerving to me at times. If it ever breaks, I'll go right out and pick up another identical model. That is unless I hit a different driver better.
 
For me it's not the sound it's the feel and feedback. There are a few drivers on the market now I can't stand the feel of.
 
A huge impact for me. I had an older Speedline Tech and loved the performance, but got rid of it because it sounded like a canon. I miss the older driver heads like my TM 300ti that just have a nice solid click when struck well.
 
I don't want my driver sounding like a bug hitting my windshield at 80 mph with a thump/knock. I want something that's got a crisp, solid, click or ping to it. I remember the old Callaway ERC driver that ended up being put on the non conforming list. That was a loud so of a gun, but it went a mile, too. People would turn and look at you on the driving range, it was that loud! It sounded like a mix of metal and breaking glass, is the best way to describe it. I don't need that loud, but that was fun!
 
For me, the sound is pretty important. I had a Callaway RAZR X that was a pretty good stick, but the clang (really wanted to use the word ping, but...) was a real turn off. Some TaylorMades seem very similar. My Titleist makes a more muted sound, though still metallic. I like it much more, though it is purely subjective.
 
The more I play, the more it matters. I've played the super-loud Cobra L4V and Cleveland HiBore XLS (for over a year each) and it became too much. A little 'tink' sound is good, but persimmon is best.
 
I was talking about this at lunch, I'm going to add a caveat: really high pitched drivers are not acceptable. If I want my ears to bleed, I'll go to the NIN tour and sit next to the speakers.
 
Not really at all. I've played a pretty wide range too. From the OG Classic to the R1 and the dreaded Sumo 5900, now with the G30. If it goes straight and far enough to put me in a reasonable place, I'm good.
 
It's a big deal for me if it reaches the point of offensiveness. I don't care how well I hit the Adams 9088LS, there was absolutely no way I would ever put it in my bag. Some of the older Cobras, the RBZ Tour, etc. also fit that mold.

At the same time, I'll play what performs over what sounds the best. My favorite sounding drivers are the old Callaway FT series with the carbon fiber. Most were too shallow though, so I don't play them.
 
If the distance and dispersion gains are "material", sound is unimportant. But, it is definitely a tiebreaker.
 
As long as its not absurd(sumo) I'm not too picky. I've never heard a Callaway (except the FT series) or Ping driver I didn't like though.
 
To be honest I had never even thought about the sound until I went to a club testing day. I hit a few clubs but the one that stood out was the g25 driver, I hit that and the ting that it made had my ears ringing. Im not sure whether it was the range balls(they were brand new) or the driver but I didn't like it at all. So when I hit my r11s I noticed it had a ting as well but not to bad, but now with the Big Bertha I love the sound it makes, not so loud but you still know you have hit it.
 
JB said:
The sound of a driver is a big deal to some and not much of a deal to others. How much does it impact your loving and/or purchasing a driver?
Click to expand...

Very important. Callaway has the sound with the driver and in woods/hybrids.
 
It's fairly important. Not so much a sound in particular (I love the SLDR-S for its organic thud sound just as much as the X2Hot for its metallic note), but being able to associate a certain sound with a solid strike as opposed to an off-center strike.

I like that there's more thud and less ping from my driver when I put it on the sweet spot...but I do prefer a bit of a metallic sound, much like the Amp Cell I was bagging beforehand.
 
After playing the R1 I decided that I will never buy a driver again if the sound is completely off putting. I have a wide tolerance of what I like and what is acceptable but if it's atrocious nope I wont put it in play.
 
It matters to me and like others have said I could probably find half a dozen driver heads that can be fitted to maximize my swing so I probably don't have to compromise on sound.

I was just in Golfsmith hitting the G30 in the bay. After gaming the Alpha for a few months, that Ping just sounded awful, like hitting rocks with a tin can on a stick. After hitting the G30, I swung the BBV and man, what a nice, muted "thwack" that driver delivers, so much more pleasing than the Ping. Now, if the Ping proves to be longer and straighter consistently for me than my gamer, I might at least think about it.

Sounds definitely matters.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top