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Driver Testing - Your Perfect Scenario?

SuperStroke
Tadashi70 said:
My swing is pretty consitent and my settings are pretty much going to be the same. In this hypothetical scenario in order to give all drivers their due, there has to be a breakdown. Others will approach this situation differntly than I.
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Genuine question here. Wouldnt high spin heads and low spin heads require different settings? To use an example, there is no question you are going to hit your Adams Blue driver higher and spinnier than you would the R15. So with some small adjustments to each they could be dialed in for you? Or do you go to the same settings for every head?
 
Tadashi70 said:
My swing is pretty consitent and my settings are pretty much going to be the same. In this hypothetical scenario in order to give all drivers their due, there has to be a breakdown. Others will approach this situation differntly than I.
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After I posted that questions I gave it more thought and I agree with you. Every adjustable driver I've had has needed a draw setting and loft around 9*. With 20 drivers to test, having all of them set close to that would save time and headache
 
PhillyV said:
After I posted that questions I gave it more thought and I agree with you. Every adjustable driver I've had has needed a draw setting and loft around 9*. With 20 drivers to test, having all of them set close to that would save time and headache
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Hmmm. That might make sense as a starting point. You and Tadashi might have a point. Then fine tune from there.
FWIW, I always start at neutral and somewhere around 10 degrees.
 
JB said:
Genuine question here. Wouldnt high spin heads and low spin heads require different settings? To use an example, there is no question you are going to hit your Adams Blue driver higher and spinnier than you would the R15. So with some small adjustments to each they could be dialed in for you? Or do you go to the same settings for every head?
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I didn't know there was a right way to answer you question. If I am putting each driver through its paces I would not be able to mess with all the setting to find the optimum for me. There has to be a mean or test line I work with. I was just conveying how I would go about it, if there is better way, I guess I'll find out.

All I kmow is that I've beat balls in the heat for hours and as energy fades so does production that is why I answered the way I did.
 
Tadashi70 said:
I didn't know there was a right way to answer you question. If I am putting each driver through its paces I would not be able to mess with all the setting to find the optimum for me. There has to be a mean or test line I work with. I was just conveying how I would go about it, if there is better way, I guess I'll find out.

All I kmow is that I've beat balls in the heat for hours and as energy fades so does production that is why I answered the way I did.
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There isnt a right way, that is why I asked the question to you, as I want to understand what everybody is thinking.
 
First off, 10 balls with my gamer driver for a control #. Hopefully have someone with me who knows anything about stats on a flight scope to prompt me through the whole process.

Hit 10 balls per driver. Try and get baseline #'s from each driver. Hopefully pull the 6 best drives or so with each driver for comparison. Brief rest every 30 or so swings. Enjoy a cold beverage.

Narrow it down to top 2 or 3 contenders. Hope like heck that the drivers I am trying out are putting up better numbers that my current driver.

Hopefully find a driver that is performing well for me as a stock setup, and then tweak it further for optimum results...... and hopefully never move it from that tweaked setting ever again.
 
JB said:
There isnt a right way, that is why I asked the question to you, as I want to understand what everybody is thinking.
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Full disclosure, if I see a positive ball like I did with the adams, it's going to get high marks and I think that holds true for most golfers. If it's long and in pkay, it the next greatest thing. I hit the SLDR on a frozen rope when on. Same with my Callaway 815, 715 by bridgestone, Adams blue. I had very similar misses.

So based on that and years of playing, I figure the same setting will be more useful in gather info to share then changing the setting 8 times with 20 drivers.
 
Driver Testing - Your Perfect Scenario?

For me after warming up a bit with my gamer, I'd work through the line up hitting about 5-10 balls with each. Get a feel for what looks good, sounds right, and gives me the ball flight that I normally see. After narrowing it down from the initial run through I'd select the 3-4 best and head over to the flight scope to get a feel for the numbers, see if there is any tweaking that can be done. Hopefully narrowing it down to the last 2 for on course head to head testing and demo work.
 
20 drivers would be a lot to try in one sitting, but I'm sure I could suffer through it. I have tested almost that many this year, just not all at once. I imagine I would probably spend the most time with the ones that I seemed to click with right away, however, as I usually do.
 
I'd warmup with my gamer until swinging fast and smooth and seeing my typical flight. After that I'd start with the drivers I like based on brand and reputation.

After working through the gamut I'd narrow it down to 2 or 3 based on launch (high) and shot-to-shot consistency.

Take those 3 to the LM and take the two with the best ball speeds to the course for as many holes as time would allow for.
 
I've hit 10-12 drivers at demo days before so I'd start with how I've done demo day fittings in-mind. I'd hit about 6 balls with each of the twenty drivers, each set at a standard setting, neutral, and I'd have my current driver on stand-by. I'd narrow the choices based on what appeals to me immediately: sound, set-up, ball flight, consistency, then perceived distance. I'd get numbers on all shots to make sure my perception is reality.
I'd then hit my current driver to see which clubs are in the ball park. I'd then take an hour break to eat and stretch.
I'd set aside the top 5 drivers along with my current one and then look back at numbers to see if any one club had a really good performance, but may have been at the beginning when I wasn't in a groove yet. One thing I notice at demo days is the first two and the last two just didn't have the same swing as the ones in the middle.
Then, it's off to the course, rotating three drivers off every other tee. Recording all numbers, also fairways hit, etc. After 12 holes of just tee shots, I'd have it narrowed down to a top-three. I'd then go take another hour break to look over all of the numbers.
After the break, I'd grab the top 2 and hit 20 balls each on the monitor. Then I'd play three more holes just hitting tee shots, 2 shots each club off each tee, recording all numbers, then I'd see who the winner was.
All I know is if I had a whole day, I'd have to have at least two breaks. 6 balls with twenty clubs is over three buckets of balls!!!! That's a lot just to start!!! I'd probably stretch twice, maybe even hit the locker room up for a hot shower, and a fresh set of clothes before I hit the course the first time.
Rest and food would be crucial to do this trial justice.
 
Honestly 20 drivers would be way too many. I would pick 5 or 6 that I've read good things about or new nothing about. If they were all new releases, I don't know what I would do. Just not enough of me to go around after 15-20 swings with 6 drivers I would be pretty spent. I just couldn't give the others a fair shake.

The ones I picked. Would each get 10 or so swings set up neutral. I would then make any adjustments to get spin and launch to where I think it should be. 10 more swings with each and then the top 3, performance basis only, would be taken to the course. I would hit driver on every hole possible and would hit all 3 on each tee rotating the order of which they are hit. Distance and accuracy would be recorded. If time remained the 3 would go back to the range for 10 more swings on the flight scope. Impact location would be recorded for each data point 5 best strikes would be averaged. Winner would be determined by on course performance vs the launch monitor findings post round.
 
I would want the drivers to have no real identifying marks on them (as best as you can) and just assign them numbers or letters and start swinging away and adjusting as needed. I know I'm guilty of seeing an OEM name and before I even swing the club have formed an opinion.

A blind test for me would be the best thing possible for me.

Getting past that, I would want to have some time to find the right settings for each driver and then take 10 shots with each, throw out the best and worst and use those numbers for my distance, launch and spin. The intangibles such as feel/sound would also need to be noted for each shot. This way I can say how something feels on a mishit, etc. After hitting them I'd want to see the clubs without their disguises and be able talk about their general looks.
 
My perfect scenario would be to warm up on the range. After that, take the flight scope and all 20 drivers onto the course, to a straight par 4 that is designed for driver off the tee. I would adjust each driver to match my gamer setup. Then, I would hit 3-4 with each driver. Hopefully, from that info, I can narrow it down to 4-5 drivers and then hit each of those several times each, tweak the adjustment, as needed, and then select a new gamer.
 
20 drivers is a LOT of swings.

I'd warm up like usual. I'd set all of the drives to as equal setting as possible, so the degrees on the face and setting should be with the same parameters. Then I think I'd start with 1 hit per club, all in a row. I want at least one hit with each with good energy, minimum. I'd then do a rotisserie type of selection. I would start with the last driver I hit, and work back to the first. The second time around I'd hit two per club. Then I'd go for a 3rd round and hit 3 per club. This would give me a total of 6 hits per head, on less than 150 swings. So, I should still be in good shape.

I'd do all of these swing on the range with the FlightScope, and then I'd select the top 3 performers (maybe 5) and take those out with me to the course for some real world testing.
 
First... I'd find someone who knows how to use a flight scope who could translate all the numbers for me. I'd leave them all set as neutral as possible to level the playing field...there's simply too many variables on too many clubs to break it all down. I'd go through all of them enough to give honest feedback on how each one works with my swing so that everyone with a similar swing could get a good feel for them. Then lower it down to the top 4 or 5 and take them to the course to go head to head. Play enough holes to get a good (or at least fair) sample size.

Adjustments could be made with the top 4 or 5. The reasoning being any club that doesn't make it to the top 5 (or at least be close) making adjustments probably isn't going to be enough to put them there.
 
JB said:
Hmmm. That might make sense as a starting point. You and Tadashi might have a point. Then fine tune from there.
FWIW, I always start at neutral and somewhere around 10 degrees.
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Draw plus 2 gives me what I view as the best ball for my game. Now to your point, this was not true of the XR pro I had. My ball flight was more low to mid as opposed to the BD815, I see a mid to high flight with a good bit of carry. Same with the great big bertha. The dbd in draw plus 2 produced low top spin lobs.

I start with the base and work off that. Shaft could change the results but it would have to be a drastic difference in shafts.
 
If trying to determine the best for me: I'd set the batch to settings that are similar to what I currently play. I'm relatively standard in setup - just have to make sure the standard for the driver isn't a draw bias.

Then, after warming up on the range, I'd hit several balls with my current driver to get numbers.

Then I'd hit a couple balls with each driver, rotating through, trying to get 3 "good" swings in with each. I'd make notes about those where the "good" swings were harder to come by. I don't have the energy to put 200 quality swings on drivers, so I've got to pace myself and trust the flightscope numbers on just a few good swings. Hoping to average no more than 5 total swings with each before narrowing down.

I'd take the top 3 or 4 drivers to the course. I'd play. I'd make lots of notes. I'd hit lots of "real world" drives. I'd hit multiple drivers on holes that gave me interesting shots. I may at some point during that round eliminate one or two.

I'd have lunch. I'd rest.

I'd go back to the range, get loosened back up with some irons and a couple drives with my driver, then take the 2 or 3 drivers that haven't been eliminated and hit 15-25 balls with each, rotating every 5. 45-50 total balls.

I'd look at the numbers and I'd make a decision.

The challenge in this challenge, if you will, for me, would be continuing to put good swings on the ball after 125+ balls in the morning, a round of golf with multiple balls, and another 50 balls in the afternoon. That's a lot of swinging.
 
TheWoo said:
If trying to determine the best for me: I'd set the batch to settings that are similar to what I currently play. I'm relatively standard in setup - just have to make sure the standard for the driver isn't a draw bias.

Then, after warming up on the range, I'd hit several balls with my current driver to get numbers.

Then I'd hit a couple balls with each driver, rotating through, trying to get 3 "good" swings in with each. I'd make notes about those where the "good" swings were harder to come by. I don't have the energy to put 200 quality swings on drivers, so I've got to pace myself and trust the flightscope numbers on just a few good swings. Hoping to average no more than 5 total swings with each before narrowing down.

I'd take the top 3 or 4 drivers to the course. I'd play. I'd make lots of notes. I'd hit lots of "real world" drives. I'd hit multiple drivers on holes that gave me interesting shots. I may at some point during that round eliminate one or two.

I'd have lunch. I'd rest.

I'd go back to the range, get loosened back up with some irons and a couple drives with my driver, then take the 2 or 3 drivers that haven't been eliminated and hit 15-25 balls with each, rotating every 5. 45-50 total balls.

I'd look at the numbers and I'd make a decision.

The challenge in this challenge, if you will, for me, would be continuing to put good swings on the ball after 125+ balls in the morning, a round of golf with multiple balls, and another 50 balls in the afternoon. That's a lot of swinging.
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I already feel like I'm missing two things:

First, I'd be willing to tweak settings if something seemed off. They're there for a reason, though I expect them to be pretty consistent for me.

Second, I'd probably like to hit my 3 or 4 finalists another 10 balls each on the launch monitor before going to the course and determine if there's anything else I'm missing settings-wise.

I'm tired just thinking about it, but it would be a blast.

Oh, and I'd take good notes to share with THPers, of course.
 
If the outcome was best driver for me:

I'd get my baseline on Flightscope with my gamer - warm up + 10 measured swings. If there is no statistical variation, maybe 5 swings only.
Hit 10 (or 5) shots each and take the average of all the swings per head.
After every 5 or drivers, I'd take a break to drink some water and shoot the ish with my friends who are also at the range. Maybe fit in a protein rich salad, or smoothie to keep my energy up.
I would then apply some sort of weighting scale to all the numbers and calculate the "best-for-me"

*IF* there was still time, I'd take the top 5 or 6 drivers out to a few holes and see how they hold up on the course.

I would then run back to my computer, log on to THP and write a super long detailed post sharing my experience, methodology, and my final result ranking. :banana:
 
Multiple sessions and only on course testing (same hole). I would hit all drivers morning, around lunch time and in the afternoon with a rest period between each. I would then compare the numbers from the afternoon session compared to the two earlier ones. A driver should be able to be successful even when you are not full strength and tired.

No set number of balls with each driver but lets say 5 for each session for each driver.
 
Really enjoyed this thread, thanks to all that participated...

Club Clash is coming...
 
JB said:
Really enjoyed this thread, thanks to all that participated...

Club Clash is coming...
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Im betting this will be much bigger than people expect.
 
JB said:
Really enjoyed this thread, thanks to all that participated...

Club Clash is coming...
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Does it include 80's rock? I feel something with "Clash" in the title should have some sort of edge to it... Should I stay or should I go? Rock the Casbah...
 
No music, but does have exactly what many people are thinking about.

Anybody that is into golf equipment, is going to love Club Clash.
 
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