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I have a small conundrum regarding the driver.

SuperStroke
Hamfist

Hamfist

I promise not to murder Canadan.
Joined
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Location
Cleveland, Ohio
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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.
 
It's probably not the answer you want, but hit the 3 wood off the tee. How far do you the 3w?

~Rock
 
Personally I would get a reg flex shaft for your current driver and get a lesson or two. Good luck.
 
The best and cheapest way to paradise is to get fit. Plus most big box stores and even some golf course shops are willing to fit you for free. Of course if you buy the club after the fitting.

There are many good fitters and some not so good. So I would check with the THP'ERS in your area to find a local fitter who has a solid reputation with the THP'ERS. We are all pretty picky about our equipment.

Finally a demo day in your area should also offer free club fitting. So check for demos online.

I didn't really make any major swing changes but after a excellent fitting session on trackman with a individual recommended by a THP'ER. I went for 200 to 210 yard average drives to 250 to 270 yards and 70 fairways hit.

Even if you still buy a used club from a source like Callaway Preowned to save some coins at least you will be getting the club that fits your swing based on the fitting results. I have even called up callaway preowned and had them build up a club to my specs from their vast Array of used gear in stock. And saved 70 percent when compared to the price of new gear.

JMTC.

Good luck

Hope that this was helpful.


Cheers

Johan
 
I second just getting the stock Regular flex shaft for the Razr fit you already have, then work on your swing to get better results.
 
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.
 
Cobra Baffler XL
 
Of a diff mindset. I say get your swing worked on first. Find some consistency or u may burn thru drivers like I did as a beginner. what workstoday may not work as well later. That is of course if u plan on getting better or if this is just a weekend thing to burn time. then I would say look at the bio cell
 
If your friend is generous, perhaps he'll let you take his G5 for a range session to see if that good drive is repeatable or just an anomaly.

If you get fairly consistent results with the G5, you should be able to find a G series driver with SR flex for short money. It's entirely possible that you could cycle through several drivers before finding a good fit, but many of us here don't view that as necessarily a bad thing. Club shopping is fun, too!
 
I used to slice it really bad; high slice and always OB. Then I purchased 3 video lessons on groupon and tremendously lowered my handicap and got rid of that nasty slice. My recommendation: it's not the driver, it's you. Of course as you get better the equipment can be tinkered with and you can see the difference. Take a couple lessons, work on your grip and relaxing that right arm & staying on plane. Just my 2cents from experience.
 
1. Get a couple of lessons. I'd tell the pro you're struggling with the driver, but let him figure out where you need to go. Most likely, look at using a 5W to get off the tee and focus on the short game.
2. Then worry about a driver, but if you're a slow swing player a regular flex might be best for you. You can also find Grafalloy Prolaunch Blue driver shafts for cheap (under $20) and it would only cost about $20 more to reshaft and regrip your current driver.
 
There are more things that go into the flex of your shaft than just swing speed. Get a fitting if there is a decent fitter in your area. More importantly I would spend what you are willing to spend on lessons. A golf club will not fix swing flaws it will only mask them slightly
 
Thanks for all the input! I've had three lessons so far, and am working on the swing.

I am working on my friend to let me borrow his G5 for a short term, say, 5 years, but he's not buying it. Although, since the G5 was left to him when his father passed, (I know, I know, I'm a ghoul), along with about 5 other drivers, maybe I'll see if there is another in his possession he'll part with.

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.
 
McRock said:
It's probably not the answer you want, but hit the 3 wood off the tee. How far do you the 3w?

~Rock
Click to expand...

About 170, with glimpse at 190 every now and again.
 
Hamfist said:
About 170, with glimpse at 190 every now and again.
Click to expand...

Oh, well, I had read it that you hit your 3w the 210+ you wanted, which is why I suggested just hitting 3w and skipping the driver. So in that case, listen to the rest of the guys in the thread, they know a lot.

~Rock
 
You can find some good drivers on eBay for cheap. I purchased a 910D2 and a Jetspeed (both used) for under $50 each. Found the K15 (still in the plastic) at Dicks for $70. While they're all good drivers, none of them were able to cure my swing issue. The only thing that fixed that was my lesson with my local pro, and having Freddy check out my swing on video, who pointed out my out to in swing flaw and helped me work it out (still crops up from time to time, but it's gotten better). Now I'm about a 40% FIR hitter (not great, but serviceable), and a few others stay pretty close to the fairway so I'm usually in good shape. But it was the lessons, not the club that got me there.

As for distance ... that's frustrating. I didn't pass 200 yards with any sort of consistency until this year. Last year I was around the 180 yard range. Now I can usually poke a few past 210 but that was only when I got more comfortable with my swing and I wasn't so stiff and tense, afraid of making a mistake. But still, my range according to GG is a 100 yard's between my horrible shots and my great ones. Given it time, it'll come and it can easily happen with the gear you're currently playing.
 
Its probably too stiff and too low spinning. But that doesn't mean its the club that's causing your slice. Look for a Ping G-series in Reg flex
 
McRock said:
Oh, well, I had read it that you hit your 3w the 210+ you wanted, which is why I suggested just hitting 3w and skipping the driver. So in that case, listen to the rest of the guys in the thread, they know a lot.

~Rock
Click to expand...

Rock, 170 in the fairway is better for my limited recovery game than longer in someplace bad, LOL.
 
deuce said:
You can find some good drivers on eBay for cheap. I purchased a 910D2 and a Jetspeed (both used) for under $50 each. Found the K15 (still in the plastic) at Dicks for $70. While they're all good drivers, none of them were able to cure my swing issue. The only thing that fixed that was my lesson with my local pro, and having Freddy check out my swing on video, who pointed out my out to in swing flaw and helped me work it out (still crops up from time to time, but it's gotten better). Now I'm about a 40% FIR hitter (not great, but serviceable), and a few others stay pretty close to the fairway so I'm usually in good shape. But it was the lessons, not the club that got me there.

As for distance ... that's frustrating. I didn't pass 200 yards with any sort of consistency until this year. Last year I was around the 180 yard range. Now I can usually poke a few past 210 but that was only when I got more comfortable with my swing and I wasn't so stiff and tense, afraid of making a mistake. But still, my range according to GG is a 100 yard's between my horrible shots and my great ones. Given it time, it'll come and it can easily happen with the gear you're currently playing.
Click to expand...

Deuce, it was funny...I'd asked him to bring it out a couple of weeks previous, and kind of forgot about it. He had it there, and I grabbed it on the first tee, and never having hit it before, roped it a solid 230 +/-. His brother, who I've been playing with for years, quipped "That was the best drive I've ever seen you hit. Might as well go home, 'cause it's not gonna get any better than that." Sadly prophetic, LOL.
 
Johan185 said:
The best and cheapest way to paradise is to get fit. Plus most big box stores and even some golf course shops are willing to fit you for free. Of course if you buy the club after the fitting.

There are many good fitters and some not so good. So I would check with the THP'ERS in your area to find a local fitter who has a solid reputation with the THP'ERS. We are all pretty picky about our equipment.

Finally a demo day in your area should also offer free club fitting. So check for demos online.

I didn't really make any major swing changes but after a excellent fitting session on trackman with a individual recommended by a THP'ER. I went for 200 to 210 yard average drives to 250 to 270 yards and 70 fairways hit.

Even if you still buy a used club from a source like Callaway Preowned to save some coins at least you will be getting the club that fits your swing based on the fitting results. I have even called up callaway preowned and had them build up a club to my specs from their vast Array of used gear in stock. And saved 70 percent when compared to the price of new gear.

JMTC.

Good luck

Hope that this was helpful.


Cheers

Johan
Click to expand...

I did not know Callaway Preowned would build a spec club.
 
Hamfist said:
I did not know Callaway Preowned would build a spec club.
Click to expand...
Maybe they just looked through their garage and found just what I wanted.

But I usually need a 1" 1* upright for my irons. And I prefer a x stiff flex with a over size grip for my woods and drivers.

When I had not seen what I wanted on line I called and the sales rep found the clubs I needed and shipped them matching my specs.

Give them a call if they don't have what you want you have nothing to lose.

I ended up with a great set of clubs made to order.

Cheers.
 
Johan185 said:
Maybe they just looked through their garage and found just what I wanted.

But I usually need a 1" 1* upright for my irons. And I prefer a x stiff flex with a over size grip for my woods and drivers.

When I had not seen what I wanted on line I called and the sales rep found the clubs I needed and shipped them matching my specs.

Give them a call if they don't have what you want you have nothing to lose.

I ended up with a great set of clubs made to order.

Cheers.
Click to expand...
That's pretty awesome. And great customer service like that is worth more than any money they could spend on an advertisement.
 
Hamfist said:
I did not know Callaway Preowned would build a spec club.
Click to expand...

They will do length, lie and grip to what you want for a small fee for each.

Do you know what your swing speed is? I never did til about 2 months ago and just always assumed I need a stiff flex. After getting on a monitor for the first time I found out my swing speed was only low 90s. That means, in general, that I should be using a regular flex. Switched the stiff to the regular and I'm seeing better results, but still working on the lessons.

I would check out a place like global golf for a cheaper regular shaft and continue with your lessons.
 
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.
 
Lessons always the best bet, but with that said based on the distances you are mentioning I would give a look around for a 14° or 15° driver in a regular flex maybe even a SR flex (Swallow the pride and hit what works!). You can probably find one on a clearance site for $100 or so.
 
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