I have been thinking a lot about getting a new Driver sometime this season. I am currently using a Cleveland Launcher 460cc 10.5*. The primary reasons I am in the market for a new driver are.
A) My current driver is my first good driver and is showing a lot of wear from learning how to hit it. So sky marks are numerous.
B) I wouldn’t mind a new toy in the bag.
That being said I have heard that most of the major manufactures spend a lot of money on R&D because the know that people are insane and are willing to spend hundreds of dollars every year in an attempt to pick up 10 extra yards off the Tee. My long winded question is one of my local golf shops is selling last years R7 quad for $350 marked down from its original selling price of $700. Do you guys think that going with a year old driver (if I like the way it feels that is) would be doing myself a disservice because I would not be taking advantage of the latest and greatest technology advancements. Also I am not expecting that any Driver is going to revolutionize my swing. When I striking the ball well I am by no means a short hitter. So a 10 yard increase in distance would be almost meaningless. I am looking for consistency and as we all know any little bit helps. Figured I would get some thoughts in case anyone else is in the market. Lastly if any is in the market and has any recommendations I would love to hear what you went with and why.
I have been thinking a lot about getting a new Driver sometime this season. I am currently using a Cleveland Launcher 460cc 10.5*. The primary reasons I am in the market for a new driver are.
A) My current driver is my first good driver and is showing a lot of wear from learning how to hit it. So sky marks are numerous.
B) I wouldn’t mind a new toy in the bag.
That being said I have heard that most of the major manufactures spend a lot of money on R&D because the know that people are insane and are willing to spend hundreds of dollars every year in an attempt to pick up 10 extra yards off the Tee. My long winded question is one of my local golf shops is selling last years R7 quad for $350 marked down from its original selling price of $700. Do you guys think that going with a year old driver (if I like the way it feels that is) would be doing myself a disservice because I would not be taking advantage of the latest and greatest technology advancements. Also I am not expecting that any Driver is going to revolutionize my swing. When I striking the ball well I am by no means a short hitter. So a 10 yard increase in distance would be almost meaningless. I am looking for consistency and as we all know any little bit helps. Figured I would get some thoughts in case anyone else is in the market. Lastly if any is in the market and has any recommendations I would love to hear what you went with and why.
TIA
First let me point out that there shouldn't be much difference between the launcher and the R7.
If you are a high handicap player you should avoid the R7 quad (especially the TP) because it less forgiving.
A recent article I was reading, it advocated the use of high lofted drivers (14-16 degrees)
In tests they have carried out a low handicap player was driving the ball 10-15 yards less than drivers with 8.5-10.5 degrees whereas a high handicap player was hitting the ball 15-25 yards longer.
So the distance was not such an issue, with the added benefit however of lots more forgiveness.
Personally having tried the king copra, SQ and the TM 460 I found the TM460 much more forgiving and as long as if not longer than the SQ
If you are going to change the driver it is much more important to check whether the shaft suits you. I suggest you go to a club fitting session before making your mind up.
I agree with Putton about the fitting session. You need to go somewhere where they have launch monitors and lots of different clubs to test drive. Odds are, just matching the best club head to the best shaft is going to make a world of difference in what you should be hitting.
I used to hit the Launcher 460 (not the comp -- the first 460 cc Launcher with 10.5* loft), and I switched about four months ago to a 13.5* Ping G5 with a graffaloy blue S65 shaft. Now, while I'm not a great golfer, I'm okay, and distance has never been a problem with me. So when I got on the launch monitor, I hit about a dozen different clubs (I had already decided that I liked the feel of the G5, so they were all G5s). I just hit one club after another, watched the ball flight, and the launch monitor guy kept giving me different clubs based on the results.
By the time we were finished, I got the driver that I'm hitting now. I'd never ever consider a 13.5* driver if I hadn't got on the launch monitor. But it gave me the best results -- carry around 260, launch angle at 8.9*, and around 3500 rpm backspin. Obviously, I lag my hands a little bit at impact, effectively delofting the club to around 9*. Now I'm hitting them high (for me) and long.
I also agree with Putton that you probably aren't going to get much more technology with a club other than the Launcher. If you like that club, you could probably just decide to reshaft it after a session with a launch monitor. I had the Fujikura shaft replaced in mine with a Harrison Striper, and I hit it 10-15 yards longer. It could be that a $80-100 reshaft is all you need to live happily ever after.
On my current driver I am using a stiff flex graphite the mustard colored Fujikura. Which was my instructors reccomendation and all also the suggestion of the salesman where I bought the club based on my CHS of appox. 100mph.
On my current driver I am using a stiff flex graphite the mustard colored Fujikura. Which was my instructors reccomendation and all also the suggestion of the salesman where I bought the club based on my CHS of appox. 100mph.
Club head speed is only 10% of the equation. You've got flex of the shaft, kick point, torque, weight of the shaft, launch angle, ball spin, ball speed (just to name a few things that you should consider). You really ought to go to a place that has a launch monitor and see what they can do for you.
Luckily for me there is place within about 5 minutes of where I work that offers a full Driver fitting. I may have make an appointment and check them out. Thanks for the info.
If you want a new driver, swing a bunch on a launch monitor, then take that info to eBay. You can pick up brand new R7's (excluding TP's) for at or less than $250 shipped.
Luckily for me there is place within about 5 minutes of where I work that offers a full Driver fitting. I may have make an appointment and check them out. Thanks for the info.
Smartest thing you could possibly do. Even if they don't take the price of the fitting off the price of the club, it's money well spent.
July 14th, 2006, 09:35 AM
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