Quick question, does anybody know if a driver being taped up with duct tape has much of a negative impact on distance/accuracy at all, or if it is a pretty true test of the club?
Also, does anybody own a King Cobra x speed driver? if so, how do you like it?
It's funny that you say that b/c I went to demo some clubs on monday and was thinking the same thing. I would think that it might effect the spin of the ball. I wonder if any scientific evidence is out there. I will say that I hit a used ping driver w/out tape and mentally it felt and sounded better.
when I went to golf headquarters on monday they put tape to cover the head and part of the top and bottom of the club... one club had clear tape that was the shape of a driver. I'm sure they do it b/c they don't want you messing us the clubs, however I noticed I broke the tape on a bad swing and left a mark on the club. It rubbed off fine.
The tape will be of pretty minimal influence on a driver or fairway wood. The tape covers the grooves, but the grooves have no influence on the spin for a driver, and very, very, very little for a fairway wood or a low iron*. There are drivers out there with no grooves on the face at all, and I know I saw a quote from a different manufacturer that they only put the grooves on their drivers for aesthetic and traditional purposes. The tape also will have very little dampening effect (dampening both spin and velocity), it is a very thin layer. The swing the player uses to hit the ball will be the biggest factor. The loft will probably be the next biggest factor. Things like the shaft and material of the club head and the ball itself will be next. The tape won't change the trampoline effect the face has, for example. So, really, the tape is a very, very small component of the resulting ball flight.
I will definately agree that the tape is ugly, but would you buy a new driver with scrapes on the bottom or ball marks on the face? Most people would say no, so the tape does ensure that a new driver stays looking brand new.
*On full shots from the fairway, grooves actually don't have a significant impact until higher lofted irons. Cochran and Stobbs performed this experiment in the 60's, you can see the result in their book Search for the Perfect Swing. Grooves do play an important role from the rough -- helps channel the moisture on or in the grass away from the point of impact, or on non-full swings.
All the stores around here tape up NEW drivers, but not the used ones they sell. They use masking tape, I've never seen anyone use Duct tape. Duct tape is a lot thicker and softer than masking tape, so it could have some effect on how you hit the ball compared to no tape being on the club. It's also heavier , so it could effect the swing weight of the club.
Oh, shoot, I didn't even see that the OP said DUCT tape. Yeah, I was thinking that clear packaging tape or masking tape. Both are really light and thin, but I wouldn't buy a driver I had to hit with duct tape. Duct tape is so much thicker, it would thud against the tape instead of just being in the way. What golf shop couldn't just run down to the hardware store and get some masking tape real quick?
Ok, well I went to a different store today, and they had some actual demo clubs that I was able to takke out for just a $10 charge, and not have to have them taped up. Got to try out the Ping G5 9* still flex, and Callaway x460 10* reg flex. I wanted to get both in the 9* still flex, but they didn't have the Callaway available in lefty.
All I have to say is I actually fell in love with the Ping driver. Only got a chance to play 9 holes with it, but I had 5 drives between 285 and 350 straight down the pipe, which I have literally never done. Only missed one fairway with the driver, and still hit it deep.
Anyone know of any online places selling this club for a good price? I'm keeping my eye on ebay, but haven't come across any good deals yet. It seems to be a pretty popular club so lots of bids on the ones available. Best non ebay price I"ve come across is 299 US, which is a bit outside of what I'd like to spend. I'm going to see tomorrow what kind of deal I can make on buying the actual demo club I tried out since it's pretty worn.
The golfsmith here has a full line of demo clubs, drivers from almost every maker, and the 6 iron from every maker, several wedges and even a few 3 irons.
These clubs are sold as demos when the models are no longer carried in the store. As i understand it you gotta be the best friend of one of the employees in order to get on the list to buy one since they are sold for like a buck.
April 11th, 2007, 01:29 AM
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