Ive been looking for the right driver and instead of getting fitted (which i probably should have done with hindsight) I've bought used ones on ebay. I was eager to get hold of a cheap Cobra SZ and finally got hold of a 460SZ 9 deg with Aldila NV - 60 HL stiff to test out but have been disappointed with high trajectory, about 100 ft (dunno if this too high), little roll, if any and the shaft feels whippy. I have got more distance with a Titleist 983e 7.5 deg with ProForce v2 x stiff and Cleveland Launcher 460 7.5 deg fujikura x stiff (height 50ft)
So Im wondering if:
i) i have a low launch, high spin swing better suited to lower loft and a swing change to high launch, low spin will help?
ii) a shaft change would help? (i have a grafalloy blue stiff in another driver i could swap)
iii) the shaft or swing change wont make much difference, Cobra is no good for me and stick with 983e or launcher?
To be honest, your problem with the new driver is one reason I NEVER recommend buying a golf club on ebay, unless you plan to replace the shaft. You have no idea what you're going to get on ebay. You need to HIT a driver before you buy it. Can't do that on ebay.
Now that you have the Cobra, what you need to do is get on a launch monitor and see what the numbers show. There's nothing wrong with the Cobra you got, it's a good head. What you need is the correct shaft for you. The correct shaft will give you the correct launch angle with the best spin rate for you.
What OnePutt said. If you were previously using a 7.5 degree I would question why you thought a 9 degree with HL shaft wouldn't give you a wounded duck? If you just had the original shaft the sz came with you'd probably love it. They came with the aldila 65 stiff and not an HL to my knowledge. I just had that shaft put in a 10 degree 450 cc Big Bang head and it is low to mid trajectory at a 100-105 swing speed and rolls like crazy. Again I'm not familiar enough with any of the newer shafts but it sounds as though you have a pretty high swing speed and a monitor would be the best solution to match you correctly.
I didnt know know shaft could make such a difference. When I bought the cobra, all i knew was that the loft might be about right for me and it was stiff. Plus I didnt have the Titleist and i had trouble hitting the Cleveland straight. My previous post was just after a real good session at the range but swinging 100% speed - probably not something to do on the course!
Again I'm not familiar with the HL version of the aldila and couldn't find it in my older golfworks cat. I'd bet it is more designed for those that have a lower launch trajectory and have trouble getting lift. You appearantly don't as well as I. The regular Aldila 65 stiff to me is an awesome shaft that has enough low torque to handle higher swing speeds but gives a lower to mid trajectory. Mine doesn't get above 50 ft unless I really drop the right shoulder and try to launch it high. It is also a great shaft in windy areas as well. There are a bunch of new shafts I know nothing about but are low torque and tip active but also have some dollar signs attached as well. A launch monitor fitting is probably your best overall bet to find what is really your optimum and eliminate the guesswork. If I was younger I would definitely go that route.
CoralPro - think you're talking about the nv version which i have in another driver and thats got a nice low trajectory and assumed that was the one i was getting in the Cobra.
Id love to get on launch monitor but so far only know 1 price of $40 which is only a bit less than what i pay for the drivers think I need another session at the range, i haven't had time to go since last time
40.00 is rather cheap for a launch monitor session. Here it is around 70.00 at least but part of that can be used towards a club purchase if you decide to buy a club. Sometimes money spent on a session can save you money in the long run but if you are only buying used clubs trying to find something that fits then it may seem steep. It really depends on how serious you are about improving. The quicker you find something that fits means the sooner you will be able to feel confident with the driver and work on other parts of your game to help improve those areas as well. Any high flex low torque shaft that is tip stiff should give you a relatively low ball launch and if it doesn't then it is your attack angle that could be improved.
CoralPro - think you're talking about the nv version which i have in another driver and thats got a nice low trajectory and assumed that was the one i was getting in the Cobra.
Id love to get on launch monitor but so far only know 1 price of $40 which is only a bit less than what i pay for the drivers think I need another session at the range, i haven't had time to go since last time
There's nothing more valuable than launch monitor data for maxing out your driver distance through fitting. IMO, throw all your drivers in a ditch and get fit. You'll be taking all the variables out of your driving and be able to play with peace of mind that you're launch is optimal.