New Driver Opinions

TitianGerm

Folks I've been thinking of changing my 915 for the last two years and I think I'm going to finally bite the bullet. I play off 18 and the 915 is 10.5° with a 60g regular shaft.

I tend to hit the ball quite high so on a windy day I'm losing a bit of distance and get virtually zero run on the ball. I know I could drop the loft on the 915 down but I just fancy a change now.

I want to drop down to 9.5° on the new club. The two that I'm looking at the moment are the Cobra Speedzone and the TS1/TS2. I've played a round with a TS2 but it was set to 10.5° but I did like the feel off the face.

Anyone like to give me thoughts on either of these? I know I should wait until shops are open again so I can test them myself properly but I tend to get impatient

blue note

I have the speedzone and it's a great club.

If you want to hit it low take the ball back in your stance, grip it down a little and don't try to murder it. Buying a new driver will do basically nothing to encourage you to hit it low.

If you want a new driver go for it and enjoy it. I'd recommend waiting until you can get a fitting. I don't think the fitting makes all that much difference, but it's a lot of fun.

TitianGerm

blue note wrote: »

I have the speedzone and it's a great club.

If you want to hit it low take the ball back in your stance, grip it down a little and don't try to murder it. Buying a new driver will do basically nothing to encourage you to hit it low.

If you want a new driver go for it and enjoy it. I'd recommend waiting until you can get a fitting. I don't think the fitting makes all that much difference, but it's a lot of fun.

Thanks for that. All good points.

I developed a huge slice about 3 years ago and after that I went for a good few lessons to help stop that. Once that was sorted in the last two years we worked on a few other bits and one of those was to get a smooth rhythm to my swing which I'm sticking to. I even see myself if I try swing much faster I lose my timing and everything goes wrong :pac:

I really just fancy something new. I've seen the Cobra in person in McGuirks before Christmas but I was rushing that day and didn't have time to actually hit it.

BoardsMember

Isn't shaft the key thing? I'd recommend going for a fitting and find the shaft that gives u the right trajectory, spin etc.

Its a good investment in ensuring you don't feel like changing again soon....get something that is factually right for you. That starts with the right shaft, then you add the club head, and consider the feel, the feel etc.

benji79

10.5 head may be good for you, maybe a low launching low spin shaft might make a big difference

TitianGerm

BoardsMember wrote: »

Isn't shaft the key thing? I'd recommend going for a fitting and find the shaft that gives u the right trajectory, spin etc.

Its a good investment in ensuring you don't feel like changing again soon....get something that is factually right for you. That starts with the right shaft, then you add the club head, and consider the feel, the feel etc.

I really like the shaft in my 915 so if I went with the TS1/2 I can just swap to my old shaft into the new club as they use the same adapter.

I probably will wait to be fitted but that looks like it could be another month or so before I can even talk to someone local. If they don't let us leave our county it means I can't look at the likes of ForeGolf or McGuirks.

JIdontknow

As someone who went to a demo day before for a driver fitting, personally I would suggest the same as above. The weight of the shaft and also flex to me was more important than the head itself. As someone who hadn’t got fitted before and wasn’t sure about it all, it was interesting to see how much difference it made for me even just between regular and stiff shaft. People often said they would have thought i should have been stiff shaft but in fact when I tried it all I got was typically lower hooky drives, whereas with the regular a nice high draw. Maybe it was an inconsistent swing from one to the next I don’t know... Now maybe you know your specs regarding driver shaft etc or flex / weight of shaft etc but it might be worth considering trying a few combinations if possible even just for your own feel but in the current climate with covid that may not be possible for a few weeks and who doesn’t like buying new golf stuff online!!

TitianGerm

JIdontknow wrote: »

As someone who went to a demo day before for a driver fitting, personally I would suggest the same as above. The weight of the shaft and also flex to me was more important than the head itself. As someone who hadn’t got fitted before and wasn’t sure about it all, it was interesting to see how much difference it made for me even just between regular and stiff shaft. People often said they would have thought i should have been stiff shaft but in fact when I tried it all I got was typically lower hooky drives, whereas with the regular a nice high draw. Maybe it was an inconsistent swing from one to the next I don’t know... Now maybe you know your specs regarding driver shaft etc or flex / weight of shaft etc but it might be worth considering trying a few combinations if possible even just for your own feel but in the current climate with covid that may not be possible for a few weeks and who doesn’t like buying new golf stuff online!!

I got advice from my pro a few years ago and moved to regular shafts in all my clubs and it made a big difference. By changing back to regular I just got more consistent in my swing.

I'll give him a shout about fitting me in when they reopen. Only problem is he doesn't sell Cobra so it'll be the TS1/2 if I go with him.

Neewollah

100% wait and get fitted would be my advice. I've been playing golf since my early teens and never got fitted for anything over the years. Decided to take the plunge last summer as I felt my game had stagnated and needed something to try and help me reduce the handicap. Playing off 6 now and the goal is to get to 3 or 4.

Went to Foregolf and it was a fantastic experience. The Driver is definitely the club you will see the most difference with if fitted properly for you. I had picked up a 2nd hand 915 off the rack, 8.5 loft, XS shaft a few years ago. I was able to work with it but never suited me properly compared to the driver I had before that. No matter how hard I tried all I could do was play it with a fade. I had lost a lot of distance compared to my playing partners.

I ended up with the SIM driver and its the best thing I've ever bought I believe. I went from 240 to 270 carry with a simple change in shaft. Ball flight now is completely different. Much lower with a nice baby draw. I to had issues with the Titleist when playing into the wind.

Unfortunately with all the lockdowns I haven't had a proper run at getting fully used to the new set of clubs and try and get lower but 100% they have made a massive difference and I'm sure if I can get a run of a few months of golf I'll hit my target handicap.

There is probably a fair waiting list for foregolf so your best bet will be McGuirks to get seen quickly or somewhere local when things open. Personally if I were you would go for the Cobra as I think they will suit higher handicaps better as they are more forgiving. I've always found the Titleist drivers to be very unforgiving. That being said I haven't hit the new version so I'm sure they are different to the older versions.

blue note

240 to 270 is a phenomenal increase in distance. I went from a 10 or so year old regular flex Cobra S9 10.5, to a Speedzone stiff 9.0 and gained about 5 yards of distance. The clear thing from the fitting was that if I could get my angle of attack sorted I'd be getting about another 20 yards, but that is nothing to do with the club.

I'd be surprised if most people here wouldn't be in the stiff shaft swing speed range. Just considering the fact that we're a lot younger than the average golfer. I remember the guidance on swing speed for a driver was that 90-105kph was stiff shaft territory. So if you're buying from the rack without trying, I'd lean towards a stiff shaft, unless you feel that you swing it slow. If you can try them go with what feels nice. If you can get fitted that's the best option of all.

opinionated3

Slightly off topic but in the subject of fitting, would the likes of foregolf be allowed to open from the 26th??

kod12

I have been waiting to get fit there since October last year and was put off with each lockdown. I spoke to them last week and facilities in golf clubs like fitting they hope to be open mid may possibly

Neewollah

blue note wrote: »

240 to 270 is a phenomenal increase in distance. I went from a 10 or so year old regular flex Cobra S9 10.5, to a Speedzone stiff 9.0 and gained about 5 yards of distance. The clear thing from the fitting was that if I could get my angle of attack sorted I'd be getting about another 20 yards, but that is nothing to do with the club.

I was amazed at how simple it was to get that extra distance with a properly fitted club. My swing speed with the driver is between 110 and 115 MPH so I should be hitting the 270 mark with that speed. The old driver was just completely wrong for me but I was able to manage and be competitive off the standard tees. Problem was off the medal tees with the extra distance on each hole which should have been suiting the lower handicap I always struggled because on holes into the wind in particular I was often 3 clubs behind my regular playing partners.

I don't have that problem anymore...They are chasing me now

MarcusP12

Getting fitted is sound advice alright but just on the subject of drivers, McGuirks have some good offers on ex demo drivers, woods and hybrids at the moment....TM Sim, Cobra Speedzone, Titleist TS2 and Ping G410 but shaft options a bit limited.....bargain to be had if not overly concerned about the specifics of the shaft beyond regular/stiff.....

TitianGerm

MarcusP12 wrote: »

Getting fitted is sound advice alright but just on the subject of drivers, McGuirks have some good offers on ex demo drivers, woods and hybrids at the moment....TM Sim, Cobra Speedzone, Titleist TS2 and Ping G410 but shaft options a bit limited.....bargain to be had if not overly concerned about the specifics of the shaft beyond regular/stiff.....

That's where I was looking at prices, especially seeing as there's an extra 10% off for Masters week.

The Cobra is €295 and the TS1 is €330 or thereabouts for a new club.

irish bloke

I fancy a crack off the G425max. No disrespect but off 18 you probably miss the sweet spot a bit so this club is supposed to be the dogs in terms of not loosing ball speed off miss hits.

It sounds like a club you can really go after without too much concern of miss hits

Kiith

I went from the 917 D2 to a SIM Max, and absolutely love it. Tried the Ping G20 and Cobra Speedzone, but the MAX seemed to click better with me.

Definitely get it fitted though.

redzerdrog

irish bloke wrote: »

I fancy a crack off the G425max. No disrespect but off 18 you probably miss the sweet spot a bit so this club is supposed to be the dogs in terms of not loosing ball speed off miss hits.

It sounds like a club you can really go after without too much concern of miss hits

Same! As some as shops open back up I am gona get fitted for a new driver and 3 wood. The ping G425max is top of the list of clubs I wana try

TitianGerm

I've no interest in Ping. I just don't like the way their clubs look at address.

blue note

TitianGerm wrote: »

I've no interest in Ping. I just don't like the way their clubs look at address.

Then don't bother even looking at them. You're buying a toy effectively. If you don't like the look of them you'll never be fully happy with it, so what would be the point?

The clubs from all the top brands are similar in quality, so you'll be getting top quality whatever make you go for.

MarcusP12

TitianGerm wrote: »

That's where I was looking at prices, especially seeing as there's an extra 10% off for Masters week.

The Cobra is €295 and the TS1 is €330 or thereabouts for a new club.

I picked up the Sim Max for just over 250 including delivery with a 10% off code so pretty happy.....came brand new and still in plastic and with the headcover even though says it doesnt. Came with rogue stiff shaft. they have a choice of shaft if you contact them.....hopefully it will suit but for 250 odd its worth a punt...absolute worst case scenario can get fitted for the shaft and the net cost assuming could trade in or sell on the new rogue shaft would still make it good value....

TitianGerm

MarcusP12 wrote: »

I picked up the Sim Max for just over 250 including delivery with a 10% off code so pretty happy.....came brand new and still in plastic and with the headcover even though says it doesnt. Came with rogue stiff shaft. they have a choice of shaft if you contact them.....hopefully it will suit but for 250 odd its worth a punt...absolute worst case scenario can get fitted for the shaft and the net cost assuming could trade in or sell on the new rogue shaft would still make it good value....

That's what I'm thinking. Take a chance on one for €250-270 and use it for three or four years and actually work on my game in that time and then when I've managed to lower my handicap get fitted at that time.

ClutchIt

Anybody notice that Justin Rose was using the old Taylormade M1 driver yesterday? Found it unusual because all the other TM guys use the newer SIM drivers. Unusual to see a pro using a 4 year old model.

MarcusP12

TitianGerm wrote: »

That's what I'm thinking. Take a chance on one for €250-270 and use it for three or four years and actually work on my game in that time and then when I've managed to lower my handicap get fitted at that time.

I think personally getting fitted is ideal if you can afford to splash out for the new driver or shaft on existing driver you're happy with but failing that, as long as you have the right stiffness then from that point on its fine tuning....best thing is to get a consistent swing before thinking about getting fitted.....i'm sure there's other opinions but that's what i'd be thinking for a mid/higher handicapper.....

REFLINE1

ClutchIt wrote: »

Anybody notice that Justin Rose was using the old Taylormade M1 driver yesterday? Found it unusual because all the other TM guys use the newer SIM drivers. Unusual to see a pro using a 4 year old model.

probably just reverting to what he's had success with in the past and is comfortable with after the HOMA disaster.

TitianGerm

MarcusP12 wrote: »

I think personally getting fitted is ideal if you can afford to splash out for the new driver or shaft on existing driver you're happy with but failing that, as long as you have the right stiffness then from that point on its fine tuning....best thing is to get a consistent swing before thinking about getting fitted.....i'm sure there's other opinions but that's what i'd be thinking for a mid/higher handicapper.....

I have the money put aside for my membership and a new driver.

ClutchIt

REFLINE1 wrote: »

probably just reverting to what he's had success with in the past and is comfortable with after the HOMA disaster.

What's HOMA disaster?
Ya of course that's what he's doing... but it does show the 'improvements' in newer models are negligible.

TitianGerm

MarcusP12 wrote: »

I picked up the Sim Max for just over 250 including delivery with a 10% off code so pretty happy.....came brand new and still in plastic and with the headcover even though says it doesnt. Came with rogue stiff shaft. they have a choice of shaft if you contact them.....hopefully it will suit but for 250 odd its worth a punt...absolute worst case scenario can get fitted for the shaft and the net cost assuming could trade in or sell on the new rogue shaft would still make it good value....

Just to come back to this. Did you contact them after you placed the order?

MarcusP12

ClutchIt wrote: »

What's HOMA disaster?
Ya of course that's what he's doing... but it does show the 'improvements' in newer models are negligible.

I think they meant Honma....basically Rose left TM because he wanted to be the main man with a different manufacturer and they offered big money to him obviously but it didnt work out.....Rose is notoriously commercial but on this occasion it backfired.....

It was a bizzare decision at the time because he had just won the fedex and was world number one. Obviously he wanted to capitalise on his value at that point and cashed in (possibly when TM wouldnt improve their contractor with him or were willing to put him front and centre over the likes of Rory and Tiger)......if i remember correctly he won not long after the move but his form became very erratic after that and after a year or so, stopped playing the clubs...

Morris Moss

TitianGerm wrote: »

Folks I've been thinking of changing my 915 for the last two years and I think I'm going to finally bite the bullet. I play off 18 and the 915 is 10.5° with a 60g regular shaft.

I tend to hit the ball quite high so on a windy day I'm losing a bit of distance and get virtually zero run on the ball. I know I could drop the loft on the 915 down but I just fancy a change now.

I want to drop down to 9.5° on the new club. The two that I'm looking at the moment are the Cobra Speedzone and the TS1/TS2. I've played a round with a TS2 but it was set to 10.5° but I did like the feel off the face.

Anyone like to give me thoughts on either of these? I know I should wait until shops are open again so I can test them myself properly but I tend to get impatient

Got fitted for a driver last year, tried 4 drivers before trying the Titleist TS2, I hadn't even thought of using a Titleist because of their reputation as being hard to hit, it was the easiest for me to hit consistently by a long way, even total mi****s weren't a disaster.

Anyway best of luck with whichever 1 you pick.

MarcusP12

TitianGerm wrote: »

Just to come back to this. Did you contact them after you placed the order?

I dropped them an email asking about the shaft spec and the condition before i ordered and they came back to say the SIM were in great condition with some in plastic and they gave me the 3 shaft specs and told me to include my preference in the notes for delivery...they were quick and responsive and very helpful....ironically when i placed my order, assuming that it wouldn't come with the original headcover, i sourced one on line at a decent price so if anyone is looking for a SIM driver cover, let me know!!!

blue note

TitianGerm wrote: »

That's what I'm thinking. Take a chance on one for €250-270 and use it for three or four years and actually work on my game in that time and then when I've managed to lower my handicap get fitted at that time.

That sounds like a good idea to me. Taking a quick look at Mcguirks, you'd need to go to €350 to get custom fitted and then you'd just have the choice of a Mizuno or a Wilson. I hear the Mizuno is lovely, haven't heard anything about the Wilson. But it's an extra 80-100 euro. If you want to bring other clubs into the mix you'll be going to 419 for last season Callaway, 429 for new Cobra, 455 for last season Ping. Suddenly you're spending an extra €200 and not even getting the latest model. Now in reality there won't be a noticeable difference between last years model and this, but it's more the principle of it!

TitianGerm

blue note wrote: »

That sounds like a good idea to me. Taking a quick look at Mcguirks, you'd need to go to €350 to get custom fitted and then you'd just have the choice of a Mizuno or a Wilson. I hear the Mizuno is lovely, haven't heard anything about the Wilson. But it's an extra 80-100 euro. If you want to bring other clubs into the mix you'll be going to 419 for last season Callaway, 429 for new Cobra, 455 for last season Ping. Suddenly you're spending an extra €200 and not even getting the latest model. Now in reality there won't be a noticeable difference between last years model and this, but it's more the principle of it!

Yea I think if I was spending €450 I'd just spend €600 on the newest club available.

I'll probably go for one of the Cobra, TS2 or take a chance on the Sim Max recommended above and stay below €300.

Then in two or three years just go for a full fitting and get a full set of woods and possibly irons at that stage. Might be best all round.

kod12

highly recommend golf style galway. Got the new Sim 2 driver with the shaft i wanted for 399

TitianGerm

TitianGerm wrote: »

Yea I think if I was spending €450 I'd just spend €600 on the newest club available.

I'll probably go for one of the Cobra, TS2 or take a chance on the Sim Max recommended above and stay below €300.

Then in two or three years just go for a full fitting and get a full set of woods and possibly irons at that stage. Might be best all round.

So I took a chance on an ex Demo Cobra Speedzone at €220. Let's see what condition it arrives in. For that price I'm willing to take a chance one buying one blind.

slingerz

Got fitted pre Xmas and ended up with a demo speed zone. Interestingly the shaft is heavier and shorter than I had and the loft of the club is now 9 from 10.5

The return to the course will see its first outing and if it’s worthwhile

TitianGerm

Cobra driver arrived today and other than them sending me the Xtreme version I'm happy enough with the club.

No head cover or wrench but that was expected. The grip does have Cobra Connect tag in it though.

One tiny mark on the sole of the club. Four small knicks on the crown from been dropped into a bag by the looks of it and small bit of paint of the face near the toe of the club.

I've seen people on Adverts selling second hands for more so happy with the condition overall.

Euphoriasean

TitianGerm wrote: »

Cobra driver arrived today and other than them sending me the Xtreme version I'm happy enough with the club.

No head cover or wrench but that was expected. The grip does have Cobra Connect tag in it though.

One tiny mark on the sole of the club. Four small knicks on the crown from been dropped into a bag by the looks of it and small bit of paint of the face near the toe of the club.

I've seen people on Adverts selling second hands for more so happy with the condition overall.

Golfstyle in Galway doing them for €269 new. A range of shafts and and in 9 or 10.5 degree. Picked up one with a hzrdus blue shaft. Will take off the plastic on the first tee

TitianGerm

Euphoriasean wrote: »

Golfstyle in Galway doing them for €269 new. A range of shafts and and in 9 or 10.5 degree. Picked up one with a hzrdus blue shaft. Will take off the plastic on the first tee

€279 on their Facebook but no use to me in Wexford with lockdown :pac:

Ivefoundgod

TitianGerm wrote: »

€279 on their Facebook but no use to me in Wexford with lockdown :pac:

They'll post, I've bought loads off them here in Carlow. €10 postage but if you have a chat with them on Facebook they'll do you a deal usually. I just got 2 Vokeys for €285 delivered during the week. Same price as McGuirks I know but would rather support them and they have much better deals I find.

TitianGerm

Ivefoundgod wrote: »

They'll post, I've bought loads off them here in Carlow. €10 postage but if you have a chat with them on Facebook they'll do you a deal usually. I just got 2 Vokeys for €285 delivered during the week. Same price as McGuirks I know but would rather support them and they have much better deals I find.

Cheers for that. Actually looking for a Tour Bag as well so I'll see what they say.

Ivefoundgod

TitianGerm wrote: »

Cheers for that. Actually looking for a Tour Bag as well so I'll see what they say.

I'm sure I saw them advertising a few tour bags on Facebook if you take a look there and give them a shout.

tropics001

The Justin Rose comments are interesting. He has no club deal now so playing old driver and mizuno irons.
I saw a post from Robert Rock on Instagram saying pros try to keep their iron set as long as possible - until they wear out which for him was always 6 iron. It's really made me step back from chasing new clubs and really try to groove more what i have.


This is until the next new shiny thing comes along of course...



https://www.instagram.com/p/CNGYVSQsu71/

blue note

The mistake the pros are making is they're hitting it from the same spot on the club every time. It's like eating a sandwich and saying you'll have to order something else now because you're not full but you haven't eaten the crusts.

I get way longer out of my clubs because I use every bit of the face. And sometimes the hosel or shaft and once or twice the underside of he club. And that's how I can afford to take an extra 20 shots a round.

RoadRunner

blue note wrote: »

I get way longer out of my clubs because I use every bit of the face.

Some fools pay big money to play nice courses and only end up hitting the ball, like.. barely 70 times :rolleyes:

yuridwyer

Got fitted for a new driver in McGuirk's before Christmas, Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero, €529. Bit annoyed with myself as I should have waited a few months before buying. I asked about price in McGuirk's and was told it wouldn't come down in price when new models came out this year! Lesson learned! (Also best drive I hit in fitting was with my Taylormade R540!). In fairness the fitting was good and the one day I got to use it before lockdown again I hardly missed a fairway. So better accuracy but without a noticeable gain in distance, but I suppose by hitting more fairways my score will improve anyway

redzerdrog

yuridwyer wrote: »

Got fitted for a new driver in McGuirk's before Christmas, Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero, €529. Bit annoyed with myself as I should have waited a few months before buying. I asked about price in McGuirk's and was told it wouldn't come down in price when new models came out this year! Lesson learned! (Also best drive I hit in fitting was with my Taylormade R540!). In fairness the fitting was good and the one day I got to use it before lockdown again I hardly missed a fairway. So better accuracy but without a noticeable gain in distance, but I suppose by hitting more fairways my score will improve anyway

What did the fitting entail?

How many shots with own driver? You try many models? Different shaft options?

yuridwyer

redzerdrog wrote: »

What did the fitting entail?

How many shots with own driver? You try many models? Different shaft options?

If memory serves right about 15-20 drives with my own driver, for her to get a feel for distance, spin, speed etc. That told me (1) Need a stiff shaft as my swing speed was high, not unexpected as old driver had stiff shaft (2) My spin numbers were massively high leading to high slice generally, so a lower loft was needed (9 compared to 10.5) (3) Also to counteract slice to do with a driver with a draw bias. Didn't get into shaft types or length, which I had in my mind to ask about beforehand but forgot when I was in there. Tried a good few models, all the usual, as my driver was Taylormade I expected the SIM to be right up there at the head of the queue but didn't like the feel of it at all for some reason. The others were all roughly the same, Mavrik gave me a nice low flight and much lower spin rate. But, like I said, I don't think any of them will match my old driver for distance, when I connected properly with old driver that is, however, on average I hope the Mavrik will mean I'm playing a lot more second shots from middle of the fairway. Wasn't bothered too much about the price because I had 400 in vouchers, so it really only cost me 130. Wasn't overly keen on the look of it at first but am warming to it (in the back garden). Had one game with it before Xmas and hit it really well, never really felt like I would leak one really far right. However if you gave me any driver with those specs, 9deg/stiff shaft, draw, I'd say I might struggle to notice a difference between them.

eamondunphy

MarcusP12 wrote: »

I dropped them an email asking about the shaft spec and the condition before i ordered and they came back to say the SIM were in great condition with some in plastic and they gave me the 3 shaft specs and told me to include my preference in the notes for delivery...they were quick and responsive and very helpful....ironically when i placed my order, assuming that it wouldn't come with the original headcover, i sourced one on line at a decent price so if anyone is looking for a SIM driver cover, let me know!!!

Do you still have a spare sim driver headcover?

MarcusP12

eamondunphy wrote: »

Do you still have a spare sim driver headcover?

I certainly do.....drop me a PM or something and we can discuss further if you like....cheers....

Motivator

I have a fitting for a new driver and irons in McGuirks on Thursday, any idea how long custom clubs take before being delivered? Itching to get going again now but want the new clubs!