50 replies to this topic

[Not_Tiger_Wood]

I just started playing golf after 5 years absent and I am looking for a driver to replace my 14 years old Big Bertha.
I don't want to spend too much and I don't think I need the latest model to benefit my game.
My handicap is 20+ and just purchased TM R7 irons, #3, #4 Srixon hybrid AD, Cleveland cg12 56 degree SW in the last few weeks.
I have a 3 wood Callaway Steelhead that I really like. I hit the club much much better than the big bertha driver.
After reading many threads on this forum, Callaway FT-3 seems to be one of the best choice.

I'd like to know if this is a good driver for a high handicapper.
What loft should I get?
Should I get a draw or neutral driver.
Should I consider FT-3 Tour also?

Advise please.

Thank you.

Edited by Not_Tiger_Wood, 22 July 2009 - 08:38 AM.

[Milosh]

Get a draw driver. I suggest the Cobra S9 M Speed Offset, the TM Burner Draw, and the Ping G10 Draw, Cally Diablo Draw.

[grip n rip]

The Cobra offset drivers are very easy to hit and go a mile. Also if you're looking for a deal, the Nike Sumo 5000 and Sumo 5900 (the square one) can be had for under $150 new and are easy to hit as well.

[sandman31774]

Nike Sumo 5900. I'm a high handicapper and this driver is straight !!! I have 10.5 loft on mine. UST V2 shaft in mine and I like it fine.

[alfie]

I think it would help a little bit more if u would let us know:

a. Do u constantly slice?
b. U have problems launching the ball?
c. How far u hit the old big Bertha and ur current Callaway 3 wood?
d. R u planning to buy the driver thru e-bay, used at the golf store, brand new at a store?, 'cause it would affect on how much u r willing to spend.

Anyways... just throwing the info. out there, u can try the Taylormade '07 or '09 Burner, Nike Sumo2 5900, Cobra M or F Speed LD, Cleveland Launcher '09, Cleveland Hibore XLS and XLS Monster and the Callaway Diablo. I'm pretty sure all of the prev. listed drivers have a neutral and a draw/offset model available, so, it would depend on u how much help u need to keep ur shot in the fairways.
In terms of loft, well, u have to answer question (b.) from above. I would assume either a 10.5* or 12* of loft should be good.
So, away u go to demo out all these drivers... Good luck & let us know what was ur final decision!

[Not_Tiger_Wood]

alfie, on Jul 20 2009, 05:04 PM, said:

I think it would help a little bit more if u would let us know:

a. Do u constantly slice?
b. U have problems launching the ball?
c. How far u hit the old big Bertha and ur current Callaway 3 wood?
d. R u planning to buy the driver thru e-bay, used at the golf store, brand new at a store?, 'cause it would affect on how much u r willing to spend.

a. I don't slice much but my drive is inaccurate.
b. No problem with launching ball.
c. Not a big hitter, I hit my 3 wood 200 yards. Not much different with the BB driver (maybe 210 - 215) but I find it much harder to get the accuracy. I can hit 3 wood on fairway fine but I still sometime hit the toe/heel with the BB even though it has larger head than 3 wood. Much more comfartable with 3 wood so I am looking for a driver that I find easier to hit.
d. Planning to buy from ebay, new or used. trying to get one under US$150.
Some of the drivers you guys mentioned are more than US$150.

Do you think TM R7 driver is a good choice for a high handicapper. I have R7 irons with graphite shafts. They are only 2 weeks old and I am beginning to get a used to it. I hit them straight now.

Thanks.

Edited by Not_Tiger_Wood, 20 July 2009 - 03:27 AM.

[Not_Tiger_Wood]

From the following drivers which one is the most forgiving?
Callaway FT-3
TM R7 420
TM R7 460
TM Burner 07

I like to get a comment from people that have used them.

A new driver will complete my new golf set.
I am planning to buy it from ebay (used).

Thanks

[WCGC72BE9]

Burner 07 Reg Flex 10.5 in my opinion would be the easiest driver listed to hit the fairway consistently and get some good distance.

[Johwak121]

Before buying off e-bay make sure to check out the selling thread here and the callaway preowned outlet...both are more reliable then going through e-bay IMHO and you might be able to fine one of those nice $150.00+ drivers for under $150 ya  never know!

[Terpman]

Among the drivers you listed and considering you are asking for forgiveness and accuracy, the 07 Burner is the best choice.  Plus, the Burner is long. Let me add that, when I came back to the game from a 25-year lay off, the best driver for me was a 2007 Cobra LD-F Speed, 10.5* loft (which has a 2* closed face).  It makes a horrible noise but its straight and pretty long.

[jpaul155]

I am also a high handicapper and I would look at a G10.  You should be able to find a used one in your price range.  One thing that I would suggest is have it cut down to 45" or 44.5", not matter what you go with.  I sent my g10 back to ping to have them shorten it to 44.5" and it has a made a world of difference in terms of consistently hitting the sweet spot.  Other than that, best advice would hit a bunch and see what you like best.

Edited by jpaul155, 22 July 2009 - 11:04 AM.

[PSUH]

I would suggest the Nike 5900 as well. If your looking for a driver that goes straight and far, the 5900 is just for you. Also if you don't have a problem getting your ball in the air 9.5 loft is fine. If you do have a problem getting the ball in the air, go with a 10.5. You can get the Nike 5900 for about $150 everywhere.

[kmoff77]

I think that you should also look at the Hibore XL.  It is a great driver that is plain straight and forgiving.  You can find these for around $100 new now on ebay.  Great deal.

[DisgruntledLionfan#54927]

Sounds a lot like me.  Probably played 15-20 rounds in the last 10 years and fell back into the game this past spring and am a low 20s HC.  I hit the FT-5, FT-9, Burner, Diablo, G10 and Hibore.  The FT-9 was far and away the best club for me and oddly enough is the most consistent club in my bag.  Getting the  08 X 3 and 5 wood for .50/each made my decision to spend $350 a whole helluva lot easier.  I also liked the G10 and FT-5, I just wasn't as consistent with them as I was with the 9.  I think the Putterman has the 5 going for $150 right now, or at least he did a few weeks ago.

Since then, I picked up the MX-950s, a C-05h Betti with the Iomic grip and the 51 and 60* MPT Black Nickel wedges.  The only holdover was my 56* Cleveland SW.

All told, I probably dropped around $950 for a completely new set-up and couldn't be happier.  

For now.

[Hunyacka]

PSUH, on Jul 22 2009, 12:15 PM, said:

I would suggest the Nike 5900 as well. If your looking for a driver that goes straight and far, the 5900 is just for you. Also if you don't have a problem getting your ball in the air 9.5 loft is fine. If you do have a problem getting the ball in the air, go with a 10.5. You can get the Nike 5900 for about $150 everywhere.

-1  I have this 5900 thinking it would cure my slice and it's worse then ever.  Also it's so short that I must have lost 30+ yards.  I am going back to my old Callaway Hyper X which I hit a bit more consistantly.

[BigPete]

This last post shows it's alll about what spec you get. These days it makes sense to get a club fitted - it's usually free or very cheap and it isn't just for the pros.
You're the kind of guy who would benefit most from a quick fitting - you might hit a 13* driver 30 yards further than a 9.5* (or vise versa) or get much more accuracy with a different flex shaft - once you know what you want, then you can search for a good price.
Most places will let you hit clubs too - you wouldn't buy a $20 pair of shoes without getting measured and trying them on...

There's not many really bad drivers these days and lots of the better ones from last year / year before are very cheap now - cobra, nike etc but the specs do make alot of difference

[El Pato]

You can find an R7 SuperQuad for a reasonable price and set the weights to more draw. And, as you get better, you can fiddle with the weights!

[jah7838]

I would go with the 07 Burner or the Nike 5900.  I have both of them, and both of them are very good drivers.  I just got the 5900 yesterday, and I had a drive go about 300 yards (guy with the range finder said it was 320, but I'm assuming it was a little bit shorter), and I didn't even feel like I got all of it.  I have the V2 in the Burner, and the Aldila VS Proto, both in a stiff flex.  I think I might continue to use the Nike because the shaft matches the shaft in my hybrids.  Both are very good drivers.

[alfie]

Hunyacka, on Jul 22 2009, 05:51 PM, said:

PSUH, on Jul 22 2009, 12:15 PM, said:

I would suggest the Nike 5900 as well. If your looking for a driver that goes straight and far, the 5900 is just for you. Also if you don't have a problem getting your ball in the air 9.5 loft is fine. If you do have a problem getting the ball in the air, go with a 10.5. You can get the Nike 5900 for about $150 everywhere.

-1  I have this 5900 thinking it would cure my slice and it's worse then ever.  Also it's so short that I must have lost 30+ yards.  I am going back to my old Callaway Hyper X which I hit a bit more consistantly.

I have to agree with most of Hunyacka's pts., 'cause, before I traded-in, I used to have the Nike 5900 10.5* with the stock Reg. Diamana shaft. I was launching this thing so freakin' high (straight most of the time thought), I was loosing ALOT of distance too! The head just adds massive amount of spin to keep ball straight (I think), along with the high launching shaft, it was not a good fit for me. If u're gonna go for the Nike 5900, make sure u get fitted for it! (loft, shaft specs & all that it involves).

[Not_Tiger_Wood]

After reading more information on various website I think I will go for 12 or 13 degree loft.
It helps to prevent the ball from going sideway because a higher loft creates more spin.

I don't usually slice and I like to know how much draw a driver with draw bias creates?
On FT-3 and FT-5 do they look different at address between draw and neutral?

I saw Diablo draw bias driver today and it just looked wrong with the close face.
I also saw Callaway hyper x, I like it because it doesn't look huge like some other 460cc drivers.

[alfie]

Don't wanna dissuade u, but I highly recommend that u get fitted (if possible) instead of going so much on what u read on website recommendations and such. Remember, the info. out there is to be used as a "vanilla" starting point.
I'm not really in favor of getting Draw biased or Off-set drivers, specially if you're young, as, I'm sure, the more u play & practice to find ur consistent "swing", the better u'll get & then u might go from straights & draws to major HOOKS.
Best of luck thought!

Edited by alfie, 27 July 2009 - 12:30 AM.

[RangerEsq.]

Milosh, on Jul 19 2009, 09:09 AM, said:

Get a draw driver. I suggest the Cobra S9 M Speed Offset, the TM Burner Draw, and the Ping G10 Draw, Cally Diablo Draw.

He said he didn't need anything new.

[wundej]

Not_Tiger_Wood, on Jul 25 2009, 08:55 AM, said:

After reading more information on various website I think I will go for 12 or 13 degree loft.
It helps to prevent the ball from going sideway because a higher loft creates more spin.

I don't usually slice and I like to know how much draw a driver with draw bias creates?
On FT-3 and FT-5 do they look different at address between draw and neutral?

I saw Diablo draw bias driver today and it just looked wrong with the close face.
I also saw Callaway hyper x, I like it because it doesn't look huge like some other 460cc drivers.

Honestly, if you have trouble with accuracy you should probably take the FT-3 off the list.  It will definitely be more forgiving than your current driver and more accurate but it may leave you struggling.

Are you opposed to using a square driver?  They are going to be the most point and shoot type drivers out there (I know that my FTi was excellent in that respect).  You can get the FTi from callawaygolfpreowned for under $150, it will be certified and I think they will take it back for a small fee if you don't like it.  

The diablo may look very strange, but I was really surprised when I hit that at the Cally performance center.  It was very very straight.  Read some reviews on here, lots of people were surprised by it.

You can also look into the Cally I-mix.  You can get heads and shafts from cally preowned as well.  Then you can pick up a FT-5 or i head in Draw bias, if you don't like it you can exchange it for neutral.  You can also play around with shafts down the road if you end up needing a stiffer shaft.

One of the best things you can do is go and hit a few balls on a launch monitor and get some numbers with one of those drivers (club head speed, launch angle, back spin, side spin, etc) and then people will be able to give a better suggestion.

[Not_Tiger_Wood]

Thanks guys.

I ended up buying a FT5 with draw bias 13 degree loft. The loft should help me to hit the ball straigther. According to some websites people like myself with low/average SS 90 will benefit from higher loft. I think 12 - 13 degree is my optimum loft.
It explains why I hit my 3 wood almost as long as my driver and a lot more accurate too.

I am still waiting for the club to arrive.

[wundej]

Not_Tiger_Wood, on Jul 28 2009, 02:13 AM, said:

Thanks guys.

I ended up buying a FT5 with draw bias 13 degree loft. The loft should help me to hit the ball straigther. According to some websites people like myself with low/average SS 90 will benefit from higher loft. I think 12 - 13 degree is my optimum loft.
It explains why I hit my 3 wood almost as long as my driver and a lot more accurate too.

I am still waiting for the club to arrive.

It's not only loft, it's backspin, angle of attack, clubhead speed...
I have a lower swing speed than that, but if I had a 13* driver my launch angle would probably be 22*.  My angle of attach is + (I hit up on the driver) so that helps get the ball in the air.  If you swing up on the ball that 13* could kill you.

The best thing you could have done is hit some balls in a launch monitor and get fitted, but it sounds like you already ordered.  Hopefully it will work out for you.

[swartzd]

Agree with the '07 Burner suggestion.

[alfie]

wundej, on Jul 28 2009, 06:48 AM, said:

Not_Tiger_Wood, on Jul 28 2009, 02:13 AM, said:

Thanks guys.

I ended up buying a FT5 with draw bias 13 degree loft. The loft should help me to hit the ball straigther. According to some websites people like myself with low/average SS 90 will benefit from higher loft. I think 12 - 13 degree is my optimum loft.
It explains why I hit my 3 wood almost as long as my driver and a lot more accurate too.

I am still waiting for the club to arrive.

It's not only loft, it's backspin, angle of attack, clubhead speed...
I have a lower swing speed than that, but if I had a 13* driver my launch angle would probably be 22*.  My angle of attach is + (I hit up on the driver) so that helps get the ball in the air.  If you swing up on the ball that 13* could kill you.

The best thing you could have done is hit some balls in a launch monitor and get fitted, but it sounds like you already ordered.  Hopefully it will work out for you.

I sure hope the driver u ordered works out for u... It would have been beneficial if u could had at least gotten on a launch monitor and determined some numbers.
I also have a positive angle of attack and usually launch balls high. But, again, it's not all about your swing speed. It also comes down with what the other poster said (backspin, launch angle, club head speed, etc., etc., etc.). I have a low to mid 80's swing speed, but I produce alot of backspin along with a "+" angle of attack, thus, even though everywhere u read recommends me to get around 12* to 13* of loft on the head, I end up with over 20* of launch with tons of backspin on the launch monitor (I've also witness the high launches on the golf course). Thus, 10.5* to 11.5* of loft is the better choice for me to maximize as much distance (without balloning) and enough forgiveness as possible.

Another thing to keep in mind, different drivers are going to have different features on each of them. One might have a shaft that's mid launch with a low spin head. Another one might have an extreme MOI head with a high launch shaft. So, u're gonna find, as most of us here in the forums have figured thru experimentation/buying/'hoing, that u'll hit one driver incredibly well and another one u can't hit it a lick... Thus, the reasoning of demo-ing/trying out as many drivers as possible 'til u find the one.

Still, with all above said, good luck with the FT5 draw. If it's not a good fit, u can use it as either trade bait or selling on e-bay.

P.S. - Last thought... alot of manufacturers don't state the true loft on their driver heads, as it can be anywhere from 0.5* to 2* more than what's printed at the bottom of the head (this has been discussed at a nauseum thru out the forums). So, not trying to "depress" u, but your 13* driver could well be a 15* loft driver head...

Edited by alfie, 28 July 2009 - 10:11 PM.

[mufan1]

Had FT-3 for a while. It was great. I think the FT-5 is an even better model of it.  I  could always play a nice high draw with the FT-3.

[PSUH]

Hey, to each is own. That is what's so great about golf, it's all self preference. Not one club or thing is correct or incorrect, it's just what you like and how you can perform. One thing I would say though, golf is a very much mental game, and confidence can help you out a lot.

[Not_Tiger_Wood]

My swing plane is quite flat.
I dont like to tee the ball high (1/2 inch from the ground or less).
For this reason I feel that 13 degree loft is worth a try.
Only time will tell if it works out for me.
Otherwise I can always ebay it and try a different one.

I do understand that newer drivers have lower CG than my old Callaway BB.
My current driver is 11 degree.