21 replies to this topic

[TempoEddie]

I'm a college student looking to upgrade my recently cracked callaway ft-9 driver so I''m on a budget.  Even though this probably wasn't the right driver for me to start with right away I got use to the ft-9 tour driver using the stock fuji stiff shaft.   I never got fitted for a driver and I always felt like this driver was a little heavy for my swing speed.  I went to golfsmith and tried out a few drivers for feel.  The first was the taylormade r11s next the new pingi20 and the 3rd and fourth drivers was the callaway razr black and Adams speedline 9088 UL.   I thought the r11s was nice but a definately out of my price range and the razr black was nice, but the head was bugging me.  I really liked the pingi20 and speedline 9088UL,  both of these had a nice solid sweet spot feel and sound after hitting a few balls.  So I'm pretty much down to these two drivers I really like the ping i20 but its almost twice the price of a brand new adams UL.  My first question is do you guys/gals think it is worth it pay more and getting the i20 vs the UL?  Both felt great but I know the UL has been out longer and haven't heard to many comments about this driver, so I hope anyone who has a UL driver could chime in some comments about there swing speed and the type of player they are.

I''ve only been playing for about a year and half now and my drives average around 230 to 240 carry, I'm hoping to push up my average to the 250 to 260 carry range. My handicap is a 18  I'm pretty young still so I figure my club head speed should go up into the stiffer shaft speed category. Right now my swing speed is about 98 to 103mph so  After I hit a few balls the Adams felt really pure and I loved the overall balance of the driver.  So my question is that i've noticed how extremely lightweight the driver is so since its so light would it be okay for me to get the shaft in stiff or go with the regular shaft?  I hit the stiff shalf and it felt regular to me, I wish I had asked the guys at golfsmith to give me a launch monitor fit but I knew I wasn't going to buy a driver at that time so I didn't want to waste their time.  I apologize that I don't have exact fitting numbers but i would love to hear what some of the pros have to say.

thanks guys!

[Laws of Woo]

I felt the stock matrix ran a bit on the soft side, and it is pretty lightweight, so the stiff should be fine for your swing. Honestly i'd say try hitting them side by side on a monitor to see which gives you better numbers. Have not hit the i20 so I can't compare them, but the 9088 is a solid club that can be had for a little more than $100 new.

[TempoEddie]

hey thanks for the info.....yes i def need to do a side by side monitoring and the price tag is what i liked the best!

[nickdamm]

I think the 9088UL is one of the most underrated drivers out there.  If you liked it, go for it!  That being said, I've also hit the Ping i20 and it is a very, very strong performer as well.

[PINGWRXforeme]

I think the right shaft in either would be a winner. I'm still lookin for "the one" in my i20

[TempoEddie]

anyone know the stock shaft length of the i20 driver?

[matt03]

TempoEddie, on 16 May 2012 - 10:59 AM, said:

anyone know the stock shaft length of the i20 driver?

It's like 45.25"

[eric6624]

i had the i20 with the project x and it was a great looking and great feeling driver but it didnt blow my socks off. I really liked the look of the 9088 so i picked one up with the stock matrix and it is a fabulous driver. very underated. the stock shaft is 46 so i chopped it down to 44.5 and couldnt be happier especially for the price (125.00 shipped). if you are on a budget you really  cant go wrong with this driver and the lp 3 wd is great also.

[TempoEddie]

Hey thanks Eric! that was the comment I was looking for.....I think I will go with the Adams UL as well.  Did you get to compare the side by side numbers? How far were you hitting the i20 driver compared to the UL?

[eric6624]

I didn't get on a monitor to see my numbers but the 9088 was more forgiving for me and had a better ball flight.  I hit them both around the same distance  but carried the Adams a little bit further.( I normally carry the ball around 250/255 and get 10/15 yards of roll.) I think the matrix shaft fit my swing better than the 6.5 project x.

[MarkFromTheUK]

Before making your decision, try the i20 with the stock TFC 707D shaft instead of the PX Black. The standard Ping shaft is far superior, and brings the i20 to life.

[TempoEddie]

Hey Mark, I actually really digged the i20 shaft when I hit a few balls.  The shaft makes a pretty cool electronic whiffing sound that I have never heard with other driver shafts, definately one of the reasons why I was looking to purchase the i20 driver.   But the two hundred dollar price gap is really leaning me towards the adams UL!

[MarkFromTheUK]

TempoEddie, on 17 May 2012 - 04:59 PM, said:

Hey Mark, I actually really digged the i20 shaft when I hit a few balls.  The shaft makes a pretty cool electronic whiffing sound that I have never heard with other driver shafts, definately one of the reasons why I was looking to purchase the i20 driver.   But the two hundred dollar price gap is really leaning me towards the adams UL!

Yes I guess the price difference is pretty big, and to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure the i20 is $200 better than any other driver out there, so justifying the extra expense over another, significantly cheaper, but probably just as good driver would be tricky, especially if on a budget for the time being.

I have read that the Adams is an excellent driver, but unfortunately Adams is pretty hard to come by in the UK, and even more so in leftie, so haven't ever had a chance to hit one. Their stuff looks very nice in pics though.

[Todd Bridges]

For various reasons, I keep coming back to my 9088 / Xcon 6 combo.  The club sets up 1 degree open and I love that.  Very underrated driver

[SwingMan]

I owned the Ping Rapture V2 in 10.5/Blueboard in 45.25 inches, and now have a Adams 9088 UL 12.5 in a Fuji Blur at 45 inches - I hit the Adams consistently well, better than the Ping.

The Ping was long, and the Adams is solid but more forgiving for me. It is also long.

When I bought the Adams 9088, I compared it with a TM Superfast 2.0, and was getting 7 more mph with the Adams.

Edited by SwingMan, 17 May 2012 - 09:27 PM.

[TempoEddie]

Thanks Todd! It seems I am getting reassurance with my choice with the adams UL!

[TempoEddie]

SwingMan, on 17 May 2012 - 09:26 PM, said:

I owned the Ping Rapture V2 in 10.5/Blueboard in 45.25 inches, and now have a Adams 9088 UL 12.5 in a Fuji Blur at 45 inches - I hit the Adams consistently well, better than the Ping.

The Ping was long, and the Adams is solid but more forgiving for me. It is also long.

When I bought the Adams 9088, I compared it with a TM Superfast 2.0, and was getting 7 more mph with the Adams.

Awesome!, did you get to try out the stock blue matrix shaft? It might be an inch to long for me....so i think I'm just going to choke down.. I want to chop it but I don't really want to mess with the balance of the shalf! thanks

[SwingMan]

TempoEddie, on 18 May 2012 - 04:16 PM, said:

SwingMan, on 17 May 2012 - 09:26 PM, said:

I owned the Ping Rapture V2 in 10.5/Blueboard in 45.25 inches, and now have a Adams 9088 UL 12.5 in a Fuji Blur at 45 inches - I hit the Adams consistently well, better than the Ping.

The Ping was long, and the Adams is solid but more forgiving for me. It is also long.

When I bought the Adams 9088, I compared it with a TM Superfast 2.0, and was getting 7 more mph with the Adams.

Awesome!, did you get to try out the stock blue matrix shaft? It might be an inch to long for me....so i think I'm just going to choke down.. I want to chop it but I don't really want to mess with the balance of the shalf! thanks

I would grip down, too. but you could get a longer grip with a wrap or two for the lower hand.

Or take it to a decent club maker who will hot melt the head to add weight, and cut the shaft 1 inch.

(did not try the Radix)

[tjfarris127]

Rock bottom golf has the Adams for 99 bucks! Can't beat that price if you're on a budget

[Adamsguy]

I have been gaming the 9088 this season and it is the most forgiving driver I have ever had.
The longer shaft has not been a problem for me, in fact I hit the sweet spot much more often with the 9088's longer shaft than any other driver I had.
I have the stock set up in a reg. flex.  
Swing speed is in the middle to upper 90's. I have not tried the i20 so I can't give any feed back on it.
Like the post before me, $99 on RBG is a very good deal.
Driver distance is around 225 with about 10yd roll out on average for me.
Pull the trigger, you won't regret it.

[Gehly]

PM me Tempo Eddie
I may have an option for you if you're looking for the 90088UL with a custom shaft that's a little shorter...and so you don't have to spend big$ getting it tweaked for you.

[Babycakes]

Tempo Eddie... did you end up getting the Adams?
And if so, what do you think?