What makes GolfWRX novel and fresh? Why are we the place to come to over all the other? This is another reason why. Here is an incredible journey an expert in golf equipment reviews took this year to determine what he is going to play. Purchasing all of the woods on his own and running data driven test using trackman and many hours of time. Unbelievable read and journey that a regular golfer like yourself took. Enjoy!!

Written by GolfWRX member Pure745:

I posted thread last year for a shoot out that I did, which I found myself referring fellow WRX’ers to many times to see results, numbers, and feedback.  The thread is here. 

I wasn’t planning on posting this thread or the results of my shootout other than in my WITB thread, but I think that after some of the heated debates and threads revolving the bias of some of the reviews posted here lately I think this thread might be interesting or useful to some members on here, or at least I hope it will be.

Click here to see the original thread in the forums and all the discussion in his words

I say as “un-biased” as possible, because NONE of the equipment that will be tested and reviewed was given to me and I have not been lucky enough (yet) to join any of the free GolfWRX trips   Also, as with my last shootout thread, my reviews will also be based on actual on course results paired with numbers from Trackman findings.  I am hoping to get to an outdoor Trackman this year for the #’s, worst case scenario will be the Foresight CG2.

Click here to see the original thread in the forums and all the discussion in his words

So far, what has lead up to this thread looks like this:

TM R1 V2 Dot Head:

then this:

then this:

I will add more pictures later, but so far the contenders will be:

• TM R1 V2 w/ Fuji Speeder TS 7.2x + RBZ Stage 2 14.5 w/ Fuji Speeder TS 7.2x
• Callaway XHP 8.5 w/ Fuji Speeder TS 7.2x + XHP 15 w/ Fuji Speeder TS 8.2x
• Nike VR LTD 8.5 w/ DI6x + VR LTD 15 w/ DI7x (Winner of 2012 shootout and my gamers for 90% of last year)
• Titleist 913 D3 8.5 w/ Fuji Speeder TS 7.2x + 913 FD w/ Fuji Speeder 8.2x (thanks to a fellow WRX’er)

Click here to see the original thread in the forums and all the discussion in his words

TM Contenders:

Callaway Contenders:

Titleist Contenders:

Nike Contenders and 2012 gamers:

Outdoor Trackman Session

Well, my back is aching and my head is spinning after hitting so many balls with 3 wood and driver on a Trackman.  This is the first time I have hit on an outdoor trackman, and was definitely an interesting experience.  The range we were at was definitely setup for you to hit a fade, which definitely didn’t help my swing for this test.  It was interesting to see the numbers on an actual outdoor range and see what swing would produce what numbers.  We used Taylor Made range balls and a few shag bag premium balls mixed in.

This review is definitely going to be different than my last review where I posted numbers for each club.  This time, I will be using a blend of information from the Trackman and also what actually happens with each setup on the course.  I think this balance is the best way to really find what works for you.  After our Trackman session, I found myself so consumed with numbers and longer etc.. but in reality, I want the best blend of numbers, looks, performance, and playability on the course.  It is very easy to get enamored with ball speed etc. while hitting on the trackman, and when I left, I even wanted to buy a head that simply produces really high ball speed when I don’t necessarily need a driver that is simply long.

Click here to see the original thread in the forums and all the discussion in his words

3 Wood Feedback/Notes

• Ball speeds ranged from 166-172
• Club speeds ranged from 108-111
• RBZ Stage 2 and XHP were consistently the highest ball speeds
• XHP had the lowest spin with TS 8.2x
• Nike LTD was the highest spinning with the DI7x (shaft is definitely the culprit)
• TS 8.2X is definitely the shaft I need according to the Trackman fitting
• 913 FD had the lowest ball speed, but when paired with the 8.2x, produced good numbers even with lower ball speed

Driver Feedback/Notes

• Ball speeds ranged from 175-182
• Club speeds ranged from 118-124
• Nike LTD with DI6x was producing solid numbers and held it’s own on this one
• R1 V2 was higher spinning than I thought and was not as great for me on the Trackman (on course is a different story)
• There is a big difference between the TS 7.3 and 7.2 – The 7.2 is lower launching and spinning for players with high SS.
• XHP was the lowest spinning and launching of the bunch – ball speeds were also solid
• RFX felt much better than the XHP, but ball speeds were a little lower than the XHP with the exact same shaft
• 913 D3 was again, the lowest in ball speed – but was very solid and consistent and distance was not terrible

After all of this – good for good, these drivers are all very close and is why I will take the best performers on the Trackman and on the golf course – the best blend of distance, accuracy/forgiveness, feel/sound, and looks.

Click here to see the original thread in the forums and all the discussion in his words

Carry distances with the driver:

 

••UPDATE Callaway Razr Fit Xtreme set up added

After hitting these clubs on the Trackman, I really loved the look and feel of these clubs.  I was getting good numbers with the driver and 3 wood and the face seems to be pretty hot.  Next report will be getting these clubs on the course and then it will be close to decision time 

Click here to see the original thread in the forums and all the discussion in his words

• Comparison pics of the RBZ 2 Tour, RFX, and XHP 3 woods from address and for face depth for reference:

Click here to see th eoriginal thread in the forums and all the discussion in his words

 

•• UPDATE — Where it stands now?

After 5+ rounds in with each setup that I planned on testing (not counting the RFE’s) and testing on an outdoor Trackman and indoors on a Foresight CG2, I think it’s a good time to give my impressions on each setup so far.

Click here to see the original thread in the forums and all the discussion in his words

• TM R1 V2 tested with TS Speeder 6.3x and 7.2x – The R1 V2 is one of the longest heads I have used good for good.  As said previously, my “ah-ha” moment was hitting to spots I would normally hit to from the blue tees, from the black tees.  The V2 440cc head shape looks a LOT better than the OTR offering and was one of the reasons I wanted to use it.  The bad part is that off center hits spin like crazy.. literally, and I am reminded why I am not on tour. I have the speed to benefit from the Tour head on good hits, but lets face it, I’m not that good even when playing close to scratch my ball striking and very limited practice time makes the overall playability of this driver suffer for me.  That said, for me, it is a lot better than the OTR offering, which I will not game or test on this based on what I saw hitting the OTR on the course and on the range.

• TM RBZ Stage 2 Tour 14.5 – This club is no joke.  It performs so well, that you will quickly forget how ugly it is.  This is definitely one of the best 3 woods out this year.  This club was definitely the saving grace for my TM setup, but as of now I have opted for other, better looking/feeling, setups that provide comprable speeds without the looks.  This head was achieving 170+ ball speeds for me on the Trackman with range balls and was also one of the most forgiving.

• Callaway XHot Pro 8.5 w/ TS Speeder 7.2x – This driver is a very solid performer, especially at the lower price point.  It reminds me of a modern rendition of the Great Big Bertha in both looks and sound.  I really never liked the sound or feel of this club, it almost felt like I was hitting with a tin can.  It has a very “tinny” feel, but the ball definitely jumps off this face regardless of the feel.  Ball speeds were solid, and I found it to be very low launch and very low spin, with a nice neutral to fade bias.

• Callaway XHot Pro 15 w/ TS Speeder 8.2x – As good as I thought the RBZ 2 was.. I had no idea that this club was going to be able to go toe to toe with it. I had already wrapped my head around playing TM stuff (which was a tough pill to swallow in itself) and then I hit this club.  The sound and feel of the 3 wood is a lot different than the driver.  The 3 woods has a very muted and solid feel, the ball feels like it’s really flying off the club face, and found it to launch lower than the RBZ2 with a touch lower spin, I found the RBZ 2 to be more forgiving by a small margin.

• Titleist 913 D3/D2 w/ TS Speeder 6.2x – This club just works, plain and simple.  It doesn’t do anything that will blow you away, but it’s solid on almost every category.  It has the lowest ball speeds of all clubs tested, but it is also one of the most forgiving and had the most consistent ball speeds from good shots to marginal shots.  The newer head shape looks great and feel and sound are fantastic.  The 913 was tested side by side on course with all of these clubs and was right there with each one, and in the fairway more on bad swings.  The D3 is a much better fit for me compared to the D2, but the D2 has a great feel and sound and would highly recommend it to someone who doesn’t spin the ball enough to need a D3 head.

• Titleist 913 FD w/ TS Speeder 8.2x – Possibly my favorite club of the shootout so far.  Looks/feels/sounds incredible, the head is very low spinning and makes up for the distance lost due to lower ball speed.  I feel that this head produces a very nice and efficient ball flight with a great blend of carry and roll out.  On the course this club is very good, and I would say more playable than the XHP for me.  The RBZ2 and 913FD are tied for 1st in playability but the 913 would get solo 1st place because of looks/feel/sound.

These are my initial thoughts so far before testing the RFE setup on the course.  Preliminary numbers are better with the RFE’s compared to the 913’s but it all comes down to how they behave on the course.  I will have more information after this weekend.

via Click here to see the original thread in the forums and all the discussion in his words.