Adjustable Drivers - what a crock...

[lm0159]

I mentioned in another thread that I got rid of my $500 Titleist 910 D2, and bought myself a not terribly pretty, but monstrous Burner Superfast TP.

It has often been discussed on this forum that the loft printed on the sole of the club is seldom the actual loft of the driver, but I recently went to have the loft and lie on my MP52s checked, and adjusted, and asked the pro to have a look at my driver, and was frankly horrfied...

I had my 910 on the alleged lowest setting so theoretically it was down from the stamped 9.5* to 8.75*, the pro showed me that the actual loft on the face of the club I'd paid 350GBP for was 11.5*

Outrageous.

[JackP]

but the future is in versatility and customization...

didn't you get the fliers?

[famousdavis]

I mentioned in another thread that I got rid of my $500 Titleist 910 D2, and bought myself a not terribly pretty, but monstrous Burner Superfast TP.

It has often been discussed on this forum that the loft printed on the sole of the club is seldom the actual loft of the driver, but I recently went to have the loft and lie on my MP52s checked, and adjusted, and asked the pro to have a look at my driver, and was frankly horrfied...

I had my 910 on the alleged lowest setting so theoretically it was down from the stamped 9.5* to 8.75*, the pro showed me that the actual loft on the face of the club I'd paid 350GBP for was 11.5*

Outrageous.

If you paid $500 for any driver then you deserve what you get. In today's economy, you can get great deals on Craigslist or Ebay and pay less than half price. You don't have to be an expert negotiator, like me. Even a novice can get a much better deal than what he'd pay at retail.

[Boomhauer]

Did you get him to check the TM loft? Dollars to donuts it's over the stamped lost as well - they pretty much all are...and that being the case, I don't see why you're surprised, or how it's a crock. If the club face starts out at a stated 9.5*, and adjusts to a stated 8.75*, that .75* adjustability doesn't change because the actual loft is different. I'm not a fan of this either, as I know I'd only start wasting my time adjusting sh!t, when I should adjust my sh!t swing.

[Fluffy]

Driver loft.....I just went to buy a Callaway 9.5 diablo octane tour(which i got at a steal)

When hitting the driver the swing analyzer was reading me hitting the drives +-295meters,swing speed +-130mph. here's the funny part: I WAS LAUNCHING THE BALL CONSISTENTLY AROUND 18-20 DEGREES!!!! When I hit it lower,it didnt show up as far

[Pky6471]

I mentioned in another thread that I got rid of my $500 Titleist 910 D2, and bought myself a not terribly pretty, but monstrous Burner Superfast TP.

It has often been discussed on this forum that the loft printed on the sole of the club is seldom the actual loft of the driver, but I recently went to have the loft and lie on my MP52s checked, and adjusted, and asked the pro to have a look at my driver, and was frankly horrfied...

I had my 910 on the alleged lowest setting so theoretically it was down from the stamped 9.5* to 8.75*, the pro showed me that the actual loft on the face of the club I'd paid 350GBP for was 11.5*

Outrageous.

Being a stupid scientist/engineer then I can't resist to ask: how did he check your loft? what makes U think that his number is correct? Paying $500 for a driver is either (1) stupid (2) or got too much money and don't know what to do with it... I doubt that it's the latter case.... I eBayed Titlest 905-R for $46 shipped, GBB II for $22 shipped and I can hit those as well as any driver out there

[Lord Helmet]

,swing speed +-130mph.

Im going to require proof of purchase here.

Need to see a video of the swing.

130? C'mon man.

driver swing speed of an average lady golfer is 62mph; 96mph for an average LPGA professional; 84mph for an average male golfer; 108mph for an average PGA Tour player; 130mph for Tiger Woods.

Tiger? Is that you?

[Pottsy]

Being a stupid scientist/engineer then I can't resist to ask: how did he check your loft? what makes U think that his number is correct? Paying $500 for a driver is either (1) stupid (2) or got too much money and don't know what to do with it... I doubt that it's the latter case.... I eBayed Titlest 905-R for $46 shipped, GBB II for $22 shipped and I can hit those as well as any driver out there

Listen just because you and lots of other on GR don't want to pay for new equipment doesn't mean that whoever does is stupid.

Some people earn very good money and decide to spend it on the latest equipment rather than say other luxury items or vices. I am one of those people. Sure I could buy less expensive stuff and I could maybe even save £30 on ebay for exactly the same club but then I forfit some of my consumer rights and I also use time that I might not want to use doing that.

[Pottsy]

Im going to require proof of purchase here.

Need to see a video of the swing.

130? C'mon man.

driver swing speed of an average lady golfer is 62mph; 96mph for an average LPGA professional; 84mph for an average male golfer; 108mph for an average PGA Tour player; 130mph for Tiger Woods.

Tiger? Is that you?

+1 completely agree

[Boomhauer]

His money, his driver - no need for low-blows.

130mph...sure it wasn't in km/h?

Was this a monitor where you bought the club, or one in a place that sells clubs? The monitors are programmed so the person running it can set a target distance. Your ss and distances are then taken as a percentage of what that target would be. They can also manipulate it in other ways. The manager of a local Golftown is a friend of mine. He saw me in the sim tryin out an Adams 7 iron one day and stopped to chat. I told him I couldn't believe how far I was hitting that club according to the computer - he laughed and said I wasn't - he adjusted it to the proper setting and low and behold, my typical ss and carry.

[daveperkins]

Im going to require proof of purchase here.

Need to see a video of the swing.

130? C'mon man.

driver swing speed of an average lady golfer is 62mph; 96mph for an average LPGA professional; 84mph for an average male golfer; 108mph for an average PGA Tour player; 130mph for Tiger Woods.

Tiger? Is that you?

Bubba Watson/JB Holmes clubhead speed is around 126. Tiger substantially slower. My clubhead speed was 112 about three years ago when I could occasionally get 300 yards out of a Texas tee shot. Probably 110 or less now. Nobody on tour swings at 130 mph. That is LDA speed, not PGA speed.

[poe4soul]

Im going to require proof of purchase here.

Need to see a video of the swing.

130? C'mon man.

driver swing speed of an average lady golfer is 62mph; 96mph for an average LPGA professional; 84mph for an average male golfer; 108mph for an average PGA Tour player; 130mph for Tiger Woods.

Tiger? Is that you?

Tiger in his 20's maybe. He's not a big hitter anymore. Now Babba, JB, DJ, etc all can crank it up to 130.

I've watched many ex baseball players swing in the high teens low 30's but they also hit the ball all over the place.

[Kiwi Player]

Tiger in his 20's maybe. He's not a big hitter anymore. Now Babba, JB, DJ, etc all can crank it up to 130.

I've watched many ex baseball players swing in the high teens low 30's but they also hit the ball all over the place.

I played with a guy once who claimed to have a swing speed of 130. I'm not sure if he really did or not but he sure hit the ball a long way. He kept telling me about how he had caved in the face of the latest Taylormade driver and he was negotiating directly with Taylormade in the US to get a replacement as the local rep wouldn't co operate.

On the first tee he hit 3 iron further than the rest of us hit our drives and I made the mistake of complimenting him on his swing. He started bragging then and there and didn't shut up for 18 holes. He sure was a blow ass!

[poe4soul]

I played with a guy once who claimed to have a swing speed of 130. I'm not sure if he really did or not but he sure hit the ball a long way. He kept telling me about how he had caved in the face of the latest Taylormade driver and he was negotiating directly with Taylormade in the US to get a replacement as the local rep wouldn't co operate.

On the first tee he hit 3 iron further than the rest of us hit our drives and I made the mistake of complimenting him on his swing. He started bragging then and there and didn't shut up for 18 holes. He sure was a blow ass!

Finally watched the RWC final match last night. Pretty much a nail biter for you Kiwi's. Your team missed 3 penalty kicks in the first half. WTF? Weepu looked like a different player then his last match. Great match, all in all....

[mongrel]

I played with a guy once who claimed to have a swing speed of 130. I'm not sure if he really did or not but he sure hit the ball a long way. He kept telling me about how he had caved in the face of the latest Taylormade driver and he was negotiating directly with Taylormade in the US to get a replacement as the local rep wouldn't co operate.

On the first tee he hit 3 iron further than the rest of us hit our drives and I made the mistake of complimenting him on his swing. He started bragging then and there and didn't shut up for 18 holes. He sure was a blow ass!

I bought the first Taylor metal driver called the Pittsburgh Persimmon new around 1980. A year later I was hitting balls at my favourite range and noticed that every ball I hit with this club--and by this time I had it dialed in so well that I could hit the U.S. dime-sized sweet spot 9 out of 10 times--took off in a random direction off the face and would balloon with no wind about 100 yards out. After an audible WTF, Mate? I took it into the pro shop and one of the boys put a machinist's straight edge ruler against the face and the damn thing was concave about 1/4" where there was a bit of bulge and roll originally. He then took a magnifying glass to it a saw a hairline crack directly center-face. The manufacturer sent the shop a brand new one for me with no charge. My swing speed was probably no more than 100-105 back then but I must have hit thousands of range balls and maybe 150 or so drives while playing. The new one was as good as the original. Five years later, I was playing an NFL Alumni charity event and the head snapped off the shaft on the long drive hole, a par 4 with a hidden pond about 315 yards out. The driver head went about 150 yards straight and I smoked the shot. But due to the downslope about 275 out, I couldn't see the ball land, but I had its line all the way to the rise. I picked up the head and walked straight to the pond. We all figured that the ball rolled into the pond. The winning long drive was about 30 yards shorter than the near edge of the pond. Oh well.

[Kiwi Player]

Finally watched the RWC final match last night.Pretty much a nail biter for you Kiwi's. Your team missed 3 penalty kicks in the first half. WTF? Weepu looked like a different player then his last match. Great match, all in all....

You can say that again! I was at the game and midway through the second half I thought we were going to lose. Don't know how we hung in there but glad we did. Yeah the goal kicking was a major problem but luckily for us the French also missed their final Shot at goal too. Don't forget we were down to our 4th choice flyhalf and Weepu is not our normal goal kicker. I think of Weepu as more of a fill in when your regular kicker is injured. Not the guy to start with and it showed.

Still just relieved we won. Four more years would have been too painful!

[alangbaker]

I mentioned in another thread that I got rid of my $500 Titleist 910 D2, and bought myself a not terribly pretty, but monstrous Burner Superfast TP.

It has often been discussed on this forum that the loft printed on the sole of the club is seldom the actual loft of the driver, but I recently went to have the loft and lie on my MP52s checked, and adjusted, and asked the pro to have a look at my driver, and was frankly horrfied...

I had my 910 on the alleged lowest setting so theoretically it was down from the stamped 9.5* to 8.75*, the pro showed me that the actual loft on the face of the club I'd paid 350GBP for was 11.5*

Shouldn't you care more about numbers like distance and fairways hit than what the face actually measures?

[mongrel]

Should you care more about numbers like distance and fairways hit than what the face actually measures?

Right. Like who-the-f*ck-cares if you tee it up with a 7.5 or 13 degree driver? Its what you can hit where you want on the trajectory you want reliably that counts. I remember an aspiring pro on the range next to me around 1994 or so and he had the brand new Great Big Bertha Ruger titanium driver that was 6.5* with a stiff Callaway shaft. He let me hit it and the damn thing felt extremely solid and had a great trajectory for me. I hit it higher than my 10.5* driver and the GBB carried maybe 30-40 yards farther to the apex. If they weren't $500, I would have scarfed one up in 6.5*.

[indacup]

Fastest Tiger was clocked on an unbiased launch monitor was a few years ago and it was 123mph.

130+ would be LDA averages.

[lm0159]

Yeah, that's the issue, it was too high in the wind - I mean the thing flew, so long as it was flat calm, but even a gentle breeze just stopped it flat.

[JackP]

I think the concept of them is great.

I haven't hit the 910 driver but at a PGA store in Vegas with a trakman on. hit it very well. a solid club indeed. me want, but $500? no bloody way. I paid $80 for my Mizzy mp630FT....

I need to give some others a shot.
-- figure I'd wait a year or two so the designers figure out how they've fracked it up..

[lm0159]

I think the concept of them is great.

I haven't hit the 910 driver but at a PGA store in Vegas with a trakman on. hit it very well. a solid club indeed. me want, but $500? no bloody way. I paid $80 for my Mizzy mp630FT....

I need to give some others a shot.
-- figure I'd wait a year or two so the designers figure out how they've fracked it up..

I should point guys, that I didn't pay the $500 - that's what these suckers retail at with a proper shaft on them - some creative license on my part.

The title of my thread is perhaps slightly misleading, I probably wasn't having a go at the adjustability of these clubs just that the suggested loft is preposterously inaccurate, which in itself is olf news.

The 130 ss, is remarkable indeed, although it would seem that the very idea has been rubbished out of hand. I'm off to start a putting thread.

[Mward2002]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR3S3...tailpage#t=57s

This was back in 2005 according to the video. I just remember watching this round on TV and having to do a double take at the numbers. He hit a huge block that landed in the trees if I recall.

[mongrel]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR3S3...tailpage#t=57s

This was back in 2005 according to the video. I just remember watching this round on TV and having to do a double take at the numbers. He hit a huge block that landed in the trees if I recall.

According to that data, he had a smash factor of 1.33 on that drive with an 11.2* launch angle. Not very impressive and probably indicative of a fairly high negative angle of attack.

[mongrel]

I should point guys, that I didn't pay the $500 - that's what these suckers retail at with a proper shaft on them - some creative license on my part.

The title of my thread is perhaps slightly misleading, I probably wasn't having a go at the adjustability of these clubs just that the suggested loft is preposterously inaccurate, which in itself is olf news.

The 130 ss, is remarkable indeed, although it would seem that the very idea has been rubbished out of hand. I'm off to start a putting thread.

The loft may not be inaccurate at all. Look closely at a driver clubface and notice the bulge. I have a bunch of Titleist borethrough drivers from 975J to 907D2 and they all appear to have more loft north of the equator. That is, if you make contact at or below the horizontal center with the equator of the ball and the driver is a 9.5* head, it will be 9.5* where you hit it. However, if you make contact above the horizontal center of the face, the loft will be higher. On both the 905R and especially the 907D2, there are "hot spots" between the middle of the face and just below the crown. Hit the ball there on a level to slightly ascending path and you will get much higher launch and less spin---more carry and roll. For those who complain that they balloon their 8.5* drivers and the loft must really be 11 or 12 degrees, I submit that they are probably hitting down on the ball in the middle or above the horizontal center of the face. Not the way its meant to be hit.

[Mward2002]

High right weak shot'll do that to you. The clubhead speed was the number that made me do the original double take and then the weak ball speed numbers for it. Wish they would have given the spin rate like they could now but oh well. Not bad for 2005.

[golfclubshot]

$500 for a Titleist 910 D2 Drvier. It's too much

[SoonerBS]

Most everyone knows on here that I went to a club demo back in April and ended up purchasing a $399 Taylormade R11. While I was spending time hitting balls in front of the launch monitor though, the TM rep told me that I didn't need a new driver, I needed lessons on how to swing the club. He then gave me a lesson on swinging "in to out." I bought the TM R11 anyway.

I tried to practice the "in to out" swing off and on throughout the Summer, but it was hard to trust it and eventually I fell back on cutting across the ball and fading it because it was comfortable. I hated the fade because our course is not a fader/slicer paradise. The fade is also a harsh type swing here in Oklahoma where most days are 15-20 mph winds or better.

So, inevitably, I grew to understand that the R11 was a worthless purchase because it didn't do anything more for me than the drivers I was previously using. It wasn't until September that I suddenly started grooving my in to out swing and trusting the draw it was producing. Ironically though, it wasn't with my R11 that I grooved my swing, it was with the Mizuno RX700 driver I had previous to the R11. The only complication was that I was not getting a lot of height on the ball, which was great on windy days but not so great on the holes where I needed to hit over trees. So, I took the 16* NIKE Sasquatch head that I used to have my thriver (I broke the shaft a few months back and hadn't done anything with it) and put the only shaft in it I had available -- a three wood length Dynamic Gold S300 steel shaft. BINGO!! It has been the perfect combination: height, draw, fairways and drives over 250 yards every time.

I've tried to hit the R11 a few outings since I grooved my swing, but I just don't find the same consistency. More than likely, it is a shaft issue, but I don't know where to start in solving it. To be honest, I don't really care anymore. If I can hit fairways with distance and height with the "thriver," I don't particularly care if I ever get the driver issues worked out.

Used to, I couldn't hit the thriver into the wind with the fade without the wind knocking a lot of yards off the shot. But, with the consistent draw, it cuts right through the wind with the distance I need. I had forgot what it is like to hit a driver with a steel shaft in it, but I have to admit, I love the control and the freedom to go after the ball.

Finding the right driver takes experimentation. I, personally, do not think the loft of the head is as important as the shaft and swing that is in and on the head.

[lorenzoinoc]

Most everyone knows on here that I went to a club demo back in April and ended up purchasing a $399 Taylormade R11. While I was spending time hitting balls in front of the launch monitor though, the TM rep told me that I didn't need a new driver, I needed lessons on how to swing the club. He then gave me a lesson on swinging "in to out." I bought the TM R11 anyway.

I tried to practice the "in to out" swing off and on throughout the Summer, but it was hard to trust it and eventually I fell back on cutting across the ball and fading it because it was comfortable. I hated the fade because our course is not a fader/slicer paradise. The fade is also a harsh type swing here in Oklahoma where most days are 15-20 mph winds or better.

So, inevitably, I grew to understand that the R11 was a worthless purchase because it didn't do anything more for me than the drivers I was previously using. It wasn't until September that I suddenly started grooving my in to out swing and trusting the draw it was producing. Ironically though, it wasn't with my R11 that I grooved my swing, it was with the Mizuno RX700 driver I had previous to the R11. The only complication was that I was not getting a lot of height on the ball, which was great on windy days but not so great on the holes where I needed to hit over trees. So, I took the 16* NIKE Sasquatch head that I used to have my thriver (I broke the shaft a few months back and hadn't done anything with it) and put the only shaft in it I had available -- a three wood length Dynamic Gold S300 steel shaft. BINGO!! It has been the perfect combination: height, draw, fairways and drives over 250 yards every time.

I've tried to hit the R11 a few outings since I grooved my swing, but I just don't find the same consistency. More than likely, it is a shaft issue, but I don't know where to start in solving it. To be honest, I don't really care anymore. If I can hit fairways with distance and height with the "thriver," I don't particularly care if I ever get the driver issues worked out.

Used to, I couldn't hit the thriver into the wind with the fade without the wind knocking a lot of yards off the shot. But, with the consistent draw, it cuts right through the wind with the distance I need. I had forgot what it is like to hit a driver with a steel shaft in it, but I have to admit, I love the control and the freedom to go after the ball.

Finding the right driver takes experimentation. I, personally, do not think the loft of the head is as important as the shaft and swing that is in and on the head.

While it's true the French are often credited with inventing the rotisserie, they of course did not. Obviously cavemen would have been rotisserieing food before recorded history. The French have never actually invented anything, even perfume. They just need perfume more than other people as a group.

So my freely acknowledging the rotisserie as a superior form of cooking in no way is a tip of my cap to the French. When my barbeque becomes operational this winter, it will have a rotisserie. I'll then have more tang hanging around than Conrad Murray when he's making it rain.

So I agree, old technology isn't always bad.

[mongrel]

While it's true the French are often credited with inventing the rotisserie, they of course did not. Obviously cavemen would have been rotisserieing food before recorded history. The French have never actually invented anything, even perfume. They just need perfume more than other people as a group.

So my freely acknowledging the rotisserie as a superior form of cooking in no way is a tip of my cap to the French. When my barbeque becomes operational this winter, it will have a rotisserie. I'll then have more tang hanging around than Conrad Murray when he's making it rain.

So I agree, old technology isn't always bad.

Giving the nod to my 25% French ancestry, let me throw in a mention of two of the more fascinating inventions of my quarter-countrymen: la guillotine et le trebuchet. If the latter don't getcha, the former will. Au revoir.

[lorenzoinoc]

Giving the nod to my 25% French ancestry, let me throw in a mention of two of the more fascinating inventions of my quarter-countrymen: la guillotine et le trebuchet. If the latter don't getcha, the former will. Au revoir.

I can prove they didn't with biomechanics and by setting goals.

BTW, 25% of my body weight hangs from my crotch. That doesn't mean it's who I am. So don't let that 25% get you down.

[mongrel]

I can prove they didn't with biomechanics and by setting goals.

BTW, 25% of my body weight hangs from my crotch. That doesn't mean it's who I am. So don't let that 25% get you down.

Oh the 25% never gets me down but its the 75% that tends towards trouble on occasion. For instance, the 75% thinks it is uproariously funny when it hears or thinks of the old question: "Why did the French plant trees on both sides of the Champs Elysee?" So the Germans could march in the shade, of course.

[Kiwi Player]

Oh the 25% never gets me down but its the 75% that tends towards trouble on occasion. For instance, the 75% thinks it is uproariously funny when it hears or thinks of the old question: "Why did the French plant trees on both sides of the Champs Elysee?" So the Germans could march in the shade, of course.

... yeah and the first thing a French soldier is taught in basic training is how to say "I surrender!" in German.

The Italians of course have to learn this expression in multiple languages.

[lorenzoinoc]

The Italians of course have to learn this expression in multiple languages.

This is patently incorrect. You have to fight first in order to be able to surrender.

[Kiwi Player]

This is patently incorrect. You have to fight first in order to be able to surrender.

Oh the Italians were happy to fight. They just quickly lost their appetite for the fight when the countries they invaded (i.e. Greece) had the audacity to actually fight back.

[lorenzoinoc]

Oh the Italians were happy to fight. They just quickly lost their appetite for the fight when the countries they invaded (i.e. Greece) had the audacity to actually fight back.

My grandparents and great grandparents "served " and went along for a while, but like the rest of the forces, when a real battle came about they were out of there. The only real a action was in Ethiopia. At most they had to dodge a couple of spears. Mussolini and his military guy hardly had buy in.

[famousdavis]

I haven't found a driver yet that could adjust to my amazing ball striking. Most of them are so accustomed to a hacker swing that it takes a full range session for them to get used to my perfect swing. I guess we all have a learning curve...even drivers.