Adams Golf Introduces Insight XTD Drivers
Posted December 4th, 2007 by Alan Olson
Adams is offering a new long driver. How long? Ask the Long Drivers of America.
You may think of Adams Golf as the company that is known for making some great hybrids that are usually at the top of every "hot" list as well as some of the most played on all the tours. You would be right. However, Adams is more than just a one-trick pony. They offer blended hybrid sets, forged irons for the better player, as well as drivers and fairway woods.
Adams got into the high-MOI, geometric craze last year with the Insight BUL and has now taken it to a new level with the Insight XTD series of drivers. Taking technology derived from their Boxer series of hybrids, Adams is making a big push into the driver arena and is now the official driver of the Long Drivers of America. The LDA schedule includes the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship, which should get the attention of golfers.
From the sole, you can't really tell much of a difference between the a30S on the left and the a3 on the right but the red/black color combo really pops.
Big MOI head + light shaft = you can scoff at your buddies as you walk past their puny drives.
Technology
Adams took the idea behind the high-MOI Boxer hybrids and applied it to the Insight XTD. According to Tim Reed, vice president of research and development:
We achieved our goal of creating two distinct driver models with one common purpose, more distance. These are high MOI drivers but not at the expense of less distance like others in the market. By utilizing the advanced shaping and weight distribution of Boxer Technology, we successfully optimized the mass properties for distance first, then forgiveness.
Looks
Just what geometric shape is it? Well, I'm not sure. It looks more square than its predecessor but has rounded corners as well as a rounded top so it doesn't look as "squarish" as some of the other drivers on the market. I've stayed off the geometric bandwagon up to this point but these may have me rethinking that position. The black and red head looks pretty cool too.
The a3 on the left looks a bit more "squarish" and sets up neutral compared to the a30S.
Adams will offer two different models, the a30S, which has draw bias to help you square the clubface and the neutral based a3. Some other differerences between the two:
Insight XTD a30S
- Designed to achieve optimal launch conditions and maximum ball velocity for slower swing speeds
- Center of Gravity positioned low and towards the heel to help close the face at impact and provide draw bias
- Innovative Boxer Technology™ design that pushes mass away from face and into corners for higher MOI
- Available Lofts: 9.5°, 10.5°, 12.5° and HL
Insight XTD a3
- Designed to achieve optimal launch conditions and increased ball speed for medium and high swing speeds
- Innovative Boxer Technology™ design that pushes mass away from face and into corners for higher MOI
- Neutral bias and lower spin compared to a3OS
- Available Lofts: 9.5°, 10.5°, 12.5° and 11.5°
Your golf ball will be begging for mercy when confronted with these guys.
Summary
Both drivers come standard with the new Aldila DVS 55-gram graphite shaft which was designed for "extra kick at impact for more distance." You'll have to wait until February 1, 2008 before you get your hands on one of these beauties and both will have a suggested retail price of $349.99. If you haven't looked at Adams Golf before, now might be a good time to check out what the folks from Plano, Texas have to offer. I know I will be, right after I put away my snowblower for the year.
Feedback
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Posted 05 Dec 2007 at 5:40pm #
The Adam's rep just happened to be in the store while I was there earlier, this is by FAR the best looking square driver so far. That being said, it's square, which will turn a lot of people off.
Posted 07 Dec 2007 at 9:20am #
SuaSponteMn said on December 5, 2007:
Yeah but you know what won't turn people off...Long, Straight drives. I myself tried and love the square driver. Played a Cally FT-5 and I thought that was the best club out...got a chance to demo the FT-i...holly #$#@...straight and long! Best driver I have ever swung...If you like playing your second shot from the fairway get square!!!!!
Posted 07 Dec 2007 at 11:53am #
Another great driver from Adams. I've been playing the Adams Redline for a few years now and thinking this will be my next upgrade. Pumped for Feb. 1 and not a bad MSRP.
Posted 08 Dec 2007 at 1:32am #
Adams are the best clubs for the money bar none.
Posted 14 Dec 2007 at 9:06pm #
Sure, these drivers do look alright.But they also look really framiliar. Their basicaly a copy of the nike sumo line of drivers with a new paint job. They have the square a3 which resembals the sumo2, and the more traditional looking a3 os alot like the sumo. They also resembal the whole callaway FT-i and
FT-5 line. I dont have any problems with adams equipment, it's just the whole square and traditional line of drivers that i have seen from multiple companies this year, and it's starting to get old.
Posted 31 Dec 2007 at 5:15pm #
what else would you like them to do besides square and traditional. The only other option would be triangular like Titleist and Taylormade... why try something new and unproven. It will take a few YEARS before we really see the best square drivers... as with all new technology it needs to be tried and improved on for a few years. I also don't understand how something can copy both the Nike line and the Callaway line... if you've ever hit the two, they feel like apples and oranges. Nickent also offers a square and traditional... remember 5 years ago when new technology was simply weighting adjustments and new metals...
Bottom line... having different options (Nike, Callaway, Adams) to choose from is a GOOD thing. And if they didn't make these type drivers they would probably loose sales.
Posted 16 Jan 2008 at 1:24pm #
I don't see a Long Drivers of America endorsement of that Nike Sumo SQ or the Callaway square driver...
But they have made a deal with Adams for this one.
I reckon it must hit the ball long and straight.
Every step forward in tech has resulted in me hitting it longer and straighter. I've moved up from the old Taylor Made steels to the Tour Burners of a few years back to the Cleveland HiBore to the Hibore XL tour version, because it, um, yeah, gives me longer and straighter drives.
Can't wait to try this Adams XTD. I think it looks like a bomber.. slightly open at address, for the natural fade I hit..
but of course shaft is everything..
Posted 19 Jan 2008 at 9:18am #
I just returned from the PGA Golf Show in Orlando. On Wednesday at the Demo Day, my friend and I hit all the new (and old) irons and drivers at the range. We both rated the Adams Insight XTD A3 driver as the best driver at the show. We were both surprised by the feel, the head design, the sound of the ball off the head and the 55 gram DVS shaft. We both are going to purchase one.
Posted 20 Mar 2008 at 7:28pm #
Never thought I would do something like this but saw one in the shop and had to try it. Bought the A3 with stiff shaft. I'm a hooker - teed this thing up and hit it dead straight or left to right all day long!! Easily an extra 20 t0 25 yards!! The best purchase in golf equipment I've made in the last
15 years.
Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 6:36pm #
Again sell Adams and their products are more impressive every year!! Switching this year to their irons!!
Posted 05 May 2008 at 10:51am #
Tried this driver (a3 9.5 stiff flex), at a demo day Saturday. Hit about 30 shots in wet conditions with soft core range balls and every one of them went 260-280 and straight as an arrow. The best looking square driver on the market and sets up great. If you're in the market for a new driver, the price and stock shaft alone should make this a must try. Doesn't sound like a tin can on a stick like some of the othe squares out there. Callaway and Nike will have to go back to the drawing board after this one hits the market.
Posted 16 May 2008 at 2:05pm #
Having been a golfer that has battled a slice for some 45 years, I felt I must put my two cents worth in here. Up until the purchase a few years ago of a cobra 454 comp driver, with a custom fitted shaft that was "pured" (frequency balanced), and for the most part probably the best driving club I had used to that point. I could hit some pretty nice skinny draws pretty consistently, but the big ballooning high a fading slice would creep in their way too often. And lately it had been showing up pretty regular.
Sessions at the driving range would be unsuccessful in correcting this re-occurring problem. Which brings me to this new driver from Adams. On and impulse, into my favorite toy store, there I was test driving every manufacturer's driver. All the new ones, I won't even list them here, we all know their names. The launch monitor would pretty much show the tendencies exhibited at the driving range and on the course. All that stopped when the salesman put that OS version of the driver into my hands. I thought, oh no, an offset club, I'm an old man.
The improvement was immediate. Not only was my skinny draw back, I could, at will straighten it out, or put a nice little fade on the ball with great accuracy...and longer by 15-20 yards, well, according to the launch monitor. Something else I liked about the ball flight is that the launch angle is a little lower. To me this is a good thing, because I have to play in the wind a lot, and in the summer under dry conditions. If I need a little more height on the drive I just tee it up a wee bit higher and play it slightly forward. I am impressed with the penetrating flight. And I know you've heard this before, but even with missing the sweet spot on the club head, it will still return a good shot.
I now have a dozen rounds under my belt with his new driver, and everyone in my regular gang is amazed. I can now hit to a spot on the fairway with either a draw, or a fade as the situation requires. It's a keeper, but like I said, it's an offset club, I'm an old man - not! I think the headcover that comes with this driver will be copied by the way, no doubt.
So the question is "Should you buy one of these?"
Posted 27 May 2008 at 3:13pm #
Just purchased adams ext insight and WOW!!! what a difference from my ping g5 driver i would recommend this club to anyone who wants to hit the ball farther and straighter. I was going to get the nike sumo sq 2 but the sales guy sold me on the adams good call.
Posted 29 May 2008 at 12:31pm #
After trying the Callaway Ft-i and being converted to it, I thought I would try the Adams Insight to see how it compared. I used to have a problem with hooking up until I bought the Callaway which helped me incredibly but I was amazed at the difference the Insight made. I am a convert to the Insight now.
Posted 11 Jun 2008 at 2:05am #
I went to Roger Dunn today in search of a new driver (my custom one broke). DOing a lot of research, I first tried the Cobra- sounds and feels aweful, no distance. Ping G10-did not look good at address and hits were inconsistent. Cleveland Hibore- one hit and that thing sounds like porcelain breaking. Then just for fun, tried the Adams XTD a3, this square club is so easy to hit and all of my drives were on target and was hitting 20+ yards further, so I bought it. Took all the plastic covers off and man, that club felt and sounded even better!
Posted 12 Jun 2008 at 6:41pm #
I am an Adams fan, Bought the 430 Q and then the 480 dual, Insight Bull and BTY, and now i bought the A3 XTD, will arrive in a couple off days
Posted 26 Jun 2008 at 4:33am #
Got my new Insight XTD Driver yesterday.
Hit the ball straight and very loooooooong.
Best driver I ever bought - must have - 10/10
Posted 03 Jul 2008 at 9:29pm #
Well 8 months or so ago I bought a Adams BUL5000 in 9.5* and then put a Grafalloy Blue 55grm ProLaunch shaft in it and thought I had found the cats meow..This club would hit the ball further than anything I had tried, or owned.....That was until 3 weeks ago.You see we had demo days at the country club I work at..They had Titleist, Ping, Cobra, and then this fellow from Adams.
Well I tried the new 907R, and found it OK, then I tried the G10 from Ping-it worked better than the Titleist (at least for me)..Then I hit the New King Cobra and was a
bit impressed...When I got thru I was really leaning toward the G-10 when the Adams rep asked if I would like to hit their Insight XTD a3 driver with the DVS Aldila 55 grm shaft--I said sure why not----WOW this
semi-square(not as square as some I have seen)looking
driver was bombing them 260-270 straight as an arrow ( I have a legit 107 swing speed) and even the off-center hit were carrying 240 plus......I surprised myself by driving the last green on our range on the fly and it's 275 yards from the tees----So now I am the Proud Owner of another Adams driver
Posted 07 Jul 2008 at 5:40am #
Can someone please tell me whats up with the price of the Insight XTD Line?? TWG.COM and a local store both have dropped the price to $169. The local shop said this is Adams new pricing strategy which makes no sense because the Aldila shaft in the dang thing is worth more that $169.
Is this being closed out? Newer model on the way or is this a new price point strategy (which sounds bogus to me)
Either way I am buying one. Just want to know who to trust in the future.
Posted 07 Jul 2008 at 11:11am #
I've been playing an Adams 460 RPM Comp for the last couple of years. Anyone know why there's a sudden price drop on the XTD? If they're as good as advertisted, it's the best buy around right now! I ordered one that should be here today.
Posted 07 Jul 2008 at 6:11pm #
Ther are coming out with a new model and getting these off the shelves.
I just got one from the dealer in Dallas, I CAN'T WAIT to take it to albuquerque and surprise my friend. We are playing a 3 day tourney and boy is he in for a surprise!
Justin
Posted 07 Jul 2008 at 9:45pm #
The Adams Golf XTD A3OS offset driver is an absolute pig! Sure I lost my slice, but now I'm left with a wicked, out-of-control hook. My advice to any prospective buyer; if you must have this club, go for the one with the neutral set-up.
Posted 08 Jul 2008 at 11:30am #
I just want to know which one in the last pic is the a3 and which one is the a30s. can some one please tell me
Posted 12 Jul 2008 at 10:56pm #
Just picked up my Adams XTD A3 today. I've been slicing my drives for the past 6 years, and today after the purchase at the range my drives were going 200-250 straight as an arrow 90% of the time.
Best piece of equipment i've bought for my game. What an improvement!
Posted 13 Jul 2008 at 10:56am #
kristian said on July 12, 2008:
Did you buy the A3 or the A3OS?
Posted 13 Jul 2008 at 11:31am #
Having reviewed this club earlier, let me add to it by expressing a bit of a disappointment in this club. Shortly after purchasing this club, well maybe about a month, the head loosened on the shaft during a round of golf. I took the club back to the dealer I bought it from and had their golfsmith reset the shaft and away we went. That was about a month ago or so. Yesterday, while playing, it had slipped on the shaft again.
The dealer offered to reset the shaft, or delivere to me a new one out of the box to replace it. I thought that since this club had exhibited the same problem twice, it had become a chronic problem. I elected to have a new one provided in place of the defective unit. I'm going to stick with it for a while, as everything I said in a review earlier hasn't changed. I love his driver, is accurate and long.
If this problem arises with the new club, I think I will have to move on and try something different which I am not too keen on. We will see.
By the way, after Adams discounted this driver from $300 down to $170, I went back to my favorite adult toy store and they gave me the difference in credit. So, I picked up the number three fairway wood for an additional $40 and the credit. Same thing with his fairway club, incredibly easy to get off the fairway and in the rough it really shines. I hope the shaft doesn't come loose on this one. I am still hopeful.
Posted 18 Jul 2008 at 4:45pm #
I was vaguely unhappy with my older model Taylormade driver and didn't know whether it was a shaft issue, head issue or some other problem. I seemed to be mostly hitting it well but with little roll and occasionally pushes right and pulls left. Mishits towards the hosel or toe suffered both distance & direction. I decided to go through a launch monitor - and not expose my biases against: "odd looking" heads; light shafts, shafts that felt floppy. I brought my driver and hit balls as instructed and listened. I hit Ping G10, Taylormade Burner, two Callaway models, a Titleist, etc. [models and brands were somewhat disguised by tape to keep my biases out of play.] After many shots by many clubs it came down to two models of the Adams Insight a3 - one had the Adilla 55g R shaft at 9 deg., the other had the same shaft in S with a 10.5 head. The 9 deg w. R shaft was occasionally longer but the 10. 5 S shafted model was consistently longer & straighter. I was surprised that an Adams squarehead [S/10.5] was going to be my next driver. At my swingspeed of 97-99 mph, the ball speed was higher and the net yardage averaged 18 yds further than my current driver - less spin, hotter clubface and better trajectory. If I can aaverage 15 better I'll be delighted. BTW, this guy was on sale for $169 and that's a bargain these days for a very good stick.
Posted 05 Aug 2008 at 9:46am #
Just bought an Insight XTD a3 and immediately tried it at the range. With it, I consistently hit 280 to 290 yards, at least 20 yards more than my previous driver. Now looking forward to consistently beating alvin and bong.
Posted 15 Aug 2008 (4 weeks ago) at 6:56pm #
Just wanted to say that I tried the Callaway FT-i driver. It hit very well, was a little noisy but the big problem came when I blew the back 1/2 of it off on my 3rd basket of balls. I talked to a golf pro that said he's heard of that happening before. So, instead ordered and tried the Adams Insight XTD A3 OS version since it was rated and spoke of highly and it was so much cheaper now at $169. Holy smokes the A3 OS hit even straighter and longer for me that the FT-i. For the first time of my life I hit the ball so far out that I could not even see it start to come down. It's just an incredible driver. I got it with a stiff graphic shaft. Did I mention, "Holy smokes??" The head sets squarely at approach, hits well all over the face and sounds solid. There is no doubt everyone on the tee box will know you hit it well. Good job Adams. I've just ordered Adams Idea A3 OS irons with the 2-6 hybrids, hollow back 7, 8 hybrid irons and cavity back 9, AW, AW and SW. They are rated gold on the 2008 Hot List by Golf Digest. Can't wait.
Posted 18 Aug 2008 (3 weeks ago) at 3:24am #
I saw the XTDs are on sale now for $169. I bought one just for fun to see what all the rage is about and the shaft alone sells for $200.
This driver is TOTAL JUNK. Has no feel to it at all. It's just like the junky new Callaway Great Big Berthas. Might as well have a tin can on a wood stick. It has no feel to it at all. My Ping G10 eats this thing for lunch, has MUCH better feel, turns over a lot easier and goes farther.
Don't waste your $169...