Are expensive drivers worth it?

[Newbie Collection Agency]

I am a 15 handicapp and never pull my driver out of my bag anymore due to my complete lack of ability to hit the club straight on a consistant basis. Do the new "techno" clubs (R7 & the like) really help enough to justify the $500 price tag?

[neudi]

Drivers take a lot of work. Just because you buy an expensive driver doesnt mean you will hit it. Many times the prices are so high simply b/c of the brand name. I'm not dogging them either b/c obviously they are the best pieces of equipment that you can buy, but I will say that they go farther and help you out sometimes, but the main thing is practice. In the long run it will be worth it though.

[fuzzyjedi]

The Honma driver is worth it and the Taylormade R7 is also. The Honma price range is $999.99-$1399.99 and the Taylormade R7 price range is $285-$800

[georgep]

They're worth it if they fit your swing and game and improve your enjoyment. They aren't going to fix swing faults, though the right one might lessen the impact of one.

That said, if you are struggling with hitting a driver straight, you might try a relatively inexpensive experiment and pick up one of the high lofted drivers like the Tour Edge Houdini. It has 3-wood loft but a 460 (I think) head size. The extra loft should give you less side-spin and a straighter shot. Plus, the large size will also offer extra forgiveness. I've seen them for $150 new.

[Gary W]

Subtle distinction here - new drivers versus new & expensive drivers:

Regarding new technology - absolutely. I just got back into golf last fall and bought new clubs. When I last played using an early 90's Palmer driver I would expect something around 210 to 215 carry. And I constantly had to fight the fade.

Bought the new Cleveland expecting to maybe pick up 10 or 20 yards. It's much better than that. Now, a good drive carries around 240 - 250, and last weekend I hit 2 drives in the same round that carried close to 270. I've hit maybe 5 or 6 like that so far, which is encouraging because that means I have the potential to hit that far with a normal swing. Before I saw it for myself, I would have said that kind of distance was physically impossible for my swing speed and strength. And there is no way I could ever hit the old driver over 230 if I killed it on the screws, and those two things never happened at once anyway.

And as far as accuracy, no comparison - now my main fault is trying to overswing which just kills any chance of a good drive. Now that I've seen a few long drives I want them all to go that far...

Whether a new $500 driver is better than a new $300 driver - someone else can offer commentary from their experience.

Cheers.

[Old Tom]

Really, whether any luxury item is worth the money depends on how much you've got in the first place. What does 500 bucks mean to you? If you've got piles of the stuff lying around the house and need to get rid of some of it, a new driver is as good a way as any to free up some floor space.

But if it's a choice between an R7 and shoes for the kid...well...

Now, how much of a difference it will make to your game is another question altogether. In my opinion, unless you're a low handicapper with a solid repeatable swing, you're wasting your money. But if you've got the money to waste, go for it.

[ragontona]

The Honma driver is worth it and the Taylormade R7 is also. The Honma price range is $999.99-$1399.99 and the Taylormade R7 price range is $285-$800

I'm sorry, but no driver is worth $1400. That money can go into lessons, range time, AND course time. $1400 is pretty much a season's worth of greens fees. $1400 is NOT a club that I pull out eight times per round.

[BigAl5150]

I am a 15 handicapp and never pull my driver out of my bag anymore due to my complete lack of ability to hit the club straight on a consistant basis. Do the new "techno" clubs (R7 & the like) really help enough to justify the $500 price tag?

You shouldn't have to spend $500 on a new driver. I just checked eBay and a new R7 425 went for $290 (retail for $399); Titleist 905t's are usually $200 or so ($249 retail), etc. Point being, if you look around you can find pretty good deals on clubs either online or on sale/clearance at various retailers. The most important thing you can do is to get fitted on a launch monitor so you know what degree head/shaft combo works the best for you and demo different drivers so you are not making a bad investment.

[NM Golf]

Well for one, like several others have said, you can pick up a good new "techno" driver for a lot less than $500. The Ping G5, which was just given the editor's choice in this month's Golf Magazine, can be had for less than $300 bucks in the pro shop where I work. The G5 even comes in an offset version if you fight the dreaded slice. Don't pay $500 for any club! Used clubs on ebay can be purchased for even less than new ones.
As to your question on whether or not its worth buying a brand name driver the simple answer is yes. Yes there is a huge difference in performance and forgiveness between good brand name (Ping, Titleist, Taylor Made, etc) and the set at your local Wal Mart.

[lpescato]

It's worth it in the sense that you will have more confidence at address and your playing partners will envy you as well. The R7 is something I couldnt afford but got anyway and I am very happy with it, having previously played a Titleist DCI starship. Performance and distance are also possibly gained in a new name brand driver.
However, if you struggle with your game the money would be better spent on some decent lessons. Not just one lesson, but a series of ongoing lessons. I have been working with my instructor closely for months now on a regular basis and have improved my game much more than any new driver would. No driver, adjustable or otherwise, will cure a bad swing.
On the other hand I am sure any tour pro could take an old persimmon and clock it past my best drives.
It truly is the Indian and not the arrow.
So spend that money on a shiny new baby's head on a stick and your swing will still be unsound but you'll look good hitting the 150 yard slice.

[Shigeki]

Honma drivers are way too overpriced and overrated. Quality is also questionable since clones are available & if you're not careful, you end up with an even more inferior product than you think (plus you paid a big price).
Good qulaity drivers are always available & I would even go as far as suggest one for member name "Waggle" a driver that has the offset feature on it so as to aid in the ball to be hit straight or consistently.
Practice, as well as lessons (as was suggested by others), would be most beneficial in letting you enjoy this great game more & often!!! Peace!!!

[Rories1984]

I got my Honma free fitted with custom shaft(Not aramco) 0.5 lower degree than my previous driver (10.5) and i think they are worth it.. easily hit 20M futher with carry based on the same swing..

[Righty to Lefty]

I am a 15 handicapp and never pull my driver out of my bag anymore due to my complete lack of ability to hit the club straight on a consistant basis. Do the new "techno" clubs (R7 & the like) really help enough to justify the $500 price tag?

To answer you question literally....no driver is going to magically fix your swing.  If you pick up any of today's clubs and hit them 20 yards further then you were simply making bad swings with the old one!  Today's clubs are so maxed out that innovation and forward progress is becoming more and more difficult to accomplish.  Drivers are quickly becoming like blade irons in that how much more can be done to them.  There are performance limits to drivers and so big yardage gains simply do not happen.  Now there are some drivers over in Japan that are expensive that are not conforming and that is a different story.  If they were producing a club with say a .900 COR then they literally have just handed you 15-20 extra yards.

Brand new clubs, that used to be 400-500 bucks can easily found online in the 130-200 dollar range.  So if you want a new tech at much lower prices then  I would go that route.  I find that the quickest way to find performance gains in a club is by paying attention to the more often overlooked traits of clubs like total weight and swing weight are much more effective because most new clubs weigh relatively the same and are about the same swing weight.  I was nervous at first but now I will drill a hole a hole in a club head so fast and put hotmelt in it to get my club to the swing weight that I want. I also use a steel shaft in my woods and driver simply because they weigh more and perform just the same as any graphite shaft and only cost 20 bucks.  My driver specs at F1 swing weight and 380 grams.....that changed how I delivered the club.  Much better tempo and consistency. I then had to adjust all of my other clubs in the bag accordingly.

To me the lesson is if you are going to pay 50 dollars or 5,000 for a club make sure that you have an understanding of what you are looking for and how you want it to feel and don't be scared to go outside if the normal parameters of off the rack clubs because they are very very similar off the rack. How do you know that D2 is the best swing weight for you if you have never hit a C2 or E2 swing weight before?  Once you find clubs that suit you then you reluctant to change them until new tech can actually prove a performance gain over what you have.

[SavvySwede]

@Rories1984 and at @Righty to Lefty , some valid points but this thread is 9 years old so I wouldn't expect a response from the OP

[Righty to Lefty]

@Rories1984 and at @Righty to Lefty, some valid points but this thread is 9 years old so I wouldn't expect a response from the OP

LOL...I didn't even pay attention to the date when I posted it !! Oh well who knows who will eventually come across this thread in the future !!

[stealthhwk]

IMHO, HELL NO!! My favorite driver ever is a 59.99 killer whale from wilson golf that i bought at academy. Had expensive ping, tm, and nike before. The more expensive ones never really out performed the cheaper ones. Plus, if your gonna spend that kind of money, spend it on a putter. You use the putter every hole, sometimes more than once. Driver is 7 or 8 times a round for most folks.

[Mr. Desmond]

The new Great Big Bertha is one that I can say  is worth the expense -- as forgiving as Pope Francis on your bad days, and longer on your best hits when properly fitted.

[onthehunt526]

It depends... I'm like the biggest Exotics fan out there. I play all Exotics clubs... Do I have an E8 in the bag? Hell, no... Would I buy one on Clearance in a year or so? Hell, yes... I'm actually thinking of an XCG6 or XCG7 which are now dirt cheap... But my X-Rail does my just fine... I love my driver I only paid $70 for it... You couldn't give me a $500 GBB, or a $500 Taylormade I'd just sell it for $400 and buy a new set of Exotics irons... That goes for any brand PING, TM, Callaway,Nike... Note to Erik and Mike: Get some Exotics Woods for our Prediction contests... I'm telling you $500 on a Driver ain't worth it.