Considering a new giant head driver

Hi all.  I should start off by giving a bit of history.  I'm currently 27 and took up this wonderful/horrible game when I was about 12 or 13 years old.  I played through high school, then joined the military and didn't touch a club for 10 years.  All my clubs were in storage with my parents the whole time.  As of this season I'm back into the game and have a lot of catching up to do.

I'm still rocking all my old clubs, which includes a top-of-the-line Taylor Made Burner Bubble driver.  At least it was top-of-the-line when I got it for my 15th birthday.  Now, it feels like I'm emerging from a time capsule when I walk around in a golf shop.  When I was a teenager, the Ti Bubble 2 and the Biggest Big Bertha were the sideshow freaks of the driver world, and they were both around 290cc or so, IIRC.  Now, I read on this forum about how some people are interested in trying "smaller" drivers with only 400-420cc

So my question is this.  I'm wondering if it would be worth it, so to speak, to give a 460cc driver a try.  If so, what would be a good club to go with?  I have no interest in going with the latest and greatest of 2011, and would be more than happy with an older model with a couple of rounds on it already.  I can hit my Burner Bubble very well at times, but the consistency isn't always there.  I absolutely am not looking for an equipment solution to a swing problem, but I can't help but wonder if I'm genuinely hindering myself by playing a driver that's so out of date with current technology.

Here is a good one on the cheap($40) if you want to go with a 9.5 and stiff shaft.

http://www.golfsmith.com/products/MG1100/MacGregor/MT_460_Driver #

Taylormade superfast 2010 model, new online for 149, used for about a hundred bucks.  Alittle funky looking but it really bombs the ball with great launch and low spin.  I personally still use the 983k and love it.  There are so many drivers out there, it really comes down to your budget.

I'm looking at about $150-ish, give or take whatever I think I can sneak past my wife.  My interest in the new drivers was prompted by seeing a rack of TM '09 Burners at Dicks Sports for $99.00 last week.  I'm sitting here at work right now wondering if they have any left and thinking I may have passed up a really good deal.

go with the 2010 burner superfast, $149 brand new right now as retailers blow out their inventory.  cant go wrong.

The driver I listed above is just as good as the 09 Burner at 40% of the cost!  Should make your wife happier too!

I've always hit a 10.5 regular flex.  The price is definitely right, but I'm not sure if it will fit my swing.  I could probably deal with 9.5* without issue, but stiff shafts really don't work well for me.

Picked up a TaylorMade R9 460 used(been played with a few scratches (like I care) but it was in decent condition) from E-bay for $68 (you should be able to find them in the 80-110 range easily if you can wait a few days to find a good one).  I've tried the regular R9 and the R9 460 I much prefer my 460 and it fixed my slice (mostly) since you can adjust face angle.  I've always played the time capsule clubs(I laughed at the Big Bertha when it came out) but I can tell you that its so impossibly easy to hit that 460 and you can even be off center an inch and still hit the hell out of it(they claim only 4yd reduced distance with 1" off center). I hit far(yes really I do) and between the adjustment and the size It has allowed me to focus on other aspects of my swing since I KNOW I'm gonna hit it that that giant head. I would highly recommend at least trying one.  I was pretty resistant to it, but my dad had one and let me hit it at the range and after that I was in his bag every round... it really made a difference to my game.  The 460 hits a little higher so you might want the 9.5 but the 10.5 are usually even less expensive.

I play the Burner Superfast in a 9.5 with a stiff shaft. My shaft is cut down to 45" and it is an absolute bomber off the tee. It has a strange shape (So do most of the burner drivers) but if you can get over that I would give one of those a try.

A standard burner for $99 is a great deal, too.

Cant go wrong with a taylor made driver. My R7 is a little short for me and i still hit it 250

LOL ..... Most TM drivers have too long shafts, look terrible and have flexes that are softer than stated. Besides if you ever would buy a new one, 3 months later it will be the previous model !

I agree with all of this and it is true for all of their woods... my 5 wood is supposedly stiff but its the floppiest club i own, its like 8 models behind the newest and its almost as long as my 3 wood.

But the proof is in the pudding my friend and to me TM Drivers and Woods hit really good even though looking at them objectively they look like akward shaped noodle shafted things designed more to make you part with your money then improve your golf game.

Well, thanks for all the help everyone.  I decided to bit the bullet and get a new driver.  I went back to Dicks and they had one '09 Burner left with regular flex and 10.5*, so I grabbed it for $99+tax.  Played 9 holes over the weekend after hitting a small bucket with it to get a feel for the huge increase in head size.  Normally I hit between 0-2 FIR for 9 holes, but I hit 4 with the new driver, and the misses still were playable from the rough.  Not one single ball ended up in the woods all day.  I'm a believer!

Beware of the honeymoon!