Switching drivers!!!

I recently went out looking for a new driver to replace my RBZ bonded.  I've hit several different clubs and can't find anything that fits me.  I bought a Taylormade Aeroburner, 915 D2, and tried the R15 with no luck.  After doing some research I found the weight of the shaft on the RBZ is 59.  With the aeroburner I had too much flex on the shaft and was pushing everything to the right.  the 915 I have a bad hook and can't get any height.  The shaft of the 915 is 70 gram.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

You should be fit for a driver like you get fit for irons. I can't hit the Titleist. I can hit the Callaway. But a swing flaw will show up the most on a driver.

I am sold on the Cobra Fly Z. It tested top on another pretty popular golf forums user tests and seems to do all it is hyped as doing for me at least, a good solid compromise between length and accuracy, hugely adjustable so a half decent fitter should be able to get it well sorted for you

I usually average between 270 or 280 on my drives and would gladly give up distance for accuracy.  I bought a Callaway XR the other day and haven't got back out to hit it much.  Tomorrow will be judgment day for it.  I went for a fitting thursday but believe it wasn't as good as it shouldve been.

I've heard the new Callaway Great Big Bertha, just being introduced on the 28th, is the Holy Grail...

Available for demo now at stores.

And the 815 is available at preowned, which is having a sale on drivers.

Sure there is. Lessons with a good instructor..... :)

Exactly... it's the hype ... lots of hype with this driver.

I hit it today... the stars did not align and the heavens did not call out...

But it will be popular.

(shaft length is too long, grips needs adjustment, 42g Bassara is smooth, better results with KK Black, 14 launch, 2500 spin, and it's still a driver ... tough club)

I just switched to the XR Pro (from a Titleist 907 D2), still getting used to it but I like it.

Serious answer...

Drivers are odd creatures. One never knows how you'll respond to it, until you hit it.

Typically, you find a head and loft that you can hit well and then fine tune with a shaft.

Since you've hit 2 major OEMs without luck, try Ping, Callaway, Cobra.

Ping G30

Callaway Big Bertha 815, XR, the new Great Big Bertha, Callaway V Series (all except the GBB are on callawaypreowned)

Cobra FlyZ

See which heads appeal to you, but hit them all. Check the loft. If you hit with a positive angle of attack (hit up), then you may be fine with a lower loft. Depends on the driver.

Shaft -- typically the 70g shafts will be  low spin, low launch - sounds as if those do not work for you.  The 65g shafts are more mid launch, mid spin, and the 55g shafts are somewhat similar but will tend to have more spin than the 65 and slightly higher launches.

Look at flex - if you are between 80-90, then R flex, if 90-100 Stiff flex, but it also depends on transition - quick and/or late release = stronger flex.

Driver shaft length - most are 45.5-46 inches and are too long for most of us to hit accurately and consistently. Try 45 inches, but if buying new, ask for a certain swing weight such as D2-D3 so you can feel the head during the swing. Shortening shaft length will reduce swing weight, so ask for a certain weight -- a good OEM will go through and find a heavier head or place a heavier weight in the head for balance.

And heavier shafts will produce more swing weight at standard stock length as opposed to the standard stock shaft weight.

Lots of variables, but Hope that helps.

Yes, drivers are weird creatures. I would also check stores for some of the 2014 models. They are still available and are cheap in comparison to the new ones. I game the 2014 Callaway Big Bertha standard. Right now you can find it NEW for about $150.

I play the stock R-shaft. The driver came 45.5" with a D2 but I had it cut to 44.5" which makes it a C8 and very slightly stiffer in the shaft, but with the lighter SW I can swing it faster and I'm getting 96-97 mph with an R shaft with no issues - this measured by GC2. There is no cut and dried thing that you must have a stiff shaft for certain swing speeds. It's what feels good and what works best for you.

And warning: Aldila shafts - their R shaft is for 90-100 mph SS. Their A shaft is for 75-90 mph SS.

What get me is I hit them well in the store and take them out and different result.  I do need to get some lessons, I know I have some bad habits that need fixed as well as a different swing.  I use a very strong grip on the driver and it causes havoc at times.  Its just too inconsistent for me.  I played yesterday in the morning and hit all but 2 fairways and later that evening I couldn't keep them straight.  I know alot of it comes from my swing.  Thanks folks for all the pointers.

Some people increase their tempo on the course and that leads to poor shots. The sequencing is thrown off, for me, the arms get involved too early instead of the lower body.

I go to the range, hit a wedge, and focus on half speed, 3/4 speed sequencing, and after a time, hit a few drivers the same way -hitting punch drivers to get the sequencing, and then taking a complete swing but slowing it down so as not to throw off sequencing; then going back to wedges and sequencing.

On drivers, look at consistency and your numbers -- the new numbers seem to be 14 degrees of launch, low to mid 2k spin, depending on your swing speed.

I just switched from a Big Bertha (from 2008 I think) to a PING G30.  You'd think from reading all the club makers adverts about technology improvements over the intervening 6-7 years that the G30 would be night and day easier to play but for me it isn't massively different.  I can maybe hit it a bit further with a nicer trajectory and the adjustability has been interesting to experiment with but bottom line it still takes a lot of practice to hit it right!

One of the golf magazines in the UK did a test recently with a bunch of new drivers and then compared them with the same makers top of the range from a while ago (maybe a decade or more) and even for the pro that was doing the testing the difference seemed marginal.

I'd say trying different options out with a club fitter that knows what they are doing is a good option.

Hmmm, Rick Shiels is hitting the new 2016 Great Big Bertha with 40 more yards of carry and total distance than the 1997 Great Big Bertha.

Case closed ...

(even if the firm flex does not suit Rick; today's balls are different, the 9 degrees in 1997 may be 11 degrees, and the 1997 lacks 1.5-2 inches - 40 yards is 40 yards, and I always wanted to say "case closed")

They are of different eras. The 43.5-44 inches should help hit the smaller sweetspot of the '97.

Today's drivers are more forgiving all over the face ... some more forgiving than others. The distance may not be 40 yards considering the differences BUT one ought to be more consistent with today's drivers. Now if one would stick with a properly fitted driver for 2-3 years, they would find life is easier.

The main issue is forgiveness. The issue with PGA Tour players are they are hitting the "effective" sweetspot way more often then amateurs. So they were maxing out the drivers capabilities.

It's also how the drivers are designed, and how they should be hit. If you take a 975D driver from the turn of the century (2000), it was designed for a ball that spun a lot more. So you needed to hit down on the ball, use spin to produce lift. This is why PGA Tour players had some absurdly low lofted drivers back then. I remember Phil as hitting something like a 5 degree driver.

If you want to say, well middle of the clubface strikes produce the same ball speeds. Yea, the ball speeds are not drastically off. When you match everything together with today's tech. Hitting up on the ball, lower spinning golf balls, lower spinning drivers, getting to use more loft, custom fit. These things add a lot of distance and improve accuracy. Throw in the fact that off-center hits still go a long ways helps a ton as well.

His test was kinda, "meh", in my opinion. He had some very bad strikes in their bringing down the numbers for the Bertha. If you want to actually compare similar strikes. If I take the strikes with similar smash factors (efficiency). The carry distance is 264 with the old Bertha to 281.

You are seeing a 23 yard difference in carry on similar strikes. In some cases the distance is only 10 yards apart. I would be very hesitant to just look at general averages. Given forgiveness is a huge trait with modern clubs.

You are comparing clubs that are 20 years apart. The OP was talking early 2000's it seems. Go grab an ERC-II from the early 2000's and see how that compares. It would probably compare favorably.

Thought the comparison was interesting, especially forgiveness.

It is about today's versus a bygone era ... forgiveness is a large part of the equation.

We want good strikes with consistency, and today's properly fitted drivers have the opportunity of doing so.  In '97, no one but pros were fitted for the most part. Irons were fitted. Eli was known to pump up the lofts to soothe egos. A trend that continued until the last couple of years. In 1997, the GBB 9 degree was probably 11 degrees.

If one brought the 45.5 inches of today's drivers to 44-44.5, I think we'd find drivers easier and more consistent. But you need a skilled club maker for that... I'd like to see an OEM bring out the 44 inch driver in a 460 cc head and market it to higher cappers, although low cappers may want it as much.