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Just Fitted, new driver worth it?


Rippy_72
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My current driver is about 10 years old, it is a 9 degree R11S Taylormade with a blue Diamana stiff shaft.  It feels a little much stiff for me but I can still hit it.  I have not played in 6 years and have lost about 10 mph clubspeed, hoping to buy some distance back.  I do not load the club very hard in relation to swing speed.  The fitter had me hit shots with my driver to establish a baseline and then many shots with a Cobra headed driver with many different shafts of the same length as my driver.  With the graphite designs tour ad di 6S (I liked this shaft), I got more 2-3 mph swing speed but a slightly lower smash factor resulting in only 2-3 more mph ball speed.  I probably just needed more time to find the sweet spot on the Cobra??.  2-3 mph increase in swing speed is a lot and I was getting 4-7 more yards overall per the launch monitor IIRC, is it the aerodynamics of the Cobra head compared to my chunky looking R11S.  The shaft?    I wish there was a way to put the graphite designs tour ad di shaft into my R11s as a test.  Maybe,  I would get 5-7 yards?  The monitor print out only shows carry distance.  The spin with the graphite designs tour ad di was around 2700-3000, launch 15.5-16.5 degrees, 165-168 mph ball whereas my driver was 2300-2400 spin average, 12-13 launch, 163-165 ball speed.  Not sure if those numbers mean much.   I know I usually get a lot of run on my tee shot.  My gut feeling is I am wasting my time going back to hit the 4-5 selected shafts outdoors.  I should just stay with the old dog.  I also lost some confidence in the fitter because the iron shaft that he put me into is totally wrong.....lousy ball flight and big hook.

Any advice?

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We had a Callaway club fitting day at the club a week ago. I hit the new Mavrik and my three year old Epic. The Mavrik gave me about the same results you got....around 5-7 yards. I think it might be the shaft more than the club head. I'm not gonna drop $500 for a "not all the time" extra 5-7 yards. I might look into replacing the shaft and see what happens. 

My bag:

Taylor Made R7 (x-stiff).
Taylor Made Burner 2 irons (stiff)
Cleveland Wedges (gap and 60)
Odyssey two ball putter (white) 

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Where did you get fit?

Driver tech has advanced enormously since that old R11S.  You should find something that is significantly better these days.

I’d think about a different fitter...

In David's bag....

Driver: Titleist 910 D-3;  9.5* Diamana Kai'li
3-Wood: Titleist 910F;  15* Diamana Kai'li
Hybrids: Titleist 910H 19* and 21* Diamana Kai'li
Irons: Titleist 695cb 5-Pw

Wedges: Scratch 51-11 TNC grind, Vokey SM-5's;  56-14 F grind and 60-11 K grind
Putter: Scotty Cameron Kombi S
Ball: ProV1

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At your ball speeds, those launch and spin numbers are way higher then you would want. Your current driver is giving you much more appropriate numbers for your speed. The new heads are supposed to be more aerodynamic to increase speed. The shaft won't really change speed unless the weight is different (ie lighter). That being said, different feeling shafts can change how you deliver the club and sequence your down swing which might give better club speed.

I would dial down the loft on that Cobra and see if the numbers get better.

The numbers as they are would not make me want to change unless your dispersion was better? Did not see anything about your misses in your post.

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Adam C.   Thank you, good point.  The Cobra was 10.5 degrees.  That is probably it,  I am not sure why that was selected.   I told the fitter that I was looking for closer to 2000-2200 spin because those were the numbers I got with Jim Mclean about 12 years or so ago.  This fitter likes 2600-2800 for me.  I do not know a lot about this stuff.  Maybe I need more spin now that I am older (61 years old)

David in FL.  I was consistently 1.505-1.515 smash factor with my old R11S and about 1.495-1.505 with the Cobra.  That confused me.  I expected the new technology to be better but my old club was better.  Part of my confusion what to do.  Maybe off center hits the new club heads are better.  

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4 minutes ago, dennyjones said:

?   WOW!

I know.  Can you believe the old stuff was better than the new club.  I was a little surprised myself.  I am thinking maybe to reshaft the old club.

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From my limited understanding of these sort of things, wouldn't the fitter try a number of different combinations of shafts and heads to find the ideal combination. Wouldn't you normally expect a fitter to try something other than the Cobra?

My old 1W has hit its last ball one way or the other. Making this process something in my near future.

 

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Just now, mcanadiens said:

one way or the other.

That describes my typical ball flight, too. :-D

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Craig
What's in the :ogio: Silencer bag (on the :clicgear: cart)
Driver: :callaway: Razr Fit 10.5°  
5 Wood: :tmade: Burner  
Hybrid: :cobra: Baffler DWS 20°
Irons: :ping: G400 
Wedge: :ping: Glide 2.0 54° ES grind 
Putter: :heavyputter:  midweight CX2
:aimpoint:,  :bushnell: Tour V4

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11 minutes ago, mcanadiens said:

From my limited understanding of these sort of things, wouldn't the fitter try a number of different combinations of shafts and heads to find the ideal combination. Wouldn't you normally expect a fitter to try something other than the Cobra?

 

Thanks.  I don't know,  I really don't know..... this was the first time I ever was fitted for a driver.  I think the idea is to find a handful of shafts that you like on the monitor.  Then, you come back on another appointment and hit them at an outside venue.  He is a very nice person and highly rated.  The thrust of my question?  Am I likely to get enough of an increase to justify probably $700, just guessing what a top shaft costs.  3-7 yards maybe?  $100-200 a yard.    LOL.  Not made of money, I could probably like to take an Aimpointer class on putting.

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I probably wouldn't lay out $700 to gain 5 yards if you're not getting better dispersion. 

But I'm surprised you didn't pick up more.  Of course everyone is different but I just switched from an R11S to a Cobra Speedback.  During the fitting, I swung the Cobra 2mph slower--likely because I was getting tired towards the end of a full bag fitting--but still hit it 23 yards farther on the launch monitor.  I was fitted into a $400 shaft but ended up buying a shaft with a similar profile that I could get direct from Cobra with no upcharge.  I've only played 1 round, but I did find myself further down the fairway than normal and in front of my playing partner who usually beats me. 

Like Dave said, I think the technology of clubheads has significantly improved since the R11S.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Dan

:tmade: R11s 10.5*, Adila RIP Phenom 60g Stiff
:ping: G20 3W
:callaway: Diablo 3H
:ping:
i20 4-U, KBS Tour Stiff
:vokey: Vokey SM4 54.14 
:vokey: Vokey :) 58.11

:scotty_cameron: Newport 2
:sunmountain: Four 5

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1 hour ago, Rippy_72 said:

Thanks.  I don't know,  I really don't know..... this was the first time I ever was fitted for a driver. 

This will be my first time also. ... Up until now, everything has been second-hand or off the shelf. 

If I'm paying the big bucks, I want my guy to go through the spectrum of possibilities. 

And yeah, 7 yards would not be worth $700 to me.

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Cheapest way for more distance is buying very long tees (and playing it off the left toe).

Thanks for whoever mentioned dispersion.  That is a good point, can't really tell from the launch monitor data.

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Those smash factor numbers were jacked up in my opinion. You don't see regular golfers hit 1.5 ever really unless the machine has been altered.

Again, you need to turn the loft down before you will be able to see any meaningful difference in distance. Get the launch around 12 at most and drop the spin under 2500 would be a good start.

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1 hour ago, Rippy_72 said:

Thanks for whoever mentioned dispersion.  That is a good point, can't really tell from the launch monitor data.

If you have no idea if the new club is more accurate than the old one, I don’t think you should buy it.

Bill

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” - Confucius

My Swing Thread

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1 hour ago, Adam C said:

Those smash factor numbers were jacked up in my opinion. You don't see regular golfers hit 1.5 ever really unless the machine has been altered.

Again, you need to turn the loft down before you will be able to see any meaningful difference in distance. Get the launch around 12 at most and drop the spin under 2500 would be a good start.

I did make it to the finals in the National Long Driving Championship once.  

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2 hours ago, Adam C said:

Again, you need to turn the loft down before you will be able to see any meaningful difference in distance. Get the launch around 12 at most and drop the spin under 2500 would be a good start.

(raises his hand from the back row of the conference hall):  Why wouldn't he want higher launch and much lower spin? Wouldn't that give him longer carry and total distance?

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Craig
What's in the :ogio: Silencer bag (on the :clicgear: cart)
Driver: :callaway: Razr Fit 10.5°  
5 Wood: :tmade: Burner  
Hybrid: :cobra: Baffler DWS 20°
Irons: :ping: G400 
Wedge: :ping: Glide 2.0 54° ES grind 
Putter: :heavyputter:  midweight CX2
:aimpoint:,  :bushnell: Tour V4

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31 minutes ago, Missouri Swede said:

(raises his hand from the back row of the conference hall):  Why wouldn't he want higher launch and much lower spin? Wouldn't that give him longer carry and total distance?

IMG_1644.jpeg.11cd52ea429957a7001bed0c3a518407.jpeg

IMG_1645.jpeg.e858b7c402b241894ad46623f4092781.jpegIMG_1646.jpeg.1cdab96cc27b9bd27e24da0946819592.jpeg

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At 165 ball speed, you don't need or want 15 degrees or more of launch angle. It's too much by far. For control and better overall distance you want to be around 12 degrees. You can look at tour guys around that 165 ball speed. All of them are under 12 degrees of launch. 

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Note: This thread is 1507 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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