Matching TaylorMade M3 to R7 Face

[Colins69]

I've used the M3 but prefer the R7, I think it's primarily because of the difference in shaft and lie loft angles. Has anyone tried to match the difference of your preferred driver to the latter model based on the fact it should be better. I have the R7 set with all the weights in the fade position and it's 8.5deg, my M3 standard 9.5deg which means if I set it to 8.5deg I open the face? It would also mean that the shaft will play a little differently as I've altered the spine and flo therefore would you say I need to remove and reset the grip and adapter? If you tried this with your new and improved driver head did you find it successful, plz advise so I can decide if it's worth pursuing?

[iacas]

The r7 is a pretty old driver, and while I don't think tech is advancing anywhere near as fast as the companies would have us believe, the r7 has been outdone by now.

I don't know what your handicap is or anything, but as a +1 I can say that I don't think matching the face angle to within a degree, etc. will matter, mostly because the way the shaft behaves will play a much larger role here.

If you're looking for some more club fitting info, I'll tag @Adam C.

[Adam C]

I think you need to start by quantifying what you prefer about the R7. Distance, accuracy, feel, look. Like Erik said, year to year you aren't changing much but here we are talking about 10 years of tech, and that is something significant. Drivers today are different and you probably can't really do an apples to apples comparison with them. They are larger (head size compared to the 400cc R7), lighter, and have longer shafts. All those things take getting used to. And I wouldn't assume that the specs on your R7 will translate into a modern driver just because they are so different.

Could you add weight to the head, cut the shaft down, and try and replicate the R7? Sure. But I would suggest hitting the M3 with the stock setup first (at least 100 balls) just to get used to it. Then you can start looking at ball flight (ie too high, losing it left, etc) and you can adjust the hosel or slider weights accordingly.

Also, I wouldn't worry about the spine or flo personally. If you have a good quality shaft, it does not do anything. If you have a shaft that would in theory need it, then you have a bad shaft and turning it different directions won't change the fact that shaft should be in the trash not a golf club.