< 8.5 degree drivers, where are they?

[BigDaddy_Sean]

so ... you can't find them anymore!

I've played between 7 and 8 degree drivers my whole life pretty much .. now they'e nowhere to be found ..

last driver I had was a 7.5 degree R580 .. I just bought a 9.5 r7 superquad .. and this thing goes SOOO high, even with the weight adjustments that I don't like it.

so ..what's out there that I can get in 7 - 8 degree anymore?

I know your going to say that the technology has changed and the flight pattern is different .. but I hit the ball SO high that a 9.5 degree driver goes higher than my pitching wedge sometimes at peak flight.

Last night I played a course with about 10 MPH wind .. into the wind i was hitting it 230 - 250, down wind .. +300. the R580 I could hit into the wind 260 - 270.

[chingali]

Have a look at some of the component head manufacturers like Bang, Alpha or SMT, they go as low as about 4* and all of them have a few models available as low as 6*. Good luck getting them in the air but if you want to have a go they are available.

[BigDaddy_Sean]

i'll look, but i'm more interested in the name brands like taylor made, callaway, etc..

I've been mainly playing big bertha, great big bertha, taylor r580 over the last 12 years.

[chingali]

Stick with your name brands if you like, but there is nothing wrong with the offerings from the better component manufacturers like Bang and SMT. Ever had a look at what the long drive guys use?

[BigDaddy_Sean]

lol no i havn't. i have no problem with component manufacturers, i used to build clubs when i was a kid .. my first new set was a set of Ping Eye 2 knockoffs from golfsmith :)

[bogeyhitter25]

http://www.globalgolf.com/product/go...spx?gd=3&lft;=4

Here is a Titleist 905T Driver. 7.5*, however it's only 400cc.

[chingali]

Or here's an even better idea, go to a good clubfitter and get yourself on a launch monitor. You may end up finding that your best launch conditions are with a combination that is surprising even perhaps nonsensical to you until you see the numbers. Just remember to keep an open mind and think about what they suggest.

And by a good clubfitter I don't mean go to your local retail outlet, I mean do a bit of research as to who is the best clubfitter in your local area. You can research it on the internet or you can go the old fashioned route and ask the better players from your area who they use. A good clubfitter will recommend what they think is best best based upon your action and the numbers you post on their equipment.

[chingali]

lol no i havn't. i have no problem with component manufacturers, i used to build clubs when i was a kid .. my first new set was a set of Ping Eye 2 knockoffs from golfsmith :)

Nah, what I'm saying is not to look at cheap knockoffs or copies, but clubs from the better component manufacturers. They aren't the same thing, the component manufacturers are manufacturers in their own right. They do their own R&D; and their equipment generally isn't cheap, in fact it can be almost as expensive as buying from Callaway, Ping, TM etc!

[DDBowdoin]

http://www.tgw.com/customer/search2....fr=N&a1098;=8.5

you can search on TGW by degree of loft... decent amount pulled up for 8.5

goodluck with the search!!

[beung]

TM makes the Superquad in a 8.5...unless you are a lefty.

I just don't think many retailers are going to get many 8.5 in stock because 9-10.5 seems to be where 95% of the people want their drivers to be. I am sure you could order the club from the store, it just might take longer for them to get it in.

You might also want to look at getting the 9.5 reshafted to lower the ball flight.

[BigDaddy_Sean]

TM makes the Superquad in a 8.5...unless you are a lefty.

i already tried that with the aldila nv 65 that was in my R580 .. it has a low torque, high flex .. it kept it down a little bit more but not a lot. I don't even think 8.5 is going to be low enough for me .. the great big bertha i played for years was a 7 degree, the r580 was a 7.5. i've seen a few tour issue drivers on ebay in the 7 degree range, thinking about getting one of those.

[williethekid]

going up in weight may also solve your problem of bringing the flight down, but I know the titleist drivers come in 8.5, as do older taylormade (r7425tp), if your really set on something new try the new adams drivers, they are long. I think one model even comes in 8.5,7.5,6.5, and 5.5 for the long drive hitters competitions. Check it out at thelongestdriveringolf.com

[DDBowdoin]

Ping g10 also comes in a 7.5... I've had the pleasure of hitting this club and I love it but you'll need to work on the right shaft combo

The V2 doesnt really suit my swing and the stock Ping shaft isnt the greatest shaft out there

[chingali]

i already tried that with the aldila nv 65 that was in my R580 .. it has a low torque, high flex .. it kept it down a little bit more but not a lot. I don't even think 8.5 is going to be low enough for me ..

Now you are getting on the right track. Driver loft isn't the only contributor to trajectory although it is the main one, shaft kick point is the other one. Maybe try something like a Diamana White Board shaft if you are looking for a lower trajectory.

Something else to keep in mind, the stated loft on the driver may not actually be the loft. It can vary up to a degree or so either way so whilst your head says 9* it may actually be 10*. A good clubfitter can measure the actual loft for you and match it to what you need. I was lucky enough to get inside a tour van a few years ago and saw a whole bunch of TM heads (510 TP's) lined up on the bench and they all had stickers on them with the measured loft and it WAS different to what they had stamped on them. I have at various times taken drivers I have purchased off eBay to my clubfitter and he has measured the loft and never has it been spot on accurate.

[BigDaddy_Sean]

yup. I know that oh too well. LOL. I worked in shops throughout the 90's and understand the shaft has as lot to do with it.

And that's what I remember reading about the R7's also, that you can change the flight pattern with weights up or down a degree. I moved the weights to low trajectory and it's still extremely high.

I'm 6'5" 280lbs so I hit the ball high like i said .. my 5 iron looks like everybody elses 7 iron .. haha.

[DJYoshi]

Have a look at some of the component head manufacturers like Bang, Alpha or SMT, they go as low as about 4* and all of them have a few models available as low as 6*. Good luck getting them in the air but if you want to have a go they are available.

Alphas are GREAT drivers! If you like the feel of the 9.5, have you thought about changing the shaft on it? swapping the shaft does WONDERS!

I went from that high a** ball flight to the desired one that dropped it drastically and makes it run more by going from the standard in a hiborexl to a YS6 to the shaft I'm using now: Diamana Whiteboard. trust me...try it out.

[onthehunt526]

I used to carry an 8.5 degree Driver... And I hit the ball so high it doesn't matter I used to carry a KZG Maraging Power Driver with 5 degrees of loft and I still hit it too high...

[scooterguitar]

I used to play an 8.5. Trying drivers yesterday with the launch monitor I was suprised.
I have been hitting a 10.5, but sky high. One 8.5 got me where I needed, and one 9.5 different maker got me there. It is all different than a few years back, loft is a starting point, but each head and shaft plays a huge role in the actual launch angle and ball flight.