Hit my first MOI driver this weekend. Verdict...

[JessN16]

...is a big, fat "I don't know yet."

I build my own clubs, and I assembled a Snake Eyes Mamba 2 9.5-degree driver on an Aldila Vse 60 shaft. I figured I probably needed to stay in R-flex; my swing speed was around 97-100 on woods back when I was a little younger, thinner and more apt to practice, and since I haven't played in about six years I figured I should skip the stiff stuff.

I've been playing with a Golfsmith Cermet MMC 9-degree driver for awhile and averaging about 240-250 a drive (with a range of 220-280 depending on how good I catch it).

The first thing I noticed about the Mamba 2 was the noise. I played the last three holes of my round Saturday with a couple of elderly gentleman I caught up to and joined up with. When I teed off with them the first time, I lasered it into the treeline about 250 yards down, causing one of the gentlemen to remark, "Son, I don't know if you're going to find that ball but that's one hell of a club you got there." This thing sounds like the Liberty Bell when you hit it.

I was playing a pretty tight course (Emerald Mountain in Wetumpka, Ala.) and playing it for the first time, but I really didn't drive well at all. I typically hit about 60-70 percent of my fairways; I was 1-for-7 on the front side and 2-for-7 on the backside.

Worse yet, I got my slice back. I was under the impression these MOI drivers were supposed to cure off-hits but this one did not. I was able to work the ball, however, which I couldn't do very easily with my Cermet MMC.

Overall, I averaged about 240-250 yards, which was what I usually do, and I missed a bunch of fairways. I did *not* play around with the adjustable weight ports, however, which I will do before I call this thing a waste of my time or not.

Best driver I ever hit was a Golfsmith Long Jon 10-degree, with a S-rated XPC Ultra Lite 65 bubble-type shaft. I still have it, and I might take it with me on a practice round sometime so I can compare and contrast.

Right now, I have to say I don't see what all the hubbub about MOI is -- but I do like my MOI putter (Golfsmith XPC Sapphire) that I put together a couple weeks ago.

Jess

[Lefty731PM]

...is a big, fat "I don't know yet."

Not quite sure what you're trying to express here, Jess.

60- 70% of fairways is fine in my book (as long as the others aren't OB) and 250 yards is good distance. You don't necessarily need a high MOI driver if you're accurate to start with. They don't cure anything and if you ain't got the disease........ Also, most of them do sound awful.

[JessN16]

Not quite sure what you're trying to express here, Jess.

Mostly just curiosity, and as a hobby. I also drill bowling balls and have 49 of them sitting around the house right now (my wife wishes I was joking about that).

MOI wasn't around when I quit playing, so when I got back into it this summer, my hobbyist bug took over and I figured I needed to see what this was all about. Prior to me building that Long Jon driver -- which at 350cc, was the biggest on the market when it came out -- I struggled driving the ball. Having the bigger driver head did give me more confidence back then. The Cermet MMC is (I think) a 270-290cc head and I built that in an effort to get a lower ball trajectory. Well, mission was accomplished at that point, to the extreme: I went from hitting high, controllable fades to dead-straight-but-too-low shots that (a) didn't get appreciably more distance, and (b) weren't as controllable (several OOB drives). And, the smaller head size didn't agree with me. So I guess you could say I've been playing a "semi-MOI" driver for years anyway, and figured more might be better. I'll keep fiddling with it through the end of this year. One thing I did like about it was that, even though the club is a 9.5-degree, I got a good balance of height and distance on the ball. Jess

[tjy355]

...

Not sure what this means exactly. Wouldn't EVERY club have an MOI? Wouldn't a rock tied to a stick have an MOI ?

[Snake]

I think he's talking about high-MOI drivers.
Just because a driver has high MOI or high COR or a 460cc head or whatever the latest innovation is, doesn't mean it's the right driver for you. Try it for a while, use the adjustable weights, if you never can get comfortable with it, try something else. Or try a different shaft with that head.

[T.J.K.]

MOI = Moment of Inertia.

I am assuming he is meaning the high MOI drivers since all drivers are "MOI drivers".

[JessN16]

MOI = Moment of Inertia.

Yes, exactly. "MOI" has become a marketing slogan as much as it describes a property of physics. I figured using the slang instead of spelling out my intentions every time might be in the interest of brevity.

And by "semi-MOI," I was kind of being cute about the fact that I was hitting an oversized head (the Long Jon) back before it became all the rage. But it's still 110cc smaller than the limit. Jess