Callaway FT-IQ performance

[chrt396]

Has anyone actually bought and hit the Callaway FT-IQ driver as of yet?? I currently have a TM Burner and although I hit it relatively consistent....there are a few of those off center hits that find no-mans land. I went to GolfSmith and demo'd one for about 20 minutes...and the monitor said that out of 40 shots...NONE went out of fairway. For some odd reason...I do NOT believe that. A couple of times the grip twisted in my hands and still...in the fairway. I said to the rep at the store that it must be inaccurate and he replied with a "This club is sick straight!" He was dead serious!! Well...there are no demo days in my area...can't find anyone that carries them that will let me demo them out of the store..and I'm not spending $500 on something that I don't know for sure if it will work. The driver has sold at auction for the mid threes..but I don't want to bid on something that cannot be returned. At least Golfsmith has a 90-90 playability policy. If anyone has one that can share experiences,it sure would be helpful. Thanks in advance!

[flap]

I did the Golfsmith thing also and came to the conclussion that I will wait till the FT-9 comes out in Feburary then choose then.

[tim31x]

when i demoed it a few weeks ago, it was the only callaway product i have ever really liked out of the recent products. it seemed to come off the face so hot and never had that clunky/plastic feel that the ft-5 had. i havent gotten a chance to hit it in a range over about 75yards though, and never tested it on the launch monitor.

[RocketSauce]

Ive hit it and like it. in regards to your hitting it and the club twisting in your hand but the ball still landing in the fairway, that sounds about right. i use the ft-i and just this past weekend i was remarking to my buddy i was playing with how i was mis-hitting the ball on the toe and on the heel a couple of times yet they were still flying out there 240ish right down the middle of the fairway. and the ft-iq is supposed to be even MORE forgiving than the ft-i.

[kyldo]

I just demo'd one like 20 minutes ago. I was really surprised about the feel. The FT IQ actually feels good and isn't tinny like other square drivers out there. It's also ridiculously straight. My only knock on it is that it sets up closed and obviously looks like a toaster. Hopefully a tour model comes out that sets up more open, because I would seriously consider buying one.

[Ben]

it seemed to come off the face so hot and never had that clunky/plastic feel that the ft-5 had.

Very true. Same of which holds true for the FT-9. I got a chance to hit both a while back now. Not for any length of time, just about 6 balls with each. I can't speak for the fairway nailing, because quite honestly, I don't have trouble finding the fairway. But I will speak for the sensational feel of the new FT drivers. I can't wait to get my FT-9.

[hamletsdead]

I did the same thing you did -- smacked a bucket at Golfsmith last week. The launch monitor seemed to be fairly accurate -- I duck hooked the first drive right out of the fairway, then hit about 70 more shots and was banging them pretty good -- 260 to 275 on my better shots, 235-245 on my average clunkers, and 220 or so on worm burners. My biggest off-line shot was about 17 yards, and the average miss left or right was about 8 yards; about half the shots were +/- 5 yards down the center. I'd love to take it out, but can't really justify a new driver. Maybe later. My old FT-i got stolen, so I'd like to replace it with the iq if I could.

[emcee]

i did the same thing as many of you. went to golfsmith and hit the demo's. the a**holes wanted to charge me to use the launch monitor, so i walked out. i have one ordered (there IS a tour model that has a slightly open face, but goes for $529-$550), i'm getting it for free so i figured i might as well get it. i also have a Sumo SQ 5000 on order. i just sold my r7, and ordered the nike, when i found out i could get the FT-iQ for free. so, in a few weeks i'll let you know how it actually performs on the course. all of the swings i took at golfsmith felt very pure.

worst case scenario, i will have an SQ 5000 to sell. best case, i'll sell the FT-iQ and improve my iron set.

can't wait to get my hands on it so i can report!

[localhawaii]

I got the FT-IQ tour 9.5 and I am still learning to try and hit it correctly. I previosly played with a ping g5 and then onto the ft-i. I am not a big hitter, but have liked the results from the IQ (I did gain about 10 yards of carry). I have found it very difficult to get over how closed the face is, my ft-i was not a tour model and it seemed more open than my IQ. Also, the head is a lot more elongated from face to tail, so I have issues with letting the club sit on the ground at setup, which cause the face to be even more closed at address.

Overall, I have found myself trying to adjust my grip/stance in an effort to prevent it flying off to the left. I wouldnt call it so much of a hook, cause its flight path is actually perfectly straight but its not going straight down the fairway. For some reason, widening my stance a few inches more than I did with my FT-I has seemed to help me fire this thing straigher...

[hamletsdead]

i did the same thing as many of you. went to golfsmith and hit the demo's. the a**holes wanted to charge me to use the launch monitor, so i walked out. i have one ordered (there IS a tour model that has a slightly open face, but goes for $529-$550), i'm getting it for free so i figured i might as well get it. i also have a Sumo SQ 5000 on order. i just sold my r7, and ordered the nike, when i found out i could get the FT-iQ for free. so, in a few weeks i'll let you know how it actually performs on the course. all of the swings i took at golfsmith felt very pure.

Wow, that's retarded that your Golfsmith did that -- did they take a lesson on how to alienate customers or what? I went in again this afternoon to hit the FT-iq again, and all they had to demo were the 9* and 10* clubs, and I hit about 50 drives -- all 10-18 yards left. The driver I use now is 2* open, and I hit it great, so the 2* closed face on the FT-iq doesn't do it for me. I was never a slicer, and the closed face just makes me pull everything. My Golfsmith isn't carrying the tour model for some reason, so I haven't had a chance to demo it. I'm assuming the .5* open face makes a big difference -- be nice to know if those 260 yard drives go straight down the middle.

Free, of course, is impossible to pass up.

[hypergolf]

I tried my friend's FT-Iq with Fubuki shaft and it went DEAD STRAIGHT. But I lost quite a lot of distance. Good sound and impact for those who like non-traditional shape. Good trampoline effect too. However, not for me.