Square Drivers

[gmanuel25]

Do the rest of you believe the hype that square-head drivers help you hit the ball straighter? I use to own the Dymo2, and found that I DID NOT hit the ball any straighter than I did with any of my previous or current driver. If it really works, I find it hard to believe that OEM's like Taylor Made, Titleist, Ping, etc., haven't released any of these yet.

What do you guys think?

[P3R3]

I cant stand the look at address. I prefer the classic driver look.

[CG031]

I cant stand the look at address. I prefer the classic driver look.

Same. I hate the look and feel of it but I hit it really darn straight the few times I tried the FT-i, and the FT-iq.

[piper_clap]

My current driver is a square head (Powerplay from Hireko. Looks like a FTI clone)

I hit my friend's Callaway X460 just as straight and long on a pure stroke. I do notice that swings that are just a tiny bit off still work out well, where they didn't with my last (traditional shaped) driver. But a slice swing will still put me in the rough. I'm not sure how much of this is due to the club or an improvement in my game over the last year.

I do, however, like the look at address. It gives me a little mental cue to takeaway long and low, and to swing through the ball.

[twinke masta]

I am a terrible swinger, but I hit my FT-i 3 wood straight just about everytime, even when I mess up. Not the case with the driver thats for sure.

[LBlack14]

I picked up a COBRA L4V and this thing is as straight and long as anything I've hit and I've owned 3 different square designs.

[jonnythan]

If you don't like the square driver look/sound, there are a few drivers on the market that have internal weights at the back corners, which in theory should recreate the high off-center hit forgiveness you'd find in a square driver. It would seem to me that the head shape would make no difference whatsoever if you don't have the driver face square at impact - it would only help when you hit the ball square but off-center. A "normal" driver would twist a little more on such an impact, sending the ball the wrong way.

I'm no expert though.

[plickerman]

I do believe the hype as far as off center hits and forgiveness go; however, my guess would be that a terrible over the top and open face swing will still slice pretty bad....surely you can duck hook the thing as well...

[wrx_junki]

My shots were more sprayed with the square headed drivers.

[powermatt99]

I am much straighter with the FT-i than I was with my last traditional driver. It seems easier to keep everything in line. I don't know if its the weighting or the shape, but I have been hitting the FT-i pretty good. For some reason, I tend to sky my FT-i more than any other driver. Thankfully, not playing in the trees or dropping out of hazards makes up for a sky ball or two.

[blcorn80]

Just switched to an FT-i a few rounds ago. I love the way I hit the ball with the FT-i. Like others have stated, it's biggest advantage is in off-center hits. If I get really out-of-line with my swing path, I can hook or slice it no problem, but so long as I am swinging with that nice inside-square-inside path, heel or toe contact still sends the ball straight down the middle.

I never really understood people complaining about how a driver looks at address. If I feel like I'm going to hit the ball 270 down the middle with a club, I don't care what it looks like.

[blcorn80]

... I don't know if its the weighting or the shape, but I have been hitting the FT-i pretty good. For some reason, I tend to sky my FT-i more than any other driver. Thankfully, not playing in the trees or dropping out of hazards makes up for a sky ball or two.

I found that I have to tee the ball about a quarter- or half-inch lower with my FT-i than I did with my old R7. It took me a few sky-balls to figure that out.

[CarlSpackler]

I cant stand the look at address. I prefer the classic driver look.

Ditto that. The square drivers look like hitting a shoebox on a stick to me.

[HytrewQasdfg]

Game improvement equipment is not the same as game error elimination equipment.

Most of these improvements are pretty subtle (imho). Hit the ball off the toe of the club, and it's going somewhere awful. Doesn't matter what the club is.

I seem to recall a quote from Tiger last year that the reason he didn't use the square version of his Nike driver was he couldn't work the ball with the square version. Tiger's "working the ball" is for many amateurs the swing error they are trying to eliminate so they can hit the ball straight.

[NYJetsfan]

I own the same Nike and hate it. Loved it at first, but found out very quickly that it's no more forgiving than any other driver on the market.

[plickerman]

I am much straighter with the FT-i than I was with my last traditional driver. It seems easier to keep everything in line. I don't know if its the weighting or the shape, but I have been hitting the FT-i pretty good. For some reason,

I've read that these drivers usually impart a higher spin, thus straighter and a bit shorter....at least in the reviews I've read. Perhaps if you naturally impart more backspin, this exagerates it thus the ball ballooning a bit??

[sp33d]

I like mine but its not nearly as ugly as some of them out there, I hate the sound of it, but when I do hit it... it goes like a bat out of hell.

But it is probably going to be going buh bye, when I find a new driver that offers a little bit more control. I can draw/fade it well, but not on a consistent path. dog leg lefts kill me because I'm not exactly sure where its going to go. Fades are easier to predict but what eva.

[ApocG10]

I own 3 drivers (actually 2, because my father commandeered the Ping Rapture), one is a Nike Sumo 5900 with a square head, the others are a Titleist 909D2 and the Rapture.

The Nike is a little longer, but I absolutely can not hit straight with it at all. The ball always ends up at least 30 yards right of where im aiming. The Rapture is about 20 yards shorter, but my good hits are dead straight. The 909D2, which is the driver I use, is also straight, and I hit as long as do with the Nike, but its straight, or a very light fade. So for me it isnt true that the Nike is straighter most of the time.

BUT... My mishits with the Nike are usually much better than the mishits with either the Titleist or the Ping. So I see where the extra forgiveness comes in, but its not enough to make me want to use the the Nike over the others. Now I play strictly with the Titleist.

But, unlike everyone else, I love the look of the Nike. I find it to be a very good looking club. But im planning on trading it with a friend for a bettinardi putter next time he makes the trip here.