Cleveland HiBORE XL S (9.5*)

[Fairway_CY]

Hey guys...

I have a few questions. Bought a Cleveland HiBORE at Sports Authority tonight. They only have the small cage to hit in... so I couldn't really get an HONEST feel for how I was hitting it... but I compared it to the Nike SUMO 5000 and the feel was just... smoother. What I mean is when I hit the Nike club... I could feel it. When I hit the HiBORE... I didn't feel anything, and in my experience... those shots have always been my best with my old driver (TaylorMade R540 10.5*).

So... my questions:

1. Does anybody have this club, and if so... do you like it.
2. I'm basically looking to upgrade from the R540, which I know this is... but SHOULD it give me a bit more distance?
3. I have a question on what the shaft says... I'll list the details and if anybody could help me out with what they mean, I'd appreciate it.

It's a 60 gram Fujikara shaft.

Says Torque 3.5
Kick Point Low/Mid
Tip Active
Fit-On 'M'

What do those mean?

The guy at Sports Authority didn't know crap about it... but the club was cheap and it felt good. If nothing else, after I hit it a bit... if I don't like it, I can always trade up at the local pro shop, but I'd like to know what those mean on the shaft.

Also... I went with a 9.5* instead of the 10.5* because with the R540... my drives have been miles high and I have been losing distance with it. When I catch a GOOD drive with that club... it goes 250-275. On average, I'd say closer to 225-235.

Any thoughts on if this should help improve my distance?

Thanks guys...

CY

[WUTiger]

Fairway CY,

I got a new driver and 3-wood at Christmas time.

HiB XLS Red finished a close second to the Callaway Hyper-X Tour driver I tested and bought.

I tried out this Cleveland driver in two versions of 10.5* regular shafts:
* HiB XLS Yellow w/55 gram graphite shaft
* HiB XLS Red w/65 gram graphite shaft

On the Hyper-X I could feel the shot better (more feedback) than on the HiB ; also, the Hyper-X parabolic face technology seemed to fit better for someone who wanted to work the ball.

Overall, Hyper-X also delivered a higher consistency rating than other drivers, and the lowest launch angle (which was too high with my old driver).

Ping G10 was in the test, but scored lowest and had the least feel of the ones I hit.

++++++

Improve distance? Go to the driving range with some StrikeNSwipe impact labels. Put one on the face of your driver, and see where you're making contact on clubface, and where ball goes. Among other things, it will tell you which tee height works best for your driver.

[mhodar13]

The m flex is senior flex. That may be a problem for you if you swing any harder than 70 mph. If you swing hard the shaft will be way too wippy. But, my dad has it in 10.5 with an ALDILA NV 65 gram regular flex shaft and we both love it. I hit my Burner better, but I still love the XLS. I usually have trouble swinging a regular flex as my swing is really fast, but I can control my Dad's XLS with ease. Really nice club overall. Loud as hell though.

[Fairway_CY]

The m flex is senior flex. That may be a problem for you if you swing any harder than 70 mph. If you swing hard the shaft will be way too wippy.

I have a fast swing (hasn't been timed, but it's pretty fast) but the flex is actually stiff. Says at the bottom of the tag on the shaft "S Flex".

But 'M' is something called Fit-On. I'm not sure what that means. Basically, hitting at Sports Authority showed me very little other than that I liked the feel. The sound was loud... but not any louder than the SUMO 5000. It just didn't 'vibrate' when I hit the ball like the club tends to do with my R540 and with the SUMO 5000 at Sports Authority. I've got a Club Championship match to play tomorrow... and I'm bringing both clubs (the R540 and HiBORE) just in case I can't get used to it on the range in the morning, but... hopefully the feel results in shots as pure as they felt into the netting. CY

[Ram]

I have this club in the 8.5 degree loft with the stiff red shaft. I hit the ball high, so the red shaft + lower loft has helped me lower my launch angle, but if you like a higher ball flight or have trouble getting the ball in the air, go with the gold shaft. Personally, I love this driver--it goes a long way, and when I catch it solid, it's probably louder than any other driver I've ever hit, which is a plus for me.

I say give it a shot.

[mhodar13]

I have a fast swing (hasn't been timed, but it's pretty fast) but the flex is actually stiff. Says at the bottom of the tag on the shaft "S Flex".

Oh, ok. I don't know what fit on is either. My swing is really fast too, but I haven't been clocked either lol, But it's fast enough to hit straight drives 270-300 so it's gotta be 110+. Well, hope you enjoy your XLS as much as my dad does, and good luck tomorrow in your match.

[pxc]

Per this review: http://thesandtrap.com/bag_drop/clev...ore_xl_drivers

Fit-On M Red or Gold are just the names of the shafts, I think.

[JKilgore44]

I have it and I really like it.

I absolutely rip it when I need to. I mean the ball absolutely flies off the club face. ITs so square that its easy to line up.

THe review above is dead on the money.

I highly recommend this club.

[deafheaven]

I have the xls with the gold shaft in both a 10.5 degree and a 12 degree. I love the club and despite it being offset by quite a bit compared to my other drivers, I can work the ball both ways with it. The only thing I don't like is the sound. I'm currently gaming the new Speedline but I speak highly of the Hibore XLS.