Another Help me Pick a driver thread

[Gerardv]

Well, as expected I ended up with the Burner 07 and matching 3 wood. My son finally relented when the guy at Golfsmith explained the numbers on the launch monitor to him.

With my old driver I averaged a clubhead speed of 89 - with the Burner it jumped to 93 and 4 out of then swings were 96. That is the highest swing speed I have ever generated - anywhere.

Here is the strange part - I hit the Burner straighter than anything else too. Go figure. The salesmen watched me hit about five different drivers and after the session with the Burner said, "so I guess we know which driver is for you, you hit it farther and straighter - a nice combination."

My guess is the amped up swing speeds were because I was excited about how well I was hitting it and that they are an anomaly. The lighter shaft and extra inch of shaft shouldn't make such a huge difference compared to my Callaway X460.

There was very little side spin when I hit the Burner and all the marks on the tape were right in the center of the face. It wasn't that way with the other clubs. I think I hit on the perfect storm with this one.

Never before have I picked up any club and hit it so damn well right off the bat.

No wonder TaylorMade is the leading driver on tour and no wonder people love them. Same with the 3 wood which I hit much farther than my current Golfsmith model.

If I can get 5-8 yards extra out of the driver it will make a nice change. I know I can get 10-15 out of the 3 wood which is HUGE for someone like me who is a pretty short hitter.

In a perfect world, that 96MPH club head speed will stick around. I don't know what that comes out to in actual distance - but I do know it's longer than my 230 yard driving average.

[Scott_K]

The lighter shaft and extra length have had a pretty big difference on my distance. I was really surprised on the course.

When you take the ball speed and SS ratio, you get your "smash factor". ( I think perfect is 1.5. Pros are in the 1.4 range from what I gather.) I'm guessing that you're maximizing your swing speed since you're hitting it on the screws. There are a lot more variables like the launch angle, spin rate, etc. to drive you crazy, but they're good starting points.

Power isn't everything, but if you're hitting it further, it helps to make the game more enjoyable. Hopefully you'll be in the 250 range off the tee.
Congrats on your new driver !

[Gerardv]

Hopefully you'll be in the 250 range off the tee.

First, thanks.

Second, being in the 250 range would make me giggle like a school girl. I get there every so often, but have to over swing to do it. One thing I usually do is stay within myself when I swing. Rarely do I swing even 95% unless I have to and I only do it off the tee because of the obvious advantages to having the ball up off of the ground. If I have to swing "hard" to reach a green I take more club so I don't have to swing that hard. If that's the only way I can carry water or some other kind of hazard I play it in two shots. However, my theory on golf is to always go for it. That only applies if I have a club in my hand that can carry the right distance. If I can't then I lay-up. 250 off the tee could (and it's a big could) allow me to get to two of the four par 5s on my home course in two. Something I couldn't consider before.