Driver trajectory

[justinp]

Ok, first let it be known I change drivers like underwear

A few season ago I was using a Cobra F-Speed 9.5 with the Aldila NV-F (stiff) shaft. I believe this was basically a NV 65 S shaft (green) made for the Cobra line. Anyway, I loved the club. I bought it based on launch/spin results on a LM at a local Dick's. For some reason (I'm a gear w-h-o-r-e) I traded in the Cobra on a Nike Sasquatch Sumo 9.5 with the stock stiff shaft. I hit the Sumo pretty well but I wish it would fly a little lower. My swing speed is in the low 100s and I would consider myself a hitter not a swinger.

I also have a Callaway Steelhead III 3-wood and 5-wood that I love and have been using for quite some time. Everyone always notices how my driver flies higher than my 5-wood and 3-wood. The fairway woods have the uniflex steel shafts (105g I think). Anyway, I'm thinking maybe I need to switch to a heavier shaft in my driver, and maybe one that's a little more tip-stiff.

I'm eyeballing an i-Mix FT-5 head with Aldila NV 75 S shaft.

Any thoughts?

[hamletsdead]

I'm a bit of a driver ho myself, which is an amusing yet expensive habit. I've been gaming a 9.5* FT-iq that I can hit on a wire, but I tend to hit line drives -- which is great when it's dry and I can get some roll out, and not so hot when the fairway is thick and wet and my ball only ends up out there 220-230. All my friends seem to launch moon balls that hang up in the air forever, which I can't seem to emulate. I'm thinking my problem is setup, not shaft selection, but it would be interesting to see if your heavy shaft brings your flight down. I've been playing around with increasing loft (e.g., played with a 10.5* J33p today) to try and hit it higher, and haven't considered changing shafts.

[deronsizemore]

I would go get fitted by a reputable fitter and not Dick's. If the Dick's that you went too is anything like the two here, the equipment they use is NOT a launch monitor.

Picking a shaft randomly based on what you think isn't the way to go. You should pick a shaft based on what you know and the only way to do that is to try a bunch of different shafts and see what kind of ball flight each give you.

I thought I wanted a heavier shaft as well until I tried one. I didn't care for it once I played a few rounds with the heavier shaft and went back to something lighter, although not as light as the previous one.

[kleraudio]

Golfsmith will let you use their launch monitor's for free when hitting drivers. Just go over there and talk to a guy on the floor, he'll grab 5 or 6 drivers and its bombs away.

Grab the one with the best numbers for you.

[GolferNewb]

I would definetely get fitted elsewhere and not such a diverse "mart" as Dick's. Especially if your trying to get a shaft that works best for you.

[Jay-Bird]

If you loved the Cobra F Speed, you'll LOVE the new S9-1 - or maybe the new, new ZL.

[misty_mountainhop]

Can't comment on the fitting options but a word on the Aldila NV 75 S shaft. It plays pretty stiff-to-flex....at least it did in for me in the Titleist 983K I had a while back. Got rid of mine as it felt very boardy through impact. Nice colour though....

[justinp]

I pulled the trigger on this club and I'm looking forward to hitting it (even though golf season here is winding down). I think my swing lends itself to doing better with a "boardy" shaft.

Of the last 3 drivers I've owned, the Cobra with the NV (I believe 65) shaft provided me with the best ball flight. The driver I had before that is the one that really set me on this quest and got me learning more about loft/shaft, etc, etc. I had an Adams Redline with the regular flex stock shaft. At the time I bought it I knew nothing about how shafts effected things and I assumed the stiffer shafts were for better players which I really wasn't at the time. I could hit that club on the screws and it would fly high and land like a wedge in the fairway (or wherever it landed). On top of that, I was only hitting it about 220. I was hitting my 3-wood just as far as my driver and it flew about half the height of my driver. I then bough the Cobra after hitting it on a LM and having the guy tell me it was in the window for optimal launch/spin. I really liked it, but for some reason I felt the need to try the "new thing". So I traded it on a Nike Sasquatch Sumo with the stock stiff shaft. I'm not back to the balloon ball of the old Adams, but I don't think my ball flight and results are as good as they were with the Cobra.

I have a pretty aggressive swing with my driver and despite being labeled as a stiff shaft, the stock stiff in the Nike Sasq Sumo seems a little on the whippy side to be considered "stiff" IMO. All I know is it's a Mitsubishi Diamana (supposedly) but the specs aren't on the shaft. I've also had a hard time trying to find the weight/torque specs for the stock shaft online.

[Mr Taylormade]

i agree with everyone above get fitted on a moniter and test as many as possible. pick the one which gives you the spec you want. you could also try teeing the ball lower like a fairway wood then you might get that kind of flight :)

[justinp]

One site I found, if it's correct, shows the stock "Nike Sasquatch Diamana Graphite" shaft in stiff flex is 63g with a torque of 4.4 (which is pretty high for me). The NV 65 S that was on my Cobra was 68g with a 3.5 torque. Obviously the NV 75 S weighs more and has even less torque than the NV 65.

I guess the nice thing is this is the Callway i-Mix series so if I don't like the shaft I'll just keep getting other ones to try and it's just a turn of the wrench.

[misty_mountainhop]

4.4° of torque in the Nike stock shaft? Ug! The NV line of shafts have a pretty stiff tip section as well which helps keep the trajectory down. Hope it works for you!

[pingman]

eh, same here. i've got r7, r9, G5, G10 sittin at home. even callaways ft9. though i keep coming back to PING they make great clubs, in my opinion of course. cobra's new driver looks pretty dope though. might give it a try...

[justinp]

UPDATE:

Well, I bought the Callaway FT-5 i-Mix (9*) with Aldila NV 75 Stiff shaft. I got out yesterday and played a round with it. So far so good. I hit one of my best drives in a long time with it. On the 610 yd par-5 4th hole I hit one with the trajectory I was looking for that measured out (using SkyCaddie) at 280 yds. and was in the middle of the fairway. That's great distance for me on a slightly uphill tee shot in November in central PA. You gotta figure it's good for another 10-15 yards at least in the middle of the summer.

Anyway, I loved this head/shaft combo for my swing. More impressive than the good drives I hit were the misses. Every time I made a bad swing with it, my misses went to the same exact place. High fade in the 240 yd range, several of which stayed on the fairway or just missed. There's a lot to be said for knowing where your misses are going to go.

[Blast and Gouge]

I used to hit the Cobra F-speed 9.5 with the Tour AD S flex shaft, I hit it far but real high so windier days killed me. I recently picked up the FT-i 9.5 with a Fujikura X-Flex 350 tip and brought my ball flight from a v-launch of 16-18 deg. to 11-13 deg. and gained about 12-15yds or so.