What is going on with drivers? Seriously.

[sean_miller]

I hesitated putting the G10 in the bag - it's so big it dwarfs my other clubs. Shapewise though, it's actually kind of. . . well . . . normal.

[James_Black]

I agree that the size of the drivers are a bit silly, however I'm sure they have proven that they are longer. You have to consider the marketing behind these things, its very similar to the highschool kid who wants to play a guitar and goes out and buys 3000 dollars worth of equipment and cant play a lick. I do think many beginners would (who are serious about improving)

I practice at the range with a bladed 3-iron (works great for working on getting good contact)

I don't think a permisson driver would work though, golf balls are too hard nowadays, I'd be scared of damaging the club. I've also got a callaway great big bertha driver (11* stiff). I think I'll start practising with it again now.

[jamo]

I even ended up buying a Sasquatch-2 3 wood and the Sasquatch tour stand bag.

Great 3-wood, I want to get one, but i'm having problems finding a new one cause they're 3-4 years old. I found a used one the other day for $40, but it was in so-so shape. I would have bought it for $20.

Decently good bag too. Just be warned: its a pretty heavy bag. I ended up buying a much smaller Titleist when my Sasquatch ripped and the weight difference is huge, but maybe only because i could fit so much more in the Sasquatch. I do miss the 14 individual club dividers though. Mine only has 6.

[pandp]

Great 3-wood, I want to get one, but i'm having problems finding a new one cause they're 3-4 years old. I found a used one the other day for $40, but it was in so-so shape. I would have bought it for $20.

Your Sasquatch bag ripped? That sucks. It seems like a well-made, very durable bag. I hope I don't have problems with it because I really like it so far. I really like the 14 individual club dividers too ;) I got the 3 wood brand new - still in the wrapper for 90 bucks. I got the bag brand new at the golf show in Louisville for $129! They had $159 on it, which is definitely fair, but I ended up talking them down to $129. Bought the 909 D3 there as well, and the price for that bad boy -$100. I think I cleaned house on some nice equipment. It reinforces the point that one gentleman made about buying 1-2 year old equipment and saving a ton.

[WUTiger]

If you have time, look around in the Hireko Golf company blog. H is hosting "help us design a driver from scratch" threads. Several posters want smaller driver heads, and others are questioning the durability of Variable-Face-Thickness drivers and FWs.
http://blog.hirekogolf.com/

[Shanks A Million]

You have to consider the marketing behind these things, its very similar to the highschool kid who wants to play a guitar and goes out and buys 3000 dollars worth of equipment and cant play a lick.

Ha!

As a session musician, I like love the reference. Heck, the piano is my main instrument, followed by the bass, while the guitar follows third. It's one I don't get to play in studio much, mostly a live deal. But you're right, 'musicians' do it too. I read forums where these kids have like 20 pedals and still can't play worth a damn (they have genre's like "noisecore" and "shoegaze", essentially meaning, "I can't play, so I'll just make noise and hope I get women"). I can play a cheap Chinese made knockoff just as well as a handmade instrument. In fact, we have a lot of Chinese knockoffs, we use them as warm up instruments. Same with golf. Give any tour pro some cheap K-Mart specials and he'll still break par. That doesn't mean that we (tour pros and session musicians) don't favor the better, higher end stuff. $3,000 is not even much to pay for just one guitar, let alone a whole setup. My main guitar is worth $22,000.

[zeg]

I can play a cheap Chinese made knockoff just as well as a handmade instrument. In fact, we have a lot of Chinese knockoffs, we use them as warm up instruments. Same with golf. Give any tour pro some cheap K-Mart specials and he'll still break par. That doesn't mean that we (tour pros and session musicians) don't favor the better, higher end stuff. $3,000 is not even much to pay for just one guitar, let alone a whole setup. My main guitar is worth $22,000.

Well, I'd bet that the handmade instrument sounds better than the knockoff when you use it, and equally awful when I do... I took a similar approach buying clubs as I did buying a guitar when I started---a big investment is a waste at that point. It's a little different with clubs in that some of the higher-end ones do provide better forgiveness, but honestly I don't see how you'll gain any real advantage over a half-way decent driver made in the last 5-10 years. Maybe you hit your drives a bit straighter, but I'm willing to bet that the difference is unlikely to make a big difference in your score until you're a fairly advanced golfer. (I consider anyone in the 20s HCP or lower to be fairly advanced in that they can at least hit the ball consistently and have some semblance of a short game)

[walk18]

As for the handicap comments, that is an estimate at this point as I have only played one round this year and shot a 76. I consistently shot even or slightly better when I quit playing, so I don't think that is a stretch. Want me to change that for you? I'll change it to a 20 if it will make you happy. I just REALLY want people to think i'm a decent player on an internet forum so i lied about my handicap...

you've played 3 times in 7 years, once this year and you shot a 76? I'm sorry but there is no way I can believe that.

[Shanks A Million]

I don't think a permisson driver would work though, golf balls are too hard nowadays, I'd be scared of damaging the club.

No, it works just fine. Persimmon is

extremely hard, and it actually gets harder as it's compressed, unlike ash and hickory. Persimmon drivers actually get better as they get older, and they hit the new balls just great.

you've played 3 times in 7 years, once this year and you shot a 76? I'm sorry but there is no way I can believe that.

I notice that low handicappers also almost never rave about how they like clubs that offer no forgiveness. I know a few tour pros, and a few elite amateurs, and not one of them takes the opinion that a less forgiving club is better. Despite what you may think, those huge clown shoe drivers are used by the most elite players in the world, as are hybrids, 7 woods, and cavity backs. If you feel you need to use blades, persimmon, and balata to be good, then that's your thing. For everyone else, we like a little room for error.

[Clambake]

you've played 3 times in 7 years,

And then on the back nine he settled down and had a 59.......

[James_Black]

No, it works just fine. Persimmon is

Thanks.

I'll take my old 2 wood and 4 wood down to the range then and see what happens. Any tips on how to hit permisson clubs?

[Shanks A Million]

Thanks.

Nope, just smack it right on the center and that should work. I actually think the old persimmon fairways are easier to hit because they have shorter, stiffer shafts.

[LBlack14]

I just want to stop in and say THANK YOU for Your service!

Now I'll get back to My 15 or so various shaped drivers, that is all.

[LBlack14]

Any tips on how to hit permisson clubs?

Gripit and RIP it!!!

[FHopper]

I had not played since the mid 90s, my old equipment is in my sig. I came back because I am 60 now and needed the activity. I was peripherally aware of the supersize drivers and swore I would not buy one. I had never seen a metal wood in the flesh. I played a couple of rounds with people who had them and the significance of the technology was impossible to discount. I went to TGW's Proshop and found the 07 Burner for $150. They look right, feel right and hit the crap out of a ball. Three people have bought one since trying mine. I bought the club off the rack with no fitting at all, (I wasn't aware of fitting last summer and did not have a swing anyway). I figured 10.5 was for high handicappers who know how to play, (as opposed to a 12*), I asked for a senior flex and the sweet little old lady behind the counter looked at me and told me I should not get a Senior flex because I was obviously strong and healthy.
That club made getting back into the game so much fun that I have become a golfer again after not really playing much since I was a young man.

[shaun]

Honestly, I don't understand some of the comments made in this thread.

If a draw-biased 460cc driver helps a high handicapper or a senior golfer to enjoy the game more, then so be it. To claim that they haven't "earnt" their long-ish, straight-ish tee shot from the dirt, Hogan-style, is really a bit absurd. First, who cares? But second, it's not like game improvement drivers swing all by themselves. I imagine that you still need to put an okay swing on the ball to hit what I'd call a decent shot with a GI driver. Besides, as anybody that's ever tried to work the ball both ways with a GI driver will know, the added forgiveness of these clubs certainly doesn't come completely free of charge: higher handicappers probably won't care that their drivers make it hard to work the ball -- why would they? -- but this fact alone will be enough to stop guys that are actually good from complaining too loudly about the "unfair technology" in today's GI drivers.

One other thing: all of the major manufacturers complement their draw-biased offerings with a driver or two for "better" players. In the Acushnet range, for example, a higher handicapper might opt for a draw-biased Cobra driver; a lower handicapper that really wants to work the ball might look more closely at the Titleist 909D3 (for example), which sets up slightly open and has a smaller head. What's my point? There are plenty of driver options, each has drawbacks and advantages, and we're all free to choose whichever one we feel is best. Seriously.

[sean_miller]

Nope, just smack it right on the center and that should work. I actually think the old persimmon fairways are easier to hit because they have shorter, stiffer shafts.

The ball just goes lower and shorter, that's all. A vintage persimmon 2-wood flies with the trajectory of a modern driver, the length of a modern 5-wood, and the accuracy of a modern putter. Love 'em!!

[sean_miller]

Thanks.

Depends on the shaft. If it's a DG S400 - give it all you got, and if you slice it . . . duck.