Rookie Driver Question

[Gaviao]

So I have a fairly old used set of clubs. the Driver has a small head, especially when compared to the oversized drivers. I've tried to hit with it at the driving range and I've had a real hard time getting anything close to resembling a decent drive. Then I asked my brother-in-law to use his driver(Golden Bear Driver 10") for a ball or two, he was at the range with me, and by the second ball I hit my first drive over 200 yards.

So the question is should I spring for a new driver or should I suck it up and learn how to hit with my old driver?

AND if you think I should get a newer driver I have two in mind. The first is a used King Cobra driver for $40, the other is a new Top Flite 460cc 10.5" Driver for $18. Also if someone could explain to me what the 460cc and the 10.5" mean?

Thanks!

[moparman426]

You can't really go wrong for $40 for a driver. The 460cc is the volume of the club head. It would take 460 cubic centemetres of liquid to fill it up. The 10.5 is the loft, and it is derived from drawing a line, 90 degrees straight up from the ground and then tilting it back 10.5 degrees from there.

[Mattplusness]

Pretty sure the 460cc is the size of the club head. the 10.5* is the angle of the club face. I suggest you get a new one. The balls that are made today are made for drivers/clubs made today, they come off the face better.

[dbuck]

The 460cc is the volume or size of the head. If the head was a beaker, it would hold 460 cubic centimeters of water or whatever.

The 10 or 10.5 is the loft or angle of the face of the club. Drivers are generally 7 to 12 degrees, 2 wood (seldom called 2 wood anymore) would be 12-13, 3 wood is 13-15, and so on--pitching wedge is 45-50. Generally speaking when you look down at address, the more face you see the greater the loft. The more loft, generally the higher the launch angle--it goes up quicker. Very generally speaking, the more loft the shorter the distance, but shaft length and a multitude of other factors also play into this. Conversely, the less loft, the more difficult to get the ball airborne, and this is particularly important in drivers- a lower loft will not necessarily guarantee longer distance because you must first get the ball in the air.

You would definitely benefit from a newer driver, and as you have noticed, used ones are much cheaper. Do some research as far as brands, but you should be able to find a suitable one for you for less than $100. Major retailers often sell 1-2 year old new or demos close to that price as well. I am assuming you are a male beginner of average build and strength.
With those assumptions, something in 400-460cc, at least 10 degrees of loft, and probably a regular to stiff graphite shaft 44-45 inches would be some reasonable specs to start with. Something made within the last five years is desirable. I recently picked up a driver that sold new for 500 at a pawn shop for 50. I don't know enough to recommend the ones you have seen; it depends on which Top Flite and which Cobra. There are about a gazillion drivers out there that fit the specs I mentioned-do a little research on recommendations for "average" golfers.

Some would advise you to not use a driver at all until your swing is better developed, which is good advice, but most cannot resist the temptation.

Take a lesson or two to get your basics on the right track, and after you have played a couple years, you might want to get fitted for a club that matches your game.

More verbose than I intended but no extra charge.

[Billy Baroo]

Scrap the old clubs - everything. And buy new stuff, even a cheap beginner's set. You can get stuff very cheap these days. Look for last year's models.

[moparman426]

At this point in your game, some nice "newer" equipment can be had for relatively cheap. The wedges (well, the components to make them) and my bag are the only things I ever bought brand new. Most of my stuff is between two and four years old, and technology has not advanced far enough to warrant changing anything within that range yet. Some half-decent complete starter sets can be had pretty cheap as well if you prefer shiny new stuff (hey, who doesn't like shiny).

[stacks04]

A few years ago, I was of the mind set, buy a cheap set of clubs just in case. I already new I wanted to play, but was to cheap to spend the money. I ended up with a cheap set, learned on them, then got a better set of clubs. Albeit they were handed down to me after a death in the family, they were titleist clubs. Even at 15 years old the quality was so much better. The distance i got out of them compared to the old cheap set was night and day. Essentially I had to relearn the clubs again.

I guess what I am saying is, if your serious about the game, buy the new driver and play. Also look for some good solid irons to play on.

[WUTiger]

On jumbo drivers, you get best results if you hit the ball center face, or just slightly above center.

I had trouble at first using my current driver until I figured out I wasn't teeing it up quite enough. I had assumed it would go best if hit on lower half of clubface - like an iron - but I was wrong.

[Gaviao]

Thanks for the replies. I'll try and find some more info on the two drivers that I'm looking at. As far as getting new clubs altogether... I completely understand where all of you are coming from but I just simply cannot justify the expense... even the cheaper beginner sets. I'm hoping to get better clubs here and there as I can. I have new wedges, new/newer hybrids, new putter, and hopefully soon a new/newer driver and woods. So right now it's just my irons that are older.

[wolverine_man]

It's up to you. I just went to the range last night with my old bag of sticks, which included a Yonex Super ADX Ti driver, with 9.5 of loft and a Grafaloy Pro-Lite X stiff shaft. I used to use that driver in high school 13 years ago. Apart from the head being nearly half the size as my new driver and thus having to tee it much lower, I was hitting that thing damn near as far as my 07 Burner and with better roll out. I'm a little more consistent with my newer driver, though, but not by a lot.

IMHO, as long as you are talking titanium, I am not sure you get a ton more distance with newer drivers. A few yards maybe. You are, however, supposed to get a lot more forgiveness with the bigger heads.