My New Driver!!!

[warbirdlover]

spent all afternoon on the launch monitor at B & M Sports in Milwaukee. I tried every driver.... 905R, FT3, HiBore, Rapture, Mizzy, and TaylorMade 460 they had in both 9.5 and 10.5 degree launch and regular and stiff shafts Cleveland, TaylorMade, V2, YS-6+, NV 65, NVS 65 and Ping. When the smoke cleared I found my driver.

A side note...the HiBore is the most consistent driver I've ever hit. The distance and dispersion variation was almost non-existent! A truly amazing "machine" of a driver BUT...

I was desperate for more distance and NOTHING could come closer then 20 (edited) yards to the 260-280 carry distance I got with the Rapture 9* with NVS stiff shaft. NOTHING. And I bounced back and forth between clubs to make sure I wasn't in a better "groove" with one then another. I wore that salesman out!!

This is the real deal. A true HAMMER that you just HAVE to experience. I have found my perfect golf club Mr. Wishon!!

[iacas]

I was desperate for more distance and NOTHING could come closer then 40 yards to the 260-280 carry distance I got with the Rapture 9* with NVS stiff shaft. NOTHING. And I bounced back and forth between clubs to make sure I wasn't in a better "groove" with one then another. I wore that salesman out!!

I have a hard time believing one driver was 40 yards longer than every other driver. That simply defies logic.

[aquacooled]

I have a hard time believing one driver was 40 yards longer than every other driver. That simply defies logic.

I 2nd that.. I dont see it.. 40 yards?? maybe 10 or 15 but 40 is far fetched

[warbirdlover]

All I can say is what the monitor told us. All other drivers (lofts, shafts and flex combinations) were "grouped" in regard to carry distance. This was the ONLY driver I could try that had the NVS shaft available.

There is some engineering magic Ping has done on this club that is making it (for me) much longer then the rest. I suggest you try one out for yourselves and then come back and tell me I'm crazy. I'm not.

[aquacooled]

Well that is the thing, see I sell golf equipment and repair clubs.. That by no means make me the authority on golf, but I know I little bit more then the average bear.. Back to topic, I have tried the new ping driver and the irons. What I saw was not a 40 yard improvment, to beable to increase your drive you have to increase ball speed. If the club is 2 inchs longer then any of the "other" brands that you tried then that might add up but chances are that it wasnt. So again I still dont see how that worked.. sorry

[warbirdlover]

Okay, I went back to my notes and I did screw up. The Rapture was 40 yards longer then the "worst" club, not the group. It was 20 yards farther then the "group". Still a huge difference in my estimation. So I should have said NOTHING could come closer then 20 yards and that is exactly what the swing monitor told me. If it had not been that much above the rest I would have picked the HiBore because of the consistency. Hope this is logical to you and sorry for the confusion. I was in a state of bliss after hitting all these great drivers.

And the swingspeed, ballspeed were all higher with this club/shaft combination. The launch angle was right in the 14-16* ideal range.

[aquacooled]

Okay, I went back to my notes and I

see that is more like it.. however the launch angle being ideal has to do with the swing speed ball speed and how the ball is being hit..

glad to hear that you found your driver!! goodluck

[wachesawgolfer]

I still think the shaft and loft is the most important part of the driver. One 460cc titaniun head is as good as another from a topline manufacter in my view and really only instill confidence by their looks. That is important, though.

[Rafcin]

...Congrats on the new club by the way, dont trade it in or sell it in a year!...

and don't let Don hit it, even once !

(2006 Newport Cup insider joke - maybe Don will care to explain )

[gas_can]

I still think the shaft and loft is the most important part of the driver. One 460cc titaniun head is as good as another from a topline manufacter in my view and really only instill confidence by their looks. That is important, though.

wachesawgolfer,

The idea that all 460cc drivers are created equal is a very logical and common idea. However, testing has proven that is not the case. On center strikes, the Callaway FT-3 routinely produced 2-3mph greater ball speed than any other club on the market until the Ping Rapture which seems to be 1-2mph faster than the FT-3. Preliminary testing has shown that the Callaway FT-5 produces even greater ball speeds than the Rapture. Yes, CT is standardized now, but engineers at the OEMs are finding all sorts of ways to continually increase ball speed of the clubface. The moral of the story is that not all 460cc drivers are created equal.

[warbirdlover]

NO ONE is going to hit this but me, LOL!! Just what I'd need. Skymarks on my new $$$$$ driver!!

[iacas]

On center strikes, the Callaway FT-3 routinely produced 2-3mph greater ball speed than any other club on the market until the Ping Rapture which seems to be 1-2mph faster than the FT-3. Preliminary testing has shown that the Callaway FT-i produces even greater ball speeds than the Rapture.

I obviously haven't tested anything, but I do have a lot of people who know a lot of things, and from them I've heard two things regarding the FT-i:

1) "man this thing is straight!" 2) "it's really straight, but it's not very long." The latter has more information than the first, but neither are necessarily true. They're just anecdotal at this point. I do feel like the FT-3 delivers more ball speed, but my biggest complaint with it is that I have no idea where I'm hitting the ball on the face except for extraordinarily off-center hits. That's why I primarily use the r7 425 TP - I can tell exactly where I'm hitting the ball on the clubface down to about 1/4" or so. I've never really cared for Ping's drivers, what with that half moon and now a spiderweb on them.

[gas_can]

I obviously haven't tested anything, but I do have a lot of people who know a lot of things, and from them I've heard two things regarding the FT-i:

Erik, I mistyped my reply. I should have said "FT-5" instead of FT-i. There are simply too many models to keep track of these days.

[wachesawgolfer]

I am thinking of trying the 905R. With its low profile, it looks to be a hammer. I'll bet the Ping is easier to hit with a larger sweet spot for off center hits.

[golfchief]

Did you happen to notice what type of ball you were hitting to get the distance? The monitors I've been to usually have a mix of brands ?

[warbirdlover]

They weren't the top line balls but were all what you would consider "good" balls and they all (different brands etc) seemed to perform the same. I was surprised about that.

[gunmetal]

Both the G5 and the Rapture are stock 46" for this very effect. For most (including 95% of the PGA Tour) 46" is too long as it reduces the amount of on-center hits. However, PING's mission is to make the ball go farther and the occasional on center bomb with a 46" club will give you around 10 extra yards with a SS around 105-110. I think Adams also does 46" while the majority of the OEM's keeps it at 45"...while the majority of the PGA tour keeps it under 45"

[Clubswinger21]

^ good point, i had an aldila nv65 s in a 983k awhile back and i hated that shaft, too whippy and too long. Found inconsitancy but im sure you'll have no problem with your 460cc toaster on the end of it. Dont really fancy the look of your driver or headcover but who cares if it does what you say it does.

and Isnt its distance comparable to the G5?

anyway i heard the tour edge exotics is the longest on the market so id like to see these 2 clubs go at it on a launch monitor.