How long to keep a driver?

[Fishinjdb]

After reading the post about a new driver or GPS and the fact I have been reading too much on all of the new drivers coming out...  How long do the majority of golfers keep using a driver?  I understand the argument of if it ain't broke... And I get the "want the latest and greatest"... But, I am looking for honest answers concerning tech advances and so on.

[delav]

Originally Posted by Fishinjdb

After reading the post about a new driver or GPS and the fact I have been reading too much on all of the new drivers coming out...  How long do the majority of golfers keep using a driver?  I understand the argument of if it ain't broke... And I get the "want the latest and greatest"... But, I am looking for honest answers concerning tech advances and so on.

Remember that new driver 'technology' is just as much marketing as it is innovation.  Driver fitting has more merit than the latest and greatest new driver release, in my opinion.

Check your 905T with a fitter if you can.  If that $400 is really burning a hole in your wallet, seek out a head in the last 5 years that you like and get fit for a shaft that will optimize it for you.

[kevin.chan]

Got to agree with Delav .

Fitting with the right shaft will give you the best result and once you got fitted , the driver will stay quite long in the bag.

It take some time to get use to the driver too.

[mlf16507]

Back in the day I used a Mac Gregor-Tommy Armour 983 for probably 7 or 8 years. Since then if they stay for a Season, it is a long time .Age has caught up to me. Now it is a search for the Holy Grail of Length and Straight  all the time.  I love my Nickent Evolver4DX head, but It allows me to try different shafts.

[clombardi]

I played a 8.5* Cleveland Launcher for 5 years, it started losing pop in it so it was just time

to change to something new. I am now playing a 9.5* Titleist 909d2.

[bcgolf]

Originally Posted by Fishinjdb

After reading the post about a new driver or GPS and the fact I have been reading too much on all of the new drivers coming out...  How long do the majority of golfers keep using a driver?  I understand the argument of if it ain't broke... And I get the "want the latest and greatest"... But, I am looking for honest answers concerning tech advances and so on.

Keep your driver as long as there is no proven Trackman data of another driver that is significantly better in the distance and accuracy department as your own, assuming your driver isn't broken !

Who cares about tech advances, new names, new colors, the latest and greatest.  It is the distance and accuracy that is of importance to you !  And that can be measured objectively with a Trackman !

[JoshuaVnyrd1817]

I personally think your driver should be the newest club in your bag. With the technology and money they put into these, it is well worth it. I know some of it is advertising and I'm not saying you need a new driver every year. Simply, it's never a waste of money to invest in a new club that fits you.

[ghalfaire]

Keep it as long as you're happy with its' performance and it isn't broken.  Inspect it once in awhile as I cracked the face on my driver after 3 years.  I believe the newer thinner faced drivers will fatigue and crack after extensive use.  When this began with me I notice a different sound at impact and thought the head was coming loose.  But after a close look I could see a crack along the top of face just below the weld.

[natp0wers]

Kept my last driver for 5 years before finding something that performed better.

[Kieran123]

I had my Nickent for a season and a half....but the face went 'dead'....it lost the feel and the sound....no rattling or anything, just dull.

Then my last round of the year I got my Nike for $150 at a pro shop at a course.....couldn't bypass that deal.....I've hit it a few times, but I am going to get it fitted this weekend.....with a shorter shaft

Replaced a driver whenever you want to....it all comes down to how much money you have!

[chriskzoo]

I tend to run my drivers about 2 years behind the "latest and greatest" and haven't played with anyone who is outperforming me on technology alone.  The current technology from Taylor Made is really just designed to give you all the options a traditional clubfitter would normally do - only now you can trial and error it on your own.

[nickel_aTm]

Quote:

I personally think your driver should be the newest club in your bag. With the technology and money they put into these, it is well worth it. I know some of it is advertising and I'm not saying you need a new driver every year. Simply, it's never a waste of money to invest in a new club that fits you.

At this point, I think driver technology is close to maxed out due to USGA restrictions.  Will 2016 drivers be more efficient than today's?  Sure.  But the amount of improvement going forward will be insignificant in my opinion compared to shaft optomization.

[max power]

Devil's Advocate-I also think drivers made a big jump 6-8 years ago, and then shortly after that they maxed out at 460cc.  I'll put it this way, my 1999 TaylorMade Ti Bubble 2 driver is nothing like my 3 other drivers.  I can still hit it, but it's an entirely different experience, it's just noticeably less forgiving than modern drivers and feels different.  But I also have a Titleist 983E that came out in 2003 or 2004.  I got it as an unhit demo a year and a half ago, and it doesn't feel all that different than my newer drivers, or any other new drivers I've hit.  The head is smaller than 460cc, but it's just as long as anything else, and the same goes for pretty much any driver from the last 5-6 years (with the proper shaft for my swing).

Originally Posted by JoshuaVnyrd1817

I personally think your driver should be the newest club in your bag. With the technology and money they put into these, it is well worth it. I know some of it is advertising and I'm not saying you need a new driver every year. Simply, it's never a waste of money to invest in a new club that fits you.

[JoshuaVnyrd1817]

Originally Posted by nickel_aTm

Quote:

At this point, I think driver technology is close to maxed out due to USGA restrictions.  Will 2016 drivers be more efficient than today's?  Sure.  But the amount of improvement going forward will be insignificant in my opinion compared to shaft optomization.

I very much agree with you. I just see much more improvement in the years with woods over other clubs.

[WUTiger]

In the past, I have kept a set of clubs (woods and irons) for 10 years or more.

From talking to mid-level golfers who play frequently, one factor seems to be driver damage. With the superthin faces, players sometimes dent the clubhead just hitting a normal shot. Also, some players say a driver can get internal damage, and suddenly not work well. Test for this is if you driver "goes dead," have a friend try it out and see if they can hit decent shots with it.

Also, some golfers reshaft a driver head after a couple of years to get a better ball flight.

I have tested my Hyper X Tour driver (2008) against newer models at demo days. It hits the ball just as well, and sometimes better, than the newer ones. Plus, more than any other club, there's a learning curve to hitting a particular driver.

[Nyper]

Originally Posted by WUTiger

From talking to mid-level golfers who play frequently, one factor seems to be driver damage. With the superthin faces, players sometimes dent the clubhead just hitting a normal shot.

I play quite a bit.. and I've only seen a driver damaged from a normal shot ONCE in about 15 years.  The crown cracked.  The guy's driver was ~4 years old... and it was the first round he played after he got back from a trip.  It could have been damaged in baggage handling at the airport.

I've never heard of a dent in the clubhead from normal use... at least not from any reputable manufacturer.

[Nyper]

Originally Posted by nickel_aTm

Quote:

At this point, I think driver technology is close to maxed out due to USGA restrictions.  Will 2016 drivers be more efficient than today's?  Sure.  But the amount of improvement going forward will be insignificant in my opinion compared to shaft optomization.

I agree.  That's why we're seeing more work put in to adjustable drivers.

[Zeph]

If you hit it as far as you would like to, with acceptable accuracy, and if not, know it is a swing issue, stick with what you got. It is of course OK to try out different drivers from time to time, but if you don't see a big increase in distance or accuracy, I'd rather spend the money on other stuff.