How long to keep a driver?

[Shorty]

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.

You have made a series of comments, but you have qualified none of them. Just because the companies put technology and money into new products and promote them, it doesn't make it "well worth it". There are many pros playing drivers that are several years old. McDowell won a major last year using a driver that was several years old. I'm all for buying new drivers whenever you feel like it, but we mustn't allow ourselves to be fooled into thinking that newer has to equal better.

[GaijinGolfer]

They say that every 5 years is a good timeframe.  The thinking is that in that time driver technology will have advanced enough to make it worthwhile upgrading to a new driver.

[JUDGE SMAILS]

I am not a long hitter, so I'm always lookin for the right driver ( I have 3 now ), but I play with 2 guys (1 is 32 the other is 57) They are a 1 hdcp and 3 hdcp and they both hit it 300 yds. Both ther drivers are 12-15 yrs old, with that being said, i've told myself it's more in the swing, club head speed and talent than the clubs. they can also use any ball out there and score just as well, there just good players. Every time somebody shows up with new equipment they just laugh and say spent your $ on lessons.

[WUTiger]

Quote:

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. ...

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

The report came from a small-college male golfer who about 6-foot-3 and had a really hard swing. He said he had dented the face of his driver that year, and that a teammate had cracked a driver head the previous season.

In prior months, ST posters have claimed that hard driving range balls can damage a driver. Never heard if clubsmiths find this a problem.

[bcgolf]

I saw a cracked crown in a Komperdell driver last year !  The lady in question bought my previous Mizuno driver  :-)

[The Gill]

The COR (ball speed) and MOI (straightness and ball speed on mis-hits) has been limited. ALL DRIVERS HAVE A SIMILAR BALL SPEED*. The companies all are right there on the ragged edge max ball speed. A few years ago folks were saying Nike drivers were short, then they got recalled for being too hot! It has been impossible for years to have a driver that is "10 yards longer" than the previous model.

So if all drivers have the same performance potential, what matters? Getting fitted. It's all about getting the right loft and shaft for your swing and that particular club head. Do yourself a favor and stop reading the reviews. Go to a demo day and hit 3 or 4 shafts in 2 or 3 different flexes in 2 or 3 different lofts. It will change your view on drivers.

The only reason I bought my Nike driver is because I like the square head. For me, I like the way the square head lines up... It meets my eye. From there I hit every shaft and loft they had with help from a ball launch monitor, (I was a V2 shaft guy at the time) and I ended up with the 8.5 degrees with the Proto By-You in X-stiff... All based on data and feel.

Since going to my first demo day I've never looked at a golf magazine review again. Once you see how important shafts (stiffness, kick, weight) are to the equation you'll never look at it the same again. Those guys don't have the same feel as you do, and they likely hit the club in one or two shafts, lofts, etc.

*Some recent gains in aerodynamics have been made lately. I concede that this may help your club speed some nominal amount.

[tweaky]

I hit my longest and straightest drives ever last summer.  The longest being 305 yards overall.  The technology in the head design combined with the shaft flex profile were major for me.  When I look at the head at address it aligns with my "minds eye" of how it is going to fly to the ball.  It aligns itself visually with my intended swing path. Originally it was 45" long but I cut it to 44" to match my feel for the MOI and regripped it to my liking.

It's a 10* laminated maple Solitaire by Orlimar with their stock stiff shaft.

Go figure.

Technology...it's a wonderful thing!

[dbuck]

The conventional wisdom seems to be about 5 years, depending on who you listen to, but as others have said, drivers right now are reaching a point of diminishing returns.  If the adjustability benefit appeals to you, that right now seems to be the final frontier. I must admit, I am looking, but not really itching.

Personally, I used to go through about a 2-2 1/2 year cycle. It would take about 6 months to "become aquainted".  Then I would love it for about 1 1/2 years. Then sometimes suddenly the relationship would sour and after 6 months of hate, I would change and start over.  Last summer I picked up a Titleist 905T at a pawn shop for $50.  Not love at first sight, but we got to know each other quickly. I can see it staying in the "scramble bag" for a long time.  A little over a year ago, I picked up 3 persimmons at a another pawn shop for $24.  Two of them, a Joe Powell driver and 3 wood, are in my "classic" bag and providing me with a great deal of enjoyment.   I am even thinking of getting copies made up-(Joe Powell company is still in business run by the son of the founder).

I read an article the other day about Jack Nicklaus's drivers over the years.  For the first 30 years of his career he used 3 drivers, and the second was a custom Macgregor that was a copy of the first. There may have been multiple copies til he found one he liked, but the same basic driver. The last one was made in the 50's and he used it from 1976-1990.

I couldn't get the link to paste, but it is at golf.com.  The title is evolution of the driver, Jack's Weapons