Was given draw driver by mistake... proper way to correct?

[johnclayton1982]

I am ignorant of how to proceed here, so I wanted to ask the boards.

A golf shop local to me spent a few afternoons ago fitting me for a new driver.  The guy was really good.  I had been playing a 2006 Nike Lucky 13 SQ cut down 1" when learning I got on ebay cheap, but my last two rounds were 86 and 89 and I really suffered from distance off the tee.  Now that I can generally hit it straight consistently, I wanted a driver fit to me with a little length.

The guy who helped me was great.  I hit many, many drivers with a machine monitoring my swing, and, on the recommendation of the person there and my own feel, settled on the cleveland xl 290 with standard length.  I went to the range to hit the new club and busted out 5 or 6 balls, which added a good 40 yards, and I was pumped, until I noticed the club said "draw" on it - it was a draw driver.  Some details: I didn't notice in the store, because the guy took all the stickers off and put a headcover on before I left, so I never actually saw the driver I bought except when he carried it from the floor to the back, i hit the demo model and it was not a draw.

How to proceed?  Do you think they will switch it out with a regular 290 for me?  Should I just keep the draw driver? (is it that big a difference?)  If they refuse to switch it, what should I do then?  Call Cleveland?  I have not taken it out on the course, but I did hit 6 or so range balls before discovering the mistake.

[zeg]

Since it sounds like you were not given the driver you demoed, I'd expect them to switch it for the one you intended to buy.  If it had been your mistake (i.e., you had grabbed the wrong one off the shelf) I would say it was up to them to go beyond the call to switch it, but since it sounds like it was their error, I would expect them to correct it.

[montru]

But how did the 5-6 balls you hit before you noticed the mistake feel/fly? did they hook/miss left or were they straight?

You have to go by the feel.

[slabm7]

If you nailed 5 out of 6 I don't see the problem. If you want them to correct it then they should but are you happy with the result of the club you have? If your happy with the way you hit it and are confident with it in the bag then swing away, if not take it back and ask for the straight hit one.

[johnclayton1982]

They were solid shots, and I couldn't tell the difference.  However, since the driver was new and expensive, I want it to last a while and I hope to improve beyond high-eighties.  My question was is a draw driver versus a driver virtually the same, is it drastically different... ?  In other words, if I play this driver for the next six years and continue to improve, will I develop a poorer swing to compensate for the "draw" feature, or is it not that big a deal?

[Shagbag]

Originally Posted by johnclayton1982

They were solid shots, and I couldn't tell the difference.  However, since the driver was new and expensive, I want it to last a while and I hope to improve beyond high-eighties.  My question was is a draw driver versus a driver virtually the same, is it drastically different... ?  In other words, if I play this driver for the next six years and continue to improve, will I develop a poorer swing to compensate for the "draw" feature, or is it not that big a deal?

There are only three proven methods to help players who fight cronic slices or fades.  High MOI drivers don't really promote a draw, but they do help to promote straighter shots, especially on "off center hits".  Closed face angles, usually about 1° to 1.5° can offer a little help in this respect as well.   Offset hosel drivers are only for those who really need help in his area.  You can get drivers with 1 or a combination of all three of these engineering concepts.

Another concept thats been marketed to death and is simply "marketing hype" is the idea of "heel biased weighting" to correct fades/slices.  The headweight of a driver is such that it's impossible to redistribute enough weight to specific areas of the head to make any difference whatsoever.  Don't buy into this concept, it doesn't do anything to change the flight pattern of the ball.  Drivers with screws for this purpose are pretty much a joke....except when these screws are in the back of the driver (opposite the face), they will help move the center of gravity further from the face ever so slightly, which is a good thing, but will do nothing to promote a draw.

Cleveland is one of the companies who promotes the "weight biased" marketing hype.  That concept will do nothing.  But these Cleveland Draw Biased drivers also come with a 1° closed face angle.  That's a concept that does work, but only slightly.  It will not change the pattern of your ball flight significantly enough to really notice, but it may help shots which are the result of an occasional poor swing be a little straigher than with a square or open face.

So in my opinion it's nothing for you to worry about...you simply have the same version of the regular non-biased driver, the only real difference is that you have a slightly closed face angle.  An important consideration is also "how you feel about it"!  If that word "draw" on the sole of the driver "worries" you, then you should take it back because confidence in a club is extremely important.

Personally, I don't fight a fade or slice BUT I do prefer a driver with a 1° closed face angle. I also prefer a high MOI driver.  So naturally I use a High MOI Driver with a 1° closed face angle.

[turtleback]

Are you sure that the driver you were fit for wasn't a draw driver?

[johnclayton1982]

Thats possible I suppose.  The demo I was hitting definitely did not have a "draw" label on it.

Thanks for your reply shagbag.  Since I hit it pretty well, I am going to keep it.  I did put some solid swings on it and after a range session this morning, I realized it is very hard for me to miss this driver to the right - I almost have to try - although once every 9 or 10 shots I hit a nasty duck hook.  Going to keep for now.