Demo Daze

[Lbob]

I went to a demo day this Saturday and had a chance to try some of the new drivers. I can’t comment too much on distance, because it was at a club I had never been to before so I couldn’t tell exactly how far the balls were going. No “I got an extra 10 yard!” comments. Additionally I was hitting into a 15-20 mph Nebraska zephyr. All drivers were 10.5 regular shaft unless otherwise indicated. My swing speed is toward the slow side. Normal length is about 220.

Callaway FT: Biggest disappointment. Could not get the clubhead square and as a result only got weak pushes or a slice. Something about the angle of the shaft and clubhead seemed wrong. However, I watched others just powder the ball. There’s no accounting for taste.

Nike Sumo - Ugliest looking club in the world! Of all the clubs I hit I think this was the most consistent. It was monotonous. Straight, straight, straight. Sometime I’ve had trouble getting clubhead square with the flatter designs. I had no trouble hitting the ball square with either the round or square version. I liked the feel also. It was very solid. Can’t speak about forgiveness, because I hit every shot square. That could mean something or it could mean I just had a spell of good swings.

Cobra- I’m using a Cobra Speed driver now which I like a lot. Interestingly I have hit the new Cobra in the simulator and had trouble getting solid contact. I sure didn’t have any trouble this day. I used a 10.5 degree loft and got a real nice ball flight. Subjectively it seemed lower than my current driver which has the same loft. Interestingly after I had hit 4 or 5 shots the rep came out with a 9 degree loft for me to try. He thought the 10.5 went too high and that I’d get more roll with the 9.0. My normal flight is a slight draw. That’s what I got with this driver. In fact I had to be a little careful not to over cook it or I would get a major hook. Don’t ask about a fade. I can’t hit one on purpose. This club was forgiving too. Mis-hits that were thin or off the toe still were respectable. Some small nits: (1) The sound is very tinny. (2) I didn’t like the feel of the club as much as my old club. It just didn’t feel as solid. But having said that, I think it out performs my current club.

Cleveland - Sigh. I used to own a Launcher and really liked it. It was the first driver I could actually hit. IMHO, the new Hi-Bore is a disaster. It was the shortest of all the clubs I hit. The shot shape was a low hook. I hated the feel and the sound.

Taylormade- Of all the clubs I hit this one felt the most solid and had the most satisfying sound. It also performed well. My friend claimed that I hit a couple of balls out of sight. Of course his eyes aren’t that good. The shot pattern was a bit higher than the Cobra, but not as high as the Nike. Most shots went dead straight. I could hit a draw at will though. It was very forgiving. Toe hits hardly seemed to be affected at all.

Titleist- This D1 is close to being unethical. It literally didn’t seem to matter where you hit the ball. Toe hits or thin hits or square hits all looked the same. There might have been a little loss of distance, but otherwise all shots looked the same. Mis-hits just don’t seem to get punished at all. Part of me was feeling guilty; I should be punished for mis-hits. Shot shape was straight, though I could coax a draw. It was between the Cobra and Taylormade in terms of shot height. I loved the feel of this club and the sound. Looks are another story. A mutant cone-head triangular club head that looks like it’s partially made of plastic. But hey, you should keep your eye on the ball anyway right?


Postscript: Went to the range the next day to practice. Could not hit my driver worth beans. Do you think it sensed infidelity? Could it suspect?

[sandtrap]

  Lbob said:

Postscript: Went to the range the next day to practice. Could not hit my driver worth beans. Do you think it sensed infidelity? Could it suspect?

guilt is powerful

[iacas]

  Lbob said:

Cleveland - Sigh. I used to own a Launcher and really liked it. It was the first driver I could actually hit. IMHO, the new Hi-Bore is a disaster. It was the shortest of all the clubs I hit. The shot shape was a low hook. I hated the feel and the sound.

Low hook = you probably wanted to try the Tour version. And maybe with the red shaft. Or the gold. Or whatever one you didn't use.

  Lbob said:

Taylormade- Of all the clubs I hit this one felt the most solid and had the most satisfying sound. It also performed well. My friend claimed that I hit a couple of balls out of sight. Of course his eyes aren’t that good. The shot pattern was a bit higher than the Cobra, but not as high as the Nike. Most shots went dead straight. I could hit a draw at will though. It was very forgiving. Toe hits hardly seemed to be affected at all.

They have four drivers out right now (Burner, r7 SuperQuad, and TP versions of both), and that's if you don't count the r7 Draw and some others. So, which one did you hit, exactly? TaylorMade is a company...

[CG031]

I'm assuming he's talking about the Burner when he refers to Taylor Made, because in all his other clubs he's refferring to the newest club out for that company...so I believe the burner is the latest one by T.M.?

[Lbob]

Ooops. It was the Burner.