Looking for a driver that will last as I improve my game

[Sighbot]

Around March I started playing after a 10 year break from the game. Since then I am now on my 3rd driver and in the market for a 4th.  I was hoping to get something that will grow with me to avoid having to replace it in another 2-3 months as this is starting to become a trend. Here is the progession of what I had and why I replaced it.

Driver 1:

Nike SQ Dymo Str8-fit, 8.5° loft and extra stiff shaft.

Came with a used club set I purchased on craigslist for $100 to get back into the game.

I signed up for lessons back in March, the instuctor said this was too much club for where my game was.  He suggested I trade it in on something with more loft and more flex.  I hit this maybe 20 times, very few were playable shots but this was also in the first week or two that I got back into the game.  I do not recall what disances were but they weren't great and I was rarely in the fairway range.

Driver 2:

Adams Speedline F11 draw, 10.5° and what ended up being a senior flex shaft.

Traded the Nike in on this one at a pro shop for $90.

The pro shop didn't have anywhere to hit the clubs before purchasing so other than "more loft, more flex" I had no idea what I was looking for.  The Adams seemed like a good deal so I went with it.  At the range with my swing still being quite slow this driver was a big improvement.  Distance and accuracy improved.  At the range I was holding around 240-250 carry and the accuracy in general was playable.  After about 4-6 weeks of playing 4 times a week either on the course or at the range I noticed my swing speed increased a fair amount.  I was having to pause at the top of my back swing and conciously slow my swing considerably or I would push the ball every time.  A friend of mine told me that the shaft was way too flexible for me and said it would probably be better to continue to learn with something without any offset.  So the shopping began for driver number 3.

Driver 3:

Clevelend SL 290, 10.5° and regular flex shaft.

Traded the Adams in on it for about $110, new.

I did have a chance to hit this a several other clubs in a similar price range before going with this one.  From the start I was very happy with this.  Carry increased to sometimes as much at 270 on the range and I soon hit my first 300+ drives on the course with roll and a little help from wind (not the cart path though).  I have had this for about 2 months and now the same thing is starting to happen with the Cleveland that happened with the Adams.  I am not having to pause quite as much at the top of my swing as I did with the Adams but I am having to lay off it quite a bit or I push it quite a bit.  I borrowed a friends driver for a round that was 9.5° with a stiff shaft and the push was gone.  This has lead me to again start shopping for another driver.

I have not idea what my swing speed is as I do not know of any simulators in the area that could tell me.  My current drives carry about 240-270 and I hit the fairway %75 of the time.  Those numbers are on the course and are starting to drop now that I am having to lay off on my drives.

I am wanting to get something that I won't be looking to replace again in October.  I watched a video on youtube on the 4golfonline channel comparing the Taylormade R11 and R11s.  He said the R11s was a good club for golfers ranging from high handicaps to scratch.  I am having a hard time jumping the gun on this as it is expensive.

Has anyone had any experience with this driver?  What exactly is adjustable about it?  Offest, loft?  Are there any other drivers that anyone would recommend?  I was going to go with a stiff flex, whatever driver I end up with.  Without knowing my swing speed is really any penalty to getting an extra stiff just to avoid a stiff flex possibly not being enough as time goes?  I was also considering a lower loft at 9.5° but this is hard to decide on since the only pro shops in the area that I know of just have nets to hit into and it's hard to tell what kind of ball flight I would get.

Thanks for any help,

Tyler

[glock35ipsc]

It doesn't sound to me like you have an equipment problem, but maybe a swing fault.  I think your money would be better spent with an instructor with video capability to find out WHY you are pushing the ball.  Personally I would want to know why I am doing that.... am I holding too much lag, did ball position creep backwards, shaft flex not right, etc.

You are just throwing good money after bad by closing your eyes and picking a driver that may or may not be right for your swing.  You need to find out your swing speed, tempo, wrist c o c k release, etc to be able to choose the loft and shaft that is right for you.

[Sighbot]

Thanks for the advice.  I will try to find an instructor in my area with video to see what is really going on.

The wrist c o c k release you mention brings up a good point.  I have been progressively getting more and more aggressive with this on my irons which has yielded good results with them and I have started take divots on the correct spots (I think so anyways, about an inch or less after ball contact) more consistently getting more distance and higher ball flight.  This may be crossing over into my driver.  Should the wrist release with the driver swing be any different than with the irons?