Is this new Technology REALLY better?

[RayG]

[rant mode on]: Okay- personal experience tantrum. In the last few years with all these new trampolining driver faces and soft balls, I have seriously lost about 40-50 yards off the driver. Nothing has really changed in my swing even with the additional 8 years since I started fiddling with various new "high tech" drivers. Even my friends have noticed that I am no longer blasting it past them by 70 yards and and struggling to keep 10 or 20 yards ahead. I can pinpoint the drivers because ANY iron set I've used since 1976 have all been about the same yardage for each one. e.g.: 7 irons have always been around 150 with a normal swing. Except that now-after these shorter drives I'm hitting 5's into greens instead of 7's. Clubhead speed hasn't really changed. I have kept the same swing tempo and have kept myself in decent shape so it isn't a matter of having to swing around my body and losing form. Right up until this new stuff propagated itself into the mainstream, I was regularly hitting 280+ and straight (80%) with the odd bomber out to 300. And that was using the old 90 or 100 comp Titleists (or similar) and either Persimmons or early generation steel drivers. Worst driver yet was a TM Tour Burner that just gobbled up distance like a plague. It would barely get out to 220 on a good hit with these new balls. I miss the of a black # Titleist off the plastic insert and watching it launch out in that rising trajectory and just keep going. Now, even if it FEELS like I crammed it, it's disappointing to watch it just kind of float out there and die at the 225 mark with little or no roll. It is starting to take it's toll on my enjoyment of the game when the frustration kicks in after striping one with gusto and then finding it taking a leisurely walk to 225, instead of an "ass-on-fire" sprint to 280+ IF I win the Lottery, I'm going to make a deal with Titleist to produce a custom ball that replicates the balatas of the 70's and 80's, and cut a deal with some club maker to custom produce a mid 80's steel driver replica. Oh, wait, I may not need that one, since I have a shed full of those in Florida. A few new grips and new steel shafts (Yes, STEEL- never liked the graphite shafts back in the day) with similar properties of originals and I think I'll be fine. [rant mode off]

[upndown21]

Due to the statistic of drive distance getting longer over time I do not feel the same way.

[Lihu]

Well, at least you can still get DG steel shafts, and they're way cheaper than graphite. :-) Does a Tour 100 really go farther than the new balls? I lost a ball of this model type straight down the fairway. I wonder if it went farther than I expected?

[Mr. Desmond]

You may have a negative angle of attack, too high loft, and spinning the be-jayzuz out of the ball.

[Lihu]

You may have a negative angle of attack, too high loft, and spinning the be-jayzuz out of the ball.

Are you addressing the OP or me? If the OP, did the old balls want a lot more spin than the new ones?

[Mr. Desmond]

Are you addressing the OP or me?

If the OP, did the old balls want a lot more spin than the new ones?

I think it's the OP that has the issues.

He needs to get over it and adapt to the modern game - driver and balls.

You've got to change a few things at address, tee the ball differently, hit up on the ball, etc.

Just have him read some TST threads.

[mvmac]

[rant mode on]:

Okay- personal experience tantrum. In the last few years with all these new trampolining driver faces and soft balls, I have seriously lost about 40-50 yards off the driver. Nothing has really changed in my swing even with the additional 8 years since I started fiddling with various new "high tech" drivers. Even my friends have noticed that I am no longer blasting it past them by 70 yards and and struggling to keep 10 or 20 yards ahead. I can pinpoint the drivers because ANY iron set I've used since 1976 have all been about the same yardage for each one. e.g.: 7 irons have always been around 150 with a normal swing. Except that now-after these shorter drives I'm hitting 5's into greens instead of 7's.

Clubhead speed hasn't really changed. I have kept the same swing tempo and have kept myself in decent shape so it isn't a matter of having to swing around my body and losing form. Right up until this new stuff propagated itself into the mainstream, I was regularly hitting 280+ and straight (80%) with the odd bomber out to 300. And that was using the old 90 or 100 comp Titleists (or similar) and either Persimmons or early generation steel drivers.

Worst driver yet was a TM Tour Burner that just gobbled up distance like a plague. It would barely get out to 220 on a good hit with these new balls. I miss the of a black # Titleist off the plastic insert and watching it launch out in that rising trajectory and just keep going. Now, even if it FEELS like I crammed it, it's disappointing to watch it just kind of float out there and die at the 225 mark with little or no roll. It is starting to take it's toll on my enjoyment of the game when the frustration kicks in after striping one with gusto and then finding it taking a leisurely walk to 225, instead of an "ass-on-fire" sprint to 280+

IF I win the Lottery, I'm going to make a deal with Titleist to produce a custom ball that replicates the balatas of the 70's and 80's, and cut a deal with some club maker to custom produce a mid 80's steel driver replica. Oh, wait, I may not need that one, since I have a shed full of those in Florida. A few new grips and new steel shafts (Yes, STEEL- never liked the graphite shafts back in the day) with similar properties of originals and I think I'll be fine.

[rant mode off]

Have you ever been fit for a driver?

I get that this is a rant but it's very likely your swing speed has changed.

Unless you're still using your '76 irons, you can't pinpoint the driver because iron loft and technology has changed. So if you hit your current 7 iron 150 yards, a club that probably launches higher, has less loft, has a longer and lighter shaft than your '76 7 iron, then something in your swing has changed.

The new balls just flat out go farther than the balata balls of the 70's-90's.

[thenewguy]

There have been a lot of videos with good ball strikers showing that the old wooden drivers only lose about 15-30 yards per drive if struck perfectly. The catch here is that you have to strike the ball perfectly, that's why modern drivers are so high tech, to force mishits to carry nearly as far as normal drives (of course I only mean mishits as in just barely off the center), and to send shots where you hit them off the toe, or the club face just twists open, straighter with more distance. do the new drivers really outperform old ones? yes. but if you can't hit the new drivers, stick with the old ones, like they say "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

[Grumpter]

My 7 iron used to be 150 - 155 yards (70's through 2000's). Now? 175 with a smooth swing but up to 200 if I really lay into one.

[RayG]

I have played with the "old drivers" and the new balls. THOSE results are even worse. A kind of "splut" at impact and then a disappointing result. Okay- as for being "fit" for a driver. I have NEVER been fit for a driver... ever. When I sucked as a beginner, when I was as low as an 8 in my late 20's, AND when I could hit them decently long since then. And that was with drivers I would change nearly on a monthly basis by going to a discount store and buying a new one I could afford. I actually had to throttle back my swing a bit when I wanted to improve my accuracy, since I was driving thru doglegs or reaching hazards at local courses. that is the swing I have had the longest. The best driving period involved a $30 driver from a bargain bin. Even after THAT driver (still own it), I could hit those longer drives on a regular basis. So I don't use any 'change of swing' as an excuse. Didn't matter which driver I bought, If I liked it, I could hit it. The swing hasn't changed much at all. I tinkered then and I tinker now. The first "high tech" driver that was a real "name brand" was an TM R7. This was before the current era of low comp balls (maybe just before the Tour Lady/Laddie took the world by storm). Even then I lost a few yards, but not enough to get rid of the improved accuracy it provided so I didn't mind too much because it was still going out there. But since then, EVERY driver has been affected. And as balls got softer, length has dipped. Had swing-speed checked TWO years ago at a golfsmith in Myrtle Beach with my current driver (R11). Numbers were 100-105, with around a 13* launch angle. According to the machine I should have been carrying 240-250. That's on par(get it?) with Zach Johnson's average swing #'s. He's averaging about 280 total. I'm lucky to get it to 230 TOTAL on a good day. Every drive can't be into the wind or land in soft ground to kill distance.

[SavvySwede]

I have played with the "old drivers" and the new balls. THOSE results are even worse. A kind of "splut" at impact and then a disappointing result.

I played with a persimmon driver on Tuesday from the tips on a 6900-7000 yard layout and the results were great. Lost only 15-20 yards but quite accurate.

And as balls got softer, length has dipped.

There are still plenty of modern balls with higher compression numbers. Pro v1x is around 95-100 compression.

Had swing-speed checked TWO years ago at a golfsmith in Myrtle Beach with my current driver (R11). Numbers were 100-105, with around a 13* launch angle. According to the machine I should have been carrying 240-250. That's on par(get it?) with Zach Johnson's average swing #'s. He's averaging about 280 total. I'm lucky to get it to 230 TOTAL on a good day. Every drive can't be into the wind or land in soft ground to kill distance.

Zach Johnson's average Swingspeed is 107.6mph and he is very efficient. Big difference compared to 100mph and less than ideal launch, slight mishits, etc.

[iacas]

@RayG :

• You swing slower now.
• You have horrible launch conditions.
• You're using equipment that is NOT well suited for you.

Pick any number of the above (except 0).