How old is too old?- Driver question

[golfncowboy]

I have been playing a Titleist 909 d2 driver for just shy of 6 years. I was fit for it and still hit it well, I would say driving accuracy is a strong suit in my game, but have been wondering if it might be worth upgrading this year. As far as distance goes I'd say I'm not long average carry is about 245-250 and would like to pick up a few more yards. I know you can't buy distance but sometimes the improvements in tech over a period of time can make a difference. Has tech come far enough since 2010 to make a difference?

[SavvySwede]

1 minute ago, golfncowboy said:

I have been playing a Titleist 909 d2 driver for just shy of 6 years. I was fit for it and still hit it well, I would say driving accuracy is a strong suit in my game, but have been wondering if it might be worth upgrading this year. As far as distance goes I'd say I'm not long average carry is about 245-250 and would like to pick up a few more yards. I know you can't buy distance but sometimes the improvements in tech over a period of time can make a difference. Has tech come far enough since 2010 to make a difference?

That really depends on how well your current driver fits you. The newer heads have better tech for optimizing spin rates and launch angles and a little more forgiveness but if you already get close to ideal numbers from your current head you may only see a slight uptick in performance.

[jsgolfer]

If you're hitting it 250 yards for a carry,that's pretty far for an amateur.  255 is carrying distance for the Senior Tour average player.  But going to a fitter to check the new tech isn't a bad idea.

 

[pganapathy]

Technology has not really advanced that much over the last 10 years or so, except for incremental advances.  I have an R5 TM driver with stiff shaft and on a well hit shot can exceed 300 yards and I don't really think I can get a lot longer than that.  I am 5'6", weigh around 80kg, not very athletic or very strong now so even with the latest technology don't expect to increase distance dramatically.  Yes, the modern drivers might have a larger sweet spot and be more forgiving, but FITTING is the real key to A GOOD CLUB.  Ensure your current club or a new club you buy fits your swing correctly and it doesn't really matter about the technology from 5 years ago.

[Patch]

My current driver is going on 8 years old. It still does the job for me. It was moth balled for a couple years due to my injuries. This one is a component club built to my swing specs. 

Before that one I had one I played for 8 or 9 years. That critter never let me down.  Even off the deck it was money for me. Found it in a bargain bin for $25. It finally wore out. I caved the face in. Never could duplicate it. Still miss it to this day. 

No club gets too old as long as the golfer can make it do what the golfer wants out of it. 

Edited March 14, 2016 by Patch

[Beachball]

My driver is fairly new but my irons are Ping ISI-K's that were a gift from my dad in the '96 or '97.  So they are just going on 20 years old.  I'm sure I could benefit from new irons but just haven't done it yet.  Maybe this year.  

I say if you can still hit the driver well then might not be worth it.  The only reason my driver is newer is because I broke my old Calloway 2 years ago or I'd still be playing that.

[Golfingdad]

IMO, if you're older than about 70 or so you should have a driver.  It's too unsafe for people of that age to be driving on their own.

[Mike Boatright]

It's never to old as long as it's effective. I put this driver head on a adila shaft and when pured it goes just as far as my 2 wood because of it's overall weight I had to make it shorter. Technology is enabling us to hit it farther though lighter components longer shafts and better golf balls. Overall if you like the design of the head and can make it work then it will work for you.

[Lefty-Golfer]

it is certainly a preference but I find a driver starts to wear out after about a year and half, typical cycle seems to be.

Do a fitting of some kind, find new awesome driver that hits ball like tour pro

use for a full season, take off some time in the winter

driver gets little bit tired over the winter but eventually sometime in April knocks the rust off and is fine

getting on toward the end of summer the 2nd season or early fall driver tends to start missing a few more fairways then normal, may get switched with driver from previous experience if the kids haven't already taken one of them...but usually is fine for the season.

over the winter weird things happen to club, it tends to be losing some distance, maybe it is just a hair tired or getting rough around the edges. come late Feb or early March after a winter golf trip or 2 the old girl just seems to be lacking...there is probably something AWESOME that has been developed over the last 24 months you have been with this club....and by the time April hits the process starts all over again!!

funny thing is the exact same thing tends to happen with iron sets but they are on off years from the current driver....weird how they need to be replaced this way!!

 

[onthehunt526]

20 hours ago, golfncowboy said:

I have been playing a Titleist 909 d2 driver for just shy of 6 years. I was fit for it and still hit it well, I would say driving accuracy is a strong suit in my game, but have been wondering if it might be worth upgrading this year. As far as distance goes I'd say I'm not long average carry is about 245-250 and would like to pick up a few more yards. I know you can't buy distance but sometimes the improvements in tech over a period of time can make a difference. Has tech come far enough since 2010 to make a difference?

To answer your question, in a few ways yes, in other ways not so much... 

I honestly believe the drivers now are only slightly better than the 2010 offerings in some OEMs.

In other OEMs the Drivers have advanced more, because their cycles are longer and their R and D spends more time working on new technology... in your case Acushnet (parent company of Titleist), has only released 3 Driver, Fairway, Hybrid lines since the 909. The 910, 913 and just last year the 915... Acushnet has a 2 year cycle on almost everything, Drivers, Fairways, Hybrids and Pro V1 and Pro V1x in odd numbered years, Irons in even numbered years, along with the NXT, Velocity and new TruSoft (used to be DT Solo)...

If your 909 is serving you well don't change it... If you feel that you want to give new technology a whirl and you're a serial monogamist when it comes to the driver, go ahead and get fit for a new one... Even if you play 60 rounds a year for 6 years. I'm sure that your new driver will pay for itself...

If I were you and wanted a 915, as an example, I'd be tempted to hang on to that until 2022 when we have this discussion again...

As an old now retired pro told me, it's not the tools, it's the carpenter.

[uitar9]

47 minutes ago, Lefty-Golfer said:

it is certainly a preference but I find a driver starts to wear out after about a year and half, typical cycle seems to be.

Do a fitting of some kind, find new awesome driver that hits ball like tour pro

use for a full season, take off some time in the winter

driver gets little bit tired over the winter but eventually sometime in April knocks the rust off and is fine

getting on toward the end of summer the 2nd season or early fall driver tends to start missing a few more fairways then normal, may get switched with driver from previous experience if the kids haven't already taken one of them...but usually is fine for the season.

over the winter weird things happen to club, it tends to be losing some distance, maybe it is just a hair tired or getting rough around the edges. come late Feb or early March after a winter golf trip or 2 the old girl just seems to be lacking...there is probably something AWESOME that has been developed over the last 24 months you have been with this club....and by the time April hits the process starts all over again!!

funny thing is the exact same thing tends to happen with iron sets but they are on off years from the current driver....weird how they need to be replaced this way!!

 

LMAO-the same thing happened to my driver over the winter-and a couple of my guitars-club face is slightly scuffed, a couple of scrapes on the back-obviously I "need" new technology.

Gotta remember the fairway shots it made in PalmSprings in January or at home in October before it started hitting at the dome. Oh how we forget once the ads start appearing on the phone in spring

[vangator]

A graphite shaft can lose some umph if it is left in the heat a lot.

I you think you might get something out of new clubs, you owe it to yourself to alleviate those questions.  Buy yourself a new driver.

[golfncowboy]

On March 14, 2016 at 10:00 AM, jsgolfer said:

If you're hitting it 250 yards for a carry,that's pretty far for an amateur.  255 is carrying distance for the Senior Tour average player.  But going to a fitter to check the new tech isn't a bad idea.

 

That was a gc2 simulator the other day, that said I could believe it's close to that. And your right it couldn't hurt to go see what's out there!

[golfncowboy]

1 hour ago, vangator said:

A graphite shaft can lose some umph if it is left in the heat a lot.

I you think you might get something out of new clubs, you owe it to yourself to alleviate those questions.  Buy yourself a new driver.

It has been through a few Oklahoma summers in my trunk! And I like your thought process haha my wife on the other hand… 

[Dan42nepa]

Funny you brought this up I found a driver in the club bin at salvation army yesterday and it looked interesting. Its a burrows Powersphere from around 2003. I tried it today and found I hit it lower and longer then my Ping G15 driver. Still not long enough for me but will keep working on it.

[TJBam]

I wasn't playing at the time, but I always heard that around 2006-2008 is when driver technology "turned up."

That being said, if it fits and it grips, it rips!  I play an R1 with a 43.75" GD shaft.  I hit it much better than any of the demo clubs (M1, M2, G, etc etc).

[bubble]

I think 5-6 years starts to be old. I would try friends stuff at the range.

You won't get more distance but recent material is easier to play. bad shots are less bad and that counts a lot.

[arturo28mx]

Couple of years ago I saw a video where they compared older versus newer drivers. The conclusion: newer drivers same distance, less dispersion.