Have a few pounds to spend, new driver or gps watch

[Rorys7iron]

Ive €150 to spend on some gear, and im stuck between a new callaway v-series driver or a gsrmin s3 gps watch, 

ive recently been fitted to stiff shaft irons, but my driver is a ridiculously long 46.5in and floppy burner super fast regular shaft.

id love the gps watch as this one also lets me calculate shot distance as well as marker distances.

 but id like the stiff callaway driver to finish my set.

this is my last purchase for a while what would you pick/find most value in?

do the watches add that much to your game because ive hear of guys giving up on them because they hate wearing a watch swinging.

any thoughts?

 

[SavvySwede]

  On 1/18/2017 at 8:59 PM, Rorys7iron said:

Ive €150 to spend on some gear, and im stuck between a new callaway v-series driver or a gsrmin s3 gps watch, 

ive recently been fitted to stiff shaft irons, but my driver is a ridiculously long 46.5in and floppy burner super fast regular shaft.

id love the gps watch as this one also lets me calculate shot distance as well as marker distances.

 but id like the stiff callaway driver to finish my set.

this is my last purchase for a while what would you pick/find most value in?

do the watches add that much to your game because ive hear of guys giving up on them because they hate wearing a watch swinging.

any thoughts?

 

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Laser is the way to go, you'll never have to question its accuracy. May cost a little more but good deals can be found. For your other issue, a 46.5 is too long for a driver shaft IMO. Cutting it down to 44.5 will help with accuracy and the shaft will play stiffer. I'd give that a shot before buying a new stick.

[Hatchman]

I wear a watch and use it as a tell on my wrist when I cock it.    You'd get use to it.  About your selection of a GPS watch or new Driver for your set.  I have a watch and it's only a ballpark number around the course, but they now provide other functionalities that can be useful.  The driver might be my choice however.

[WUTiger]

  On 1/18/2017 at 9:12 PM, SavvySwede said:

For your other issue, a 46.5 is too long for a driver shaft IMO. Cutting it down to 44.5 will help with accuracy and the shaft will play stiffer. I'd give that a shot before buying a new stick.

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If you remove the shaft and tip-trim it, you can increase the stiffness better than if you just butt-trim it.

The Fujikura shaft site gives general guidelines for tip trimming. Basically, trimming 1/2" will make the shaft play a half flex stiffer, while trimming 1" will make it play a full flex stiffer.

As per Savvy's suggestion, you would also butt-trim it to final length.

[Hacker James]

@WUTiger that is what I was about to suggest. I have a long Orlimar Hip Ti which is "A" flex and I plan on a tip trim of about 1 1/4 inches. I do not how that will affect the SW, but probably not as much as a butt cut would since you are removing less material. Might have to add some weight to the sole, or if room, pour a little in the hosel. This should end up being close to a regular flex a tad on the stiff side. It would probably also change the kick point a little, but I think it would be negligible. The club is an older one and more or less disposable if too much error.

as for a GPS watch, that would be my pick if only for convenience.

Edited January 19, 2017 by Hacker James

[saevel25]

Unless you plan to get fitted for the driver I would go with the laser rangefinder. It is much more useful on the course than a GPS watch. 

[paininthenuts]

  On 1/18/2017 at 8:59 PM, Rorys7iron said:

Ive €150 to spend on some gear, and im stuck between a new callaway v-series driver or a gsrmin s3 gps watch, 

ive recently been fitted to stiff shaft irons, but my driver is a ridiculously long 46.5in and floppy burner super fast regular shaft.

id love the gps watch as this one also lets me calculate shot distance as well as marker distances.

 but id like the stiff callaway driver to finish my set.

this is my last purchase for a while what would you pick/find most value in?

do the watches add that much to your game because ive hear of guys giving up on them because they hate wearing a watch swinging.

any thoughts?

 

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Shortening the shaft yourself will cost you the price of a grip. Have a look on youtube how to do it. I have done several myself, and it's really easy. I use a TomTom golfer watch, and it's excellent 

[ZappyAd]

Laser rangefinder would be near the top of my list too.  Getting accurate yardages means you can then try to hit those yardages and assess the level of your game against your misses.  I've found it really useful and prefer it over a watch because I can choose exactly what I am getting the range of.  But I didn't get any kind of range finding device until I was able to hit my approach irons quite accurately.  I then realised that I was missing the flag because I hadn't judged the distance correctly, rather than hitting an errant shot.

So having said that if the choice is between a properly fitted driver and a gps watch then I would go with driver.  

Learning to hit a driver is hard but getting one that is fitted properly to your swing will make it easier.  And if you can hit it well then getting closer for your second shot makes a big difference (and that is when accurate yardages are more important).

[Vinny Cap]

I can't play with a watch on.  Tried it but it feels strange.

I would get the driver as it sounds like that would be a better purchase for you.

If you play different courses all the time the watch might be useful but if you play the same courses, you should know the course and have an idea of where you are and how far away.

Good luck with the new driver!! 

[paininthenuts]

  On 1/19/2017 at 1:12 PM, Vinny Cap said:

I can't play with a watch on.  Tried it but it feels strange.

I would get the driver as it sounds like that would be a better purchase for you.

If you play different courses all the time the watch might be useful but if you play the same courses, you should know the course and have an idea of where you are and how far away.

Good luck with the new driver!! 

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Your right that a watch is a waist of money if you don't play other courses, but I would propose playing golf is a waist of time if you don't play other courses. 

In my bag I have a Taylormade Burner. Previously I had an expensive Taylormade R15. I did a deal with a friend which gave me some cash, as I tried the Burner and it appeared to be as good as the R15. I also have a NEW Dunlop driver in my garage which cost me £10. I took the Dunlop driver out for a test drive a while ago, and to be honest it was as good as the R15 and Burner, but at a small fraction of the price. Makes you think, doesn't it ?

[Hacker James]

I really do not agree that a GPS watch is a waste of money. I find them to be pretty accurate, perhaps not as precise as a laser rangefinder, but even so, I really do not see the need for all that precision. One of my peeves is to see someone ahead of me using their lasers on nearly every shot, taking an inordinate amount of time to do so, and then coming no wheres close to where they were aiming. That being said, I have never used one, so I would acknowledge that my opinion may change should I ever decide to do so.

As far as club selection, I would agree you do not need the latest and greatest as it goes back to the old axiom relating to arrows and archers,. noting my staying politically correct in not stereotyping any ethnicity.

[Hatchman]

Like I said.   have a GPS watch but don't rely on it.  They can be off a bit.   

[Rorys7iron]

Hi Guys i took on your advice and truly if i thought about it i would be happier long term with the driver, i took my burner along to the golf store and tried a used big bertha v series/815alpha and a Ping G30, for €180 each, my god the G30 was like a dream! ive never drawn a driver until today! i was sold!! gps can wait!

[arturo28mx]

Sky Caddie watches are extremely accurate because they send  people with  sensitive gps readers to exactly map  hole positions, instead of just relying on satellite maps like other companies. There may be a fee to pay though.

[WUTiger]

  On 1/19/2017 at 2:10 AM, Hacker James said:

I do not how that will affect the SW, but probably not as much as a butt cut would since you are removing less material.

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For every 1/2-inch you trim the shaft (tip or butt) you go down three swingweight points. If you're tip-trimming, you can put in a tip weight to help capture the old swingweight.

Also, if you go with a lighter weight grip, this will increase the swingweight. As per Golfsmith:

  Quote

...by decreasing the weight of the golf grip by 4 grams, the swingweight will be increased by one swingweight point ...

For entire link, see: Golfsmith on Swingweight 

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[Hacker James]

  On 1/19/2017 at 11:14 PM, WUTiger said:

For every 1/2-inch you trim the shaft (tip or butt) you go down three swingweight points. If you're tip-trimming, you can put in a tip weight to help capture the old swingweight.

Also, if you go with a lighter weight grip, this will increase the swingweight. As per Golfsmith:

 

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yes, I am aware of the dynamics of length and grip changes. I was more or less referring to the overall static weight of the shaft being less affected by a tip trim vs butt cut. The science is not absolute and all the factors contribute in different ways in affecting the apparent swing weight.

another factor often ignored is frequency measurement.

Edited January 19, 2017 by Hacker James

[SavvySwede]

  On 1/19/2017 at 11:40 PM, Hacker James said:

yes, I am aware of the dynamics of length and grip changes. I was more or less referring to the overall static weight of the shaft being less affected by a tip trim vs butt cut. The science is not absolute and all the factors contribute in different ways in affecting the apparent swing weight.

another factor often ignored is frequency measurement.

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The weight difference between 1'' of tip section a 1" of butt section is more or less insignificant. I would guess less than a quarter of a gram in most cases.

[dennyjones]

  On 1/19/2017 at 10:00 PM, Rorys7iron said:

Hi Guys i took on your advice and truly if i thought about it i would be happier long term with the driver, i took my burner along to the golf store and tried a used big bertha v series/815alpha and a Ping G30, for €180 each, my god the G30 was like a dream! ive never drawn a driver until today! i was sold!! gps can wait!

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Thanks for your reply.    As you can see, any time this discussion arises there are many differences of opinions.