Hibore XL owners..

[Cizzle]

I was at the driving range today and when I practiced with my driver, I noticed it sounded extremely loud when it hit. It could be I never noticed it was that loud before, but today it was pinging so loud it had people looking at me. After about 5 or so hits, I had to put it away because it was making my ears ring. I don't know if it's because I was hitting driving range balls, but the sound is unbearable. Is this a normal sound, or is there something wrong with the face? I haven't heard the sasquach sound, so I can't compare it to that, but if it is worst than what I heard today, I don't know how anyone can deal with that. Anyways, just wondering if anyone else can confirm if this is normal.

-Thanks

[neudi]

The Sasquatch Sumo is a very irritating sound off the face. If it is a knockoff of that then it would not surprise me if that was just the normal sound, but take a look at the head and make sure there are no minor cracks in the head or a dented face.

[Bowker]

So your saying it's never sounded like that before?

Well you can always blame it on the dew point.

[Cizzle]

When playing a round the noise never bothered me. I haven't hit it at the driving range in over a month though because I have been adjusting my swing with irons, so that has been my focus. I got it at golfsmith, so I don't think the knockoff answer is correct, but I'll take a look at the face and see if I should return it. I was just wondering if I should take a look at the face, or if the loud ping is normal.

[Sherpat]

Hey Cizzle - there was a review of the Hibore XL here at the Sand Trap back in March. The reviewer did make one comment about the sound:

" Once I hit a second ball with it, I noticed how loud the club sounded at impact. Don't let this deter you, however, as it isn't nearly as loud as some of the other drivers on the market. I believe the only reason I really noticed it was the close quarters of the driving range I was on as well as the almost lack of sound out of my Titleist ."

Seems like that sound may a normal characteristic of the brand. Considering how good the rest of the review was, I'd just invest in a set of ear plugs and keep swinging. A little booth resonance is small price to pay for that club.

You can read the entire writeup here: http://thesandtrap.com/equipment/clu..._driver_review

[Cizzle]

Thanks guys, it could be that I haven't hit it at the driving range for a while and took me by surprise. I guess you may not notice it when you hit your driver once a hole during a round, but after you hit a few at the driving range, you notice it.

-Thanks

[clutch]

Does your range have walls or dividers between the tees? If I'm at a tee with a wall right next to it, the sound from my driver (HiBore standard) has my ears ringing after the first hit. Hitting from a tee without a wall, and it's still a little loud, but nothing unbearable. Something about that sound echoes viciously.

[andre112]

it should probably sound like that
i hate it when my friend hits his hibore xl

[JonB27]

The driver should be fine, I hit it at the range and it is loud.

[Island Par]

I used to own a hibore xl and if you hit it dead center it really produces a loud sound but not as loud as a sasquatch or my current driver. If you're hitting it dead center, if its loud and getting the right distance (220-250 or longer) then there's nothing wrong with it. But thats just my experience, to be sure have it checked out.

And in case you're wondering, no I didn't give it up because it wasn't a good driver, it is and I was crossing the 200 yard ravine in my favorite course here with ease because of it. However, after testing the Mizuno MX560, its lighter and it suited my swing more and gave me slightly longer distance. I just have to ignore the indignant stares at the driving range. Oh well...

[littlefish]

The sasquatch makes a different sound. Sound like an aluminum baseball bat and is fairly loud (bit more than the XL). If your XL was damaged (small crack in face) I think it would make less noise than normal. Just a guess though. I had an old Ping driver that developed a crack in the center of the face. It became real obvious when the ball flight changed (a lot of spin, erratic flight). I finally figured it out after crushing a drive that went about 40 yards and then nosed dived straight down.

[duffer22]

I was hitting it at an indoor range a month ago and really noticed the loud sound my HiBore XL made. The golf pro next to me was giving a lesson and I asked him if it was too much a deterant to his lesson. Without saying a word, he pulled out his Sasquatch and it was as loud or louder than my XL.

He then made the point that drivers today are bigger, more forgiving and just all around better clubs for the average player. The side effect is a louder impact than older technologies, but players are generally happier with their play and spend less time looking for lost balls.

[Zakko]

Funny, because I hate the way Persimmion sounds...