Factors in Selecting Your Driver

[boogielicious]

In line with another thread about which driver you own, what factors went into buying your current driver. You can select more than one factor. I can add more factors if anyone has good additional ones.

[JonMA1]

My previous driver was an Adams 10.5° and had quite a bit of wear and tear. I did a considerable amount of research and thought the Titleist 915 D2 would be a forgiving and well-built driver. This was in early 2017. The new version was out so there were a lot of used ones to be had which were within my budget.

I no longer remember the details, but there was something about the weight distribution (towards the back??) that made the club more forgiving - or at least that's how it was touted. The 910 remained a popular club but the 913 got some negative reviews.

Before buying a used one online, I thought I'd check with the only pro shop in my area. He had several unused 915 heads and I decided on the 12° based on information I'd read here at TST.

I had several options of shafts and since I was having trouble launching the ball high with the first shaft the fitter put on, I decided on one with more flex. The owner/fitter wasn't a tremendous help as far as suggestions, but that's just his nature. In the end, he sold the club to me for $175 which I thought was more than fair. He didn't have any Titleist head covers but gave me one from another brand. As far as anyone else knows, I carry a TaylorMade driver in the bag.

I had the shaft shortened a bit last year. I sometimes question the wisdom of that but it's so hard to know what effect that had. I've lost a few yards and gained a bit of accuracy. Could be due to me being a year older.

[Foot Wedge]

The most important thing to me was consistency, I don't see that on there.  Distance and look at address are big too.

[Bucki1968]

I can tell you this (this is my personal process), I hit balls with the launch monitor at my local golf shop. I I hit about 5-6 different drivers and the numbers I got from each one where really not that far off from any of the other drivers I hit. So it came down to which one I liked the look of better and which one preformed better ON THE GOLF COURSE. Playing with the driver was a HUGE part for me.  After using one and returning it for the same amount of $ towards the other one, I settled on the GBB Epic sub zero. I liked the way looked, sounded and preformed on the course. According to the monitor at the shop I tested in, it (Epic) produced the longer shots but was slightly less accurate than the first one I took to the course. Maybe I'm swing better with it but I firmly believe that I just like the look and sound of it better than the Ping. I will also say that I hit the Ping driver much higher which lead to me returning the club and switching to the Epic. The golf shop I use allows you to return the club within 90 days for a full refund (towards another club).

[HJJ003]

I knew I wanted Taylormade...I have always liked their clubs. My wife was looking on the local neighborhood buy/sell forum and saw a M2 driver barely used for a pretty darn good price. It was the right shaft flex, loft, and I really like the feel. I knew I couldn't beat the price for a club that was practically new (ad said used less than 5 rounds) and everything else about it looked right. So I bought the club without ever swinging it. Took it to the range that day...and have been in love every since 😁

[Club Rat]

The biggest factor for me is controlling the swing path of the club head with the club loading and releasing through impact.
Also, having a driver that doesn't require a full out swing all day long which becomes tiresome near the end of the round.
I've had drivers which I could hit with ease and others that simply wear my ass out.
While I may sacrifice a few yards, I prefer down the middle all day long.

@boogielicious add control to your selection and that would be my vote.

[Moxley]

None of the above , since price was the biggest factor for me. Yes, I wanted to make sure I bought from a fairly reputable company (Benross for this club) , and that it was suited to my game (loft and a few other things), but the big deciding factor was price, since it was a driver at around half the cost of other similar alternatives, and I believe that there is very little difference from brand to brand. 

@boogielicious is it worth adding price to the poll? or at least an 'other'?

[boogielicious]

3 hours ago, Moxley said:

None of the above , since price was the biggest factor for me. Yes, I wanted to make sure I bought from a fairly reputable company (Benross for this club) , and that it was suited to my game (loft and a few other things), but the big deciding factor was price, since it was a driver at around half the cost of other similar alternatives, and I believe that there is very little difference from brand to brand. 

@boogielicious is it worth adding price to the poll? or at least an 'other'?

 

4 hours ago, Club Rat said:

The biggest factor for me is controlling the swing path of the club head with the club loading and releasing through impact.
Also, having a driver that doesn't require a full out swing all day long which becomes tiresome near the end of the round.
I've had drivers which I could hit with ease and others that simply wear my ass out.
While I may sacrifice a few yards, I prefer down the middle all day long.

@boogielicious add control to your selection and that would be my vote.

added both. 

[Vinsk]

Distance and looks for me. But although vague ‘feel’ is important to me which is really more a shaft issue I suppose. 

[Casualgolfer]

Guess mine was a spin issue. I have an above average swing speed coupled with a slightly descending blow at impact makes for crazy spin rates. I would have drives back up 3 feet in the fairway lol. And that was with a driver that was fitted to me (Titleist set down the 7.75 loft with and x stiff tipped driver) on a whim I bought some drivers off eBay more associated with "long drive" with lower loft and stiffer shafts and I instantly gained a ton of distance. Still need to address my angle of attack but I feel much better with my newer drivers. 

[NM Golf]

Two Words: FADE BIAS. I have to trust that there is not a big left miss in it. Too many drivers these days are set up to help the average golfer close the face. I do not need any help closing the face.

[saevel25]

1. Looks
2. Feel/Sound
3. Distance
 

Weighted versus Price

[Jeremie Boop]

I have only 2 factors, price point and distance via testing. And by distance I also mean consistency *as much as can be gauged via the club vs my swing*. I don't care about looks, sound, company, or any other factor.

[Groucho Valentine]

When i was a more serious player than i am now, my main factor was spin rate. Shaft has something to do with that too. But nowadays if i was looking for a new driver, ease of use would be a bigger factor than anything else.  Im not good enough to be worrying about launch angles and spin rates anymore. Id be just looking for something easy to get out there around 270-280. 

[ScottyT]

It always comes down to personal preference, but if I can hit it long and straight, I don't care about who makes the club, what it feels like, the sound it emits, or anything else.  I don't care if the shaft is stiff, regular, senior, ladies or made out of steel, graphite, wood, or bamboo.  I don't care if its Taylor Made, Ping, Callaway, Tittleist or some off brand made in Peru,  if it's conforming and I hit it consistently straight and long, I"m good......That said, I know sound, appearance, brand and other things ARE important to many golfers and that's fine.  If that's what makes the game more enjoyable for them, then those are factors they need to consider.

[Patch]

The only thing that matters to me is the ball flight, generated by my swing. I don't care about anything else, as long as the ball flies well fore me.

The club could be a Kmart, blue light special, for $10 for all I care. I just want my swing, in cahoots with that club, to fly the ball close to where I am aiming. 

[Typhoon92]

Distance is my primary focus.  I know I can hit it fairly straight.  I distance is there then the line about spin and launch have already fallen into line.

Looks are big.  I might hit it far but I know if it's some ugly ass driver head, the honeymoon will be over and they'll be no gettin the magic back if it's hideous.

OEM...I have a couple OEMs that I'd buy clubs from and that's it.  When I'm at demo day I'm spending my time at Ping, TM and Callaway.

[ChetlovesMer]

Of course distance is important with the driver. That should be obvious. 
For me though I have a hang up on the way the club looks at address. As I golfer who fought a snap hook off the tee for several years. If the club looks closed at address I simply can't convince my mind to play it. 

My current PING G driver works well for me, but I don't like the way it sounds. Not as bad as the old Nike Sasquatch if any of you remember how ugly that thing sounded, but the noise my PING G makes is still pretty unpleasant to my ear.