e-man

Now I'm thinking that the sole plate on the hyper X is depressed in the middle from the face to the back of the head:

Scott -- what's your swing speed with the driver? How does the stiff feel? My GBB II is a 10 firm, so I would probably want to hit your exact driver. e

I agree. The X460 has a depression that runs across the middle of the sole plate from heel to toe. The Hyper X looks like it has a raised section that runs from the face to the back of the club. If anything, it looks like it would be easier to hit off the deck. It's funny, because I'm making a big deal out of this driver off the deck thing like I actually do it that much. I did it twice last season (both times successfully with my GBB II 10 degree).

Is it me, or is the sole plate on the Hyper X the inverse of the sole plate on the X460? In other words, it looks like the sole plate on the Hyper X is raised in the middle, while the sole plate on the X460 is raised on the sides. EDIT -- actually, I just took a close look, and the sole plate on the X460 is raised in the front and the back (i.e., perpendicular to the target line). My comment on the sole plate on the Hyper X remains the same -- it looks raised in the middle, running from the front to the back of the head.

So the hyper X has that sole plate as well? Are there any real differences between the two clubs?

I didn't try the Hyper X today, but I think I'll go back and check it out. I don't need to have the latest and greatest, though, so if it's not much different from the X460, I would probably save the $100+ and go with the X460.

Thanks Josh. Of all the clubs I hit today, I wanted to like the R7 425 the best, but I actually thought that the X460 (non-tour) felt the most solid. I'm not sure about the funky sole plate, though. I sometimes will hit driver off the deck, and I think the sole might make that difficult. e

New is not important to me. Over the years, I've probably bought and sold somewhere between 50-75 preowned drivers on ebay. I just turned 40 last week, and someone gave me a gift card for $200 to Golfsmith, so I'm kind of locked into it. I liked the R7 425 more than R7 460, but I found the 425 to be a little on the heavy side. As for the 905R, is that more of a player's club? I am a 7, with a 95-97 swing speed, and I've always played Callaway and TM game improvements clubs. I did play a 975d and 975jv-s back in the day, but I'd like as much help as possible out on the course, and, right or wrong, my impression of Titleist is different than that.

I was at Golfsmith today hitting balls in the simulator. I'm looking to upgrade my GBB II (380 cc) and I've got around $200 to play with. In your opinion, what's the best driver for less than $200? To give you an idea, here are a few of the clubs that Golfsmith is selling at the $199.99 price point: TM R7 425 TM R7 460 (draw and non-draw) Callaway X460 (tour and non-tour) Callaway BB 460 Cobra _____ speed (can't recall the exact name) For $299.99, you can add the TM Burner and FT-3 to the list. Any thoughts? Thanks. e

Yeah, MX-25, not MP-25. Incredibly soft feel. Like I said, though, I'm concerned that they won't provide the same level of forgiveness that I'll get from the x-18s. That concern might be unfounded. I really don't know for sure. It's just my impression.

Funny you should mention the MP-57s or 60s. I was back at Golfsmith today in the simulator and hit the MP-25s. All I can say is wow. What a great feeling club. I know myself too well, and if I ever went with that, I'd always wonder whether I made the right decision, especially on those days that I'm not swinging so well. Anyway, I hit 6 irons for about an hour, x-18 in steel and x-18 in regular graphite. Although the two felt very different, I didn't see much difference between the two in terms of results. I then took a closer look at the graphite shafted club, and I realized that I had been hitting a firm flex as opposed to regular. Long story short, I picked up the regular flex graphite club, hit 5 moon shots, and realized right then and there that there was no way I could go with regular graphite. I then cleared the screen, and hit 3 shots with the steel and 3 with the firm graphite. No contest. The steel won hands down. I want to thank all of you for your help with this. You pointed me in the right direction, and, in the end, I'm sure I made the right decision. e

My brain is telling me to go with steel. My back, sore rotator cuff and hands are telling me to give the graphite a whirl. In an ideal world, I'd be able to take both to the dome and hit balls. I asked Golfsmith whether that would be possible, and they said no because they had a problem a few years ago with clubs not being returned. I've dropped $1,200 in new clubs, and they're concerned with me running off with a few demo 6 irons?

The problem is that I'm locked into Golfsmith at this point, and I cannot hit the irons I have (at Golfsmith or a local shop) before I decide which set I'm keeping. I know, it's screwed up. I was at Golfsmith this afternoon, and I hit both the steel and reg flex graphite, but, like I said, the simulator was all out of whack (on a few shots, the carry distance was 20-30 yards longer than the overall distance). One thing I should mention about my swing speed -- I have a very long swing, and that's where I generate the speed. I don't have a sharp transition at the top. In other words, I could get away with regular flex graphite if I really wanted to. Here's the thing. I would love to keep the graphite set. I really would. It's just that with the steel, I know what I'm getting because that's what I currently and always have had. To be honest, the graphite scares me a bit. I have visions of ballooning ball flights and wicked hooks.

Hey everyone. Great forum. Glad to be here. So I decided to upgrade my x-14s with constant weight steel shafts to x-18s. I've been toying with the idea of switching to graphite, but I couldn't make up my mind before the Golfsmith sale ended, so I now own two brand new sets of x-18s, one in constant weight steel the other in regular graphite, and I need to decide which shaft is right for me. I realize that this is a very personal thing, but I'm looking for some guidance. The salespeople at Golfsmith haven't been very helpful (although, it's really not their fault -- their simulator equipment doesn't work very well). Also, I can't hit any of the clubs that I just bought, because I'll need to return a set, and I can't return them if I hit them. Anyway, my index is 6.9 and my swing speed with the driver is right at 95 mph. My average drive is around 240-250 yards. I've hit both shafts and, to be honest, the graphite feel better to me, but I'm concerned that the regular flex will be too soft for me. I have a bad lower back, and the idea of carrying/swinging lighter clubs is appealing to me, provided that I don't end up hitting them all over the place (primarily, too high or hooks). One thing the Golfsmith salesperson did tell me is that if I went with graphite, I should probably go with stiff as opposed to regular. Then again, he said I was right on the cusp between the two, and because the x-18s is a discontinued model, they aren't available in stiff graphite. Does anyone have any thoughts? Again, I realize it's hard to make this analysis electronically on a golf forum, but I'm all ears. Thanks in advance for any help. e

Callaway GBB II (380), 10 degrees, stock Callaway graphite shaft, firm flex

http://www.pinemeadowgc.com/ Mundelein, IL

I'm 40 (just turned a few days ago), and am a lawyer.