SLDR Anonymous Meeting

Hi Everyone.

My name is Jim. And I used to love the SLDR.

It started with some long drives. Some consistency. Some fun on the range and even during rounds. Sure, there was the occasional lost shot but I'm not a pro afterall so it was easy to understand how a shot could go so astray.

I invested in a shaft I have used in other drivers. And it helped. For awhile.

I invested in a grip that I really love to really make it "feel right". And it helped. For awhile.

I spent hours on the range. Dialing it in. Tweaking it. Really going after the ball.

And then it happened. The past two weekends I played in my two leagues. And in both cases my driver was WAY off. I am not talking about here and there. I am talking about hitting only 2 fairways off. I am talking about OB-off not once but twice.

Then, to top everything else off, on the final hole when I had already made up my mind that I was going to pull it - and put one of my old reliable drivers back in the bag, I hit the drive of the day. Easily passing everyone else in my group and dead center.

Oh no you don't SLDR! I won't be fooled by one great drive like that. Where were you the other 13 holes each round????

So yesterday I pulled it. Into the bag went my BC+ with my favorite shaft. I played both yesterday and again today after work. Danny was with me and can attest to how far I was hitting the BC and how many fairways I managed to hit. On the last hole I hit a drive that was just past Danny and he is a LONG hitter!

And now I have joined SLDR Anonymous - the former SLDR user's group. For those players who were addicted to the promise of longer drives and who bought into the hype. But who found out the hard way that, while it can be an amazingly long driver, it can also be VERY wild and unmanageable.

I could not help but wonder. There are other threads asking what others have gone on to after leaving the SLDR but I don't know of any threads that really asked the most important question; what experiences with the SLDR did you have that led to you pulling it out of the bag? (Forgive me if my search failed - I searched SLDR and didn't see one specific to this question)

You can consider this the SLDR Anonymous Meeting place. Feel free to be completely honest. What in the world happened to you that showed you the light of just how evil that long distance driver can really be? For me, the highest score ever since joining my league convinced me it was time for a change.

I am playing tomorrow and havent played well in a few weeks and I think I am gonna throw my burner tp in the bag instead of dealing with the sldr

It's like a trick club. Built for the long drive Everyman is looking for but lacks the forgiveness/MOI of most modern drivers. SLDR doesn't forgive mishits, it clarifies them.

Yeah the sldr is a different animal. When I used to have one i remember feeling like I smoked it but it ended up being a pull hook that was sometimes in the trees. I still the only club I've had to this day where I've had that happen.

Bought one for a good price brand new still in the bag from Global Golf w/Tour AD-DI 6S in it. Put in a bid and didn't think I'd get it. I got it for cheaper than my max bid. Smoked a few drives for the new club honeymoon. Spent months trying to replicate it. Moved on to an R15 on a whim even though I had an Aeroburner in hand at the time. I couldn't let that exotic 6S go to waste! Smashed the R15 the first round I went out. Mishit/swung so bad off a tee box I didn't even see where the ball took off and had to go by sound and feel. I'm driving on the left side the hole the entire time looking around 250ish. See a ball about 20 yards (30 yards farther than I felt I hit it) from the green in fairway...sold every SLDR head I had and never even tried to hit it again.

Strangely enough, my dad hit a 9.5 SLDR with a 661 EVO TS in it and was smashing it. Over and over again...then told me he wanted an all Titleist bag

Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815...you're welcome.

Dumped the SLDR for the BC+ and never looked back.

Try a Big Bertha Alpha 815 bro. Longest and Most Forgiving Driver I've EVER hit!! I dumped my SLDR for it and couldn't be happier

I feel like the SLDR is very forgiving. Although i don't nail the sweet-spot every time, its such low spin that it just doesn't hook or slice for me. My miss with SLDR is simply a pull or push. The lack of spin keeps me in play more so than any other driver I've every played.

The main key with the SLDR for me is keeping it up in my stance. If i start to let the ball drift back towards the middle of my stance, then things go wrong. As long as it is even with my front foot, then its magical.

[quote name='cradd10' timestamp='1437478206' post='11990964']
I feel like the SLDR is very forgiving. Although i don't nail the sweet-spot every time, its such low spin that it just doesn't hook or slice for me. My miss with SLDR is simply a pull or push. The lack of spin keeps me in play more so than any other driver I've every played.

The main key with the SLDR for me is keeping it up in my stance. If i start to let the ball drift back towards the middle of my stance, then things go wrong. As long as it is even with my front foot, then its magical.
[/quote]

low spin makes it less forgiving. allows spin axis to be tilted easier ( backspin vector is smaller)

OP, I hear where you are coming from, but it is a weak man that blames an inanimate object for one's inadequacies.
Just kiddn' Been there, done that.

[quote name='Pigems' timestamp='1437476991' post='11990908']Try a Big Bertha Alpha 815 bro. Longest and Most Forgiving Driver I've EVER hit!! I dumped my SLDR for it and couldn't be happier [/quote]

What shaft you got in it? (Asks the club ho using two bad rounds as an excuse to buy yet another driver - LOL)

Y'all are just a bunch of quitters!...lol

[quote name='cradd10' timestamp='1437478206' post='11990964']
I feel like the SLDR is very forgiving. Although i don't nail the sweet-spot every time, its such low spin that it just doesn't hook or slice for me. My miss with SLDR is simply a pull or push. The lack of spin keeps me in play more so than any other driver I've every played.

The main key with the SLDR for me is keeping it up in my stance. If i start to let the ball drift back towards the middle of my stance, then things go wrong. As long as it is even with my front foot, then its magical.
[/quote]

This is very true, I can push fade SLDR but I can't outright slice it.

we have our trade-in rack FULL of SLDR of every combination. people are successfully quitting then taking it one day at a time.



[size=2]don't know what planet 17* and 1700rpm is on but it sure ain't earth[/size]

[quote name='Pigems' timestamp='1437476991' post='11990908']
Try a Big Bertha Alpha 815 bro. Longest and Most Forgiving Driver I've EVER hit!! I dumped my SLDR for it and couldn't be happier
[/quote]

Hope the Alpha 815 is better than last years Alpha...cause my experience with last years Alpha was exactly the same as the OP experience with SLDR

[quote name='white03' timestamp='1437483639' post='11991302']
[quote name='Pigems' timestamp='1437476991' post='11990908']
Try a Big Bertha Alpha 815 bro. Longest and Most Forgiving Driver I've EVER hit!! I dumped my SLDR for it and couldn't be happier
[/quote]

Hope the Alpha 815 is better than last years Alpha...cause my experience with last years Alpha was exactly the same as the OP experience with SLDR
[/quote]

I didn't hit blast years but I can tell you for sure that this year version is a good club. I came from a 910d2 and the SLDR before this club.

[quote name='Pigems' timestamp='1437484352' post='11991388']
[quote name='white03' timestamp='1437483639' post='11991302']
[quote name='Pigems' timestamp='1437476991' post='11990908']
Try a Big Bertha Alpha 815 bro. Longest and Most Forgiving Driver I've EVER hit!! I dumped my SLDR for it and couldn't be happier
[/quote]

Hope the Alpha 815 is better than last years Alpha...cause my experience with last years Alpha was exactly the same as the OP experience with SLDR
[/quote]

I didn't hit blast years but I can tell you for sure that this year version is a good club. I came from a 910d2 and the SLDR before this club.
[/quote]
Also didn't hit last year's Alpha, but do have this year's 815. Only played 2 rounds so far and it seems like a well balanced club, looks good at address, feels good, sounds good (if you like the Callaway composite sound) and goes straight. Haven't hit the SLDR's "OMG" long drive with it, but it is reasonably long and predictable. But there is something calling me to hit the DBD version. I guess once you have tasted the drug of the low spinning, rainbow trajectory ball flight you are hooked.

As a former SLDR user, I can attest to the OP's points- tried pretty much everything to make it work, it just didn't. Took the same shaft and threw it in a Jetspeed head and it has been magical. Worth a look if you have a premium SLDR shaft, I got a mint JS head for around $50 shipped. Same length for me and 100x more forgiving.

I purchased a SLDR 9.5 from DSG last week with the Attas Gogo5 in it. Gamed it Sunday and shot 69 with two stroke and distance penalties. One was a slight push off the tee that hit a tree and was nowhere to be found. The other was a sand wedge that I caught a hair thin, flew the green, hit a tree, and again - nowhere to be found. I will say though, that all other drives I hit were very nice and wow did they go long. Will be playing three days this week (Th-Sat) and will know more after that, but for now, the SLDR stays. I hit drives on Sunday in places I have not been in 15 years when I was mid 20's. It is LONG.

The sldr is by far the longest I've hit but I can attest to the general population that it's too unpredictable for me. I might hang on to it for the range because it sure is fun to hit just not too much fun to try and find after

I loved my 430 SLDR but it was so hard to hit properly every time. Just picked up the JDM Attas Gogo shaft and might give that a shot this weekend.

[quote name='Medic' timestamp='1437445038' post='11989522']
Hi Everyone.

My name is Jim. And I used to love the SLDR.

It started with some long drives. Some consistency. Some fun on the range and even during rounds. Sure, there was the occasional lost shot but I'm not a pro afterall so it was easy to understand how a shot could go so astray.

I invested in a shaft I have used in other drivers. And it helped. For awhile.

I invested in a grip that I really love to really make it "feel right". And it helped. For awhile.

I spent hours on the range. Dialing it in. Tweaking it. Really going after the ball.

And then it happened. The past two weekends I played in my two leagues. And in both cases my driver was WAY off. I am not talking about here and there. I am talking about hitting only 2 fairways off. I am talking about OB-off not once but twice.

Then, to top everything else off, on the final hole when I had already made up my mind that I was going to pull it - and put one of my old reliable drivers back in the bag, I hit the drive of the day. Easily passing everyone else in my group and dead center.

Oh no you don't SLDR! I won't be fooled by one great drive like that. Where were you the other 13 holes each round????

So yesterday I pulled it. Into the bag went my BC+ with my favorite shaft. I played both yesterday and again today after work. Danny was with me and can attest to how far I was hitting the BC and how many fairways I managed to hit. On the last hole I hit a drive that was just past Danny and he is a LONG hitter!

And now I have joined SLDR Anonymous - the former SLDR user's group. For those players who were addicted to the promise of longer drives and who bought into the hype. But who found out the hard way that, while it can be an amazingly long driver, it can also be VERY wild and unmanageable.

I could not help but wonder. There are other threads asking what others have gone on to after leaving the SLDR but I don't know of any threads that really asked the most important question; what experiences with the SLDR did you have that led to you pulling it out of the bag? (Forgive me if my search failed - I searched SLDR and didn't see one specific to this question)

You can consider this the SLDR Anonymous Meeting place. Feel free to be completely honest. What in the world happened to you that showed you the light of just how evil that long distance driver can really be? For me, the highest score ever since joining my league convinced me it was time for a change.
[/quote]

Almost my story exactly,
I pulled it the last 2 rounds I had it since my course is a Pete Dye track and tightens up the closer you get to the hole with water woods and sand....everywhere. Hence the sldr wild tendencies were too punished to be used and I lost total confidence in the previous 4 rounds of trying to make it work....it was time to move on, oddly I too went to the BC+ with great results but now with r15 and even better

[attachment=2866086:post-291451-0-27319500-1433106525_thumb.jpg]

TM has heard you on the SLDR and has very quietly offered the solution....The SLDR C-Series Driver is a completely different head than the other SLDR Drivers. The "C" (Classic Series) is a non-adjustable bonded driver that offers all the forgiveness you could possible want without sacrificing the low spin distance the SLDR is known for. It has a lower profile and is wider from heel-to-toe compared to the original SLDR's. No adjustments, and none needed...it likes to go dead straight like the SLDR Mini Driver. It is available in both RH and LH in 9.5*, 10.5* and 12* lofts. There is no need to "loft up" with this one however, and no it is not just a recycled JetSpeed or AeroBurner. Once you hit it, you get it.

[attachment=2866088:stk_xx_large.jpg]

[attachment=2866090:$_57.JPG]

[quote name='Kenny Lee Puckett' timestamp='1437483060' post='11991262']
we have our trade-in rack FULL of SLDR of every combination. people are successfully quitting then taking it one day at a time.



[size=2]don't know what planet 17* and 1700rpm is on but it sure ain't earth[/size]
[/quote]

17 * 1700 is good for playing on launch monitors and trying to get stupid far distances compared to one's SS but it's just not good for playing golf. For actually playing golf, 12* 2500 is pretty darn good. It's a trade off, like anything else. Those super high launches and low spins are great for distance, but when you miss they are off the planet( hence why so many people fight duck hooks with SLDR)

Bump the spin up a bit and the duck hooks go away

The original SLDR's are much too "heel heavy"...and that tends to make face to close down very quickly through impact, leading to the dreaded "low hook miss" that so many have complained about. You can add weight to the toe section of the SLDR Driver to counter that and balance out the head, but adding weight can also make the swingweight too heavy. For that issue, you will need to replace the 16-gram weight beneath the blue slider with a lighter weight. (Billy Bob's Golf has replacement silver weights ranging from 2-grams to 12-grams). For adding weight to the toe section, I recommend using (2) peel-and-stick rubber tungsten weights from Golfworks.com. (The item Number is GW0054). Each 1/2" Square 2-grams weight = 1-swingweight. To better understand the problem, move the blue slider weight all the way over to max fade. This will not create a fade, but it will shift more weight to the toe to help prevent the face from closing too fast through impact. It is not the ideal solution, or recommended as a permanent fix, but it will help straighten out your drives until you can do a proper fix using the rubber tungsten weights and a sliver weight change.

If you search for the thread called "What's wrong with the SLDR Driver" you will find very precise instructions on exactly where to place the rubber tungsten weights, and how to achieve the proper swingweight, along with much more information on all the SLDR issues and methods to overcome them.

While I experienced some of these issues with the JDM 430 TP driver, I have no such problems with the 460, using a JDM speeder 757 shaft.

Since most of you don't share which SLDR was giving you the problem, it is hard to know just exactly what the deal is. The fact is that the 430 is a VERY low spin head, and can be used effectively only by the most accomplished golfers (i.e., NOT by me). the 460 is a different animal - long and forgiving - the best driver I've had to date (including more recent releases like the R15 and 915).

I have also pulled the sldr out of play. Before I bought my sldr, I played at Bali Hai in vegas used a callaway x2 hot with aldilia blue and should have bought that driver straight all day. This past weekend went to golf galaxy and they had left over x 2 hot brand new for 160. Put it back in the bag and last two rounds straight, forgiving and many fairways. Much happier.

[quote name='cradd10' timestamp='1437478206' post='11990964']
I feel like the SLDR is very forgiving. Although i don't nail the sweet-spot every time, its such low spin that it just doesn't hook or slice for me. My miss with SLDR is simply a pull or push. The lack of spin keeps me in play more so than any other driver I've every played.

The main key with the SLDR for me is keeping it up in my stance. If i start to let the ball drift back towards the middle of my stance, then things go wrong. As long as it is even with my front foot, then its magical.
[/quote]

It might not go left or right as much because of the low spin...it just won't go anywhere. Also, for those reading, if your miss is left avoid this club. If it's low and left save yourself the frustration.

Where were all these 815 testimonials when I was asking about it during the Callaway Preowned sale!!!!

I have one but won it at a golf outing and am glad i didn't buy it. Its not my goto driver, but i have used it. One thing that really helped me is teeing up much lower. The higher on the face you hit the SLDR, the worse off you will be. I was teeing up about 3/4" from the ground and the SLDR became usable finally.