Why Do We Keep Doing This To Ourselves?

I haven't been able to get out on the course as much as I wanted this year. With school, work, and other hobbies, golf has taken a back seat. With that, I've seen my handicap go from a 4 to who knows what, and my driver SS has gone down from 105 and pushing 110 down to hefty 95-100. Most of my game has been ok, but I cannot for the life of me consistently get off the tee and in bounds. Everything is a huge draw/hook or a big block. If I'm getting off the tee and in the fairway I'm pretty close to scratch, but the driver has always plagued me. Even last year, at my lowest handicap, I was giving up 2-3 strokes from errant drives, but they were manageable.

So what do I do? Chalk it up to being rusty. No. Get some lessons. No. Hit the range or play more. No. Convince myself I need a new driver. I am on WRX aren't I!!

Of course it has to be that I need a new driver. Something that works better with my current swing speed. Something that loads a bit easier than my AD GT 6 that's on my Custom Epic SZ. So I hit the local GG and rummage through the new models that I have not seen and take a look at the used section. I go back and forth between the racks and the sim until I narrow it down based on feel and looks and all that. I know have proceeded to work up a sweat hitting multiple balls with a good 12 different drivers. The guys there don't even bother to ask me if I need help because this is a semi-annual occurrence. Honestly, they are saints for putting up with me, at least I may or may not have spent enough money there in the past 6 years to put one of their kids through college.

I now have it down to 5 different drivers. It's definitely a motley crew consisting of: Ping G 400 Max 9*, Callaway Epic 13.5*, Ping G2 10*, titleist 910 d3 10*, Taylormade M4 9.5*

(things that did not make the cut: M2 2016, callaway xhot, cleveland something or other, the new titleist drivers, ping g30 ls tec, callaway epic star, Callway rogue, titleist 913, cobra f8+, basically if it was on the rack I hit it)

My initial thoughts/rationale were Well the ping is the most forgiving club on the market with good numbers and a nice look. The epic would not be far off what I have now, but maybe the added loft would give me some more accuracy. The g2 was a throwback that honestly just felt great, not much hope for it though, I always like to throw one vintage club in there as a baseline to make sure the new stuff is performing better. I have always had a soft spot for the titleist 910 as I used it when I was driving the ball the best in my life until I cracked the face. I got a replacement, but it was never the same. So, I wanted to like this one. The taylormade... the twist face would magically help me hit the ball in the fairway (spoiler, it won't).

So, I proceeded to hit 7-10 balls with each taking out 1 or 2 mishits to get the best average of good tee shots. Here are the unbiased numbers I got. All SS were roughly 99-100 mph on average as I was quite warmed up by the time I had it narrowed down.

Ping G 400 Max 9*

LA - 14.8

Spin - 3105

Carry - 231

Callaway Epic 13.5*

LA - 17.9

Spin - 2880

Carry - 239

Ping G2 10*

LA - 15.8

Spin - 2700

Carry - 238

Titleist 910 d3 10*

LA - 13.3

Spin - 3070

Carry - 228

Taylormade M4 9.5*

LA - 14.9

Spin - 3000

Carry - 233

So what does this tell us all? A friggen Ping G2 with a regular flex shaft from 2004 that is currently sitting at a hefty $29.99 retail price is just as good as anything on the market. Full disclaimer, the epic was technically the best out of the bunch. It had clearly the best grouping as far as dispersion and accuracy, and I think lofting it down with something a bit heavier in the shaft would produce the best results, but the fact that the G2 was even close was pretty ridiculous. The G2 had the second best dispersion and arguably the best numbers as it stood with no alterations. So instead of buying the $229.99 Epic, I I took the flyer on the G2 because honestly, I would have felt like I was leaving a puppy at the shelter if I didn't take it home with me. It worked so hard to get my attention and it deserved a good home. I will be testing it against my current subzero and I will scour the internet for a deal on a 13.5* epic head to pick up and test against the 2.

Thank you for reading if you made it all the way through. Hit em straight!

I blame it on zero will power and a lack of common sense.

Unless all of those drivers have shafts that suit your swing, you didn't prove anything. Trying out clubs without the proper shaft and/or altering (a little lead tape helps tons) them to suit your swing is nothing but wasted time.

BT

Unless all of those drivers have shafts that suit your swing, you didn't prove anything. Trying out clubs without the proper shaft and/or altering (a little lead tape helps tons) them to suit your swing is nothing but wasted time.

 

BT

I think you may have missed the whole point.

Shafts don't matter as much as one may think or want them to. They were all wildly different like 40g sr flex to 70g stiff flex shafts. Yet produced roughly the same numbers. That's my point. I have tried out close to every Tour AD, HZRDUS, Diamana, Tensei, Speeder, etc that is out there. If it was on the forum, and was highly touted, I have hit it. They all fly the same give or take a few hundred revs and maybe a degree in launch. The only place shafts reliably differ is feel.

Give me a break with lead tape... Every driver and it's mother has a sliding weight that runs the back of the club and doesn't make a lick of difference where you put it if you're not smacking the center dime on the club face. If you think 5-10g of lead tape does anything significant for anyone outside of a touring PGA pro I don't think I can help you. I thought what you think too at one point.

I still like to buy new stuff but it's because I find the whole process just as much fun as playing, not because some new shaft with a stiffer tip will make me hit the ball straighter.

Unless all of those drivers have shafts that suit your swing, you didn't prove anything. Trying out clubs without the proper shaft and/or altering (a little lead tape helps tons) them to suit your swing is nothing but wasted time.

 

BT

I haven't been able to get out on the course as much as I wanted this year. With school, work, and other hobbies, golf has taken a back seat. With that, I've seen my handicap go from a 4 to who knows what, and my driver SS has gone down from 105 and pushing 110 down to hefty 95-100. Most of my game has been ok, but I cannot for the life of me consistently get off the tee and in bounds. Everything is a huge draw/hook or a big block. If I'm getting off the tee and in the fairway I'm pretty close to scratch, but the driver has always plagued me. Even last year, at my lowes handicap, I was giving up 2-3 strokes from errant drives, but they were manageable.

 

So what do I do? Chalk it up to being rusty. No. Get some lessons. No. Hit the range or play more. No. Convince myself I need a new driver. I am on WRX aren't I!!

 

Of course it has to be that I need a new driver. Something that works better with my current swing speed. Something that loads a bit easier than my XS AD GT 6 that's on my Custom Epic SZ. So I hit the local GG and rummage through the new models that I have not seen and take a look at the used section. I go back and forth between the racks and the sim until I narrow it down based on feel and looks and all that. I know have proceeded to work up a sweat hitting multiple balls with a good 12 different drivers. The guys there don't even bother to ask me if I need help because this is a semi-annual occurrence. Honeslty, they are saints for putting up with me, at least I may or may not have spent enough money there in the past 6 years to put one of their kids through college.

 

I know have it down to 5 different drivers. It's definitely a motley crew consisting of: Ping G 400 Max 9*, Callaway Epic 13.5*, Ping G2 10*, titleist 910 d3 10*, Taylormade M4 9.5*

 

(things that did not make the cut: M2 2016, callaway xhot, cleveland something or other, the new titleist drivers, ping g30 ls tec, callaway epic star, Callway rogue, titleist 913, cobra f8+, basically if it was on the rack I hit it)

 

My initial thoughts/rationale were Well the ping is the most forgiving club on the market with good numbers and a nice look. The epic would not be far off what I have now, but maybe the added loft would give me some more accuracy. The g2 was a throwback that honestly just felt great, not much hope for it though, I always like to throw one vintage club in there as a baseline to make sure the new stuff is performing better. I have always had a soft spot for the titleist 910 as I used it when I was driving the ball the best in my life until I cracked the face. I got a replacement, but it was never the same. So, I wanted to like this one. The taylormade... the twist face would magically help me hit the ball in the fairway (spoiler, it won't).

 

So, I proceeded to hit 7-10 balls with each taking out 1 or 2 mishits to get the best average of good tee shots. Here are the unbiased numbers I got. All SS were roughly 99-100 mph on average as I was quite warmed up by the time I had it narrowed down.

 

 

Ping G 400 Max 9*

LA - 14.8

Spin - 3105

Carry - 231

 

Callaway Epic 13.5*

LA - 17.9

Spin - 2880

Carry - 239

 

Ping G2 10*

LA - 15.8

Spin - 2700

Carry - 238

 

Titleist 910 d3 10*

LA - 13.3

Spin - 3070

Carry - 228

 

Taylormade M4 9.5*

LA - 14.9

Spin - 3000

Carry - 233

 

So what does this tell us all? A friggen Ping G2 with a regular flex shaft from 2004 that is currently sitting at a hefty $29.99 retail price is just as good as anything on the market. Full disclaimer, the epic was technically the best out of the bunch. It had clearly the best grouping as far as dispersion and accuracy, and I think lofting it down with something a bit heavier in the shaft would produce the best results, but the fact that the G2 was even close was pretty ridiculous. The G2 had the second best dispersion and arguably the best numbers as it stood with no alterations. So instead of buying the $229.99 Epic, I I took the flyer on the G2 because honestly, I would have felt like I was leaving a puppy at the shelter if I didn't take it home with me. It worked so hard to get my attention and it deserved a good home. I will be testing it against my current subzero and I will scour the internet for a deal on a 13.5* epic head to pick up and test against the 2.

 

Thank you for reading if you made it all the way through. Hit em straight!

It tells you to go lower in loft on the Epic to reduce the spin and pick up more yards. Maybe a different shaft to help with spin - get that spin down to 2200 instead of 3k plus, and you've got something.

OP: Thanks for posting. I really enjoyed reading.

It tells you to go lower in loft on the Epic to reduce the spin and pick up more yards. Maybe a different shaft to help with spin - get that spin down to 2200 instead of 3k plus, and you've got something.

I agree 100%. Will I drop the extra 200 bucks and pick up an Epic 13.5 head and tinker with the 12 shafts sitting in my garage?... obviously.

But the fact that a 30 dollar stock driver from 2004 was in the ball park of the other drivers and better than most speaks volumes to what we are focusing on vs what we should be.

Edit: Hell, I have a couple of L4v's that I still bust out that bomb with the best of em.

It tells you to go lower in loft on the Epic to reduce the spin and pick up more yards. Maybe a different shaft to help with spin - get that spin down to 2200 instead of 3k plus, and you've got something.

 

I agree 100%. Will I drop the extra 200 bucks and pick up an Epic 13.5 head and tinker with the 12 shafts sitting in my garage?... obviously.

 

But the fact that a 30 dollar stock driver from 2004 was in the ball park of the other drivers and better than most speaks volumes to what we are focusing on vs what we should be.

 

 

Edit: Hell, I have a couple of L4v's that I still bust out that bomb with the best of em.

I think the extra yards you may get from reducing the spin on the Epic will not put the elderly Ping in the ballpark. Surprised you did not get more from the 400 Max. But its spin was also high.

I think this shows the value of going to a professional fitter. My guy was like a magician between the computer looking at dispersion, spin, changing heads, then loft, then tweaking shaft, and looking for that consistent center contact.

I think the extra yards you may get from reducing the spin on the Epic will not put the elderly Ping in the ballpark. Surprised you did not get more from the 400 Max. But its spin was also high.

 

I think this shows the value of going to a professional fitter. My guy was like a magician between the computer looking at dispersion, spin, changing heads, then loft, then tweaking shaft, and looking for that consistent center contact.

I'm interested to see how much more I can get out of it. Also, I have been professionally fit. I have a driver that was tested against everything dialing in lofts and shafts etc. Took 3 visits and hundreds of balls to get it worked in. Then 2 years later, I'm right back in the same place I was before can't find a fairway to save my life.

This session I did was just as detailed as anything I did with a fitter. I had the GC2 set up and a bay all to myself. I live next to a GG and go in there and hit on my downtime as I know all the guys that work there.

I'll tell you what, when I do pick up that 13.5* head. I'm gunna get in a sim, go between my current driver that was professionally fit, the new head with all the shafts I have, and the elderly ping g2 with stock set up and then post the results.

I don’t know, my experience was different from your experience; mine was productive.

I disagree with you, the right shaft makes a world of difference; at least in my case. I’ve had a handful of rounds now with my custom shaft in my Epic SZ, I’m 40 yards longer and in the fairway 12/14 in a round.

Unless all of those drivers have shafts that suit your swing, you didn't prove anything. Trying out clubs without the proper shaft and/or altering (a little lead tape helps tons) them to suit your swing is nothing but wasted time.

 

BT

 

I think you may have missed the whole point.

 

Shafts don't matter as much as one may think or want them to. They were all wildly different like 40g sr flex to 70g stiff flex shafts. Yet produced roughly the same numbers. That's my point. I have tried out close to every Tour AD, HZRDUS, Diamana, Tensei, Speeder, etc that is out there. If it was on the forum, and was highly touted, I have hit it. They all fly the same give or take a few hundred revs and maybe a degree in launch. The only place shafts reliably differ is feel.

 

Give me a break with lead tape... Every driver and it's mother has a sliding weight that runs the back of the club and doesn't make a lick of difference where you put it if you're not smacking the center dime on the club face. If you think 5-10g of lead tape does anything significant for anyone outside of a touring PGA pro I don't think I can help you. I thought what you think too at one point.

 

I still like to buy new stuff but it's because I find the whole process just as much fun as playing, not because some new shaft with a stiffer tip will make me hit the ball straighter.

I think the extra yards you may get from reducing the spin on the Epic will not put the elderly Ping in the ballpark. Surprised you did not get more from the 400 Max. But its spin was also high.

 

I think this shows the value of going to a professional fitter. My guy was like a magician between the computer looking at dispersion, spin, changing heads, then loft, then tweaking shaft, and looking for that consistent center contact.

 

I'm interested to see how much more I can get out of it. Also, I have been professionally fit. I have a driver that was tested against everything dialing in lofts and shafts etc. Took 3 visits and hundreds of balls to get it worked in. Then 2 years later, I'm right back in the same place I was before can't find a fairway to save my life.

 

This session I did was just as detailed as anything I did with a fitter. I had the GC2 set up and a bay all to myself. I live next to a GG and go in there and hit on my downtime as I know all the guys that work there.

 

I'll tell you what, when I do pick up that 13.5* head. I'm gunna get in a sim, go between my current driver that was professionally fit, the new head with all the shafts I have, and the elderly ping g2 with stock set up and then post the results.

Really? You want that 13.5 head with all that spin? Unless you have a launch issue, that's fairly high loft for a guy with 99-100 speed.

As to your contention that the new dog is not much different from the old dogs -- what the new drivers give you is more forgiveness and greater ballspeed on off-center hits - to offer you greater consistency.

Yes, the shafts make a difference.

Get the right head, get the right loft, get the right shaft.

2nd Swing pushes their logo "it's not you, it's your clubs" knowing our addiction. They're like drug dealers. I blame them. I'd lead a class action law suit, but I don't want to quit ho-ing.

I don't know, my experience was different from your experience; mine was productive.

 

I disagree with you, the right shaft makes a world of difference; at least in my case. I've had a handful of rounds now with my custom shaft in my Epic SZ, I'm 40 yards longer and in the fairway 12/14 in a round.

 

Look at the numbers they do not lie. The g400 max was a stiff shaft, the 910 was a heavy stiff shaft, the epic was a 40g sr flex shaft, the g2 was a regular flex 65 g shaft. All those heads and shaft combos and we're still talking a 10 yard difference between the best and worst and that most likely is a factor of LA + Spin which is not dramatically affected by shafts. Is it really the shaft? I think not, but we can have fun disagreeing. Which is one of the things I like about this forum.

If you're getting 40 extra yards... I don't know what to say. Were you fit or did you test your previous driver or did you buy your last driver off one of those infomercials that run late at night? I don't know how one could possibly see that type of improvement from one club to another assuming they were both decently fitted.

Really? You want that 13.5 head with all that spin? Unless you have a launch issue, that's fairly high loft for a guy with 99-100 speed.

 

As to your contention that the new dog is not much different from the old dogs -- what the new drivers give you is more forgiveness and greater ballspeed on off-center hits - to offer you greater consistency.

 

Yes, the shafts make a difference.

 

Get the right head, get the right loft, get the right shaft.

Well, Look at my original problem I was trying to solve... dispersion, accuracy, and a right to left miss. Increasing loft of the clubhead makes it easier to hit and decreases perpendicular movement in relation to a flatter clubface. One of my big problems with the SZ is that overdraw which tends to result in dropped spin numbers around 1000-1400 which has the ball dropping out of the sky.Increased spin will help with that. Obviously, I would be looking to decrease the loft by a degree or so and look into a heavier shaft as those two factors may help to bring the launch and spin conditions down a bit.

Greater ball speed on off center hits do not help you when you can't put the ball in play. This notion of forgiveness is so inaccurate. Strike is king!

I'm not saying the shaft doesn't matter, just that it is not a big factor. I can find 100 clubhead/shaft combos that will preform nearly identical for me. I can also find another hundred that do not. What I'm saying is that most of these alterations are moving your numbers by a couple hundred revs, or a couple degrees of launch, while hitting the clubface a 1/4 inch high on the face may increase the launch by 3 degrees and decrease spin by 1000 revs. You hit the ball 1/4 inch low on the face and all of a sudden your launch is 8* with 3200 RPM.

Again! Strike Means Everything. If you do not find center on the club face your shaft does not matter. If you think 5,6,7,8,9,10-15 hdcps are finding the center consistently enough to see a marked difference, we will just have to agree to disagree.

Edit: I want to reiterate, I don't mean to suggest the shaft makes no difference at all, just that the effect on numbers pails in comparison to where you hit the ball on the club face. We're talking thousands of revs of spin and 5-6 degrees of LA vs a couple hundred revs and a degree or so. Everything that is out now a days is great If you love your driver shaft combo that is fantastic. All I wanted to suggest was that you can find stuff off the rack from 10-15 years ago that will run you 25 bucks and if it works for you it will not change your scorecard one bit.

I just prefer the club which involves the shaft match my swing and not the other way around.

What I do notice is that I find the the sweet spot more often with the right shaft.

I went thru a full club fitting last month so everything is fresh in my head and the improvement were immediate.

What was your smash factor?

I just prefer the club which involves the shaft match my swing and not the other way around.

 

What I do notice is that I find the the sweet spot more often with the right shaft.

 

I went thru a full club fitting last month so everything is fresh in my head and the improvement were immediate.

 

What was your smash factor?

I wonder how much of you finding the center more often is because you feel confident in knowing that you got fit for a club and it is the best option for you. When you step up to a tee pad, you know that the club you're swinging is optimally fit to you. Like, If I handed you a g20 driver or some other head you liked in 2009 with a shaft in it that fit you perfectly, would you hit it the same... most likely. More importantly, even if you hit them not exactly the same but close enough, could you score just the same? Or would it have a dramatic effect on your score?

I believe all of them were averaged somewhere in the 1.46-1.48 region. Didn't pay too much attention to it as they were all relatively close and the few balls that I mishit enough to change the overall number were removed from the final data to show the best hits.

I blame it on zero will power and a lack of common sense.

Agreed.....

I blame it on zero will power and a lack of common sense.

Agreed.....

This is pretty much it. In addition...boredom.

I'm in the group that believes shafts have much less effect on results. I usually start with a head i like to look at, them choose a loft that gives me the flight/spin I want, then find a shaft I like the feel of (usually weight is involved)

Another discussion can be had about the measured stiffness vs labelled stiffness of shafts. Most people don't have anything measured and just trust the OEMS.

We're all slaves of capitalism.

My current driver is a Cobra ZL Encore 10.5 degree which I probabaly hit as good as any I have owned. The other day my playing partner asked to hit it once. He didn't really hit it very well and wasn't too impressed. So I asked to hit his older Titleist 907 D1 9.5 degree. Of course I smashed it and it has been in my head ever since. The 907 D1 was from 2008 for Christ sake!

 

 

It tells you to go lower in loft on the Epic to reduce the spin and pick up more yards. Maybe a different shaft to help with spin - get that spin down to 2200 instead of 3k plus, and you've got something.

DEFINITELY.

That's a really high launch angle too. Honestly, If I was testing and I saw those numbers I'd get really excited because there is potential to reap major yardage gains.

I haven't been able to get out on the course as much as I wanted this year. With school, work, and other hobbies, golf has taken a back seat. With that, I've seen my handicap go from a 4 to who knows what, and my driver SS has gone down from 105 and pushing 110 down to hefty 95-100. Most of my game has been ok, but I cannot for the life of me consistently get off the tee and in bounds. Everything is a huge draw/hook or a big block. If I'm getting off the tee and in the fairway I'm pretty close to scratch, but the driver has always plagued me. Even last year, at my lowest handicap, I was giving up 2-3 strokes from errant drives, but they were manageable.

 

So what do I do? Chalk it up to being rusty. No. Get some lessons. No. Hit the range or play more. No. Convince myself I need a new driver. I am on WRX aren't I!!

 

Of course it has to be that I need a new driver. Something that works better with my current swing speed. Something that loads a bit easier than my AD GT 6 that's on my Custom Epic SZ. So I hit the local GG and rummage through the new models that I have not seen and take a look at the used section. I go back and forth between the racks and the sim until I narrow it down based on feel and looks and all that. I know have proceeded to work up a sweat hitting multiple balls with a good 12 different drivers. The guys there don't even bother to ask me if I need help because this is a semi-annual occurrence. Honestly, they are saints for putting up with me, at least I may or may not have spent enough money there in the past 6 years to put one of their kids through college.

 

I now have it down to 5 different drivers. It's definitely a motley crew consisting of: Ping G 400 Max 9*, Callaway Epic 13.5*, Ping G2 10*, titleist 910 d3 10*, Taylormade M4 9.5*

 

(things that did not make the cut: M2 2016, callaway xhot, cleveland something or other, the new titleist drivers, ping g30 ls tec, callaway epic star, Callway rogue, titleist 913, cobra f8+, basically if it was on the rack I hit it)

 

My initial thoughts/rationale were Well the ping is the most forgiving club on the market with good numbers and a nice look. The epic would not be far off what I have now, but maybe the added loft would give me some more accuracy. The g2 was a throwback that honestly just felt great, not much hope for it though, I always like to throw one vintage club in there as a baseline to make sure the new stuff is performing better. I have always had a soft spot for the titleist 910 as I used it when I was driving the ball the best in my life until I cracked the face. I got a replacement, but it was never the same. So, I wanted to like this one. The taylormade... the twist face would magically help me hit the ball in the fairway (spoiler, it won't).

 

So, I proceeded to hit 7-10 balls with each taking out 1 or 2 mishits to get the best average of good tee shots. Here are the unbiased numbers I got. All SS were roughly 99-100 mph on average as I was quite warmed up by the time I had it narrowed down.

 

 

Ping G 400 Max 9*

LA - 14.8

Spin - 3105

Carry - 231

 

Callaway Epic 13.5*

LA - 17.9

Spin - 2880

Carry - 239

 

Ping G2 10*

LA - 15.8

Spin - 2700

Carry - 238

 

Titleist 910 d3 10*

LA - 13.3

Spin - 3070

Carry - 228

 

Taylormade M4 9.5*

LA - 14.9

Spin - 3000

Carry - 233

 

So what does this tell us all? A friggen Ping G2 with a regular flex shaft from 2004 that is currently sitting at a hefty $29.99 retail price is just as good as anything on the market. Full disclaimer, the epic was technically the best out of the bunch. It had clearly the best grouping as far as dispersion and accuracy, and I think lofting it down with something a bit heavier in the shaft would produce the best results, but the fact that the G2 was even close was pretty ridiculous. The G2 had the second best dispersion and arguably the best numbers as it stood with no alterations. So instead of buying the $229.99 Epic, I I took the flyer on the G2 because honestly, I would have felt like I was leaving a puppy at the shelter if I didn't take it home with me. It worked so hard to get my attention and it deserved a good home. I will be testing it against my current subzero and I will scour the internet for a deal on a 13.5* epic head to pick up and test against the 2.

 

Thank you for reading if you made it all the way through. Hit em straight!

Sometimes you find a club that flat out works for your swing. Looks like you found it in the G2. Have fun and score with it.

I have bought 8 drivers since buying a G25 which keeps going back in the bag. I have a G400 which actually works quite nicely, but the G25 is just a little longer for me time after time. Who can figure out these things? Not me.

Fitting is really overrated. It comes down to feel generally. Even Crossfield has tested irons with different shafts and the results were pretty much the same. Only fitting that makes sense is for length, lofts and lies if you are tall or short. The rest is just a big blob of marketing.

I know a plus handicap that constantly demos clubs on the course. I'm guessing he swings 110 mph and hits it 290. He can take any driver in the shop and hit it the same. Any flex.

Ballspeed is not overrated.

Most of us are not hitting the sweetspot 14X per round. But if you are a little off, the manufacturers are now providing for more ball speed, whether it is below, above, or slightly to either side. Impact tape, footpowder spray will help you see if the combo you have is working for you. Some combos are easier than others.

I'd say if your face is too open or closed at impact - that's when you won't find the fairway. But that is a golfer/club issue.

Because we are a silly people, a stupid people , who think if We find the right equipment all will change overnight to make is next Tiger Woods.

Lessons won’t even do this but will make you into a better golfer, if you find a teacher who isn’t into one swing fits all.

I blame it on zero will power and a lack of common sense.

Agreed.....

 

This is pretty much it. In addition...boredom.

 

I'm in the group that believes shafts have much less effect on results. I usually start with a head i like to look at, them choose a loft that gives me the flight/spin I want, then find a shaft I like the feel of (usually weight is involved)

 

Another discussion can be had about the measured stiffness vs labelled stiffness of shafts. Most people don't have anything measured and just trust the OEMS.

For some people shafts have a big effect on results. For others, not so much. It depends upon how one loads a shaft.

I got a brand new Ping G5 driver for $40 this summer. I bought it on a whim admittedly. But that thing unleashed some bombs to parts of the course I haven't seen in nearly 20 years. Maybe I got lucky but I dont care what it was, it is fun letting one rip with it.

We're all slaves of capitalism.

A lot of truth to that, but we do have a choice not to participate, at least to a moderate degree.

I'd lead a class action law suit, but I don't want to quit ho-ing.

Line of the day, right there...

I still have my 13.5* G5 driver in the Ping regular flex.

Would go back in play but I took lessons and a fitting for a Epic SZ 13.5* strong 3 wood in the stock Rogue Max 75 stiff shaft and goes just as far off the tee and can be hit off the deck as well.

I got a brand new Ping G5 driver for $40 this summer. I bought it on a whim admittedly. But that thing unleashed some bombs to parts of the course I haven't seen in nearly 20 years. Maybe I got lucky but I dont care what it was, it is fun letting one rip with it.