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Cheap drivers!


Jeff58

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5IRERHI5ZZ32.jpegForgive me, for I have ho’ed. Again.

The Cobra F9 and TaylorMade M6 were well-regarded 2019 drivers that are currently available for significantly less than MSRP. As of Mar 28, the F9 is available from a major online source for $250 minus an additional 10%.

Two questions. How do these 2019 models differ from their 2020 revisions, and how do they differ from each other.

To the launch monitor!

I’ve only hit the Cobra Speedzone and TaylorMade Sim once each on an indoor launch monitor. The usual legal statement - the results are how the clubs related to my swing. Your mileage etc...

Answer 1. With the same shaft, the two Cobras were almost indistinguishable visually and completely indistinguishable statistically. They also felt identical in motion. 

The TaylorMades were hit with a Smoke Black 70 6.0 at 100-102mph. At address, they look similar. Through the swing, the Sim felt a bit more balanced, and had slightly faster club head speed, both in feel and objectively. There was also greater feedback at impact with the Sim. They sound somewhat different. While not exactly metallic, the Sim is a bit higher pitched and louder than the ‘Stealthy’ M6. Stats-wise, the M6 had an additional degree of launch angle and 250 rpms less spin on quality shots. The M6 carried 5 yards further, though total yardage was closer. The problem with the Sim for me was dispersion and flight path. The M6 has been my only driver over the last year. Swung hard (for me), it’s going to hit a push. I can move the target closer to center by slowing down, but either way, the ball is almost always going quite straight in some direction. The Sim tended to hit a fade. If I tried to adjust towards center, the result was too often a low draw.  While the Sim’s average was slightly closer to the centerline, it’s dispersion was not as good as the M6.

To the range!

I next took the F9 and M6 to the range. Each club’s characteristics were quickly, and somewhat glaringly apparent. The F9 was significantly longer and  closer to the centerline. The F9 felt more responsive at impact and was very balanced and fast feeling through the swing. It was easy to hit, and to swing fast. It was also trivial to work the ball slightly in either direction. The sound at impact was almost bell-like, unlike the hushed M6. The trajectories were obviously different. The M6 produced the classic high launch / low spin, flat and carrying cruise missile type, while the F9 was more an older-style continuous curve. The ‘kicker’ tended to happen when the ball hit the ground. The M6 was getting 10-15 yards of roll, while the F9 often got that on the first bounce. 

At this point, it looked like advantage F9, and not by a little.

To the course!

A funny thing tends to happen in real play, as in real life. The F9 hit easily the two best shots of the day. The first was the first shot it took ever on a course. It was just majestic, beautiful, making you forget the world’s problems, and making you feel fortunate to be alive and be able to play in and produce such sublime beauty. The heavens parted, the sun shown down, all that stuff. Unfortunately, it also hit the two worst shots: one a hook into the water and another an unplayable fade into brush. Meanwhile, the M6 went on its business-like way, producing zero unplayables.

I strongly believe that that result wasn’t random. In real play, the M6 has a trick up its shaft, one that receives little attention, isn’t normally noticeable, and that’s the twist-face. When you make marginal impacts, the M6 tends to knock them down and straighten them out enough to keep them in the field of play. You loose a good amount of distance, but they tend to remain in the rough instead of in the woods. It also has a strong inclination to hit a straight ball with not a lot of spin in any direction.

Opinion time!

Are the 2020 models significantly superior to justify their cost? No.

Is the F9, at $225, a better value than the M6 at $350? Yes.

Is the F9 a better driver than the M6? Ummmm....

If your overriding priority is your score and handicap, I’d say no.

If you want to hit big drives, kick a**, and have a good time, yes.

Driver - SIM2 MAX / Ventus Blue 5S

FW - SIM2 MAX / Ventus Blue 6S

Hybrid - SIM2 MAX / Ventus Blue 7S

Irons - ZX5 / C-Taper Lite S

Wedges - SM9 50/08 56/10 60/04

Putter - Odyssey Ai-One Milled #7 T

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$225 is not a cheap driver in my world. A 975D for $10 is cheap. Heck...I bought a 9.5 TM 360 with a Prolite for $5 CDN a few months ago.

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10.5 deg Titleist 905R with stock UST Proforce V2 Shaft (Stiff flex)
Titleist 990 (3-PW) with stock Dynamic Gold in S300
Taylormade V-Steel 5W & 3W with Grafalloy Prolaunch Red shafts (Regular Flex)
2011 Adams Tom Watson signature wedges in 52 and 56 degrees with stock steel shafts (Player's Grind)
Rife Island Series Aruba Blade Putter

 

"Loft for loft, length for length, and shaft for shaft, the ball will go the same distance when hit on the sweet spot regardless how old the iron."

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Absolutely agree. Numbers, fittings, should do exactly what you say, pare down choices, not be the final solution. They’re just not adequately descriptive of how clubs and balls perform as a whole.

The F9 is in the bag. It’s fun to play and requires a more precise strike to produce optimal results. It’s like a blade iron in that regard.

That said, there was one statistic that I wasn’t really aware of until I read the thread about the gentleman who was having trouble hitting fades and squaring his Sim driver. It’s the same with the M6, and when you check the lateral CG stats, they’re both fade biased. The F9 is dead neutral, and that’s how they play. If you’re a player who has a lighter grip, and essentially releases the club head through impact, that’s what you’re going to get.

The question to me was, why would TM do that? The answer appears to be MOI. The least forgiving / lowest MOI drivers available are draw biased. They remove weight from the toe, where it’s most critical, to make it easier to close the face. TM is just cheating in the opposite direction. Smart.

Driver - SIM2 MAX / Ventus Blue 5S

FW - SIM2 MAX / Ventus Blue 6S

Hybrid - SIM2 MAX / Ventus Blue 7S

Irons - ZX5 / C-Taper Lite S

Wedges - SM9 50/08 56/10 60/04

Putter - Odyssey Ai-One Milled #7 T

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Ping Rapture V2

Just rebought one...know it will

work and Save me Hoing so its a

double saving.

Will add fresh 48

and 54 and 17/4.

Best regards to you all out there!

2020 18 July mid winterNZ
Ping Rapture 2006 10.5
Nike VrS 3wood
Callaway Razr Edge5 wood

MP100=33 9876 5/mp63
54     RTX2
60     RTX2
ProPlatinum NewportTwo
2002 325gram +8.NewGrip
Dont hesitate to buy one!






 

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Cobra pro Ltd. cheap on the streets, a bomber in the sheets.

As of  10/11/2021

9 Callaway Mavrk Sub Zero with Ventus Black 7X

13 Degree Srixon 3 wood Project X Black 6.5

19 Degree Sub70 939 Pro with Proforce V2

4 Utility Sub70 699u 22 degree Proforce V2

5-GW Srixon Zx5 with Project X 6.5

Sub70 286 54

Sub70 JB Low Bounce 58

SeeMore milled Tri-Mallet fit and built at SeeMore 

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I was just about to mention the Cobra King Pro LTD and seeing as the OP is a lefty, there is a seller on Ebay that has these brand new, left hand only for $100. I personally think it would perform as good as if not better than all 4 of the drivers tested.

Driver:  Cobra Darkspeed LS 9* Tour 2.0 Black 65X

Fairway:  Ping G430 Max 14* Tour 2.0 Black 75X

Fairway:  Ping G430 Max 19.5* Tour 2.0 Black 75X

Irons:  PXG 0317 CB 5-GW KBS Tour 130X

Wedge: Ping Glide 4.0 54S Modus 125W

Wedge: Ping Glide 4.0 58S Modus 125W

Putter: LAB Link.1

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

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Im planning on buying an st200 next year.

As of  10/11/2021

9 Callaway Mavrk Sub Zero with Ventus Black 7X

13 Degree Srixon 3 wood Project X Black 6.5

19 Degree Sub70 939 Pro with Proforce V2

4 Utility Sub70 699u 22 degree Proforce V2

5-GW Srixon Zx5 with Project X 6.5

Sub70 286 54

Sub70 JB Low Bounce 58

SeeMore milled Tri-Mallet fit and built at SeeMore 

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havent hit it much... liked the 200g more. No rush for me... I’ll revisit next year.

As of  10/11/2021

9 Callaway Mavrk Sub Zero with Ventus Black 7X

13 Degree Srixon 3 wood Project X Black 6.5

19 Degree Sub70 939 Pro with Proforce V2

4 Utility Sub70 699u 22 degree Proforce V2

5-GW Srixon Zx5 with Project X 6.5

Sub70 286 54

Sub70 JB Low Bounce 58

SeeMore milled Tri-Mallet fit and built at SeeMore 

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I expected to see the 910 D2 mentioned in here somewhere... Was not expecting $225-$250 drivers.

Ping G430 10k 9*  Ventus Velocore blue 6x

Ping G430 LST 15* HZRDUS smoke yellow 70s

Ping G430 19* Tour Chrome 2.0 85s

PXG 0211  4i KBS C Taper Lite 115x ss1x

Srixon zx7 mkii 5-7, Z forged ii 8-P KBS C Taper Lite 

Ping s159 50/12s, 54/10h, 58/8b  KBS Tour
Scotty Cameron NP2 Studio Stainless  34"

 

 

 

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Yeah, the CHEAP DRIVERS title was only to draw in the old-timers ?.

R7 460 TP. Gives away nothing to newer models. Superb head shape. The configurable dual weights are more effective than hosel-based adjustment designs and can obviously also be used to change swing weight. Readily available for next to nothing.

PDYDALPABD4A.jpeg

Driver - SIM2 MAX / Ventus Blue 5S

FW - SIM2 MAX / Ventus Blue 6S

Hybrid - SIM2 MAX / Ventus Blue 7S

Irons - ZX5 / C-Taper Lite S

Wedges - SM9 50/08 56/10 60/04

Putter - Odyssey Ai-One Milled #7 T

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