Low Cost Driver

I'm looking to upgrade from my 2011 TM RBZ driver. I've read some reviews that stated the TM RBZ black is a very good inexpensive club.

Any Thoughts. I apologize in advance if this topic has already been discussed.

With a driver that old, almost anything is an upgrade. You could get great drivers for sub $200 and in many cases, sub $175 (including a better shaft). That 2011 RBZ is very loud and most (except Pings) are going to be quieter. What is your budget? What kind of shaft do you play? Flex? Swing Speed with driver? Do you know your Trackman numbers? Strike patterns? Each driver has strengths and weaknesses. Anything pre 2016 is probably not a big enough upgrade. Most of the 2019, 2018 drivers are phenomenal. Many 2017 are amazing. Message me and I'm happy to discuss further.

ST190 done

That IS a great driver.

Cobra King LTD

There are so many good ones out there that can be found at a reasonable price these days. Some good ones have been listed above - LTD is a cult classic. Some others I like are listed below:

Ping G25 and G400 Max/LST

Epic Sub Zero

TM M3

Srixon 785 - my current gamer and used ones on the BST can be had very reasonably with great stock shafts

Really cant go wrong with many of the comments mentioned above or any of the major brands that are a year or two old. I never bought one but tested the ST190 and really liked it and they can be found very cheap now.

Anything from the OEMs that's 1-4 years old. Seriously, the tech hasn't changed very much.

Taylormade M2 2016.

The only reason to give RBZ black a look is if you prefer titanium over carbon (which, of course is all the rage now). If that’s not an issue, but you’re sticking with Taylormade, go for a nice used M4 ($150-200) or M6 ($200-250). The best value on the used market right now is Callaway Rogue.

As stated above, properly fit 1-2 year old Cobra and Mizuno drivers should perform as well or better than your RBZ. Other good performing, budget-conscious drivers worth a look include Cleveland Launcher HB or Tour Edge EXS.

Ping G series are fairly inexpensive with good shafts as well

What Ben said. Clubs are personal, so what suits your eye and ears will have a lot to do with recommendations. TM/Cally will be more 'expensive', but great offerings from Cobra, Srixon and even Mizzy are there as well. BST has great deals if you are patient and know what you are looking for. I've scored some gems recently :)

Buying an older club has one draw back. It will be tough to hit it ahead of time unless a friend owns it.

Finding just the right driver for you can be a tough search. If possible find one to hit. At times I have found bins filled with old trade ins at Golf Galaxy stores. That would be a place to hit before you bought. If they were open.

You can buy brand new Cobra F9 drivers for $250. Awesome driver!

Popeye 64 is right. I've always tried to stay a couple of generations back with drivers and getting fit is nearly impossible. About five years ago I found a Ping G25 in a barrel. Our club used to let people sell their rejects that way. I was able to play several rounds before I bought it for $100. Since then I've bought a preowned Callaway XR 16, a Callaway Rogue, a Taylormade M2 and a Taylormade M6 none of which I was able to demo. Well guess what. I'm playing the G25 right now. This proves two things: 1. I'm an idiot and 2. demoing a club to make sure it fits you is imperative. My son and son-in-law benefited from my mistakes as they "inherited" both Callaways and Taylormades.

I tested a 2015 Callaway Great Big Bertha with the sliding weight and a 2016 XR and both gave almost identical numbers to the new drivers. Ping G30 was the same and it’s now four generations old. (G400 is much more muted and those are cheaper now too.) Testing definitely a big plus if possible. I had a return window and sent back the XR. Great driver, but I could set the GBB adjustable weight to the heel and that works well for me.

Been playing with the GBB in the bag and it’s great. Maybe there’s a few more yards in the new heads. Didn’t really see it. Very likely the new ones just preserve more ball speed on hits all over the face but that also is not new in driver heads. The GBB is like new, had an aftermarket Fuji Speeder Evo shaft and was less than $150. I mean, Kevin Kisner was playing this driver on Tour last season. He’s not a long hitter so it’s unlikely he’d carry a club that puts him at a big disadvantage. I took a half-day short game school with an excellent teaching PGA pro last summer and that helped lower my scores more than anything, just getting a fresh look at fundamentals, so I don’t worry about new drivers. Fitting can be trickier on the older ones but if you know what shafts tend to work for you, not too much trouble.

Plenty of great drivers sitting at your local PGASS or Golf Galaxy brand new, still in the plastic. 2017 M2, Ping G, Ping G400, Callaway Rogue and so on. All $250 and less brand new with head cover, tool and you can test them out.

Ping G400 series is very good and now heavily discounted - an LST with a Hzdrus Yellow....great value

ST190 is also great value now with some cracking shafts - my local golf shop has new one with a real Atmos Tour Black Tour Spec for $200, the shaft is worth nearly that!

I have also seen the odd "new old stock" M3 and M4 knocking about - a lot of club for little money

A new Srixon 785 with a Hzdrus Red shaft can be bought for modest money - its safe, forgiving and able to keep up with the best of them

Even the much maligned (and not that bad) Titleist 917 can be bought new at a real knock down price

First version of the Callaway Epic should not be ignored - great ball speed and great value

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Driver - SIM 9 deg with Handcrafted Hzdrus T1100 70g/6.0

Fairway - SIM Rocket 14.5 Deg with Handcrafted T1100 85g/6.5

Hybrid - Titleist TS3 19 Deg with Hzdrus Tour Green x-flex

Irons - Titleist T100S 4-pw with Nippon Modus Tour 130S interchanged with TM P750 4-pw PX6.0

Wedges - 50F / 54M / 60L Raw SM7 Vokey Wedge Works Tour Issue S400

Putter - Scotty Cameron & Crown 34"

Ball - ProV1

Taylormade M3 460 can be had for 150-200 pretty easily ... My M5 cant knock it out of the bag ... After extensive head to head testing on trackman and on course , I sold the M5 ... My second choice is the Mizuno ST190 ...

If you live near a PGA Tour Superstore I would recommend that you check them out. They usually will have good selection of preowned and or demo's and the good thing is you get to hit them.

I would recommend ....

Callaway XR 16

2017 Taylormade M2

or any ping g driver

You can buy brand new Cobra F9 drivers for $200.

Expected delivery for mine today. Golf courses open back up where I live today.

Will the F9 knock my Cobra ZL Encore out of my bag?

I can't wait to find out.

Ping G400 series is very good and now heavily discounted - an LST with a Hzdrus Yellow....great value

ST190 is also great value now with some cracking shafts - my local golf shop has new one with a real Atmos Tour Black Tour Spec for $200, the shaft is worth nearly that!

I have also seen the odd "new old stock" M3 and M4 knocking about - a lot of club for little money

A new Srixon 785 with a Hzdrus Red shaft can be bought for modest money - its safe, forgiving and able to keep up with the best of them

Even the much maligned (and not that bad) Titleist 917 can be bought new at a real knock down price

First version of the Callaway Epic should not be ignored - great ball speed and great value

917s are an absolute bargain. The D2 is a wonderful club and I still regret selling it. My Epic Flash puts me in exactly the same places and sounds worse.

Honestly, If price is your driving factor, figure out what shafts you like best and find those and try whatever head it comes with...shafts have a longer shelf life in my bag then driver heads.

Thanks for all your comments. I ended up purchasing a Cobra F9 Speedback for $200 with a nice discount.from Golf Galaxy. I have been able to get out a couple of times and I am very pleased with the club. Again, thanks for all your inputs. Have a great golf season.

Edit... I see you made a purchase. Good luck with it, that's a good club. I think the advice below is still solid for others who may find this thread in the future.

I think you first have to define what "upgrade" means. What would you like to do that your current driver won't do? Is there a specific type of miss that you'd like the club design to help correct, or do you hit it on the screws the majority on the time, but want more distance or different ball flight?

When you determine what you want to "fix", it'll help a fitter (or folks here) recommend something that can help. In some cases, twist face or bulge & roll might help. In some cases, a higher/lower CG might help. Higher/lower kickpoint shaft, adjustable shot shape bias weighting... too many different technologies available to get a good answer without some info about where your RBZ isn't cutting it.

What shaft did you get? Love cobras at a discount.

For anyone else that's looking, I recently got an ST190 9.5 Atmos black TS 6s in perfect condition for about $150 on eBay. It has been great and sounds amazing compared to my ping drivers.

I'll throw my $.02 after the fact as well. I always buy 1-2 years previous generation to save money. As someone else stated, I hit everything I possibly can from the used and new section of Golf Galaxy to figure out what heads and shafts work for me. I wound up buying a brand new TM M3 440 off of Ebay last summer for $175.