need advice on FT-3 purchase

I am looking to purchase an FT-3 driver and was wondering if anybody tried it and which shaft to order it with. Now I know the best way to determine this is get fitted and so on. The problem is that by the time these drivers come in coupled with the backorder/inventory problem Callaway and the rest of the golf industry has at the moment, someone will go through a fitting, order the product and then by the time it arrives the golf season will be over and rumors of the next version will come out.

Having said that I have narrowed my choices for the FT-3 to either a 10 or 11 degree in a draw CG configuration. For the shaft, I want to stick with the stock Aldila NVS 55 or upgrade to the Fujikura SIX. Both are ultralight but have slightly different characteristics. Now for shaft flex: I have been working on increasing my swing speed. Currently my swing speed is consistently between 90-100mph but I am slowly increasing that with hard work. Occasionally I get the 100-105mph(hoping to keep it there). I am not sure if I should stick with regular flex or go with a stiff. Theories going around at the moment is that with the larger head(460 cc) drivers that use a higher torque(around 4.5) ultralight shaft, it is better to go stiffer so that you have driver head stability during the swing.

Any advice or feedback that anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thnx

I hit both the 9.5 tour with NVS 65 S and the 10 degree neutral and draw with the NVS 55. The 10 degree hit very high due to the extreme kick of the NVS 55. It was very straight but I didn't get much roll. The 9.5 tour has a more solid feel and stronger ball flight. I also hit the draw setup for testing purposes and since I hit a natural draw anyway I didn't need the extra help. I did not like the feel of the draw model. I think a proper setup is critical with this model to get the most out of it. There is a big difference in feel of the 3 types I hit.

I got to hit 4 different retail FT3 at a Cally's demo days. The guy told me not to expect any drivers until August unless you are lucky to purchase what the pro will receive in the next week or two. So that means my club pro will receive his 2 FT3 drivers but he does not know what specs they will come in so it's a crapshoot on what you'll want to receive.

Actually, I was hitting Cally 454 w/Prolite X much better and much longer than any of their FT3 drivers at demo days.

I just purchased the 9.5 tour Draw w/Aldila NVS 65 and took it immediately to the range and have to say it is the BEST driver I have ever hit. Knocked my R7 TP out of the bag after a full bucket of balls. I do agree with the above post in that if you already draw the ball you will probably want to get the neutral. Sound takes some getting use to, but with the way the ball flies, I can get use to it VERY quick.

Now I am wondering how well the fairway woods are. :vava:

I just purchased the 9.5 tour Draw w/Aldila NVS 65 and took it immediately to the range and have to say it is the BEST driver I have ever hit.  Knocked my R7 TP out of the bag after a full bucket of balls.  I do agree with the above post in that if you already draw the ball you will probably want to get the neutral.  Sound takes some getting use to, but with the way the ball flies, I can get use to it VERY quick.

 

Now I am wondering how well the fairway woods are.  :D

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Redbird,

Can you describe the ball flight in contrast to your r7tp (shaft on r7 and setup of weights), thanks. :vava:

Get the most flexible shaft that you can control - Also you can't trust the flex label 100% - Demo each one if you can but definately get fit by a professional. Some companies stiff shaft work for people with a swing speed of 105 and others at 95.

A lot of places charge for the driver fit but will give you that money as credit on the purchase.

I'm lucky that I have an experienced club builder in my area. Based on my swing speed and tempo he's built my clubs to meet a certain frequency and stiffness. He also doesn't trust the label on the shaft. My driver says R and my 3 wood says S but my driver actuallly flexes out stiffer than the 3 wood

That being said I've had my FT3 for about 3 months - I tried the stock NVS shaft and it just didn't work for me. I've switched to the Grafalloy CompNT and love it. I'm not a fan of the regular Grafalloy Blue but this CompNT delivers. I also have the UST Harmon shaft in my R7 and that's a great fit for me as well.

Does anyone have recommendations for the loft. Should I go with the 10 or 11 deg. Has anyone tried both?

I just purchased the 9.5 tour Draw w/Aldila NVS 65 and took it immediately to the range and have to say it is the BEST driver I have ever hit.  Knocked my R7 TP out of the bag after a full bucket of balls.  I do agree with the above post in that if you already draw the ball you will probably want to get the neutral.  Sound takes some getting use to, but with the way the ball flies, I can get use to it VERY quick.

 

Now I am wondering how well the fairway woods are.  :D

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Redbird,

 

Can you describe the ball flight in contrast to your r7tp (shaft on r7 and setup of weights), thanks. :vava:

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The ball flight of the FT-3 is slightly higher than the R7TP (atleast for me). I would assume this is due to the shafts. The 757 being a mid/high kick and the NVS being a mid kick. I had the R7 set at 12-6-2-2 (if memory serves).

Everything for me with the FT-3 is either straight or with a slight draw.

I have a 9.5 FT3N Tour and it plays equal to an 8.5 in my game. I'm typically a high ball hitter so this driver is definitely bringing my ball flight down.

I just purchased the 9.5 tour Draw w/Aldila NVS 65 and took it immediately to the range and have to say it is the BEST driver I have ever hit.  Knocked my R7 TP out of the bag after a full bucket of balls.  I do agree with the above post in that if you already draw the ball you will probably want to get the neutral.  Sound takes some getting use to, but with the way the ball flies, I can get use to it VERY quick.

 

Now I am wondering how well the fairway woods are.  :D

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Redbird,

 

Can you describe the ball flight in contrast to your r7tp (shaft on r7 and setup of weights), thanks. :vava:

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The ball flight of the FT-3 is slightly higher than the R7TP (atleast for me). I would assume this is due to the shafts. The 757 being a mid/high kick and the NVS being a mid kick. I had the R7 set at 12-6-2-2 (if memory serves).

 

Everything for me with the FT-3 is either straight or with a slight draw.

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Redbird,

Thanks for the information. I am debating on whether to pull the trigger on the 9.5 tour or the 10 regular model.

Lee,

Can you describe your ball flight using the 415, and then the ft3? Have you been able to work off the long low hooks, and can you launch the ball higher now with the FT3, thanks. Willy

Had a similar debate purchase the Retail 10* or Tour 9.5*....

 

Retail 10*

lower centre of gravity, 1* closed face, Callaway Aldila NVS 55g, Callaway Aldila NVS reg and softer flexes have higher torque #'s than its retail cousin - help people with slower swingspeeds.

 

Tour 9.5*

higher centre of gravity, .5* open face, retail Aldila NVS 65g

 

Purchased the Tour 9.5* w/Alidla NVS-65S, Draw Bias. Prefer having a square or open clubface - bad misses are snap hooks - and having the retail version of the NVS-65. 

 

Took the Tour 9.5* to the course without a range session. My misses were long low sweep hooks which stayed in the fairway or first cut of the rough.  My mishits with the Fusion were as long or longer than my GBBII 415 10* w/Aldila NV-65R average hits.  Good hits with the Fusion were as deep or deeper than best hits with GBBII 415.

 

Trajectory of the Fusion is higher than the GBBII however the ball does run when it lands.

 

Have heard\read many people complaining about the sound of the Fusion.  Yes, it is a different from other titanium drivers.  However I don't mind it.

 

One of my concerns was going from a tip stiff shaft to a tip soft shaft - formula for hooks.  I think, the .5* open face is helping from turning this club into a hook machine.

 

Word of caution....

If you have an agressive swing, would not recommend the NVS shaft. It is a good shaft and performs well for people with a smoother transistion.  NV-65R shaft frequencies to a firm flex in the GBBII and Fusion has a NVS-65S.  Did not find the NVS-65S overly stiff, infact it feels fairly close to the GBBII in terms of stiffness.

 

 

So far, really like the Fusion and do not have disappointments\regrets.  Personally, I think the Fusion has a potential to be a weapon once I become accustom to it.

 

Guess, I do have one gripe. Do not like the headcover - looks cheap.  Since the club was just released, hiding the Fusion under a generic fuzzy longneck headcover.

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I use a Fit On-11 95 S in my 9.5 Tour, I prefer the heavier shafts, and I consider myself a HighBall hitter. You have to just try a bunch until you find what you think works best. good luck!

Must have FT-3 Tour. :vava: If only somebody was trying to get rid of one...

I have a couple tour heads in the sponsor folder if you guys interested!

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3235

THX!

Joe :vava:

As promised, my followup review.....

 

FT-3 Specs: Tour 9.5* w/Aldila NVS-65S, Draw Bias, SW approx D2.5, std length shaft

 

Have used the FT-3 Fusion for 1 driving range session and 2 rounds of golf. 

The club is still long.  Think, I figured out the driver on the back 9 of today's round - for me.

 

Mishits... 

Off the toe, they were low sweeping hooks that would go as far as my average GBBII 415 drives. No big fades\slices or duck hooks today.  If I did hit a fade today it was so small that I did not moan or remember it.

 

Good hits...

Were going as far or further than my GBBII best drives - definitely longer than my average drives. Trajectory was mid\high that either went straight or with a small draw with a good run out.  Today there was a 10-15mph wind. Drives into the wind still went a long way without ballooning. Ball launches high but seems to flatten and go through the wind nicely.

 

My Discovery...

From using the GBBII w/Aldila NV-65R, I had to swing fairly hard to make the shaft work.  Using a similar swing with the FT-3 gave me inconsistent results.  Decide on the back 9 to just swing smooth and let the shaft do the work.  Well my drives were going straight or with a small draw and finishing in the fairway.

 

For me the magic formula is to remember to stay smooth. The GBBII w/NV-65R has a mid-high kickpoint with a stiff tip. The bore-thru hosel of the GBBII stiffened the tip even more - about 1/2 a flex - which allowed me to be aggressive. The NVS-65S has a mid kickpoint and softer tip - even with the blind bore-thru hosel of the FT-3 - so I have to remember to stay smooth and trust the shaft to do the work.

 

Summary...

Todate, the FT-3 has met or exceeded my expectations.  The wait for the FT-3 has been worth it.  The GBBII, as much as I like it, has been moved to my backup bag.

 

fwiw...

Remember a discussion thread - on another DB - where the VP of Research at Aldila was talking about the NVS shaft. He said, the shaft was designed to help get the ball up and make it easier to turn over for people with slower swing speeds.  In otherwords, people who found the NV too stiff.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Ray

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Ray,

Thanks for the follow up review. If I pull the trigger, I will also revert. Willy