Which sonartec 3 wood?

[waldojeffers]

I'm not sure which sonartec 15 fairway to get. I read this:

 

FOR MID AND HIGH HANDICAP GOLFERS I WOULD LOOK AT THE SSO2 OR THE SS2.5 MODEL. FOR LOW HANDICAP AND SCRATCH GOLFERS I WOULD LOOK FOR THE SS03,SS3.5 OR THE NP-99.THEY ARE BY FAR THE BEST FAIRWAY WOODS IN PLAY TODAY.

 

Is that good advice?

[TM golf guy]

Forget all that and just get the GS Tour. An absolute cannon for a fairway wood, and it is rock solid.

[waldojeffers]

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Which sonartecs have you played?

[TLUBulldogGolf]

GS Tour ftw. I tried an NP-99 and I never really liked it. I have hit the ss-03 which is deep face and it is solid but the GS tour is their best wood. Very long and with a decent amount of forgiveness as well.

[waldojeffers]

Thanks for the reply. Bit of a boost for the gs tour then. It wasn't in contention until just now :) Still not getting any clear winner, hopefully some more kind lads who have used a few of the sonartecs participate in the poll :)

[hmx3]

GS-tour and 2.5 are my favorits. have also the NP-99, which is more demanding.

[Mainlinegolfer]

You know Sonartec is out of business, right? That said, it made some excellent fairway woods, albeit not the most forgiving to hit off the fairway.

 

I've played the SS-02, SS-3.0, SS-2.5, SS-3.5, NP-99, SS-07, and GS Tour. The 2.5 and 3.5 replaced the 02 and 03. The 07 has an adjustable hosel (it can be bent) and was popular on tour. The GS Tour is the latest (and last) model. Shallow faces -- 02 and 2.5 -- perhaps better from the fairway; deeper faces -- 03 and 3.5 -- perhaps better off the tee.

 

I still play my SS-07 15* (Diamana 83 Redboard - Stiff) and SS-07 19* (Purple Ice 73 - stiff). I may sell these since they are now "back up" clubs.

 

I have been a big Sonartec fan because they perform well, but with a somewhat lower trajectory. Depending on your skill level, there may be better alternatives. However, if I were you and you really want Sonartecs, I would get the SS-07 or the GS Tour, the newest model and arguably the one that is slightly more forgiving.

[waldojeffers]

Ok well the np-99 is pretty much out of the picture I think, having heard it's not as forgiving as the other models on a few occasions now (thanks hmx) I want something easy of the deck so 2.5 and gs tour sounds like they have gotten a pretty good wrap up on a few occasions now (thanks mainline). GS tour is sounding pretty rosie right now, would you say it is more forgiving than the 2.5 would you mainline?

[Mala]

I've tried several sonartecs, but not the GS tour yet, My favourite out of the ones i've tried, and the one thats in my bag is a SS-07.

[hmx3]

IME there is no difference in forgiveness between GS-tour and 2.5. The head of the SS-2.5 is a bit larger as the GS head, both have the same great feel and sound and performance. Personally I´ve found no FW´s, which are better as the Sonartecs.

[Mainlinegolfer]

Ok well the np-99 is pretty much out of the picture I think, having heard it's not as forgiving as the other models on a few occasions now (thanks hmx) I want something easy of the deck so 2.5 and gs tour sounds like they have gotten a pretty good wrap up on a few occasions now (thanks mainline). GS tour is sounding pretty rosie right now, would you say it is more forgiving than the 2.5 would you mainline?

Although still somewhat deep-faced, the GS Tour was "improved" by lowering its center of gravity, as I recall, to make it a bit easier to hit off the fairway. I wouldn't necessarily say it's "more forgiving than the 2.5". The 2.5 has a more shallow face which facilitates hitting it off the ground; but some don't like a shallow faced 3-wood when hitting off the tee (easier to hit under it and pop it up). As I said, the SS-07 and GS Tour (newest) are perhaps the most versatile.

[Titus]

I have both the GS Tour and the SS 2.5 with the stock R flex Fuji shaft. I prefer the latter only becasue it has a better feel and a lower ball flight. I believe it is the shaft that makes the difference.

 

I also have in my bag the SS 2.5 5 wood (and a spare in my back up set) and recently purchased a 7 wood to experiment as a replacement to my 21* G10 hybrid.

 

If i can find somebdoy to swap my GS Tour with SS 2.5 3 wood, I would readily go for it.

 

Good luck!

[alittleoverpar]

Forget all that and just get the GS Tour. An absolute cannon for a fairway wood, and it is rock solid.

 

I couldn't agree more!

 

IMO the GS Tour is the best fairway ever made. It is a solid as they come and performs well for any shot.

[NDIrish423]

I've tried several different models and prefer the GS Tour. For me it offered the best of both worlds -not too shallow for me to hit comfortably from the tee and not too deep to hit easily from the fairway. It's very solid and somewhat forgiving compared to the other models.

 

Also, I wouldn't disregard the NP-99 without trying it yourself. I didn't think it was any less forgiving than some of the other models, I just didn't like the shallow face as well as the GS Tour.

[obsessed_golfer]

The shallow face and horseshoe weight make the NP-99 great off the deck......do not sell it short!

[kdstour]

Still play the 2.5 3 and 5 wood with the Blue Board 73's. I've experimented with many other woods, but these always find their way back as the gamers.

 

Nick Price (yes another company he put out of business :) ) is using the Royal Collection staff bag and woods.

[alittleoverpar]

The shallow face and horseshoe weight make the NP-99 great off the deck......do not sell it short!

 

The NP-99 is a great club. I also have the NP=99 in 15 deg, and 21 deg. They are not in my bag right now because for me the GS Tour slightly edges them out in overall performance. However, I would have no problem playing the NP-99 if my GS Tours were to go away. :shout:

 

I sure wish Sonartec was still around. The only advantage of them going under is cheap goods on ebay.

[tjrbu]

I've got a moderately quick swing (105-108 driver ss) and I'm looking to reshaft the GS Tour from the Red Ice stiff (too whippy). Any suggestions? I can't put my normal VS Proto or NV shaft in this head b/c it launches too low. I was thinking of digging up a 75-85 gram Purple Ice, but have no history w/ that shaft. Thoughts?

it's a .335 tip, right?

[Mainlinegolfer]

[quote name='tjrbu' post='1879134' date='Aug 10 2009, 11:15 PM']I've got a moderately quick swing (105-108 driver ss) and I'm looking to reshaft the GS Tour from the Red Ice stiff (too whippy). Any suggestions? I can't put my normal VS Proto or NV shaft in this head b/c it launches too low. I was thinking of digging up a 75-85 gram Purple Ice, but have no history w/ that shaft. Thoughts?

it's a .335 tip, right?[/quote]
I have two Sonartec SS-07s, a 15* with a Diamana Redboard 83-S and a 19* with a Purple Ice 75-S. Both are excellent shafts for fairway woods in that they a low torque, active tip shafts. Since the PI was discontinued a few years ago, I found an inexpensive PI on eBay. I chose a PI 75 to replace my broken Aldila NV75 because, at 42 1/2", my 19* had had a swingweight of D5 and I thought a PI 85 would make it too heavy. Either PI would be fine, depending on your preference. Yes, .335 tip.

Do a search on GolfWrx for "purple ice", there should be a lot of information. Here's one thread in which a posted info on tipping and my conversation with Graphite Design:
[url="http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=94960&hl=purple+ice"]http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/index.php?sh...p;hl=purple+ice[/url]

[cAsE sEnSiTiVe]

For me personally, the NP99 is money

[caller]

I got a GS tour from ebay

Couldn't hit it at all. of course it is my game not the club

One thing I noticed was that shaft was too long for me and felt real whippy

Would it be expensive to get shaft changed?

I have one blue board shaft at home and thinking about changing it

I play my driver 44.5 inch and what length shoud I get for FW?

[tjrbu]

[quote name='Mainlinegolfer' post='1879571' date='Aug 11 2009, 04:40 AM'][quote name='tjrbu' post='1879134' date='Aug 10 2009, 11:15 PM']I've got a moderately quick swing (105-108 driver ss) and I'm looking to reshaft the GS Tour from the Red Ice stiff (too whippy). Any suggestions? I can't put my normal VS Proto or NV shaft in this head b/c it launches too low. I was thinking of digging up a 75-85 gram Purple Ice, but have no history w/ that shaft. Thoughts?

it's a .335 tip, right?[/quote]
I have two Sonartec SS-07s, a 15* with a Diamana Redboard 83-S and a 19* with a Purple Ice 75-S. Both are excellent shafts for fairway woods in that they a low torque, active tip shafts. Since the PI was discontinued a few years ago, I found an inexpensive PI on eBay. I chose a PI 75 to replace my broken Aldila NV75 because, at 42 1/2", my 19* had had a swingweight of D5 and I thought a PI 85 would make it too heavy. Either PI would be fine, depending on your preference. Yes, .335 tip.

Do a search on GolfWrx for "purple ice", there should be a lot of information. Here's one thread in which a posted info on tipping and my conversation with Graphite Design:
[url="http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=94960&hl=purple+ice"]http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/index.php?sh...p;hl=purple+ice[/url]
[/quote]
Do they play true to flex? I'm finding a ton of X flex on the Bay, but very few stiffs. In the driver I play between stiff and X and i've played X in most stock shafts, but S in the NV and VS Proto. Arguably I could leave the X untipped and butt cut it I guess...

[Mainlinegolfer]

[quote name='tjrbu' post='1880173' date='Aug 11 2009, 12:04 PM'][quote name='Mainlinegolfer' post='1879571' date='Aug 11 2009, 04:40 AM'][quote name='tjrbu' post='1879134' date='Aug 10 2009, 11:15 PM']I've got a moderately quick swing (105-108 driver ss) and I'm looking to reshaft the GS Tour from the Red Ice stiff (too whippy). Any suggestions? I can't put my normal VS Proto or NV shaft in this head b/c it launches too low. I was thinking of digging up a 75-85 gram Purple Ice, but have no history w/ that shaft. Thoughts?

it's a .335 tip, right?[/quote]
I have two Sonartec SS-07s, a 15* with a Diamana Redboard 83-S and a 19* with a Purple Ice 75-S. Both are excellent shafts for fairway woods in that they a low torque, active tip shafts. Since the PI was discontinued a few years ago, I found an inexpensive PI on eBay. I chose a PI 75 to replace my broken Aldila NV75 because, at 42 1/2", my 19* had had a swingweight of D5 and I thought a PI 85 would make it too heavy. Either PI would be fine, depending on your preference. Yes, .335 tip.

Do a search on GolfWrx for "purple ice", there should be a lot of information. Here's one thread in which a posted info on tipping and my conversation with Graphite Design:
[url="http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=94960&hl=purple+ice"]http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/index.php?sh...p;hl=purple+ice[/url]
[/quote]
Do they play true to flex? I'm finding a ton of X flex on the Bay, but very few stiffs. In the driver I play between stiff and X and I've played X in most stock shafts, but S in the NV and VS Proto. Arguably I could leave the X untipped and butt cut it I guess...
[/quote]
True to flex and stable, but with with an "active tip section". Be careful of playing around with tipping, however, PIs are sensitive to tip trimming and cutting too much off the tip can negatively affect the intended performance of the shaft. I can't speak to whether an "X" will work for you if you deviate from the recommended amount and instead only trim the butt to the desired length. Personally, it doesn't sound like a good idea, but I guess if PIs are still cheap, you wouldn't lose much money if you experiment with trimming the tip, the butt, or a little of both.

[Joe85]

I have 3 (or maybe 4) SS 03.

 

 

It's just ridiculously long. I'm not a terribly fast/long hitter of the ball, but I hauled off on my 13 degree once and hit it around 265. It was just crazy how long it goes. My 14 degree is my absolute go-to and I will never get rid of it. If my swing comes back this year I am going to put more work in with the 15 degree.

[Tzoid]

You just replied to a thread from almost 9 years ago...... I have a SS-02 in 14 degree that I always loved but it's been out of the bag for 4-5 years :)

[mags318]

I still have an ss-02 in my bag to this day. Still has a blazing hot face.