Water in Driver Head

timmytuba · October 20, 2018

Just bought a used TM SLDR on the cheap from Ebay, and the head came in with water sloshing around it in. Not left out in the elements, and the package wasn't wet at all, so must have come that way from the seller.

Is there a way to get the water out? I'll get a few drops out at a time when I shake it around, but that seems like a really tedious fix.

Appreciate any help!

Socrates · October 20, 2018

I’ll assume that you can get into the head via a hole. Use compressed air. Insert a nossle so that you can blow air in and there is a way for it to escape. This should evacuate the water fairly quickly. Use fairly high pressure.

Pleasedwith3putts · October 21, 2018

My bigger concern would be how the water got in there not how to get it out.

Unless it was some crazy experiment to try to add swingweight then it almost certainly means that the head is cracked and the water entered when it was immersed in water, possibly to clean it or probably just to check if it was cracked.

I would contact the seller asking for an explanation and then almost certainly sending it back.

The easy way to tell about whether it is cracked is to immerse it in water and you will see air bubbles escaping from where the crack is. The only thing is if you do this then it just invites the seller to try to blame you for water being in the head if you tell them you have done that, even though most of it was there to start with.

Stuart_G · October 21, 2018

The bigger concern is why it got in there, not how. The most likely 'how' is through the hot melt port - which is under the cover that's used to keep the sliding weight from coming out. It's normally just kept on with double sided tape - although many who remove it might use a screw to hold it back in place. Also, not sure about the SLDR, but many adjustable heads have access point through the adapter bore as well.

timmytuba · October 21, 2018

Thanks for the thoughts! I circled the spot that the water is dripping out of. It seems slightly loose, but doesn't seem to want to "pop" off. Is that the port you're talking about? If it does come off, I could probably get some compressed air in there.

Doesn't look like there's an access point in the hosel adaptor.

SAM_PGA · October 21, 2018

If I had to guess, the seller on eBay gave it a dunk in water to clean it up before listing it, and because they never hit it again or really handled it, never realized water had gotten inside the head. Still you should contact the seller to report the problem and if they don't respond take it up with eBay, you're protected for not getting the product as described in the auction.

Hateto3Putt · October 21, 2018

Got a dehydrator?

Put the head in overnight on low.

timmytuba · October 21, 2018

Figured it out! That plate I circled above kept the adjustable weight in place, and allows you to swap it out for a heavier option. I got a small screwdriver under it, popped it off, and there was the hole! Been shaking it around, and got nearly all the water out.

Just have to reattach the plate. Other places recommend foam tape that is factory standard, or drilling a small hole in the plate, and screwing it down. (The hole in the head is threaded) Not sure I want to go that route, since that would throw off the weight distribution a bit.

Appreciate all the advice!

junkfry · October 21, 2018

That cover in the picture is held on by 3M double-sided tape. You can pop that cover off and drain the water out of the screw hole that's underneath. That hole is there for the "toe screw" that came in the tour-issued SLDR heads.

Edit...guess I was a bit late on my reply

Socrates · October 21, 2018

Once you get the water out and you think you've got the hole sealed: time to test for a crack. Get the head cool (a little time in the freezer with do that) and then immerse in hot water. If you see bubbles coming from somewhere - you likely have a cracked head.

wkuo3 · October 21, 2018

Flood damaged golf club ? First I had seen it. Had seen lots of flood damaged automobiles but a golf club is the first.

Or perhaps someone fish it out of Water hazards.

ForTourUseOnly · October 21, 2018

There is a hole in the hosel into the head, like a post above i bet the sell dunked the head in water to clean it before sending it and didn't know about this hole. Shine a light down the hosel with no shaft screwed in and you should see it

Stuart_G · October 22, 2018

Just have to reattach the plate. Other places recommend foam tape that is factory standard, or drilling a small hole in the plate, and screwing it down. (The hole in the head is threaded) Not sure I want to go that route, since that would throw off the weight distribution a bit.

Using a screw instead of the double sided tape wont do anything to the weight distribution - nothing at all to worry about there. And it's a LOT more reliable as well. If you have an extra, you can use the same screw that holds the head onto the adapter. If not, it's just a small metric M4 screw.