Titleist 975's....?

[HoganApexBlades]

I have a 9.5* 975D with a Regular Ultralite Graphite shaft. I swing way too hard to be able to control that clubhead. I have a 13.5* 975F that has a DGS300 steel shaft that I can hit long and straight. I really need to re-shaft that driver. I admire the looks of both clubs and use them in my quasi-classic/modern bag next to my PCs. I read Birly's posts about re-shafting and think a re-shaft is forthcoming. Who wants to encourage me to have it done???

[scomac2002]

[quote name='HoganApexBlades' timestamp='1438906550' post='12092784']
I have a 9.5* 975D with a Regular Ultralite Graphite shaft. I swing way too hard to be able to control that clubhead. I have a 13.5* 975F that has a DGS300 steel shaft that I can hit long and straight. I really need to re-shaft that driver. I admire the looks of both clubs and use them in my quasi-classic/modern bag next to my PCs. I read Birly's posts about re-shafting and think a re-shaft is forthcoming. Who wants to encourage me to have it done???
[/quote]

Go for it!! There was a 975J that showed up at my course this morning in the bag of one of my regulars. I've been paying a lot more attention to what's showing up in bags of the classic nature this season.

[TimV]

You Guys Caused This!
I now have coming a...
975D 8.5*
975J 7.5*
975J 9.5*
Those will all have to be reshafted as they are stiff and I need regular flex.

980F 15* DG R300
980F 19* with a 4360 Soft R graphite shaft - I will try it but probably reshaft.

So, is the consensus that I should go with Dynamic Gold for my reshaft?

My intention here is to play these instead of my persimmons with my 86 Mizuno Cimarron blades when the Snow Flakes get here.

Thanks,
Tim

[oldschoolrocker]

Tim,
Sorry to say this, but, we were just joking! The 975 is dog meat!!! Hope you aren't out too much moolah.




Actually that is quite the haul. Maybe put a couple of different shafts in them and decide which you like best.

[TimV]

Said in my best Ricky Ricardo voice... Old School!...

[oldschoolrocker]

I am curious about "snow flakes". Same as snow birds?

[TimV]

This far south the ones we get are often pretty flaky.

[scomac2002]

[quote name='TimV' timestamp='1439032923' post='12100146']
You Guys Caused This!
I now have coming a...
975D 8.5*
975J 7.5*
975J 9.5*
Those will all have to be reshafted as they are stiff and I need regular flex.

980F 15* DG R300
980F 19* with a 4360 Soft R graphite shaft - I will try it but probably reshaft.

So, is the consensus that I should go with Dynamic Gold for my reshaft?

My intention here is to play these instead of my persimmons with my 86 Mizuno Cimarron blades when the Snow Flakes get here.

Thanks,
Tim
[/quote]

I would be inclined to play them just the way they are until you figure out what you like/dislike about each combination. The good news is that one is shafted up with DG R300 so you will have a pretty good idea of how that shaft plays for you in one of those heads. Personally, I'd be leery of putting a stiff tipped shaft in a bore through head, but that maybe just me as I'm a low spin/low launch player.

[scomac2002]

[quote name='TimV' timestamp='1439037811' post='12100338']
This far south the ones we get are often pretty flaky.
[/quote]

Are you talking about me, Tim?

[HoganApexBlades]

[quote name='TimV' timestamp='1439032923' post='12100146']
You Guys Caused This!
I now have coming a...
975D 8.5*
975J 7.5*
975J 9.5*
Those will all have to be reshafted as they are stiff and I need regular flex.

980F 15* DG R300
980F 19* with a 4360 Soft R graphite shaft - I will try it but probably reshaft.

So, is the consensus that I should go with Dynamic Gold for my reshaft?

My intention here is to play these instead of my persimmons with my 86 Mizuno Cimarron blades when the Snow Flakes get here.

Thanks,
Tim
[/quote]

Tim - Is that a stiff steel shaft in that 975D or a graphite? If it's a DGS300 and you want a regular graphite, we need to talk.

[Coralray]

A few years ago I searched eBay for a 975 feeling it was the best of the Titanium bunch and I ended up with a model not mentioned yet here, the 975L-FF. it has an aftermarket Speeder 661 Stiff. Sadly, I never play it since it doesn't sound or feel like persimmon. It sits a touch open, which I like. It is a nice driver.

[Llortamaisey]

I picked up a 983k recently and hit it against my 915 D4 today. Sadly, the 983k kept up with every drive from the D4. This is very frustrating considering the D4 ousted my D3 based on trackman results. The 983 set me back $19.99 from play it again sports. I'm interested to pick up a 975 to see if the results would be any different.

[NRJyzr]

[quote name='Coralray' timestamp='1439047412' post='12100814']
A few years ago I searched eBay for a 975 feeling it was the best of the Titanium bunch and I ended up with a model not mentioned yet here, the 975L-FF. it has an aftermarket Speeder 661 Stiff. Sadly, I never play it since it doesn't sound or feel like persimmon. It sits a touch open, which I like. It is a nice driver.
[/quote]


This is the first iteration of the club that became the LFE. The reason for the name change was due to MacGregor claiming trademark infringement (something Titleist apparently does a lot) for the "LFF."

So it became the LFE.

Personally, I've never understood the allure of any of the Titleist stuff, but it should be noted I don't care for Titleist, so no surprise there, LOL. I've always thought the GBB was a superior stick, and the Mizuno stuff was quite underrated (T3 and Mighty Big).

[Coralray]

I am taken by the look at address of the 975s. They sit like a persimmon might. The GBB was certainly a marvel but it is still to this day not as pretty as a 975. To me. The Mizunos you mention I have played and they are solid, hard hitting but also hooked and blue. I love a driver that sits a touch open and just begs me to release the club a little better. Traditional looks? Yeah. Still, I'd rather be hitting a fine MacGregor 945 than any Titleist 975.

[NRJyzr]

FWIW, the T3 was a gold color. The blue models were the forged Ti drivers that came in right around 2000, I think?

 

First, the T3:

 

 

Then, the T Zoid Forged:

[jonnygrouville]

The Mizunos are from the era of the clubface lottery where Taylor Made Burners, T-Zoids, etc. could be closed, open, square, you were just rolling the dice. Took time to find a good one.

I used a "strong" green T-Zoid for a long time post-Boom Boom and it sat square. Moved on to a 975 from this after my hook got worse and the sweeping back inside design on the crown of the Mizuno did not exactly help me start the club back where I wanted it to (much like some crown stamps being a fraction too much inside the line to the eye), something even more pronounced on the gold titanium model, further pandering to the average slicer.

Has always wound me up this; plenty of articles, instruction, lessons and what-have-you for people hitting big cuts and shanking it, but I hit a hook and my bad strike is out of the toe. Not as easy as just reversing the advice either eh?!

[Fellaheen51]

Wish I could hit a nice little draw. Lord knows I've tried. Just becomes a snap hook in an instant. So I've worked on swing mods to control my slice, keep it manageable, with some degree of success. More practice, perhaps, but boring. It is what it is, why fight it.

The old Lee Trevino (?) line......"You can talk to a fade, but a hook don't listen" applies.

[Kathy Marie]

Jonny,

Might I suggest The Anti-Hook Manifesto???

[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00POEWQRC"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00POEWQRC[/url]

As researched by Ben "I Hate A Hook" Hogan.

HTH,





KM

[jonnygrouville]

Appreciated! The hours I have spent pouring over these books. There is a whole forum dedicated to it, so I won't get too involved here...

Part of my issue here is that Hogan was probably writing it for people that hit slices, so have never been convinced that this is the definitive anti-hook instruction manual. Have had more luck reading Trevino to take the left side of the course out of play...

[TimV]

Going out to give the new old 975J a try at the course with the Mizuno Cimmaron blades.

[thedurtydurden]

I remember playing my 975d a long while ago. Used it for years, and have never been more accurate. Could pick a spot and land it on it. I played it for 5 or so years until I picked up a used 983e a bit after they came out. Out went the accuracy, but I picked up 20+ yards. The looks and balance of my old 975d will never be duplicated.

I also remember having one of those gold Mizuno T-Zoid's at the same time. A 3 wood, and it was a bomber. Great club.

[TimV]

Report on my reshaft experiment...

Titleist 975D + Dynamic Gold R 200 shaft =

[CHE KJARRVERA]

They've made some cracking good clubs over the years. Wouldn't mind having a round or two with the 975 D to see what I missed, as I played a DCI Starship D in the late 90's. My first metal wood and weapon of choice to clear low treed dogleg par 5's. 910D2 in the modern bag currently - modern clubs like this feel a little sterile...

[super20dan]

on the subject of fighting a hook. no one hooked the ball worse than i used to. i almost wanted to quit the game sometimes. just like hogan i set out to cure it. a simple grip change was all it took. adopt a hogan weak grip with both hands . it has to be BOTH hands in the weak position. you cannot hook the ball if you want to. every shot will be a slight fade on a good swing. -sound familiar?

[fluffy265]

Well I've managed to pick up a 975D and a 983K both at 9.5° and both with their stock stiff shafts.
I've only had a few practice swings with each so far and will test them out properly later this week.
At this stage all I can say is that swinging the 975D does feel natural, even with it's light weight graphite shaft.
On the other hand the 983K feels way too light for me.
However I figure that I owe both of these drivers a trip to the range with their current stock shafts before I break out the steel....

Cheers J

[russad]

Looking forward to reading the test report.

[Fellaheen51]

Being that you're the OP of this thread, congrats on picking up a couple of these D's to test out. We await your review. Programming spoiler alert on 983K, don't read any further.......
.
.
.
.
I was more than intrigued by this thread initially. Began doing some research about these older Titleist Drivers. Concluded that the 365cc 983K may be a good compromise between the 975 (and its various versions) and a 460cc. Was trying to replicate the ball flight I had on those rare occasions when I hit a persimmon D properly. Low, boring and straight. Which model pretty much boiled down to the one I would find on the cheap first.

That happened to be a 9.5* 983K shafted with a GD YS-6 stiff shaft playing at 44.5" Found at LGS used bin for $22 and change. No practice/range time. Into the bag and straight to the course along with the G25 (stock TFC regular shaft, playing at 44.5", dialed to 10*). As with any "new" club, there was a getting acquainted period. What became apparent early was my ball flight was significantly lower. No matter what I did with the G25, had difficulty keeping the ball from ballooning. That high fade (or slice depending on the severity) was a distance killer. The 983 gave me the trajectory I was seeking. Perhaps the shaft has something to do with this as well. Not a shaft guru in any sense, no launch monitor data to support what I play. It either feels right or it doesn't. The GD just feels right, not to light (believe it to be in the mid 60 gram area) and while I had some trepidation with the stiff, it's not "boardy" feeling in the least. Believe it to play a somewhat soft to flex (perhaps do to the bore thru head design).

What I also discovered and became the most significant factor was that this D virtually eliminated my tendency to go right. My thinking on this is that the smaller clubhead size is facilitating my ability to square the face at impact better than the 460cc. And occasionally, but with increasing frequency, can hit a nice little draw with it. Heretofore, something I've never been able to do with a driver. Distance-wise, it stays right with the G25. That is to say, 220'ish which is about all I can get these days without over swinging. Lastly and having no performance attributes, the sound is wonderful for a metal. Solid sounding thud with contact, no ear splitting "clang" of the notoriously loud G25.

Now when I give the 460 a go, it just seems big and cumbersome. Feel like I cannot control the head (closing the face thru impact?) during the swing. Really having a hard time liking or playing it these days. Yet another "modern" club pushed to the sidelines by an older club. Now if I could find a 975 version similarly cheap, I would give that an audition as well. For experimentation purposes. But I am more than pleased with the 983K and it has become my full timer. And for crazy cheap, go figure.

[apprenti23]

At the end of the season I will generally try and sell off my equipment. Well, I was quite successful at it, but it seems a little premature. Unseasonably warm and 70* all week this week in Chicago!
Decided to grab the old 905S for 9 holes yesterday- first hole (first time swinging it in years) split the fairway and hit it 315 (down wind and down hill). I consistently hit it just about as far as my Ping G30 LS. Unfortunately my misses are exacerbated with this old technology and hit some super ugly duck hooks!
Great driver, when squared up it goes just as far as new tech. However, any misses, you lose a lot more than the new tech.

[Forged4ever]

[quote name='apprenti23' timestamp='1438715987' post='12077822']
Really wish I wouldn't have sold any of them- would've been a cool collection
[/quote]Bro, that's obscene, LMAO

Ahhhh, the Life of a Ho Pro

I hope all's well Bro

Thoughts,
Richard

[ScooterMcTavish]

Surprised I never saw this thread earlier. My 975D (picked up at GS for $19.99) has been a fun club, and is the D in my lake house bag. Mine is an 8.5* with the Titleist stock S flex shaft.

 

 

Nice club, sets up nice, and looks huge at address compared to persimmon. Has a bit of heft to it, and doesn't suffer from the balloon on a straw feeling some modern drivers have.

 

When well struck, can be one of the best drivers in my arsenal. When poorly struck, nowhere near as forgiving as a 460cc driver, and can be almost as punishing as a mishit persimmon. If I am late (or lazy) on my swing and don't get the clubface square, it hits a slice like you wouldn't believe.

 

Good to hear Fella's endorsement; I am always on the lookout for a used 983K - though I found one at 2nd Swing last year, but it was only in the bargain bin because the toe had been caved in. It too strikes me as a positive alternative to my modern trifecta of FT-3, R460, and G10. All have their relative merit, but each only seems to do better on certain days.

 

Playing a limited number of sets this year has reinforced that further life simplification may be in order. Possibly a 983K might be the magic bullet.