Callaway FT-i/FT-5 Driver Review

[[email protected]]

A pair of new drivers from Callaway Golf hit golf shops earlier this spring. Though they share the company's Fusion multimaterial technology, the two 460cc big sticks couldn't be much more different.

 

 

The FT-5 is a refined, evolutionary update to the FT-3 driver from mid-2005. Meanwhile, the FT-i (the i is for inertia) is something completely different, sporting the aggressively odd square shape that has, along with the Nike Sumo2 and Nickent's 3DX Square, drawn so much attention to square-shaped drivers this year. The differences are more than cosmetic, as each driver will appeal to a certain type of player.

 

 

Read on to see which one might be best for you.

 

Construction

Let's start with the similarities between these two drivers. Both are built on the Fusion Technology platform that begat the Fusion driver in 2003 and the Big Bertha Fusion FT-3 driver two years later. The Big Bertha name is gone from the FT-5 and FT-i (more on that bit of identity crisis later), but the design basics remain. A titanium cup-face area with VFT (Variable Face Thickness) technology is married to a lightweight composite body with epoxy, and a series of internal weights distribute mass to specific areas of the perimeter to increase the Moment of Inertia (MOI) to increase forgiveness, and also to create different types of ball flight. None of the past or current Fusion-based drivers use Callaway's longstanding Bore-Thru technology. The design idea is to use lightweight materials in the face and body to allow for 50-plus grams of weight to be positioned around the perimeter for a more stable clubhead at impact.

 

 

What's new? For the FT-5, there are some relatively minor tweaks. The amount of material used in the titanium cup-face area appears to have been reduced, as the cup area extends less into the sole and crown areas than it does on the FT-3. A small bit of aluminum is incorporated into the rear of the sole, probably to allow access to the inside of the clubhead during the production process - there's also a small "mouse glue" hole in the heel area of the sole that wasn't present on the FT-3. The FT-5 also has a wider, more symmetric face area and a sleeker profile. Though it is the same size (460cc) as the FT-3, the FT-5 looks bigger at address but less bulbous from the front and back.

 

 

 

The FT-i (left) has a slightly deeper and more narrow hitting area than the FT-5 (right).

 

 

The FT-i driver is quite different from the FT-3 and FT-5. The shape is almost square at address, with a crease down the top that gives the driver the look of a square pepper. The angles of the driver make alignment a snap. There is aluminum used in the sole of the FT-i, just as with the FT-5, and the neck of the driver sports a tiny hosel-like protrusion. The square shape is meant to help stabilize the driver both horizontally and vertically. In other words, it should be forgiving not just on balls hit left or right of center, but also high and low on the face, so you get good results no matter where you make contact with the ball. The face of the FT-i is deep, but not as wide as the FT-5.

 

 

Callaway has made a shaft switch with these new drivers, moving from the Aldila NVS that was the stock offering on the FT-3 to a pair of shafts from Fujikura. The FT-5 comes standard with a 45-inch, 60-gram Fujikura E-150 shaft that has mid torque and a mid kickpoint, available in light, regular and stiff flexes. The FT-i stock shaft is the Fujikura Speeder 586 shaft, a specially tuned version of the popular shaft with Triax stabilizing technology. The Speeder 586 is a 45.75-inch shaft - apparently Callaway designers thought the FT-i was so stable that they could afford to add an extra three-quarters of an inch to the shaft to squeeze some extra distance out of the design.

 

 

 

The square design of the FT-i (left) is unusual but conducive to an easy setup, while the FT-5 is clean and uncomplicated.

 

 

Both the FT-5 and FT-i drivers have a pair of available weight configurations - draw or neutral. The fade option that was available on the FT-3 has been relegated to the Tour versions of the new drivers.

 

 

Did someone say "Tour versions"? That's right, there are specially tweaked versions of each new driver for lower handicappers as well that offer draw, neutral, or fade (as a custom order) options. The difference is a higher center of gravity, slightly open face angles and different stock shafts. The FT-5 Tour model comes with the Fujikura E-360, a low-torque 68-gram shaft available in regular, stiff and x-stiff, while the FT-i Tour model comes with the Speeder 686 in regular, stiff and x-stiff. Both Tour versions have a small Callaway chevron (the V-shaped logo) on the face to help set them apart from the standard versions.

 

 

Not enough options? In addition to a huge number of additional custom shaft options (including models from Aldila, Grafalloy, Graphite Design, UST and Mitsubishi), there's also a women's version of each FT driver with a 44-inch (44.5 in the FT-i) Fujikura Sakura driver in draw and neutral configurations.

 

 

 

The FT-i (left) looks unique from every angle, while the FT-5 (right) has a much more traditional profile.

 

 

The FT-5 drivers are part of Callaway's great OptiFit custom fitting system, which allows clubfitters to screw different heads and shafts together for a quick and comprehensive fitting experience.

 

 

Two drivers, each with multiple weight configurations and Tour and women's versions. That's a lot of options to consider. I had the chance to test standard versions of the FT-5 and FT-i, and we'll get to my on-course impressions in just a bit.

 

 

Esthetics

First, let's talk looks. The FT-5 and FT-i again share several similar touches. First, the composite body on each has been painted glossy black to match the top of the cup face area, making it look like a traditional driver instead of a multi-material affair. This is similar to the FT-3, while the original Fusion driver had an exposed weave to its composite body (which I still think looks cool). Both clubs have the same rubber grips with subtle alignment aids and Callaway logos. The standard versions have the chevron alignment aid on the crown, the Tour versions don't. And both clubs have the draw/

neutral/fade weighting designation on the heel of the club - oriented so you can read it while the club is in your bag or in a standing display rack, which is the opposite of how it was set up on the FT-3.

 

 

 

The FT-5 (right) looks larger at address than the FT-3 (left) despite having the same clubhead volume. The FT-5's body is not as tall, and the face area is wider.

 

 

The headcovers are different. The FT-5 headcover is a traditional design with a long black sock area and a black-and-orange protective top. But the FT-i has a shorter, no-sock headcover with a magnetic closure system that also sports a black-and-orange color scheme. It takes a little getting used to, but the learning curve isn't too steep.

A word about the color scheme: This is the identity crisis I alluded to above. The other woods and irons in the Fusion lineup sport a black-and-orange scheme, and the headcovers and grips for the new FT drivers adhere to that precedent. But for some reason the clubheads don't. They sport a new deep red color on the sole which looks great, but is a bit out of leftfield. I wonder if it was a last-minute idea, and the headcovers and grips were already designed and ordered. Contributing to the Fusion confusion is the fact that the Fusion irons have gold as an accent color (they follow the lead of the original Fusion driver) and the Fusion Wide Sole irons introduced last year have grey as their accent color. So within the Fusion family, you have red, orange, yellow, and grey on different products. Since Callaway sticks to the color scheme with their other brands pretty tightly (X Series = blue, Big Bertha = bright red and white) I would imagine we'll see a more unified aesthetic scheme the next time these products are refreshed.

 

 

As I mentioned above, the FT-5 manages to look both sleeker and larger than the FT-3. The face area is also larger, which contributes to the more substantial appearance. The black Fujikura shaft and understated rubber grip add to the non-flashy look. But at address, this driver is all business.

 

 

FT-i has a like it or hate it look, there's no way around it. The square head and the channel that runs down the crown of the club don't look like any other golf club you've ever hit. Traditionalists will likely not be enthused. Personally, I thought the design really helped me set up along my target line, and anything that works looks good to me. In addition to the tiny hosel-like neck, there's a small silver ring around the bottom of the thermoplastic shaft sleeve on the FT-i. A little bit of flair for the square guy. The squat, square shape of the clubface reminds me a bit of the old Power Pod driver, if one had been squashed a bit.

 

 

 

Both drivers feature a flash of deep red on the sole, along with a bit of aluminum for durability.

 

 

Performance

I had the chance to test out 9° versions of the FT-5 and FT-i, both in neutral setups with the stiff version of the stock shafts. I've been playing an FT-3 for more than a year, so that made comparing the new drivers to the old pretty simple.

 

 

Compared to the FT-3, the FT-5 is an obvious, evolutionary next step. The sound at impact is better, with a louder metallic smack and only the slight hint of the plastic sound that plagued the original Fusion driver (and lingered a bit with the FT-3). Feel is very lively on center hits, and there's plenty of feedback on off-center hits - not harsh feel, but you can tell how you missed it before you look at the clubface for evidence.

 

 

The ball flight of the FT-5 is hotter than its predecessor, starting out high but staying lower at its apex. This leads to a bit more roll and overall distance. Hitting the two drivers head-to-head, the FT-5 was consistently five yards longer than the FT-3 on center hits and misses. The ball flight and shot shape were very controllable, and it's no surprise that this is the driver most Callaway Golf tour pros are using on a weekly basis.

 

 

The FT-i is the driver many people are curious about, and I was excited to give it a try. As advertised, it does want to hit a straight ball. Anything close to the center of the face is going to go where you aim it, and even extreme heel and toe hits still correct back toward the center line more than you'd expect. Will it cure your slice? Not exactly. If you put a big outside-in swing on it, the FT-i is still capable of peeling a nice banana for you. Where the driver is very corrective is on high and low misses. The center of gravity seems to have been tweaked to add backspin to shots hit off-center, which helps get the ball up in the air and cut down on the amount of slicing or hooking you'll experience. So your misses are in better shape, if not necessarily in the middle of the fairway.

 

 

 

The Fujikura Speeder 586 (top) is the stock shaft for the standard FT-i driver, while the Fujikura E-150 (bottom) is the stock offering for the FT-5.

 

 

The tradeoff with the FT-i's ability to translate nearly any type of contact into a decent-looking shot is distance. If you catch one flush with the driver, it is nearly as long as the FT-5, thanks to that extra three-quarters of an inch in shaft length. But while off-

center hits go generally in a good direction, they lose a fair bit of distance. For example, on one driving hole I hit two drives with the FT-i. The first was hit in the center and went 274 down the middle. I hit the second on the heel and the ball leaked a bit to the right. It still ended up in the fairway, but my driving distance was only 235 yards. That's almost 40 yards of distance. This isn't a bad thing; of course you lose distance on off-center hits. But know going in that the FT-i design will keep your ball in play, but not produce miraculous distance on bad swings.

 

 

The sound of the FT-i was loud but not offensive, and the feel was uniformly meaty on every shot no matter where on the face the ball was struck. This may bother some better players who want more feedback at impact. High handicappers might alternately be glad that every shot will feel good, even if their swing was bad.

 

 

Conclusion

I see the FT-5 and the FT-i as two completely different products at completely different stages in the design cycle. The FT-5 is a refined, third-generation product that has had any bad traits bred out. It has the performance you expect from a top-of-the-line driver, and has enough options to make it appeal to nearly any level of golfer. If I was in the market for a new driver and had resisted earlier Fusion drivers, the FT-5 would be the one to make me change my mind. As an FT-3 player, the FT-5 is a step forward, but probably not enough to justify buying a new driver if you still like the previous model (which I really do).

 

 

 

The FT-5 headcover (left) has a long sock attachment, while the FT-i headcover (right) is shorter and has a magnetic closure. Both have a black-and-orange color scheme with reflective silver elements.

 

 

The FT-i, on the other hand, is a concept with a ton of potential that I think Callaway's designers will fully unlock in future versions. At this point, I would mainly recommend it to higher handicappers who really struggle off the tee, especially with getting their drives airborne. I'd say it is an ideal driver for seniors and women with slower swing speeds. I would be interested to see what a good clubfitter could do with the FT-i, though, for a better player. I think if you got the right shaft/loft/directional bias combination, the FT-i could be a great driver for smash-and-scrape, go-for-broke golf. You know you're not going to hit it off the face of the earth, so why not give it a rip every time. If you can get fit into the right setup to eliminate some of the distance loss on off-center hits and get a hotter ball flight, the FT-i could be a real distance monster. That's what I would hope for from version 2.0 down the road.

 

 

There's a lot of promise in the FT-i concept, but at this point it's hard to say it's worth a $70 premium over the FT-5. The street price of the FT-5 starts at $429 (though upgrading to a Tour model with a different shaft will add at least $20 to the price), while the FT-i starts at $499. What I hear from retailers is that the FT-i gets a lot of interest, but that more golfers end up buying the FT-5 due to the price and performance. And that's what I would do.

 

 

Originally Published at http://thesandtrap.com/equipment/clubs/cal...5_driver_review.