New Titleist 917 driver: shot at the 2016 Quicken Loans National

[Pure745]

That video looks like Pure745's collection.

 

Lol, Thug!! I wish! Amazing grab bag for the pros!

[BlkNGld]

I'm old so i am not sure how to put a link to the video on here but it's easy to find on youtube by searching titleist 917.

 

here you go:

 

check the guy at the Scottys: "GSS is softer metal"... :cheesy:

 

To be fair, he said slightly and then said it gives a little softer feel. He also said the performance is the same.

[robelinks]

Still no one who can confirm if a 915 SureFit will go in to the 917??

Yes it does, pro's were simply pulling their existing shafts out of 915 and installing in 917

 

Isn't this what WE want to do? Buy the head and swap the shaft. I have been fitted to my current (expensive real deal) shaft and just would like the head.

 

However, they will require me to buy the entire club and then sell the made for shaft on ebay for ~$35 dollars. I hate this about the OEM's marking practices. If the shafts are real deal like they say (which obviously they are not), why don't they sell the heads and shafts separately? I'm so annoyed I just answered my own question before I asked it! :rofl:

[Bartin]

Still no one who can confirm if a 915 SureFit will go in to the 917??

Yes it does, pro's were simply pulling their existing shafts out of 915 and installing in 917

 

Isn't this what WE want to do? Buy the head and swap the shaft. I have been fitted to my current (expensive real deal) shaft and just would like the head.

 

However, they will require me to buy the entire club and then sell the made for shaft on ebay for ~$35 dollars. I hate this about the OEM's marking practices. If the shafts are real deal like they say (which obviously they are not), why don't they sell the heads and shafts separately? I'm so annoyed I just answered my own question before I asked it! :rofl:

 

Most likely it is due to contractual obligations with the shaft manufacturer. Stock shafts these days are real deal and you get a pretty good deal on them when you buy a new driver but they can only offer a good deal like that when they guarantee the production of a certain number due to economies of scale.

[15th Club]

Still no one who can confirm if a 915 SureFit will go in to the 917??

Yes it does, pro's were simply pulling their existing shafts out of 915 and installing in 917

 

Isn't this what WE want to do? Buy the head and swap the shaft. I have been fitted to my current (expensive real deal) shaft and just would like the head.

 

However, they will require me to buy the entire club and then sell the made for shaft on ebay for ~$35 dollars. I hate this about the OEM's marking practices. If the shafts are real deal like they say (which obviously they are not), why don't they sell the heads and shafts separately? I'm so annoyed I just answered my own question before I asked it! :rofl:

 

Most likely it is due to contractual obligations with the shaft manufacturer. Stock shafts these days are real deal and you get a pretty good deal on them when you buy a new driver but they can only offer a good deal like that when they guarantee the production of a certain number due to economies of scale.

 

Interesting that this issue arises within this thread. I have long been of the view that the next frontier in equipment marketing will be for the big OEM's to move toward component sales. They'll do it, if the market demands it. I suspect a company like Callaway might start it. Others would have to follow.

[Kylekoz17]

Still no one who can confirm if a 915 SureFit will go in to the 917??

Yes it does, pro's were simply pulling their existing shafts out of 915 and installing in 917

 

Isn't this what WE want to do? Buy the head and swap the shaft. I have been fitted to my current (expensive real deal) shaft and just would like the head.

 

However, they will require me to buy the entire club and then sell the made for shaft on ebay for ~$35 dollars. I hate this about the OEM's marking practices. If the shafts are real deal like they say (which obviously they are not), why don't they sell the heads and shafts separately? I'm so annoyed I just answered my own question before I asked it! :rofl:

 

I will gladly buy your "made for" shaft for $35 for the simple reason that they aren't made for shafts.

[Bartin]

Still no one who can confirm if a 915 SureFit will go in to the 917??

Yes it does, pro's were simply pulling their existing shafts out of 915 and installing in 917

 

Isn't this what WE want to do? Buy the head and swap the shaft. I have been fitted to my current (expensive real deal) shaft and just would like the head.

 

However, they will require me to buy the entire club and then sell the made for shaft on ebay for ~$35 dollars. I hate this about the OEM's marking practices. If the shafts are real deal like they say (which obviously they are not), why don't they sell the heads and shafts separately? I'm so annoyed I just answered my own question before I asked it! :rofl:

 

I will gladly buy your "made for" shaft for $35 for the simple reason that they aren't made for shafts.

 

Yeah, they are selling you a shaft that retails for $250 for $100 if you go by what the exotic shaft upcharges are, i.e. $380 Graphite Design shafts have a $280 upcharge. It's actually a really good deal and they can only offer that deal when they sell the entire package. If they start selling just the heads then they would probably have to start selling the driver with the stock shaft for $500 rather than $450 to keep the same margins because say they now buy 150,000 shafts from Mitsubishi for $100 each if they drop that order to 100,000 then Mitsubishi may charge $150 because of the smaller order. That hurts the average golfer buying their products and they are the majority of their customer base.

 

Since the adaptors are the same the best thing to do is pull the old aftermarket shaft off the old driver, put it on the new driver then put the new shaft on the old driver and sell it as a full driver. More demand for something like that than there is for a stock driver shaft pull. Another option is to get a custom order driver shaft on the new one that has no or a very small upcharge then sell that and since there is a smaller supply it should fetch a better price.

[J13]

"real deal" is a subjective term these days with regards to stock shafts. Real deal shafts aren't made in china, just sayin :wave:

[oneaugusta]

"real deal" is a subjective term these days with regards to stock shafts. Real deal shafts aren't made in china, just sayin :wave:

+1, I always thought the term real deal was quite funny considering the best shafts are made in USA or Japan. And "Handcrafted" in Taiwan haha

[Thug Hunter]

Rather than worrying about the "made for" shaft debate, I would rather have the opportunity to hit a slew of demo clubs and when I find the one that I hit best at the demo, I would like to be able to buy that same club right then and there. Shafts and heads are like fingerprints, not one is identical as the other. Whether it's a "made for" or not, every same make/model shaft feels different. As long as the club I hit works, I don't care if it's a bulk shaft or tour issue/limited edition.

[Bartin]

"real deal" is a subjective term these days with regards to stock shafts. Real deal shafts aren't made in china, just sayin :wave:

+1, I always thought the term real deal was quite funny considering the best shafts are made in USA or Japan. And "Handcrafted" in Taiwan haha

 

For the Diamana D+, which is made in China, the radial quality(roundness) is actually better than the Graphite Design Tour AD DI which are hand rolled in Japan and the Diamana uses high quality materials. Furthermore, when a tour player plays a Diamana and they are decently popular then they are using the same made in China shaft you can get stock. The days of "made for" shafts that are manufactured in China with low quality materials that have a corresponding made in Japan shaft with higher quality materials have passed. Titleist stock shafts are "real deal" and have been for a while. They may not be "real deal" to some just based on the location they are manufactured but they are as good or better than "made elsewhere" shafts when it comes to quality.

 

Sources for radial quality data:

 

http://www.golfshaftreviews.info/index.php/diamana-d-diamana-s-driver-shaft-review/

http://www.golfshaftreviews.info/index.php/graphitedesigntouraddi/

[Bartin]

Rather than worrying about the "made for" shaft debate, I would rather have the opportunity to hit a slew of demo clubs and when I find the one that I hit best at the demo, I would like to be able to buy that same club right then and there. Shafts and heads are like fingerprints, not one is identical as the other. Whether it's a "made for" or not, every same make/model shaft feels different. As long as the club I hit works, I don't care if it's a bulk shaft or tour issue/limited edition.

 

That's another big issue. Say you're demoing a 9.5 degree head and shaft and it is absolutely perfect for you, well all driver heads have a manufacturing tolerance of around +/- 0.5 degrees, so you could be hitting one that is actually 10 degrees with a shaft that launches slightly higher than stated and then receive one that is 9 degrees and a shaft that launches slightly lower than stated when you place your order. You've demoed a club that gives you perfect launch conditions but when you buy the driver you get one launching 2-3 degrees lower and drastically alters the performance of the club that you were expecting to get.

[Torrey4Life]

Sorry, when is this going to be released?

[Thug Hunter]

Rather than worrying about the "made for" shaft debate, I would rather have the opportunity to hit a slew of demo clubs and when I find the one that I hit best at the demo, I would like to be able to buy that same club right then and there. Shafts and heads are like fingerprints, not one is identical as the other. Whether it's a "made for" or not, every same make/model shaft feels different. As long as the club I hit works, I don't care if it's a bulk shaft or tour issue/limited edition.

 

That's another big issue. Say you're demoing a 9.5 degree head and shaft and it is absolutely perfect for you, well all driver heads have a manufacturing tolerance of around +/- 0.5 degrees, so you could be hitting one that is actually 10 degrees with a shaft that launches slightly higher than stated and then receive one that is 9 degrees and a shaft that launches slightly lower than stated when you place your order. You've demoed a club that gives you perfect launch conditions but when you buy the driver you get one launching 2-3 degrees lower and drastically alters the performance of the club that you were expecting to get.

 

I think you misunderstood what I said. Your theory is the exact reason why I said I would like to be able to buy the exact club a demoed. Exact meaning the same exact one I swung and I walk away from the demo with that same exact club.

[Thug Hunter]

Sorry, when is this going to be released?

 

It's been mentioned in this thread a few times. Expect between the end of October to fist two weeks of November. It's all speculation but that's typical for new releases with Titleist.

[Bartin]

Rather than worrying about the "made for" shaft debate, I would rather have the opportunity to hit a slew of demo clubs and when I find the one that I hit best at the demo, I would like to be able to buy that same club right then and there. Shafts and heads are like fingerprints, not one is identical as the other. Whether it's a "made for" or not, every same make/model shaft feels different. As long as the club I hit works, I don't care if it's a bulk shaft or tour issue/limited edition.

 

That's another big issue. Say you're demoing a 9.5 degree head and shaft and it is absolutely perfect for you, well all driver heads have a manufacturing tolerance of around +/- 0.5 degrees, so you could be hitting one that is actually 10 degrees with a shaft that launches slightly higher than stated and then receive one that is 9 degrees and a shaft that launches slightly lower than stated when you place your order. You've demoed a club that gives you perfect launch conditions but when you buy the driver you get one launching 2-3 degrees lower and drastically alters the performance of the club that you were expecting to get.

 

I think you misunderstood what I said. Your theory is the exact reason why I said I would like to be able to buy the exact club a demoed. Exact meaning the same exact one I swung and I walk away from the demo with that same exact club.

 

Yeah sorry if it came off differently but I was agreeing with you.

[Torrey4Life]

Sorry, when is this going to be released?

 

It's been mentioned in this thread a few times. Expect between the end of October to fist two weeks of November. It's all speculation but that's typical for new releases with Titleist.

 

Thank you!

[swizbeatz]

Rather than worrying about the "made for" shaft debate, I would rather have the opportunity to hit a slew of demo clubs and when I find the one that I hit best at the demo, I would like to be able to buy that same club right then and there. Shafts and heads are like fingerprints, not one is identical as the other. Whether it's a "made for" or not, every same make/model shaft feels different. As long as the club I hit works, I don't care if it's a bulk shaft or tour issue/limited edition.

 

That's another big issue. Say you're demoing a 9.5 degree head and shaft and it is absolutely perfect for you, well all driver heads have a manufacturing tolerance of around +/- 0.5 degrees, so you could be hitting one that is actually 10 degrees with a shaft that launches slightly higher than stated and then receive one that is 9 degrees and a shaft that launches slightly lower than stated when you place your order. You've demoed a club that gives you perfect launch conditions but when you buy the driver you get one launching 2-3 degrees lower and drastically alters the performance of the club that you were expecting to get.

 

I think you misunderstood what I said. Your theory is the exact reason why I said I would like to be able to buy the exact club a demoed. Exact meaning the same exact one I swung and I walk away from the demo with that same exact club.

 

Yeah sorry if it came off differently but I was agreeing with you.

 

I believe tolerances are +/- 1 full degree! Pings digital lofting is awesome for those that take advantage of it.

[renatto]

I saw a video with Marc crossfeid

Testing out multiple shafts from x stiff, stiff and ladies regular graphite with numbers on trac man almost the same all across

I love tinkering with equipment and a 8-10 handicap.. Any opinions on high end shafts really improving my game

Seems like I won't get an improvement unless I'm getting all out of shafts..

Opinions pls...

[Bdmac79]

This thread went a bit off.

[renatto]

It did... Go Titleist 917 !!

[staysober for golf]

Looks cool but Titleist always makes quality equipment!

[gvogel]

Rather than worrying about the "made for" shaft debate, I would rather have the opportunity to hit a slew of demo clubs and when I find the one that I hit best at the demo, I would like to be able to buy that same club right then and there. Shafts and heads are like fingerprints, not one is identical as the other. Whether it's a "made for" or not, every same make/model shaft feels different. As long as the club I hit works, I don't care if it's a bulk shaft or tour issue/limited edition.

 

This is the truth. And, it explains why I buy 7 or 8 drivers, and maybe get one that really works for me.

[Brooks_Cupcake]

This thread went a bit off.

 

Brutal....please get back to the 917....

[renatto]

Brutal.. Ha

[warfelg]

Rather than worrying about the "made for" shaft debate, I would rather have the opportunity to hit a slew of demo clubs and when I find the one that I hit best at the demo, I would like to be able to buy that same club right then and there. Shafts and heads are like fingerprints, not one is identical as the other. Whether it's a "made for" or not, every same make/model shaft feels different. As long as the club I hit works, I don't care if it's a bulk shaft or tour issue/limited edition.

 

That's another big issue. Say you're demoing a 9.5 degree head and shaft and it is absolutely perfect for you, well all driver heads have a manufacturing tolerance of around +/- 0.5 degrees, so you could be hitting one that is actually 10 degrees with a shaft that launches slightly higher than stated and then receive one that is 9 degrees and a shaft that launches slightly lower than stated when you place your order. You've demoed a club that gives you perfect launch conditions but when you buy the driver you get one launching 2-3 degrees lower and drastically alters the performance of the club that you were expecting to get.

 

I think you misunderstood what I said. Your theory is the exact reason why I said I would like to be able to buy the exact club a demoed. Exact meaning the same exact one I swung and I walk away from the demo with that same exact club.

 

So basically you want demo days to be a traveling tour van?

 

Its hard enough for most of us to transport every loft driver head in all the varieties, along with fairway heads, hybrid heads, iron heads, wedges, stock shafts, upcharge shafts, exotic shafts, bags, banners, tents, tables. Then on top of that it's usually one of each. Back to back days at times, and I've known some guys to do two in one day. So if they sell one that they have in the demo kit there's no way to get a replacement fast enough.

 

Now if you test out the shops demo, love the demo, and want to buy the demo off of them that's another thing.

[Bdmac79]

This thread went a bit off.

 

Brutal....please get back to the 917....

 

Any word on guys testing at Firestone? Saw an Instagram by Footjoy of AS on the range hitting driver, but can't tell what he's swinging.

[Togatown22]

Very interested to see what the stock shaft options are for the 917's.

[Thug Hunter]

Rather than worrying about the "made for" shaft debate, I would rather have the opportunity to hit a slew of demo clubs and when I find the one that I hit best at the demo, I would like to be able to buy that same club right then and there. Shafts and heads are like fingerprints, not one is identical as the other. Whether it's a "made for" or not, every same make/model shaft feels different. As long as the club I hit works, I don't care if it's a bulk shaft or tour issue/limited edition.

 

That's another big issue. Say you're demoing a 9.5 degree head and shaft and it is absolutely perfect for you, well all driver heads have a manufacturing tolerance of around +/- 0.5 degrees, so you could be hitting one that is actually 10 degrees with a shaft that launches slightly higher than stated and then receive one that is 9 degrees and a shaft that launches slightly lower than stated when you place your order. You've demoed a club that gives you perfect launch conditions but when you buy the driver you get one launching 2-3 degrees lower and drastically alters the performance of the club that you were expecting to get.

 

I think you misunderstood what I said. Your theory is the exact reason why I said I would like to be able to buy the exact club a demoed. Exact meaning the same exact one I swung and I walk away from the demo with that same exact club.

 

So basically you want demo days to be a traveling tour van?

 

Its hard enough for most of us to transport every loft driver head in all the varieties, along with fairway heads, hybrid heads, iron heads, wedges, stock shafts, upcharge shafts, exotic shafts, bags, banners, tents, tables. Then on top of that it's usually one of each. Back to back days at times, and I've known some guys to do two in one day. So if they sell one that they have in the demo kit there's no way to get a replacement fast enough.

 

Now if you test out the shops demo, love the demo, and want to buy the demo off of them that's another thing.

 

Yeah basically what I'm talking about is when I signed up for a Titleist Thursday. I hit the D2 and D3 with multiple shafts, lofts, settings and ultimately ended up with what I have identified in my signature. I waited for prices to drop, knowing the 917 was coming soon, ordered the custom setup through Golfsmith and while I have no complaints at all about the club I got, there's no way it's the same as what I hit at the Titleist Thursday fitting. If I could've bought the setup I hit at the Titleist Thursday fitting, I would have.

 

I see what you're saying in stocking enough heads, shafts, etc., but in reality, the Titleist Thursdays are the perfect scenario for this. Fitter keeps a truck full of heads and shafts, you find a combo you hit well on Trackman. Give them their money on the spot and walk away with your club. Forget the 1-2 week turnaround. These events are only on Thursdays and they only have a dozen or so fittings during those Thursdays. I don't think it'd be too difficult to stock that kind of demand, especially considering that not everyone will pull the trigger that day.

 

This exact situation has happened to me at two demo days at Golfsmith's headquarters. One was at a Accuflex tent (Accuflex Creation was a highly demanded shaft 10 or so years ago). I offered full retail price for the club I hit, but ended up being turned down and had to buy the shaft from the vendor, wait for the shaft to arrive and take it to a club builder. The second time was when I was doing a shaft fitting at UST's headquarters in Dallas. Same thing, same result.

[soundedgoodtho]

I heard the guys at quicken hit it couple of times, it's definitely a different sound than the 915. If the 915's are more of a metallic tangy sound, the 917 is a 'thwack' a lot like the 975s and 983s which I loved. I'm really looking forward to comparing the numbers on this vs the M1/M2 when the time comes.