GolfWRX 2020 Best Drivers: 15 Top Fitters, 3 Speed Profiles- Discussion Thread...

[Myherobobhope]

I have no cmoplaints about the information and appreciate the post and think it's interesting to see what fitters are selling... but I also think it's important to step back and realize the fitters are still SELLING a product (this is not a complaint about the data, I think we as readers need to understand what is driving the data itself)...

As a completely anecdotal story, I went to start testing driver heads pre-COVID... I was (and am) still in the tinkering stage, so it was more about getting a feel for different heads and shafts and the combinations of them... Really, I just wanted to hit the ST200G and try some different shafts in it... They had to pull one off the retail floor and use the 190 shaft selection for me to even hit it.. However I could try a Callaway, Titliest or TM head in a variety of shafts.

If I was looking for a high end shaft, it wasn't likely going to have a Mizuno adapter... I'd be very interested to see stock driver sales vs custom shaft sales by vendor... As Ryan said, all the heads perform... so it comes down to variables, and shaft options become a major driving point. It will be interesting to see if the market adapts.... My PING demo day had more shafts than I've ever seen them have... not sure if that's a change in policy or we just have a decent PING rep finally.

[Guia]

My observation is that it is the same drum roll every year. We will never agree on what is a fair and equal way to test clubs. Using people as testers has many flaws, mostly consistency.

I would like to see Iron Byron (I think that is misspelled), and set swing speeds at 120, 115, 100, 95, 85, 80, and 75. Then a more informed decision can be made.

I

[ElMosquito]

We went further this year than any year previous, implementing more testers in 2020 than we had done in past years. Quite obviously, the process is extensive, but more importantly, it's nuanced. As previouesly noted: 'no one driver is the best'. We got feedback from a multitude of fitters, diving more in-depth than we had done so before. The results might vex some, but the drivers that got mentioned deserve their status as given in the article. The information in the piece is designed to, and will benefit every golfer.

[easyyy]

Thanks for jumping in Ryan.

 

We also plan to circle back in late August to do this again after the fitters have the whole season and more reps to see if things have changed.

[JohnnyDub]

Interesting way to look at but once again it’s flawed. Iron Byrons won’t tell us what we need to know because they aren’t human. The ultimate yet impossible test would be to see what driver ACTUALLY helped improve a players score. Data that Arccos and other player tracking systems can provide. Granted the driver is one of 14 but the point is did that driver perform OVERALL for you to get you into the right spots on the course to put you in a position to shoot the lowest scores. Not as sexy as speed but it needs to be.

If iron Byron said ok here is the fastest face, then what? So it goes far, great but that doesn’t mean it’ll be the fastest for every golfer and means nothing to the bottom line. Your score. So many variables and damn near impossible to crown 1 best in every category. For me, any driver out there could be the best if the fitter knows what they are doing. Find one fitter you trust, run everything club wise thru that fitter, get dialed, go play.

[Guia]

If you read my post again you will see that I asked the test be at speeds for the powerful and not so powerful. Current testing model does not test for the right spot or how your score will change/or not. If you know your swing speed then you get an idea how far it will probably go, it will then be up to the buyer/player to try and fit a driver that draws/fades/straight that suits their game.

I do not choose my clubs based on a persons testing, but use that information as a very general guide. When I buy clubs I go to a machine and see the results and then get fit.

 

[chasdr]

It has been my good fortune to have been fitted - multiple times - for a driver (full bag actually) by one of the contributors to this survey. I can tell you that they brought absolutely no bias to the fitting process and that the goal from the beginning was to find the perfect combination of driver head and shaft for my game. Where we ended up was always a surprise to both of us and was predicated on the track man data as well as how the club felt to me. These golf professionals literally perform hundreds of fittings per season and no doubt accumulate a sense of what works for each range of golfers. Now I don’t know about you, but I sure like having the aggregate of that information as a reference as I do my own club tinkering and experimentation. As a slow swing speed player, the data just confirms that I probably shouldn’t we pining to go hit a Mavrik Sub-Zero, but I sure wouldn’t mind getting my hands on one of the new Cobra SpeedZones to compare with my current driver (which of course I fitted myself and just put in the bag...). Generally, we are part of this community because we love golf AND the equipment we use to try improve our games. So for me I would like to thank Ryan and the team for taking the time to track down each of these fitters and then publishing the results, along with their specific comments that seemed most relevant for the community. Can’t wait to see the “Best of 2020 for Hybrids”, still haven’t found one that will not go left...

[clinkinfo]

Yep!

and the recommendations look to be straight out of the marketing materials describing which one goes with which player type.

what a joke

 

but this is also because any of these drivers can be fit well to any player. Modern drivers are approaching “maxed out”. Meaning, there’s very little incremental differences between them, and with fitting, weights, shaft, and adjustments, many overlap and it’s just about preference.

[Nobody2]

Thanks for the hard work guys. I found the fitters info really helpful/interesting and as someone said, it can be a good validation as well.

For all of the content you guys crank out it amazes me how many are ungrateful....

[Putterboy68]

Just jumping in with a thought/question. 
When it comes to fitting and there are groups of players like the long hitter, the new player, amateur's and senior, to name a few, isn't there a most popular setup? Like the best of the combos for each category. I am a 64 year old built like Cory Pavin. I have figured out what I like just thinking about the weight  of the shaft and head but I know there's some better combo for me. 

Here's what I picked. Ping G400max with one of the earlier Diamana Blue 60 gram. I changed the weight from I forget, maybe 7-10 grams to a 3 grams. I can hit low to mid as well as higher trajectories with a 11, maybe 11.5 loft. And I can honestly hit 240 yard drives but most of the time I hold back for accuracy around 210-220 yards. 
I know about the lighter more expensive shafts. I think I used one a few years ago in a Titleist. It was more fun than the drive I have now. But if there are better combos for my specs/style, Thanks, PB