What Driver Are You Playing and Why?

[Hogan9]

I play the Ping G400  10.5* with the stock Alta regular shaft. I'm 70 with a torn rotator cuff and really struggle with distance off the tee. I've tried various models of almost every brand out there  and the G400 is the longest and straightest for my swing. 

[BogeyParBogey]

M3 440 9* with Tensei White stiff.  I don't hit the ball that far (good ones go 220-230), but for whatever reason this driver has been much longer for me than others.  The ST190 9.5* with Atmos Red regular was an absolute disaster to start the year. 

 

Dave

Edited September 24, 2020 by BogeyParBogey

[LUXOR54]

Titleist 915D3 8.5° A1 setting w/ Diamana D+ limited 70-S.

 

Always been a fan of smaller headed drivers, 440 and under just suits my eye. Had a bout with the sldr 430, but it would occasionally knuckle ball and just fall out of the sky, misses were erratic. The 915 with its slight fade bias produces straight tee shots and the occasional power fade. Can tee it high and send low spin monsters, or tee it down and hit wind fighting bullets. It's put me in parts of the fairway that I've never been before, and when I miss it, results aren't bad either.

[Taylormadehunter1]

Mavrik Sub Zero 9*, Callaway green dot adapter set to -2, Tensei Raw White 65TX. 
 

Tried just about every offering out there this year and this one has been the best performer for me personally.  Seems to have eliminated most of my duck hook shots and have at least made them more playable. 

[EvoXWW]

Cobra F9 9* w/ Tour AD TP 7X

 

Hit straight bombs with it all last year, 290 avg hitting 81% FIR. However, this season I've lost all consistency and distance. Distance is down at 260 avg and only hitting 57% FIR. I never been fit so I'm looking to getting a fitting session with the TSi series to see how it compares. 

[roncee]

9.5 M3 with a Atmos Black 6x

It was a good deal and fits my swing speed and I can't afford an upgrade.

[PJE]

Nike Vapor Fly Pro set at 10.5 degree with Tensei Blue CK50 shaft. I found this driver in a used bin four or five years ago. I like the shape of the head and I actually like the blue paint job.

For whatever reason, it just works well for me. 

I've tried other drivers but the only thing that comes close to it as far as carry and roll (for me) is my Ping G400 LST 10 degree. I switch between the Ping and Nike regularly but both perform (for me) about the same. I like the head shape of the Nike better than the Ping. 

 

[scooterhd2]

Ping G410+. I'm really drawn towards the slightly heavier head weights. I tend to get super quick, and my tempo is really good with the 410. One of the rare setups that is super forgiving, but also has a deep mode where it can get as long as anything. Never hit 300+ yards drives before, and when this I hit one every other round. 

[JNewsted]

Rotating a Mavrik Standard with Graphite Design AD HD 6x and a Mavrik SubZero with a Ventus Blue 6x.  Both feel and play a bit different, so I usually bring em both to the range and bag the one that works best that day.  

[bodhi555]

Currently got a 917 D3 with Rogue Max 65X fitted and it's OK. Bought it because I'd had great success with the 818 Hybrid and my 917 F3, and whilst I've hit some great drives with it, and love the sound and grey 975D style colour scheme, it's never really wowed me with its performance if I'm honest. The ball doesn't seem to explode off the face in the same way my old Nike drivers did, and it's never more than 10 - 15 yards past a well hit 3 wood.

 

So I've got a TS4 on order, with EvenFlow White 6.5 65g fitted. Went for a fitting and was putting it easily 20 yards past the 917, seemed massively straighter too. 

[PJE]

12 minutes ago, bodhi555 said:

Currently got a 917 D3 with Rogue Max 65X fitted and it's OK. Bought it because I'd had great success with the 818 Hybrid and my 917 F3, and whilst I've hit some great drives with it, and love the sound and grey 975D style colour scheme, it's never really wowed me with its performance if I'm honest. The ball doesn't seem to explode off the face in the same way my old Nike drivers did, and it's never more than 10 - 15 yards past a well hit 3 wood.

 

So I've got a TS4 on order, with EvenFlow White 6.5 65g fitted. Went for a fitting and was putting it easily 20 yards past the 917, seemed massively straighter too. 

Like yourself, my experience with Titleist fairways and hybrids was way better than with their drivers. I had a 975 and a 910D2 which were solid, but not spectacular, drivers.

But I've heard the TS series drivers are amazing. Play well. 

[Nixhex524]

Gamer for the moment is the 410 LST 9* with an Aldila Tour blue 65s... I'm looking for fairways mostly, distance is a plus but keeping it in play is most important...  I was down to a 2.0 earlier in the year and was playing the '17 M2.. I just picked up another to try and rekindle the magic so we will see which wins out, but I do love the Ping.

[GooseHook]

Im using the Sim Max, it’s friendlier than the regular SIM and has a deeper face. I’m about to dabble with the 410 LST to see if I can get some more consistent results.

 

The fade bias of the SIM drivers makes for some interesting misses.

[NoTalentLefty]

A 10.5 Epic Flash set to 9.5 with a stock shaft at 44.5 Regular flex shaft.

[Hookasaurus Rex]

Mavrik SZ Triple Diamond 9*(8.7* actual)playing at +1 with Aldila Copperhead 60TX.  Playing it because it is a fairway finder and plenty long.  I play with a lot of random players as a single. I’ve never had so many people ask me about my driver.  The Copperhead is one of my favorite shafts of all time.  I have one for my Cobra LTD Pro as well

[The Mad Bomber]

TS3 with my old faithful shaft. I like the look of Titleist driver and haven't seen anything else I like looking down at behind the ball. I don't chase numbers, I chase scores. It's an unpopular opinion around here, but all these drivers are the same on the scorecard. Guys will go to unbelievable pains (and expense) to gain a few MPH in ball speed or a bit of spin reduction but I'll bet my life they shoot the same scores. It gets a little stupid, so I just play what I like the look/sound/feel of, knowing full well that as long as you're not playing something a decade old, it doesn't really make a difference. Playing off a +0.7, come at me.

[ChipNRun]

Tour Edge EXS 10.5* set +1* loft and neutral weights / stock MCA Tensei CK Blue 50 R-flex 54 gr. Torque 5.6 (need to change WITB)

 

Had tested this in 2019 / I found it in February 2020 at Golf Expo in used club bin (never been hit!) for $149, reduced to $129 because it was used (??)

 

The lighter EXS shaft is easier to keep in control than heavier Calla shaft. After tweaking weights and loft, get more consistent mid-high trajectory

[Hookasaurus Rex]

4 minutes ago, The Mad Bomber said:

TS3 with my old faithful shaft. I like the look of Titleist driver and haven't seen anything else I like looking down at behind the ball. I don't chase numbers, I chase scores. It's an unpopular opinion around here, but all these drivers are the same on the scorecard. Guys will go to unbelievable pains (and expense) to gain a few MPH in ball speed or a bit of spin reduction but I'll bet my life they shoot the same scores. It gets a little stupid, so I just play what I like the look/sound/feel of, knowing full well that as long as you're not playing something a decade old, it doesn't really make a difference. Playing off a +0.7, come at me.

I love it. Lol...

[PhilsFanDrew]

4 minutes ago, ChipNRun said:

Tour Edge EXS 10.5* set +1* loft and neutral weights / stock MCA Tensei CK Blue 50 R-flex 54 gr. Torque 5.6 (need to change WITB)

 

Had tested this in 2019 / I found it in February 2020 at Golf Expo in used club bin (never been hit!) for $149, reduced to $129 because it was used (??)

 

The lighter EXS shaft is easier to keep in control than heavier Calla shaft. After tweaking weights and loft, get more consistent mid-high trajectory

 

Ditto to the exact same set up!  I picked it up on RBG for about $130 brand new about 3 months ago.  I refuse to pay full retail on golf equipment.  This was my first Tour Edge club and I will definitely be considering them for future purchases.

[AdExec]

PXG proto is my fairway finder. Sim is my bomber. PXG is my main driver though. The Sim is fun to play, but wouldn’t play it when it matters, unless I needed a fade tee ball all day. I have hit bombs with both, but the Sim when hit hard on the button doesn’t launch nearly as high which gives me considerable roll along with a substantial carry. 
 

The PXG holds ball speed all over the face. It isn’t super forgiving but there’s never a violent miss like there is with the Sim. I love the look behind the ball, the feel, and the sound. PXG hit the swingweight I ordered with a mid size grip at 45” so it just feels perfect to me. 

 

Pxg proto 9* with Ventus blue 6x - heavy weight up front, flat lie

 

Sim 8* with motore x f3 6x - standard loft, weight slider about 20% to fade side 

 

 

[setter02]

TS3 8.5* with a GD BB-6X set to C4.  Been a head case with drivers in hand for many years, just starting to work through it and always liked the looked of a Titleist head.  Had a TS4 earlier in the year, and while it felt very explosive off the face, my swing at the time was producing some extremely toe'y shots that were very impressive snap hooks.

 

This has given me most of that explosive feel on center strikes, but much more forgiving for my common toe strike.  A guy I know has hit the new TSi stuff and was really impressed, so will likely try it out in a few weeks.

[Warrick]

2016 GBB - Ventus black 

 

I have not found anything that beats it

[nick_CO]

M4 10.5* with AD DI 7X. Tried a bunch of different combos before this one and it made me stop tinkering with new drivers for the past few years. 

[dpark]

Cobra ZL 9.5*/10.5* driver with a Matrix HD-6 S-flex shaft. This is a setup from 2009 that I just can't replace. I have hit all the modern drivers and fancy new shafts. This combo just works for me. Trackman numbers confirm that nothing is longer AND straighter. Some newer combos are a bit longer but also with a  wider dispersion. The ZL is a fairway finder for me. I have the head in 9.5 and 10.5. I use the 9.5 in the summer when the ground is firm and I get lots of roll. I switch to the 10.5 head in the winter when the ground gets soft and drives are all carry and no roll.  

[slolane]

G400 max for me ,its hard for me to believe there is anything as straight or forgiving for my swing. I have not had any desire to try anything else up to now but when the G425 comes out that might change ( shhhh to tell my wife ).

[KristianJ]

M5 Tour 9° w/ Whiteboard 73 X

 

I prefer the look of more compact driver heads at address (reminds me of the SLDR 430) and this one ticks the box. Plus I've had success with Whiteboards in the past, so a good pair that also works for me in reality.

[Taylormadehunter1]

8 hours ago, The Mad Bomber said:

TS3 with my old faithful shaft. I like the look of Titleist driver and haven't seen anything else I like looking down at behind the ball. I don't chase numbers, I chase scores. It's an unpopular opinion around here, but all these drivers are the same on the scorecard. Guys will go to unbelievable pains (and expense) to gain a few MPH in ball speed or a bit of spin reduction but I'll bet my life they shoot the same scores. It gets a little stupid, so I just play what I like the look/sound/feel of, knowing full well that as long as you're not playing something a decade old, it doesn't really make a difference. Playing off a +0.7, come at me.

I would have given this post 100 likes if I could!

[braincramp52]

Titleist TS2 with some stock regular flex shaft. First Titleist driver I've played for a long time, usually play Ping. Good driver.

[North Butte]

What driver?

Taylormade M4, stock "R" flex shaft

 

Why?

1) Used an M4 for nearly two years (250 rounds) and it was the best driver I'd ever used in terms of combined distance and control.

 

2) Started having a two-way miss off the tee so I got rid of the M4 in favor of a Titleist 917d2. Still had the two-way miss but also list distance with the TItleist. D'Oh!

 

3) Then a Callaway Rogue which was a bit longer (on good hits) than the Titleist but I couldn't hit a fairway with to save my life. No good at all.

 

4) Re-purchased a used M4 from Global Golf three months ago. It will be a long, long time before I use anything else. Lesson learned. 

[bigred90gt]

Epic SubZero 9 deg (set to 10) with a Diamana Blue 60 S. It is plenty forgiving for me, long like all of my past callaway drivers, and the best sounding driver I’ve ever hit. 
 

I just put together a G30 LST with an Oban Devotion 07 05 and threw it in the truck. Planning to bring it to the course today and give it a go against the Epic. I bought it last year with the Oban and a Diamana Whiteboard 73x, but my clubhead speed wasn’t high enough for the shafts. I’ve recovered some of my speed so figured I’d give it another go. I don’t figure it’ll top the epic, but I love tinkering so why not.

 

I’ll add myself to the never been for crowd. When I was playing a lot more and much more seriously, I was constantly tinkering and building/tweaking clubs. I have an idea what works for me as far as shafts go based on ball flight and roll. I used to always go for a Diamana White in the 70 gram range (hence the two shafts for my G30). Since I lost a ton of speed, I’ve gone to the blue stuff in the 60 gram range to raise the launch and spin a tad. Diamana shafts just work and feel better than anything else I’ve hit. 

Edited September 25, 2020 by bigred90gt