Driver options

[Vater]

Which drivers from the past five years to current day would you suggest I try given these data points:

 

1. My current driver is a 2016 M2 9.5* that I play at 8*

2. Thinking back, one of the best drivers for me was the Jetspeed (anyone remember that one?)

3. Doesn't have to be TaylorMade

 

I love the M2 and wouldn't get rid of it even if I pick up a new driver. But you know how it is, gotta keep scratching those itches...

[tbsbama]

Well you seem to get along well with TM drivers so I would say try the M6. I love the look, the sound and the distance I get from it. My other driver is a Cobra King Ltd and it is a beast. IMHO you can’t go wrong with either of these. 

[Golf64]

Hard to beat G410 as a fairway finder?!

[Red4282]

Hands down a SIM, maybe a distant second ping g410 lst

[Gorlu52]

Sim.

[Vater]

I'm pretty familiar with the Sim and handled one in the past few months. But I haven't checked out the G410. What's so good about it? The only Pings I've ever swung were my buddy's old Eye2s..............

[Red4282]

57 minutes ago, Vater said:

I'm pretty familiar with the Sim and handled one in the past few months. But I haven't checked out the G410. What's so good about it? The only Pings I've ever swung were my buddy's old Eye2s..............

Its probably the most forgiving driver out there on mishits. Could be a little shorter than the SIM especially if you are a higher speed player, mainly because it will spin a bit more. Both are very good anti hook drivers. If you strike it all around the face- get the ping. If not, and you need to bring spin down-SIM.

[wcdixon]

What is your driver swing speed, average distance, and any fade/draw tendencies? I've become a huge fan of the Callaway Rogue this year - regular shaft 9 degrees lofted down to 8 degrees as well.

[nsxguy]

3 minutes ago, wcdixon said:

What is your driver swing speed, average distance, and any fade/draw tendencies? I've become a huge fan of the Callaway Rogue this year - regular shaft 9 degrees lofted down to 8 degrees as well.

 

Thank you. 👍

 

Maybe this won't become just another "Name Your Favorite Driver" thread after all.

[McSmitherson]

5 hours ago, Vater said:

Which drivers from the past five years to current day would you suggest I try given these data points:

 

1. My current driver is a 2016 M2 9.5* that I play at 8*

2. Thinking back, one of the best drivers for me was the Jetspeed (anyone remember that one?)

3. Doesn't have to be TaylorMade

 

I love the M2 and wouldn't get rid of it even if I pick up a new driver. But you know how it is, gotta keep scratching those itches...

I tested just about everything out there a few months ago at Club Champion.  This is n=1 sample size and different for everyone, but my results:

 

1. Sim.  Easily the best off the face, most consistent, far and away best for me on mis hits, best dispersion.

2. Maverick.  I hated the sound/feel off the face, but ball speed was good.  Less consistent on mis hits than Sim

3. Ping 410LST.  I thought I would end up with this after hitting my brother in laws a few times.  Felt great, but numbers were just not comparable to Sim.  15-20 yards shorter.  My BIL and I would be next to each other consistently when playing and I am now anywhere from 10-30 or more yards up on him regularly.

4. Titliest (TSi, cant remember which).  Similar results to Ping, but too spinny

5. Cobra.  Hated the feel, hated the results.  I hit like 5 pure shots with it and never hit it again.

 

If you're in a TM already, I'd say go with the SIM if you aren't getting fitted.  I found a nearly new head in the classifieds here for around $350 and built my own up.  Otherwise if no rush, another month and there might be some great deals for black friday/cyber monday

[jons1]

Taylormade Sim flavors

Titleist TS / TSi flavors

 

IMO those are the two top drivers on the market.  Each have variations to target different needs / players.  

 

You may prefer one over another based on feel, looks, sound, forgiveness.  Personally I think the Titleist drivers are best overall and easier to keep in play.

Edited October 19, 2020 by jons1

[phizzy30]

I would recommend SIM or SIM MAX depending if you need the extra spin or want adjustable weights.  Both forgiving across the face on mishits and ball speeds were the highest for me of all the 2020 drivers I tested. 

[pinestreetgolf]

Given that your post says the Jetspeed was a great driver for you, I'm going to go out on a limb and say get a Jetspeed.

 

Oh wait I mean Titleist TS2.  No G410.  No SIM.  No, Cobra Xtreme.  No, wait, get a garbage pan lid shafted with a piece of concrete rebar (<- unreal anti-hook driver).

[OhYeahPlayer]

In my testing recently I found G410LST and Mavrik Subzero to be quickest in terms of ball speed, I loved the dispersion of the Ping as well. Sim standard was a hair lower (I max out around ~155 ball speed) but still good. Did not test my Sim Max against these, ignore my signature, my build is a bit wonky right now.

 

Not sure if you're a TXG guy, but they mentioned on their live chat this morning they're doing a best driver of 2020 test this week - including the new Titleist driver line - including 410LST, Sim, Mavrik, maybe more. Yes it'll just be one test and Matt's launch conditions may be wildly different than yours, but could offer some insights as to the tendencies of each driver head to help make a decision. 

Edited October 19, 2020 by arenapoutine

[Triple Putt]

6 hours ago, nsxguy said:

 

Thank you. 👍

 

Maybe this won't become just another "Name Your Favorite Driver" thread after all.

Ditto. We need this info to make an educated guess. The suggestions I have for a 16 hcp will be different than a 2. 

[Vater]

Thanks for your responses thus far, folks.

 

@wcdixon, @KING246 - I haven't been in front of a machine in forever, so I'm not sure of my swing speed, but I'm certain it's very average, 85-90 maybe? My drives can range from 200-220 +/- 15. I have a frustrating fade that trails off... I believe most people would just call that a slice, haha. And while I can drill the same spot on the face of my irons over and over, I'm all over the face of the driver - if anything, I tend to hit on the heel.

[vadersfather]

Find howard's diy for your driver as it sounds like, for you, you're shaft is to long✌️

[wcdixon]

3 hours ago, Vater said:

Thanks for your responses thus far, folks.

 

@wcdixon, @KING246 - I haven't been in front of a machine in forever, so I'm not sure of my swing speed, but I'm certain it's very average, 85-90 maybe? My drives can range from 200-220 +/- 15. I have a frustrating fade that trails off... I believe most people would just call that a slice, haha. And while I can drill the same spot on the face of my irons over and over, I'm all over the face of the driver - if anything, I tend to hit on the heel.

 

I'm going to agree with Vadersfather and suggest you look into trimming the butt of your driver shaft an inch or so...regardless of what driver you go with. I found new club's shafts on the long side when I upgraded this spring and trimmed 1 1/4 inch off butt of my new Rogue driver and 1 inch off my 3w and 5w and have never hit those clubs as consistently and solidly as I did this summer + got 15+ more yards distance than I got with my old Cobra f6 driver and new Srixon 585 driver I tested/bought then returned/traded after trying the Rogue.

[Triple Putt]

10 hours ago, Vater said:

Thanks for your responses thus far, folks.

 

@wcdixon, @KING246 - I haven't been in front of a machine in forever, so I'm not sure of my swing speed, but I'm certain it's very average, 85-90 maybe? My drives can range from 200-220 +/- 15. I have a frustrating fade that trails off... I believe most people would just call that a slice, haha. And while I can drill the same spot on the face of my irons over and over, I'm all over the face of the driver - if anything, I tend to hit on the heel.

G400 regular or max is my recommendation. Straightest driver I've ever played. I ended up trading mine and regret it every time I blast my driver out of the fairway lol 

[jg1166]

One from a little left field would be to check the last 2 Mizuno Driver releases, I have been a Mizuno iron fan but I tried a ST190 Driver out at a trial day and it has been in the bag since.  Previously I loved the Callaway drivers, I have tried the Callaway recent drivers and there has not been that much of an up step for me to change.

 

I would also say that it will be personal preference when choosing as some drivers recommended will not either fit your swing characteristics or your eye at address

[nsxguy]

12 hours ago, Vater said:

Thanks for your responses thus far, folks.

 

@wcdixon, @KING246 - I haven't been in front of a machine in forever, so I'm not sure of my swing speed, but I'm certain it's very average, 85-90 maybe? My drives can range from 200-220 +/- 15. I have a frustrating fade that trails off... I believe most people would just call that a slice, haha. And while I can drill the same spot on the face of my irons over and over, I'm all over the face of the driver - if anything, I tend to hit on the heel.

 

When someone's looking for equipment it seems they're not interested in lessons to fix what ails them but instead is looking for the equipment to help.

 

You also mention "from the last 5 years" so I'm guessing price is an issue and you'd rather buy used (don't blame you one bit).

 

Given your <cough> fading fade  <cough> forget the Ping LST and SIM for a couple of reasons. They are fade biased and they don't spin much. At an 85-90 SS you probably need a bit of spin.

 

However, the SIM MAX or "D (Draw)" models might work for you.

 

Same (too low spin) goes for the Maverik, at least the Sub Zero and regular models - very low spin. Not sure about the MAX.

 

An older model that might work is the Ping 400MAX. About as forgiving as it gets, probably just a touch draw biased to help your "fade". You can probably get one on eBay for $200 or less. Without knowing anything more about your situation that would be the one I'd recommend.

 

Cally Epic Flash, a 2019 model would probably work as well.

 

Not a big Cobra fan but their current Extreme is very forgiving. Same goes for Titleist but the 917D2 and the more recent, about to be passed by, TS2, are both forgiving but reviews on those 2 drivers seem to be a few yards shorter than their competitors.

[golfandtennisfan]

As others have said, just a guess in the dark without more info about your swing, numbers and preferences or we are guessing in the dark. Having said that with the lights off it is tough to beat either a sim sim max depending on your spin profile.

[Vater]

@vadersfather, @wcdixon - shortening the shaft makes a lot of sense and I may try that before changing out the driver. My only cause for pause is that the Jetspeed I mentioned in my original post was long shafted - people even wrote articles about it - and it was great for me.

[Vater]

11 hours ago, nsxguy said:

 

When someone's looking for equipment it seems they're not interested in lessons to fix what ails them but instead is looking for the equipment to help.

 

You also mention "from the last 5 years" so I'm guessing price is an issue and you'd rather buy used (don't blame you one bit).

 

Given your <cough> fading fade  <cough> forget the Ping LST and SIM for a couple of reasons. They are fade biased and they don't spin much. At an 85-90 SS you probably need a bit of spin.

 

However, the SIM MAX or "D (Draw)" models might work for you.

 

Same (too low spin) goes for the Maverik, at least the Sub Zero and regular models - very low spin. Not sure about the MAX.

 

An older model that might work is the Ping 400MAX. About as forgiving as it gets, probably just a touch draw biased to help your "fade". You can probably get one on eBay for $200 or less. Without knowing anything more about your situation that would be the one I'd recommend.

 

Cally Epic Flash, a 2019 model would probably work as well.

 

Not a big Cobra fan but their current Extreme is very forgiving. Same goes for Titleist but the 917D2 and the more recent, about to be passed by, TS2, are both forgiving but reviews on those 2 drivers seem to be a few yards shorter than their competitors.

Thanks for the rundown of options. I agree with your root assessment that maybe I need to work on the swing more than the equipment...

You touch upon the very reason why I wasn't considering draw versions of drivers - I tell myself, well, you'd want to fix that bias before getting something that accommodates that... But I guess if that were really true, folks wouldn't use GI irons, mallet putters, hybrids...........

[vadersfather]

Vater, don't get me wrong, I'm a yuge fan of long and light driver's, but the truth is, it just doesn't work for everyone. And btw, the jetspeed is the best feeling driver I have ever hit, period. I'm bummed I can't use it in my current build as the head is just to heavy for my 48 inch driver and you really can't remove weight from it. The screw on the bottom is only 3 grams. 

 

[nsxguy]

4 hours ago, Vater said:

Thanks for the rundown of options. I agree with your root assessment that maybe I need to work on the swing more than the equipment...

You touch upon the very reason why I wasn't considering draw versions of drivers - I tell myself, well, you'd want to fix that bias before getting something that accommodates that... But I guess if that were really true, folks wouldn't use GI irons, mallet putters, hybrids...........

 

Well, fix the swing, or change the equipment. Of course that's something you have to decide. We ALL like shiny new toys.

 

But 95% (<-- I made that up ) of amateurs find their high water mark vis-a-vis their swing and move on from there. Not saying we won't try to tweak something here and there and maybe "find" something that works better, but most eventually resign ourselves at some point. Just one person's opinion.

 

But as for the last part, let's face it, even TOUR PROS are using all those clubs you mention and few of "us" will ever swing as well as they do - so I wouldn't diminish the value of GI irons, mallet putters, and hybrids.

[setter02]

If you don't need the flat setting, the G400 is great.  TS3 is a very good over all driver.  While I like my Sim, I have the wrong lofted head in a 10.5*, performs well, not a huge fan of the sound/feel compared to others.  Picked up a G410+ again, but this time a 9* and going to be happy with it.  Not the longest, but can hit it all over the map and get good results. Might not have the appearance from address that you are used to.