Titleist 905R and VS Proto 70 !

[chisag]

killer combo...

… 905R 10.5* with a VS Proto s flex installed with a 1.5" insertion depth... i played it a day before the trip and inserted it another .5" deeper... so i ended up with a 2" insertion. Some of my friends have told me my reviews have too much “technical mumbo-jumbo and sales pitch”. So from now on, I will post my reviews in two parts. The first performance only, and then the *technical information for those interested at the bottom.

APPEARENCE:
… To my eye it is an awesome combo. The 905R 10.5* head has the best pear shape of any titleist driver to date. The slightly larger size gives it a more pleasing shape than the 905t. It hides it’s size fairly well for a 460cc head. I am not a fan of alignment aids, but this small silver one blends well with the grey head, and I just didn’t notice it after a couple of days. The face is not deep or shallow, but again a nice split between the two. The deep blue VS Proto 70 also goes very well with the dark grey head, and imo is the best looking shaft Aldila has made to date. The combo is subtly beautiful and inspires confidence at address.

FEEL/SOUND:

… Finally a sound and feel that strikes just the right balance. I know some like very hot, loud sounding heads, while others prefer a muted thud sound. The 905R/VSProto sounds lively, but not overly so. The feel is as solid as it gets. The head has a nice subtle metallic sound with a slight “cotton fill” deadening effect, again splitting the difference. The head feels very dense and solid with perfect contact, and retains most of both on slight mishits, Even severe mishits sound and feel better than I expected. The VS Proto provides a dampened sound and feel that is extraordinary. It is hard to put into words, although you can read the technical section for more info.

PERFORMANCE:

… All of us have hit bombs with someone else’s driver, and sometimes with our own. But a huge bomb is not what golf is about. In fact, I think they are more detrimental to our swing/game than consistent drives. You know the one i mean, that one drive where you reached a 285 -335 yard par 4 in one? Then swung outta your shoes tryin to duplicate that prodigious feat, resulting in some of your worst drives? Although the 905R/VS Proto did produce some huge bombs that I was very happy about, they were the result of perfect timing and dead center contact, not an effort to really kill it. You can hit this head right in the center of the face with outstanding results. A little higher up is even a hair better, but you don’t need to hit the top of the clubhead like many of the new drivers. I found the 10.%* to play very similar to the 10.5* 905T. Where this combo really excels is “average” drives. I hit the ball longer by 10+ yards on average, which is really the attribute that matters most. The VS Proto 70 produces lower spin than the NV, a high launch that has max carry, yet hits the ground runnin. Contrary to popular misconceptions, the 905R also produces low spin. A few hundred rpms more than the 905T is statistically insignificant and only the best drivers in the world might be able to tell a spin difference. I was able to hit this combo high and low, pulling off some knockdown shots into a 40+ mph wind. With today’s low spin balls, heads and shafts are designed to go straight, so I do not even attempt to “work” the ball from side to side. But under pressure, holding on a fraction longer did produce a gentle fade that took the left side outta play. The 905R/VS Proto does everything I asked and produced the best 5 days of driving I can remember at any time in my golfing career. Low spin, high launch. Amen.

FORGIVENESS:

… Not to give myself callouses from pattin myself on the back, but I just didn’t miss the sweet spot much in 5 days of 36 a day. I think it was a combination of being in the zone and having a combo that worked so well, that I was able to swing with complete confidence. The 905R/VS Proto is almost automatic. I did miss a couple way out toward the toe, and the results were quite respectable and in the fairway. But I can’t comment on the forgiveness with any certainty at the moment. I’m sure a follow up will have more than enough mishit info a couple weeks down the road.

OVERALL:

… I just can’t imagine a better combo. Since last fall I have played the FT-3 Tour, 580xd TP, R5TP, 600TC and the J33R 460. None of them comes close other than the bridgestone. The J33r 460 is a bit less forgiving and really likes high face contact, but i am more comfortable with a slightly shallower face and and just above center contact. the 905R/VS Proto 70 looks great, feels awesome, wants to go straight AND it’s the most consistently long combo I have ever hit. If you are lookin for a new driver, I would put this at the top of a very short must demo list.

*TECHNICAL aspects of the VS Proto:

… I don’t know how anyone can consider a new shaft without knowing the technology that goes into it, but I guess some just ain’t interested. for those that are:

1) First the Nano tubes. They are VERY small. Their job is to strengthen, stiffen and reduce weight in a composite laminate. Period. They don’t “align carbon fibers” or “optimize stiffness distribution” or “create a tighter molecular structure” “or reduce voids”… they do create a feel that is very distinctive. It is almost like the entire shaft flexes as opposed to a high, mid or low flex. I find it a very pleasing feel, and amazingly accurate. A shaft that correctly uses nano tubes is very, very tight. By correctly, I refer to a uniform distribution as opposed to sprinkling some here or there. They are not cheap, and some will try and capitalize on this new buzz word by incorporating them into a small section of the shaft.
2) Micro Laminate Technology. Quite simply, Aldila uses many more layers (approx. 20 compared to 7 or 8) which creates a more uniform flex and feel. With 20 ends of very thin wraps around the circunmference of the shaft, as compared to 7 thicker wraps with more pronounced spines, you can see where the consistency comes from. I think this was a major breakthrough in shaft technology and there are more companies jumping on the bandwagon.
3) Proprietary A65 Performance Resin and Advanced Ultra-High Modulus Graphite Fibers. Ya got me here. ; ) … Aldila is using a more expensive adhesion together with a new graphite fiber that increases feel and performance. All i know is it works for me.

… combined together these three improvements have Aldila very excited about 06. I can honestly say the VS Proto is the best feeling and best performing shaft I have ever hit. I love every thing about it, even the color. Kinda like the 3 bears. For my swing, the nv was just a hair too stiff in the tip, the nvs was a little too soft, and the protopype had great feel, but was too difficult to load for a 105mph swinger. Imo, the overall profile and playability of the VS Proto 70 is closest to the NV with less spin, but combines the best of all three Aldila shafts. The silky smooth feel of the NV, the slightly softer flex of the NVS and the incredible accuracy of the nano tube protopype. Add the new resin and high modulus fibers with very low torque, and I just don’t know what else you can ask from a shaft.

[Siteseer2]

80 views but no replies... after a splendid review... two thumbs way up Chisag... BTW, glad you found a serious gamer...

[tylerbrowder8-4]

did you send you driver back to titleist or have it done at a local shop?

 

and how did they put the shaft in did they cut the shaft and drill out the old shaft 2 inches to avoid the heat gun and then put the shaft in? thats what ive always thought .. day dream to much :stop:

 

if you sent it to a local shop do you know how they put it in?

 

thanks,

tyler

[finalist]

a great review! thanks

[chisag]

...thanks siteseer and finalist.

 

... tyler, i do all my own work. i prefer to drill out titlesit heads as opposed to pulling the shafts. it leaves a nice factory finished sole at the borethrough. i started at 1.5", then drilled another .5"...

[InTheHole!]

Thanks for the review chisag - I am sure the forum members considering a 905R would take your report in consideration when picking up a 905R.

 

Aldila just needs to step up now and get the "By You" range of shafts out to us folks.....

[chisag]

...they're workin on it! with summer appraochin, i think they know these shafts needed to be available yesterday. last i heard, 4/13 was the shipping day. lets hope it still is. i'll try and get an update...

[markus1*]

Great review. IMO that review exactly says what the 905r is: a great driver. Thanks