Best feeling driver period (even on mishits)

DrSchteeve · July 21, 2006

Least vibration even at the expense of feedback

I'm recovering from elbow surgery. Loved my G5/V2 65 stiff - just bombed it - but it did feel slightly harsh. Looking for driver head/shaft combo with a soft feel. Softest I have hit is G5 with Diamana 63, but that is the only Diamana I have ever hit - I did love the "nothing" feel at impact - so a Diamana in some head is the leading candidate. If I force myself to pay the $$$, Ozik Altus may be an option. I am a high ball, relatively high spin hitter with driver ss 95-98, relatively fast tempo.

Most likely candidates so far:

FT-3 with Diamana (Blue/Red/Bassara), hopefully Optifit will tell
NVG2 Tour 10* (R flex Speeder?)
J33R Diamana g4"t stiff - concerned about purported forgiveness of the head
G5 Diamana g4"t 9.0* stiff - my default: I am fairly sure this combo will work for me
"Rapture" Diamana g4"t (if I can stomach the name and if the club performs)

Again, I am looking for a soft/solid feel even when I mishit...

KingOAces · July 21, 2006

Surprizingly my tm r7425 TP is EXTREMELY soft. I absolutely love the sound that it makes and it feels smooth. The Cleveland COMP 460 is also pretty soft.

KinG

Road Warrior · July 21, 2006

Cleveland COMP with Zcom TW64 is VERY soft, and I expect that it would be soft with a Diamana or any OZIK as well.

Maybe I'm just used to it, but my 425 TP with the RE*AX ROMBAX feels relatively soft/not harsh. At a tournament Wednesday and Thursday, I mishit it high on the face a lot, and it may feel hollow on bad hits, but not jarring at all.

DrSchteeve · July 21, 2006

I've never met an Aldila shaft I liked, but the VS Proto reviews I'm seeing have me wondering if it is a shaft that I should consider also.

lysaght68 · July 21, 2006

I have to agree with the Launcher Comp suggestion, incredibly soft anywhere near the sweetspot (which is large) and the only slightly harsh mishit with it comes from low face or extreme toe contact. IMO it can not be considered solid feeling like the 975D for instance. A driver that felt like the 975D and was as easy to hit well as the Comp would be heaven but I don't know if there's one out there. I've had a Comp in the bag for 2 years now and it's so good I can't find any reason to look elsewhere. I haven't tried any of the premium driver shafts but the MFS65 (S2) I've got in mine is excellent, at 70 grams it's heavier than other shafts I've tried in this head and the extra weight does seem to translate into a more solid feel than the stock shaft and other sub 65 gram shafts I've used in it.

xxio · July 21, 2006

Tourstage X Drive Pro Spec just get the correct shaft flex. My current gamer J33/Graman Limey is close.

SwingMan · July 22, 2006

The softest driver/shaft combo I've owned or demoed is the AGT (Advanced Golf Technology) Aurora/Fuji MW54 Combo - feels like a forging but not harsh on mishits. Of course, it feels like nothing on sweet hits.

Any head with a Fuji Speeder or ZCom that has a medium tip - 652, 569, MW54 - ought to feel smooth - these shafts tend to give a silky smoothness to most heads I've tried.

The R7425 w.Fuji Re Ax Shaft (not the TP version) is also a soft feeling and smooth combo.

BJG718 · July 22, 2006

SQ with stock shaft. softest and most forgiving combo ive ever hit. now only is they made a square/open face more similar to the MAX as opposed to tour model...

DrSchteeve · July 22, 2006

All great suggestions, and certainly not what I was expecting?! No Diamana (except the stock Sasquatch), no Ozik (blah the $$$)?! No FT-3?! Only one J33r?

Chelanace · July 22, 2006

My J33P with a 757 is without a doubt, the softest, best sounding driver I have ever hit. More persommon sound than any driver I have heard. As you can probably tell, I grew up with persimmon. Probably why I keep coming back to this J33.

Konklifer · July 22, 2006

Nike SQ with Diamana Red Ion. Superb feel on every shot.

bjrapper · July 22, 2006

The softest driver/shaft combo I've owned or demoed is the AGT (Advanced Golf Technology) Aurora/Fuji MW54 Combo - feels like a forging but not harsh on mishits. Of course, it feels like nothing on sweet hits.

Any head with a Fuji Speeder or ZCom that has a medium tip - 652, 569, MW54 - ought to feel smooth - these shafts tend to give a silky smoothness to most heads I've tried.

The R7425 w.Fuji Re Ax Shaft (not the TP version) is also a soft feeling and smooth combo.

I have to agree with swingman. The speeders he has lsted feel very smooth as does the zcom. The 652 in an FT-3 might be the smoothest feeling club I've ever hit. Hits on a medium high trajectory and carries forever-really solid combination. I found the 569 to be a little to spinny for me. Currently playing an FT-3 with an MW54, and while it might be a bit longer than the than the 652, I believe the 652 had a softer and more solid feel.

dryosh · July 28, 2006

Nike SQ with Diamana Red Ion. Superb feel on every shot.

yeah, that's probalby a good match. The redboard is a little softer and the SQ is a "smooth" feeling head.

sfdoddsy · July 28, 2006

In terms of 'softness' I'm not sure that the shaft has a great deal to do with it, unless you go really stiff or consistently mishit from the toe.

To me, what you are talking about is the head, its forgiveness and its feel.

The head which transmits the second least information to me about how well I've hit it is your default, the Ping G5. I know it has a sweet spot because some shots go further than others, but I've never felt it. The only way I can tell is to look up and see where the ball has gone. Often I am surprised.

Even less indicative was the Cobra Speed series. The whole face feels like a sweet spot.

However, in terms of jarring, any modern driver will be a pillow compared to your irons. The smoothest iron is without doubt the new Callaway Fusion Wide Sole. I thought the original Fusions felt buttery, but the Wide Sole is melted butter with icing sugar sprinkles.

Cheers

Steve

truffle00 · July 28, 2006

All great suggestions, and certainly not what I was expecting?! No Diamana (except the stock Sasquatch), no Ozik (blah the $$$)?! No FT-3?! Only one J33r?

I don't really have much experience with different heads and shafts, but I can't see how you could do much better than the FT-3 (even with the stock NVS). I've rolled the ball and put low hooks on it that go farther to the side than straight, and if I was blind, I'd think that they had gone straight down the fairway. Most shots feel pretty similar, with almost nothing actually feeling harsh. But that's just one (uneducated) man's opinion.